Sorghum bicolor is among main staple crops of Chad but it is commonly attacked by Striga hermonthica. Assessment of sorghum varieties for resistance to this weed was carried out during three cropping seasons （2005-2...Sorghum bicolor is among main staple crops of Chad but it is commonly attacked by Striga hermonthica. Assessment of sorghum varieties for resistance to this weed was carried out during three cropping seasons （2005-2008）, in controlled conditions; promising entries （those which fulfilled at least 75% of selection criteria） were evaluated in farmer field in 2008-2009 seasons. There were five sites （Bebedjia, Deli, Bekao, Koudoti and Ndaba）. The objective was to evaluate some sorghum entries for S. hermonthica resistance in farmer field. Sorghum test was composed of four entries in Fisher blocks as experimental designs, with five replications. Among different observed variables, there were striga plant count and weight of sorghum grains. One promising entry was selected at Bebedjia and Ndaba （53）, two at Deli and Koudoti （50 and 53）. No entry was selected at Bekao. Promising entries for the whole Southern zone of Chad were composed of 50 and 53. The best entry was 53 because it was promising in all sites except Bekao.展开更多
Shrub patches often support the colonizers particularly under stressful and/or disturbed environments.The intensities of stresses and disturbances on mountains are often related to an elevation gradient and are decrea...Shrub patches often support the colonizers particularly under stressful and/or disturbed environments.The intensities of stresses and disturbances on mountains are often related to an elevation gradient and are decreased by shrub patches(canopy and litter).We aim to clarify these relationships by using shrub patches at different elevations on a volcano.We monitored all shoots in plots established inside and outside of patches of Salix reinii(Salicaceae)and their related environments,such as temperature,light,moisture and chemistry,at three elevations on Mount Koma(1131 m a.s.l.),northern Japan,from early spring in 2005 to summer in 2006.The patch structures were evaluated by area,branch density and litter thickness.The structures of shrub patches did not differ among the elevations.The patches increased the diversity of rare species,by an overall increase in plant species richness.The moisture,nitrogen and phosphate contents in the patches were higher than outside of patches.The effects of shrub patches on the cohabitants were overall positive,although the effects were negative on seedling abundance,shoot survival and flowering.These results suggest that the growth patterns of shrub patches determine the plant community structures and facilitate plant diversity.展开更多
Understanding the factors that facilitate the emergence of cooperation among organisms is central to the study of social evolution. Spotted hyenas Crocuta crocuta frequently cooperate to mob lions Panthera leo, approa...Understanding the factors that facilitate the emergence of cooperation among organisms is central to the study of social evolution. Spotted hyenas Crocuta crocuta frequently cooperate to mob lions Panthera leo, approaching the lions as a tightknit group while vocalizing loudly in an attempt to overwhelm them and drive them away. Whereas cooperative mobbing behavior has been well documented in birds and some mammals, to our knowledge it has never been described during interactions between 2 apex predators. Using a 27-year dataset, we characterize lion-hyena encoun- ters, assess rates of mobbing behavior observed during these interactions, and inquire whether mobbing results in successful acquisition of food. Lions and hyenas interacted most often at fresh kills, especially as prey size and the number of hyenas present increased. Possession of food at the beginning of an interaction positively affected retention of that food by each predator species. The presence of male lions increased the probability of an interspecific interaction but decreased the likelihood of hyenas obtaining or retaining possession of the food. Hyena mobbing rates were highest at fresh kills, but lower when adult male lions were present. The occurrence of mobbing was predicted by an increase in the number of hyenas present. Whether or not mobbing resulted in acquisition of food from lions was predicted by an increase in the number of mobs formed by the hyenas present, suggesting that cooperation among hyenas enhances their fitness.展开更多
Aims The limitations of classical Lotka–Volterra models for analyzing and interpreting competitive interactions among plant species have become increasingly clear in recent years.Three of the problems that have been ...Aims The limitations of classical Lotka–Volterra models for analyzing and interpreting competitive interactions among plant species have become increasingly clear in recent years.Three of the problems that have been identified are(i)the absence of frequency-dependence,which is important for long-term coexistence of species,(ii)the need to take unmeasured(often unmeasurable)variables influencing individual performance into account(e.g.spatial variation in soil nutrients or pathogens)and(iii)the need to separate measurement error from biological variation.Methods We modified the classical Lotka–Volterra competition models to address these limitations.We fitted eight alternative models to pin-point cover data on Festuca ovina and Agrostis capillaris over 3 years in an herbaceous plant community in Denmark.A Bayesian modeling framework was used to ascertain whether the model amendments improve the performance of the models and increase their ability to predict community dynamics and to test hypotheses.Important Findings Inclusion of frequency-dependence and measurement error,but not unmeasured variables,improved model performance greatly.Our results emphasize the importance of comparing alternative models in quantitative studies of plant community dynamics.Only by considering possible alternative models can we identify the forces driving community assembly and change,and improve our ability to predict the behavior of plant communities.展开更多
文摘Sorghum bicolor is among main staple crops of Chad but it is commonly attacked by Striga hermonthica. Assessment of sorghum varieties for resistance to this weed was carried out during three cropping seasons （2005-2008）, in controlled conditions; promising entries （those which fulfilled at least 75% of selection criteria） were evaluated in farmer field in 2008-2009 seasons. There were five sites （Bebedjia, Deli, Bekao, Koudoti and Ndaba）. The objective was to evaluate some sorghum entries for S. hermonthica resistance in farmer field. Sorghum test was composed of four entries in Fisher blocks as experimental designs, with five replications. Among different observed variables, there were striga plant count and weight of sorghum grains. One promising entry was selected at Bebedjia and Ndaba （53）, two at Deli and Koudoti （50 and 53）. No entry was selected at Bekao. Promising entries for the whole Southern zone of Chad were composed of 50 and 53. The best entry was 53 because it was promising in all sites except Bekao.
基金supported in part by Ministry of Education,Culture,Sports,Science and Technology of Japan and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
文摘Shrub patches often support the colonizers particularly under stressful and/or disturbed environments.The intensities of stresses and disturbances on mountains are often related to an elevation gradient and are decreased by shrub patches(canopy and litter).We aim to clarify these relationships by using shrub patches at different elevations on a volcano.We monitored all shoots in plots established inside and outside of patches of Salix reinii(Salicaceae)and their related environments,such as temperature,light,moisture and chemistry,at three elevations on Mount Koma(1131 m a.s.l.),northern Japan,from early spring in 2005 to summer in 2006.The patch structures were evaluated by area,branch density and litter thickness.The structures of shrub patches did not differ among the elevations.The patches increased the diversity of rare species,by an overall increase in plant species richness.The moisture,nitrogen and phosphate contents in the patches were higher than outside of patches.The effects of shrub patches on the cohabitants were overall positive,although the effects were negative on seedling abundance,shoot survival and flowering.These results suggest that the growth patterns of shrub patches determine the plant community structures and facilitate plant diversity.
文摘Understanding the factors that facilitate the emergence of cooperation among organisms is central to the study of social evolution. Spotted hyenas Crocuta crocuta frequently cooperate to mob lions Panthera leo, approaching the lions as a tightknit group while vocalizing loudly in an attempt to overwhelm them and drive them away. Whereas cooperative mobbing behavior has been well documented in birds and some mammals, to our knowledge it has never been described during interactions between 2 apex predators. Using a 27-year dataset, we characterize lion-hyena encoun- ters, assess rates of mobbing behavior observed during these interactions, and inquire whether mobbing results in successful acquisition of food. Lions and hyenas interacted most often at fresh kills, especially as prey size and the number of hyenas present increased. Possession of food at the beginning of an interaction positively affected retention of that food by each predator species. The presence of male lions increased the probability of an interspecific interaction but decreased the likelihood of hyenas obtaining or retaining possession of the food. Hyena mobbing rates were highest at fresh kills, but lower when adult male lions were present. The occurrence of mobbing was predicted by an increase in the number of hyenas present. Whether or not mobbing resulted in acquisition of food from lions was predicted by an increase in the number of mobs formed by the hyenas present, suggesting that cooperation among hyenas enhances their fitness.
文摘Aims The limitations of classical Lotka–Volterra models for analyzing and interpreting competitive interactions among plant species have become increasingly clear in recent years.Three of the problems that have been identified are(i)the absence of frequency-dependence,which is important for long-term coexistence of species,(ii)the need to take unmeasured(often unmeasurable)variables influencing individual performance into account(e.g.spatial variation in soil nutrients or pathogens)and(iii)the need to separate measurement error from biological variation.Methods We modified the classical Lotka–Volterra competition models to address these limitations.We fitted eight alternative models to pin-point cover data on Festuca ovina and Agrostis capillaris over 3 years in an herbaceous plant community in Denmark.A Bayesian modeling framework was used to ascertain whether the model amendments improve the performance of the models and increase their ability to predict community dynamics and to test hypotheses.Important Findings Inclusion of frequency-dependence and measurement error,but not unmeasured variables,improved model performance greatly.Our results emphasize the importance of comparing alternative models in quantitative studies of plant community dynamics.Only by considering possible alternative models can we identify the forces driving community assembly and change,and improve our ability to predict the behavior of plant communities.
