Phytotelmata in tank-forming Bromeliaceae plants are regarded as potential miniature models for aquatic ecology, but detailed investigations of their microbial communities are rare. Hence, the biogeochemistry in bromeliad tanks remains poorly understood. Here we investigate the structure of bacterial and archaeal communities inhabiting the detritus within the tanks of two bromeliad species, Aec...

The wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) plant is richly distributed in North America, mainly in Canada. In the present study, 24 extracts were obtained from the rhizome, stem, leaf and fruit of wild sarsaparilla. In the presence of RH (hexane fraction from the rhizome), the survival rate of WiDr (human colon cancer cell) was 3.5 +/- 2.7% (IC50 = 30.1 +/- 3.5 microg/ml) and that of Molt (human...

Intra- and interspecific variation in flower color is a hallmark of angiosperm diversity. The evolutionary forces underlying the variety of flower colors can be nearly as diverse as the colors themselves. In addition to pollinator preferences, non-pollinator agents of selection can have a major influence on the evolution of flower color polymorphisms, especially when the pigments in question ar...

We compared the understory communities (herbs, shrubs, and tree seedlings and saplings) of oldgrowth and second-growth eastern hemlock forests (Tsuga canadensis) in western Massachusetts, USA. Second-growth hemlock forests originated following clear-cut logging in the late 1800s and were 108– 136 years old at the time of sampling. Old-growth hemlock forests contained total ground cover of herba...

A soil-active herbicide (hexazinone) was applied (0, 2, and 4 kg/ha of active ingredient) in a 3-year-old regenerating boreal Populus tremuloides Michx. (aspen) clearcut to determine its effect on the compositional and structural development of the vegetation. Woody stem densities and plant foliar cover were evaluated prior to and 2, 6, and 17 years after treatment. Herbicide treatment at the 2...

Bromeliads are the most abundant litter-trapping plants in Neotropical forest canopies. By intercepting litter, bromeliads obtain and retain nutrients before they reach pedosphere. Here, we analyzed litter captured stored by tank (TB) five different forests along an elevation gradient Mexico. Among those forests, carbon nutrient pools nitrogen fluxes TB were estimated a mangrove (MF) semi-decid...