Many studies have tried to explain the physiological mechanisms of the alpine treeline phenomenon, but the debate on the alpine treeline formation remains controversial due to opposite results from different studies. The present study explored the carbon-physiology of an alpine shrub species (Quercus aquifolioides) grown at its upper elevational limit compared to lower elevations, to test wheth...

The objective of this research was to determine the relationships between the morphological development and in situ ruminally degradable protein (RDP), ruminally undegradable protein (RUP), and microbial protein of two cool season grasses (intermediate wheatgrass and smooth bromegrass) and two warm season grasses (switchgrass and big bluestem). The initial growth of grass tillers grown near Mea...

Recent studies indicate that lianas are increasing in size and abundance relative to trees in neotropical forests. As a result, forest dynamics and carbon balance may be altered through liana-induced suppression of tree growth and increases in tree mortality. Increasing atmospheric CO2 is hypothesized to be responsible for the increase in neotropical lianas, yet no study has directly compared t...

Adolescent wrestlers (n = 9, 15.4 yr) and recreationally active control males (n = 7, 15.7 yr) were measured before, at the end of, and 3.5-4 mo after a competitive wrestling season to assess the influence of dietary restriction on growth-related hormones. Wrestlers had significant elevations preseason to late season for morning serum concentrations (mean of 8 serial samples) of growth hormone ...

The transfer of arsenic to rice grains is a human health issue of growing relevance in regions of southern Asia where shallow groundwater used for irrigation of paddy fields is elevated in As. In the present study, As and Fe concentrations in soil water and in the roots of rice plants, primarily the Fe plaque surrounding the roots, were monitored during the 4-month growing season at two sites i...

In order to gain knowledge on the physiological and anatomical responses of plants to long-term growth under elevated CO2 concentrations, measurements of water status, leaf gas exchange and leaf anatomical characteristics were made during the rainy and the dry season in plants of Brownea coccinea and Spatiphylum cannifolium growing along a natural CO2 gradient, from 35000μmol·mol (supra-atmosph...

Increased atmospheric [CO2] could theoretically lead to increased forest productivity (‘CO2 fertilization’). This mechanism was hypothesized as a possible explanation for biomass increases reported from tropical forests in the last 301 years. We used unique long-term records of annually measured stands (eighteen 0.5 ha plots, 10 years) and focal tree species (six species, 24 years) to assess th...

Examination of ontogenetic variation in the stable isotopic composition of accretionary biogenic hard parts is becoming a commonplace technique for gaining insights into organism age, changes in growth rate through ontogeny, and environmental conditions under which organisms lived. However, the application of isotopic data to life-history studies often is impeded by the noisy nature of environm...