The energetic equivalence rule, which is based on a combination of metabolic theory and the self-thinning rule, is one of the fundamental laws of nature. However, there is a progressively increasing body of evidence that scaling relationships of metabolic rate vs. body mass and population density vs. body mass are variable and deviate from their respective theoretical values of 3/4 and -3/4 or ...

High resolution maps of urban vegetation and biomass are powerful tools for policy-makers and community groups seeking to reduce rates of urban runoff, moderate urban heat island effects, and mitigate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions. We developed a very high resolution map of urban tree biomass, assessed the scale sensitivities in biomass estimation, compared our results with lower reso...

Puumala virus, which causes nephropathia epidemica (NE), is the most prevalent hantavirus in Germany; bank voles serve as the main reservoir. During 2001-2007, most NE cases reported from Germany occurred in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg. We investigated the influence of bank vole habitats (beech forest, seed plants), vole food supply (beechnut mast), climate factors (winter and s...

The chikungunya virus outbreak that occurred in 2007 in northern Italy (Emilia-Romagna region) prompted the development of a large scale monitoring system of the population density of Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894), comparable at the provincial and municipal levels. In 2007, egg density data presented an aggregated distribution (VMR >1) and Taylor's power law was applied to calculate the minimu...

Negative density dependence (NDD) of recruitment is pervasive in tropical tree species. We tested the hypotheses that seed dispersal is NDD, due to intraspecific competition for dispersers, and that this contributes to NDD of recruitment. We compared dispersal in the palm Attalea butyracea across a wide range of population density on Barro Colorado Island in Panama and assessed its consequences...

Species that occupy the same area and use the same resources must either compete with each other or find ways to minimize competition. For rodents, 1 important resource is nesting sites. In this study I present data from direct behavioral observations in the succulent karoo of South Africa that show aggressive interactions between bush karoo rats (Otomys unisulcatus) and striped mice (Rhabdomys...

a field experiment was conducted at wondo genet agriculture research center under irrigated condition to determine the effect of intra and inter-row spacing on growth and yield of artemisia (artemisia annua l.) during the two successive seasons of 2013 and 2014. factorial combinations of four intra-rows (40, 60, 80, 100 cm) and four inter-row plant spacing’s (60, 80, 100, 120 cm) were laid out ...

to determine the effects of pre-germinating of tubers and plant density on yield and some agronomic traits of six commercial potato cultivars, an experiment was carried out in ardebil agricultural research station for two years (2001 and 2002). the experiment was in a split split splot on the basis of completely randomized block design with three replications. pre-germination and non pre-germin...