Spatial variation in ecological systems can arise both as a consequence of variation in the quality and availability of resources and as an emergent property of spatially structured interactions. We used a spatially explicit model to simulate populations of herbivore hosts and their parasitoids in landscapes with different levels of variance in plant patch quality and different spatial arrangem...

This paper seeks to contribute to longstanding but recently revived debates about the nature of the branch plant economy in the UK regions. It introduces new empirical evidence on the ‘quality’ of MNE plants in Yorkshire and Humberside and Northern Ireland. Plant quality in both regions is shown to be more variable than might be expected on the basis of the branch plant stereotype, with a subst...

Introduction Plant cell walls constitute the key structural components of plants and many foods derived thereof. For decades, it has also been appreciated that they play a central role in determining the quality characteristics of many plant-based foods, particularly texture (Van Buren 1979). There is an implicit assumption that by understanding the physics, chemistry, biochemistry, and molecul...

The use of medicinal plants is continually expanding worldwide. The increasing search for therapeutic agents derived from plant species is justified by the emergence of diseases, yet without proper treatment, and the growth of scientific knowledge about the herbal medi‐ cines as important treatment alternatives. Therefore, the quality and safety of herbal prepa‐ rations are also of great concer...

Vegetables are an important part of the human diet and a major source of biologically active substances such as vitamins, dietary fiber, antioxidants, and cholesterol-lowering compounds. Despite a large amount of information on this topic, the nutritional quality of vegetables has not been defined. Historically, the value of many plant nutrients and health-promoting compounds was discovered by ...

It is essential to guarantee the safety of unprocessed plants and food supplements if consumers' health is to be protected. Although botanicals and their preparations are regulated at EU level, at least in part, there is still considerable discretion at national level, and Member States may choose to classify a product either as a food supplement or as a drug. Accurate data concerning the finis...

There is concern that crop plants are becoming less nutritious as the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increase.

Competition between herbivorous insects often occurs as a trait mediated indirect effect mediated by inducible changes in plant quality rather than a direct effect mediated by plant biomass. While plant-mediated competition likely influences many herbivores, progress linking studies of plant-mediated competition in terrestrial phytophagous insects to longerterm consequences for herbivore commun...