Seasonal changes in pollen limitation and femaleness along the snowmelt gradient in a distylous alpine herb, .

Flowering phenology of alpine plants is strongly determined by the timing of snowmelt, and the conditions of pollination of widely distributed plants vary greatly during their flowering season. We examined the reproductive success of the distylous alpine herb, , along the snowmelt gradient under natural conditions, and compared it with the result of artificial pollination experiments. In addition, the compositions and visit frequencies of pollinators to the flower of were examined during the flowering period.

On the relationships between leaf-litter lignin and net primary productivity in tropical rain forests.

We investigated if tropical rainforest trees produced more-lignified leaves in less productive environments using forests on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo. Our investigation was based on two earlier suggestions that slower litter decomposition occurs under less productive forests and that trees under resource limitation invest a large amount of carbon as lignin as a defense substance to minimize the loss from herbivores. When nine forests at different altitudes (700-3100 m) and soil conditions (derived from sedimentary or ultrabasic rocks) but with the same gentle relief position were compared, the concentrations of leaf-litter lignin were positively correlated with litterfall rates and leaf-litter nitrogen concentrations.

Changes in biomass, productivity and decomposition along topographical gradients under different geological conditions in tropical lower montane forests on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo.

We have examined how the structure and function of a forest ecosystem change with topography (lower-slope versus ridge) and how the changes are modified by nutrient availability depending on geological substrate (Quaternary and Tertiary sedimentary rocks and ultrabasic rock) in the tropical montane rain forests of Mt. Kinabalu (Borneo) where climate is humid and aseasonal. Reflecting the difference in site age and parent rock, the pool size of soluble-P and inorganic-N in topsoil decreased from Quaternary sedimentary >Tertiary sedimentary >ultrabasic rock on the lower-slope, and they decreased from the lower-slope to the ridge on all substrates.