A shrike for mobility
Article Abstract:
The effectiveness of seed dispersal by passing through animal guts is broadly recognized. Nogales, Delgado and Medina have studied fruit-eating lizards from the Canary Islands and found that seeds can be taken to further destination when ingested by the predator with its prey. Frugivory is not as common in reptiles as in birds, but it is seen in many island lizards. The Gallotia atlantica lizard eats the berries of Lycium intricatum, and is preyed on by the great grey shrike, which in turn consumes seeds within the lizard's alimentary system. These are regurgitated in pellets and were found to have a higher germination rate than those from lizard droppings, or from the plant itself.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1999
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Insect pollinators see the light
Article Abstract:
The light intensity of the area in which a plant is located has an impact on the type of visiting insect pollinator, according to research by Carlos Herrera. Smaller insects generally pollinate plants located in sunny areas, while larger insects pollinate plants in shady areas. Various insect pollinators can visit a single plant species according to the position and associated level of light intensity of individual plants, which could have a major influence on the evolution of the plant species. An insect's thermal biology determines the plant it selects for pollination, according to Herrera.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1997
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Alien invaders
Article Abstract:
The ecological repercussions of plant invasions can be far-reaching and a broader understanding of ecosystem relationships could provide methods to control invasive species. Schmidt and Whelan examined the consequences of the invasion of North American woodlands by Lonicera maackii and Rhamnus catharticus. Robins were found to suffer higher nest mortality in Lonicera than in native trees and shrubs. Gange, Lindsay and Ellis found a negative relationship been the abundance of annual meadow grass, Poa annua and that of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 2000
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