Plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), in addition to their well-known direct effects on plant growth and development, have been reported to be effective in plant abiotic (trace metal, drought, etc.) and biotic (phytopathogens, insects, etc.) stress management.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPerformance in tests of various cognitive abilities has often been compared, both within and between species. In intraspecific comparisons, habitat effects on cognition has been a popular topic, frequently with an underlying assumption that urban animals should perform better than their rural conspecifics. In this study, we tested problem-solving ability in great tits Parus major, in a string-pulling and a plug-opening test.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUrban areas differ from natural habitats in several environmental features that influence the characteristics of animals living there. For example, birds often start breeding seasonally earlier and fledge fewer offspring per brood in cities than in natural habitats. However, longer breeding seasons in cities may increase the frequency of double-brooding in urban compared with nonurban populations, thus potentially increasing urban birds' annual reproductive output and resulting in lower habitat difference in reproductive success than estimated by studies focusing on first clutches only.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreasing atmospheric CO concentration is expected to enhance the grain yield of C cereal plants, while at the same time reducing the concentrations of minerals and proteins. This will lead to a lower nutritional quality and increase global problems associated with micronutrient malnutrition. Among the barley grain storage proteins, the C-hordein fraction has the lowest abundance of sulfur (S) containing amino acids and is poorest in binding of zinc (Zn).
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