Litter decomposition is a keystone ecosystem process impacting nutrient cycling and productivity, soil properties, and the terrestrial carbon (C) balance, but the factors regulating decomposition rate are still poorly understood. Traditional models assume that the rate is controlled by litter quality, relying on parameters such as lignin content as predictors. However, a strong correlation has ...

Colostrum yield and composition of 40 Landrace×Large White sows were determined from the onset of parturition until 24 h post partum. Colostrum yield was calculated by adding individual piglets' colostrum intakes for each litter. Colostrum was assayed for prolactin, progesterone, oestradiol-17β, immunoglobulin G and its nutritional composition was determined. Piglets' individual colostrum intak...

In the present work, abundance, spatial distribution and qualitative composition, of benthic marine litter, were investigated in five study areas from the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Seas (Saronikos, Patras and Echinades Gulfs; Limassol Gulf; Constanta Bay). Surveys were performed using the monitoring protocol proposed by the Technical Group for Marine Litter. Densities ranged from 24items/...

Forest fragmentation results in a loss of forest interior and an increase in edge habitat. We studied how understorey bird community composition and habitat variables changed along an edge-to-interior gradient in a 1248-ha lowland rainforest patch in peninsular Malaysia. Birds and environmental variables such as vegetation structure and litter depth were detected within a 25-m radius of each of...

RECENT INVESTIGATIONS HAVE SHOWN THAT TWO COMPONENTS OF COMMUNITY TRAIT COMPOSITION ARE IMPORTANT FOR KEY ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES: (i) the community-weighted mean trait value (CWM), related to the mass ratio hypothesis and dominant trait values in the community, and (ii) functional diversity (FD), related to the complementarity hypothesis and the divergence of trait values. However, no experiments ...

background: in recent years, natural products, especially natural antioxidants, play an important role in various fields. in fact, lippia citriodora is one of the medicinal plants which is cultivated in iran and it may be has potential antioxidant activity. objective: the chemical composition of lippia citriodora essential oil (lceo) has been determined. the total phenolic content and antioxida...

the genus boswellia is one of the 17 genera belonging to burseraceae family. in this study resin of boswellia carteri birdwoodcollected or purchased from tehram herbal market as a food and non-food for chemical analysis. the essential oils of the resins of boswellia carteri birdwoodobtained by different methods of distillation (water distillation, steam distillation and hydro-steam distillation...

fruit leather is one of dried product with variable production, good marketing and popular consumption in many countries of the world. in this research, the effect of concentration temperature (55-75 °c) and time (20-40 min) and drying temperature (40-70 °c) on the chemical composition (brix, ph, sugars and vitamin c) and the microbial properties of apple leather investigated. the results showe...

objective: vitex agnus-castus (vac) and its essential oil have been traditionally used to treat many conditions and symptoms such as premenstrual problems, mastalgia, inflammation, sexual dysfunction, and pain. in this study, the effects of essential oil extracted from vitex agnus-castus (eovac) leaves were investigated in three behavioral models of nociception in adult male wistar rats. materi...