Thorectes lusitanicus, a typically coprophagous species is also actively attracted to oak acorns, consuming, burying them, and conferring ecophysiological and reproductive advantages to both the beetle and the tree. In this study, we explored the possible relation between diet shift and the health status of T. lusitanicus using a generalist entomopathogenic fungus (Metarhizium anisopliae) as a ...

Seeds that lose viability when dried to a water content of less than 12% are said to be recalcitrant. We subjected acorns of Quercus alba L., a species with recalcitrant seeds, to desiccation to determine the effects of drying on lipids, proteins and carbohydrates of the embryonic axis and cotyledon tissues. Samples of fresh seed and seed dried for selected intervals were analyzed for water con...

Antioxidant characteristics of leaves, twigs, and acorns from two Serbian oak species Quercus robur L. and Quercus petraea L. from Vojvodina province (northern Serbia) were investigated. 80% ethanol (in water) extracts were used for antiradical power (ARP) determinations against DPPH(•), (•)NO, and O2 (•-) radicals, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), total phenol, tannin, flavonoid, and ...

Oaks (Quercus) are economically important, and their seed (acorns) a valuable food for many animals. Thus, forest managers must consider potential tradeoffs between oak growth acorn production. I used 13 years of dbh 17 trapping data on 195 trees five common eastern species to compare stand-level production closed canopy mature (M) recent shelterwood with reserves regeneration harvests (SW) (BA...

Acorns play an important role in human history and are a source of food and recipes for many cultures around the world. In this study, eleven oleanolic triterpenes, one of which was novel, were isolated from Chinese acorns (Quercus serrata var. brevipetiolata). The chemical structure of the novel triterpene, which was identified as 2α,3β,19α-trihydroxy-24-oxo-olean-12-en-28-oic acid (1), was es...

Abstract Scatter-hoarding animals decide their food hoarding location by assessing quality and pilfering risk. Previous studies have proposed two non-mutually exclusive hypotheses; the optimal density model (ODM) habitat structure hypothesis (HSH). The ODM proposes that utilize low cache to protect valuable caches transporting far from sources. HSH predation risk in open areas. Here, we investi...