| effects of ingestion by neotropical bats on germination parameters of native free-standing and strangler figs (ficus sp., moraceae). | fruit-eating animals can influence the germination success of seeds through transportation and handling. we experimentally tested the contribution of ingestion by the common fruit-eating bat, artibeus jamaicensis (phyllostomidae, chiroptera), to the percentage and rate of seed germination of figs (ficus, moraceae), which are considered keystone species for many frugivores. we collected fruits from three species of native free-standing figs (subgenus pharmacosycea: f. insipida, f. maxima and f. y ... | 2010 | 20354732 |
| transpiration efficiency of a tropical pioneer tree (ficus insipida) in relation to soil fertility. | the response of whole-plant water-use efficiency, termed transpiration efficiency (te), to variation in soil fertility was assessed in a tropical pioneer tree, ficus insipida willd. measurements of stable isotope ratios (delta(13)c, delta(18)o, delta(15)n), elemental concentrations (c, n, p), plant growth, instantaneous leaf gas exchange, and whole-plant water use were used to analyse the mechanisms controlling te. plants were grown individually in 19 l pots with non-limiting soil moisture. soil ... | 2007 | 18057036 |
| convergent incidences of wolbachia infection in fig wasp communities from two continents. | wide surveys suggest that wolbachia bacteria infect ca. 20% of all insect species, but particular taxonomic or ecological groups may display significantly higher or lower incidences. we studied 61 fig wasp species in australia and found the highest known incidence (67%) of infection in a targeted study of this nature. a comparable study in panama reported a similar figure (59%), confirming the exceptionally high incidence of wolbachia in fig wasps. importantly, these are two independent estimate ... | 2005 | 15734697 |
| the distribution of wolbachia in fig wasps: correlations with host phylogeny, ecology and population structure. | we surveyed for the presence and identity of wolbachia in 44 species of chalcid wasps associated with 18 species of panamanian figs. we used existing detailed knowledge of the population structures of the host wasps, as well as the ecological and evolutionary relationships among them, to explore the relevance of each of these factors to wolbachia prevalence and mode of transmission. fifty-nine per cent of these wasp species have wolbachia infections, the highest proportion reported for any group ... | 2002 | 12427319 |
| heat dissipation sensors of variable length for the measurement of sap flow in trees with deep sapwood. | robust thermal dissipation sensors of variable length (3 to 30 cm) were developed to overcome limitations to the measurement of radial profiles of sap flow in large-diameter tropical trees with deep sapwood. the effective measuring length of the custom-made sensors was reduced to 1 cm at the tip of a thermally nonconducting shaft, thereby minimizing the influence of nonuniform sap flux density profiles across the sapwood. sap flow was measured at different depths and circumferential positions in ... | 2002 | 11874724 |