A standard problem in finance is that of an agent, with an asset, who seeks to raise a fixed amount of money by selling part of it. For example, consider an entrepreneur who sells shares in his company to raise a fixed amount of money from venture capitalists, or a firm in financial distress that has to sell off some of its assets to settle its obligations. These sales differ from the standard ...

BACKGROUND Herbivores have the power to shape plant evolutionary trajectories, influence the structure and function of vegetation, devastate entire crops, or halt the spread of invasive weeds, and as a consequence, research into plant-herbivore interactions is pivotal to our understanding of plant ecology and evolution. However, the causes and consequences of seedling herbivory have received re...

Climate change is expected to force many species in arctic regions to migrate and track their climatic niche. This requires recruitment from seed, which currently shows very low rates in arctic regions, where long-lived and vegetatively reproducing plants dominate. Therefore, we pose the question whether recruitment (germination and seedling establishment) in arctic regions will significantly i...

As a multiple function tree species, Cyclocarya paliurus (Batal) Iljinskaja is mainly planted and managed for timber production and medical use. To improve the seed use efficiency and outplanting performance of C. paliurus, the effects of container types and growth medium on the seedling growth and root morphology of C. paliurus were investigated by using a completely randomized block experimen...

We measured net photosynthesis, leaf conductance, xylem water potential, and growth of Pinus strobus L. seedlings two years after planting on two clear-cut and burned sites in the southern Appalachians. Multiple regression analysis was used to relate seedling net photosynthesis to vapor pressure deficit, seedling crown temperature, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), needle N, xylem wate...

Understanding the mechanisms generating species distributions remains a challenge, especially in hyperdiverse tropical forests. We evaluated the role of rainfall variation, soil gradients and herbivory on seedling mortality, and how variation in seedling performance along these gradients contributes to habitat specialisation. In a 4-year experiment, replicated at the two extremes of the Amazon ...