How do people walk to a moving target, and what visual information do they use to do so? Under a pursuit strategy, one would head toward the target's current position, whereas under an interception strategy, one would lead the target, ideally by maintaining a constant target-heading angle (or constant bearing angle). Either strategy may be guided by the egocentric direction of the target, local...

Canopy photosynthesis has typically been estimated using mathematical models that have the following assumptions: the light interception inside the canopy exponentially declines with the canopy depth, and the photosynthetic capacity is affected by light interception as a result of acclimation. However, in actual situations, light interception in the canopy is quite heterogenous depending on env...

Links between resting metabolic rate (RMR) and reproductive output have been previously sought at both inter- and intraspecific levels, but have only been found in some interspecific studies. We aimed to examine correlations between RMR measured both prior to breeding and at peak lactation with litter size and litter mass in Mus musculus. By manipulating the litter size of some females at birth...

The litter carbon (C) pool of a single litter cohort in an agroecosystem is the difference between net primary productivity and decomposition and comprises 1113% of the total C pool (litter and soil 0-15 cm depth) post-harvest. This litter-C pool is highly dynamic and up to 50% can be decomposed in the first 12 months of decomposition. Thus, understanding litter-C dynamics is key in understandi...

KOSTEL-HUGHES, F., T. P. YOUNG, AND J. D. WEHR. (Louis Calder Center—Biological Field Station and Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, P.O. Box 887, Armonk, NY 10504). Effects of leaf litter depth on the emergence and seedling growth of deciduous forest tree species in relation to seed size. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 132: 50–61. 2005.—Leaf litter has a major impact on soil microenvi...

1. While it is well established that leaf litter decomposition is controlled by climate and substrate quality at broad spatial scales, conceptual frameworks that consider how local-scale factors affect litter decay in heterogeneous landscapes are generally lacking. 2. A critical challenge in disentangling the relative impacts of and interactions among local-scale factors is that these factors f...

gross rainfall (gr) partitioning into throughfall (tf), stemflow (sf) and interception loss (i) was studied in a pure oriental beech (fagus orientalis lipsky) forest located in the central caspian region of northern iran. measurements were performed on a rainfall event basis in a 5625 m2 plot of the kheyrud forest research station of tehran university during 2008 and 2009 growing seasons. gr wa...

To better understand the role of resource heterogeneity in decomposition and nitrous oxide (N2O) flux we systematically altered the degree of plant litter aggregation in soil, from uniformly distributed to highly aggregated. In laboratory incubations, we distributed 4.5 g of dried clover shoots (Trifolium pratense L.) in two particle sizes (1 or >5 mm) into 1, 3, or 9 patches versus uniformly d...

Elevated atmospheric CO2 can change foliar tissue chemistry. This alters leaf litter palatability to macroinvertebrate detritivores with consequences for decomposition, nutrient turnover, and food-web structure. Currently there is no consensus on the link between CO2 enrichment, litter chemistry, and macroinvertebrate-mediated leaf decomposition. To identify any unifying mechanisms, we presente...