1. Plant – animal interactions, and in particular the processes of seed predation and dispersal, are crucial for tree regeneration and forest dynamics. A novel and striking case of interaction between a dung beetle ( Thorectes lusitanicus ) and two Quercus species ( Q. suber and Q. canariensis ) in forests of southern Spain is presented here. 2. During the autumn, T. lusitanicus beetles (endemi...

A tradeoff between growth and reproduction, often inferred from an inverse correlation between these two variables, is a fundamental paradigm of life-history evolution. Oak species provide a unique test of this relationship because different species mature acorns either in the year of pollination or in the year after pollination. This difference allows for an interspecific comparison testing wh...

The goal of this study was to observe the foraging behavior of Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) on the University of Maine campus. The study tested whether squirrels in a more urban setting followed the optimal foraging theory, or if rarity of a food type played a greater factor in food selection. The study also examined whether urban squirrel behavior mimicked that of wild squirre...

Proline contents of parotid glands (PG) in pigs constantly increase after the inclusion of different amounts of ripe hulled acorns in the diet providing high polyphenols levels. The dose-response relationship was estimated on natural hydrolizable tannins (expressed as tannic acid equivalent TAE) amounts of 25.8 to 36.1 g TAE/kg DM in experimental diets. Macroscopic and histological morphometry ...

Dissemination Level PU Public X PP Restricted to other programme participants (including the Commission Services) RE Restricted to a group specified by the consortium (including the Commission Services) CO Confidential, only for members of the consortium (including the Commission Services)

Experimental results have been inconclusive about low temperature storage of recalcitrant seeds from temperate zone trees. Experiments were conducted on four species of oak chinkapin (Quercus muehlenbergii Engelm.), water (Quercus nigra L.), Shumard (Quercus shumardii Buckl.), and northern red (Quercus rubra L.). Storage temperatures were -1.5 DC and 3 DC, and lengths of storage were 1, 2, and ...

Risk of human exposure to vector-borne zoonotic pathogens is a function of the abundance and infection prevalence of vectors. We assessed the determinants of Lyme-disease risk (density and Borrelia burgdorferi-infection prevalence of nymphal Ixodes scapularis ticks) over 13 y on several field plots within eastern deciduous forests in the epicenter of US Lyme disease (Dutchess County, New York)....

Quercus alba L., Q. durandii Buckl., and Q. virginiana Mill. acorns were collected, stored at +4°C and -2°C, and tested monthly to examine the physiological, biochemical, and moisture changes taking place during storage. Aesculus pavia L. seeds were similarly stored but tested only every three months, while those of Q. nigra L. and Q. pagoda Raf were tested on a yearly basis. While all these se...