Understanding the response of species with differing life-history traits to habitat edges and habitat conversion helps predict their likelihood of persistence across changing landscape. In Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, we evaluated frog richness and abundance by breeding guild at four distances from the edge of a reserve: i) 200 m inside the forest, ii) 50 m inside the forest, iii) at the forest ed...

The impact of aqueous leaf extract of Hybanthus enneaspermus (HEaq) on pregnancy factors and litter survival was investigated in Sprague Dawley (SD) rat. Control group received distilled water while the test group received 2g/kg body weight of HEaq orally. Blood samples were collected on days one and twenty of pregnancy for total blood count, serum thyroid hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone (...

Interspecific relationships among species mean leaf traits, performance and species resource/climate distributions help provide the foundation for a predictive, functionally based plant ecology. Intraspecific responses of leaf traits and performance to resource gradients and how these vary among species may be equally important but have received less attention. Here, we examine relationships be...

Leaf litter samples of 12 dicotyledonous tree species (belonging to eight families) growing in a dry tropical forest and in early stages of decomposition were studied for the presence of litter fungi. Equal-sized segments of the leaves incubated in moist chambers were observed every day for 30 d for the presence of fungi. Invariably, the fungal assemblage on the litter of each tree species was ...

VOC emissions from dry leaf litter and their dependence on temperature L. Derendorp, R. Holzinger, A. Wishkerman, F. Keppler, and T. Röckmann Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU), Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584ED Utrecht, The Netherlands Max-Planck-Institute for Chemistry, Joh.-Joachim-Becher-Weg 2, 55128 Mainz, Germany Received: 11 January 2010 – Accepted: 1...

The ®rst stage of leaf litter decomposition of two eucalyptus hybrids and Acacia auriculiformis was studied in laboratory experiments where the decaying leaves were leached with water. Although the litter of both the species were characterized by a high content of soluble compounds, little soluble organic matter of acacia litter was recovered in litter leachates. By contrast, soluble organic ma...

Inputs of leaf litter and other organic matter from the catchment exceed autochthonous production and provide an important food ,resource in most streams (WEBSTER & MEYER 1997, ANDERSON & SEDElL 1979). An experimental long-term exclusion of terrestrial litter inputs to a forested headwater stream (WALLACE et al. 1997) provided an opportunity to determine if the food quality of organic matter wo...

The relationship between leaf area and diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) or sapwood area (AS) has been used to estimate stand leaf area or biomass of forest canopies. It has been suggested that intra-specifi c variations in the relationship between stand leaf area and d.b.h. or AS can introduce a systematic error in these estimates for younger and older stands unless additional parameters rela...

Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. monilifera (boneseed), a weed of national significance in Australia, threatens indigenous species and crop production through allelopathy. We aimed to identify phenolic compounds produced by boneseed and to assess their phytotoxicity on native species. Phenolic compounds in water and methanol extracts, and in decomposed litter-mediated soil leachate were ident...

In the current study, a field experiment was conducted to examine effects of litter on seedling emergence and early growth of four dominant weed species from the early successional stages of old field ecosystem and two perennial grassland species in late successional stages. Our results showed that increased litter cover decreased soil temperature and temperature variability over time and impro...