BACKGROUND Current plant--herbivore interaction models and experiments with mammalian herbivores grazing plant monocultures show the superiority of a maximizing forage quality strategy (MFQ) over a maximizing intake strategy (MI). However, there is a lack of evidence whether grazers comply with the model predictions under field conditions. METHODOLOGY/FINDINGS We assessed diet selection of sh...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Changes in number of trichomes and in composition and concentrations of their exudates throughout leaf development may have important consequences for plant adaptation to abiotic and biotic factors. In the present study, seasonal changes in leaf trichomes and epicuticular flavonoid aglycones in three Finnish birch taxa (Betula pendula, B. pubescens ssp. pubescens, and B. pub...

The segmentation of individual leaves in plant images is still a challenging task, especially in case of leaf overlaps. The exact determination of individual leaf areas could improve the biomass estimation which is a good indicator for plant performance. In addition, the number of leaves is directly related to plant development, leaf counts give insight into changing plant development stages. M...

For leaves, the light-capturing surface area per unit dry mass investment (specific leaf area, SLA) is a key trait from physiological, ecological and biophysical perspectives. To address whether SLA declines with leaf size, as hypothesized due to increasing costs of support in larger leaves, we compiled data on intraspecific variation in leaf dry mass (LM) and leaf surface area (LA) for 6334 le...

We present some results of an observational and theoretical study on unresolved stellar systems based on the Surface Brightness Fluctuations (SBF) technique. It is shown that SBF magnitudes are a valuable tracer of stellar population properties, and a reliable distance indicator. SBF magnitudes, SBF-colors, and SBF-gradients can help to constrain within relatively narrow limits the metallicity ...

Studies were made of resistance to gaseous exchange between large sunflower leaves and the bulk air in a crop canopy. Two components of the diffusive pathway for mass and sensible heat were evaluated; A) the resistance from the interior of the leaf to the leaf surface, and B) the resistance from the surface of the leaf through the leaf boundary air layer to the bulk air.IT WAS FOUND THAT: A) le...

The micromorphology of foliar trichomes of Hypoestes aristata var. aristata was studied using stereo, light and scanning microscopy (SEM). This genus belongs to the advanced angiosperm family Acanthaceae, for which few micromorphological leaf studies exist. Results revealed both glandular and non-glandular trichomes, the latter being more abundant on leaf veins, particularly on the abaxial surf...

Nearly all herbivorous arthropods make foraging-decisions on individual leaves, yet systematic investigations of the adaptive significance and ecological factors structuring these decisions are rare with most attention given to chewing herbivores. This study investigated why an intracellular feeding herbivore, Western flower thrips (WFT) Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande, generally avoids fee...