Publications by authors named "Holger Buschmann"
Population matrix models are routinely used to study the demography of wild populations and to guide management choices. When vital rates are unknown for a specific population or life history stage, researchers often replace them with estimates from other populations of the same species. Such 'hybrid' matrices might ignore among-population life history variation and lead to incorrect inferences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Habitat anthropization negatively impacts global biodiversity, but some species show adaptive life-history responses, like increased reproduction, to cope with these changes.
- The study focused on the yellow-bellied toad and utilized a large dataset of over 21,000 individuals from various European populations to examine the effects of anthropogenic environments on their survival and reproduction.
- Results indicated that while adult toads had lower survival and shorter lifespans in human-modified habitats, their increased reproductive output compensated for these losses, helping to maintain stable population growth rates despite habitat alterations.
The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) infects numerous amphibian species worldwide and is suggested to drive population declines and extinction events. We report a study of Bd infection at the northernmost distribution of the European yellow-bellied toad Bombina variegata. A total of 577 individuals from ponds in 16 study sites were sampled for DNA and Bd throughout the breeding season.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA major constraint to the development of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) as a crop to both farmers and processors is its starchy storage roots' rapid post-harvest deterioration, which can render it unpalatable and un-marketable within 24-72 h. An oxidative burst occurs within 15 min of the root being injured, that is followed by the altered regulation of genes, notably for catalase and peroxidase, related to the modulation of reactive oxygen species, and the accumulation of secondary metabolites, some of which show antioxidant properties. The interactions between these enzymes and compounds, in particular peroxidase and the coumarin, scopoletin, are largely confined to the vascular tissues where the visible symptoms of deterioration are observed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Control of diseases in the key tropical staple, cassava, is dependent on resistant genotypes, but the innate mechanisms are unknown. The aim was to study phenylpropanoids and associated enzymes as possible defence components.
Methods: Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), phenylpropanoids and peroxidases (POD) were investigated in elicited cassava suspension cells and leaves.