Hares in the sandy ecosystem of the Mediterranean coastal plain in Israel consume pods of the wid... more Hares in the sandy ecosystem of the Mediterranean coastal plain in Israel consume pods of the widespread desert plantRetama raetam. The aim of this study was to explore some of its qualities as a dispersal agent of such an important component of the vegetation of Mediterranean arid habitats. Although the pericarp acts as the nutritious 'reward', the hares do not select the most profitable pods with the highest pericarp/seed mass ratio. Of the 718 randomly collected hare pellets 43% containedR. raetamseeds. More than half (55%) of ...
... conclusion agrees with previous reports (Plitman et al., 1980; Pazy étal., 1981; Pazy, 1982, ... more ... conclusion agrees with previous reports (Plitman et al., 1980; Pazy étal., 1981; Pazy, 1982, 1984;Alon, 1986). However, in spite of its autogamous nature, an outcrossing rate of 10-60% was reported for L. pilosus (Horovitz and Harding, 1983). Page 10. 144 G. NE'EMAN AND R ...
... Font Size: Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size. ... Before its declaration as a nature rese... more ... Font Size: Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size. ... Before its declaration as a nature reserve in 1965 (Paz, 1981), the area endured woodcutting, intensive goat grazing, and ... at the expense of areas and gaps exposed to variable amounts of sun radiation ( Carmel and Kadmon ...
Sex allocation has been studied mainly in small herbaceous plants but much less in monoecious win... more Sex allocation has been studied mainly in small herbaceous plants but much less in monoecious wind-pollinated trees. The aim of this study was to explore changes in gender segregation and sex allocation by Pinus halepensis, a Mediterranean lowland pine tree, within tree crowns and between trees differing in their size or crown shape. The production of new male and female cones and sex allocation of biomass, nitrogen and phosphorus were studied. The relationship between branch location, its reproductive status and proxies of branch vigour was also studied. Small trees produced only female cones, but, as trees grew, they produced both male and female cones. Female cones were produced mainly in the upper part of the crown, and male cones in its middle and lower parts. Lateral branch density was correlated with the number of male but not female cones; lateral branches were more dense in large than in small trees and even denser in hemispherical trees. Apical branches grew faster, were t...
Relationships between flowering plants and their pollinators are usually affected by the amount o... more Relationships between flowering plants and their pollinators are usually affected by the amount of reward, mainly pollen or nectar, offered to pollinators by flowers, with these amounts usually positively correlated with floral display. The large Oncocyclus iris flowers, despite being the largest flowers in the East Mediterranean flora, are nectarless and have hidden pollen. No pollinators visit the flowers during daytime, and these flowers are pollinated only by night-sheltering solitary male bees. These iris flowers are partially or fully dark-colored, suggesting that they gather heat by absorbing solar radiation. Here we test the hypothesis that the dark-colored flowers of the Oncocyclus irises offer heat reward to their male solitary bee pollinators. Floral temperature was higher by 2.5 degrees C than ambient air after sunrise. Solitary male bees emerged earlier after sheltering in Oncocyclus flowers than from other experimental shelter types. Pollination tunnels facing east tow...
Hares in the sandy ecosystem of the Mediterranean coastal plain in Israel consume pods of the wid... more Hares in the sandy ecosystem of the Mediterranean coastal plain in Israel consume pods of the widespread desert plantRetama raetam. The aim of this study was to explore some of its qualities as a dispersal agent of such an important component of the vegetation of Mediterranean arid habitats. Although the pericarp acts as the nutritious 'reward', the hares do not select the most profitable pods with the highest pericarp/seed mass ratio. Of the 718 randomly collected hare pellets 43% containedR. raetamseeds. More than half (55%) of ...
... conclusion agrees with previous reports (Plitman et al., 1980; Pazy étal., 1981; Pazy, 1982, ... more ... conclusion agrees with previous reports (Plitman et al., 1980; Pazy étal., 1981; Pazy, 1982, 1984;Alon, 1986). However, in spite of its autogamous nature, an outcrossing rate of 10-60% was reported for L. pilosus (Horovitz and Harding, 1983). Page 10. 144 G. NE'EMAN AND R ...
... Font Size: Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size. ... Before its declaration as a nature rese... more ... Font Size: Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size. ... Before its declaration as a nature reserve in 1965 (Paz, 1981), the area endured woodcutting, intensive goat grazing, and ... at the expense of areas and gaps exposed to variable amounts of sun radiation ( Carmel and Kadmon ...
Sex allocation has been studied mainly in small herbaceous plants but much less in monoecious win... more Sex allocation has been studied mainly in small herbaceous plants but much less in monoecious wind-pollinated trees. The aim of this study was to explore changes in gender segregation and sex allocation by Pinus halepensis, a Mediterranean lowland pine tree, within tree crowns and between trees differing in their size or crown shape. The production of new male and female cones and sex allocation of biomass, nitrogen and phosphorus were studied. The relationship between branch location, its reproductive status and proxies of branch vigour was also studied. Small trees produced only female cones, but, as trees grew, they produced both male and female cones. Female cones were produced mainly in the upper part of the crown, and male cones in its middle and lower parts. Lateral branch density was correlated with the number of male but not female cones; lateral branches were more dense in large than in small trees and even denser in hemispherical trees. Apical branches grew faster, were t...
Relationships between flowering plants and their pollinators are usually affected by the amount o... more Relationships between flowering plants and their pollinators are usually affected by the amount of reward, mainly pollen or nectar, offered to pollinators by flowers, with these amounts usually positively correlated with floral display. The large Oncocyclus iris flowers, despite being the largest flowers in the East Mediterranean flora, are nectarless and have hidden pollen. No pollinators visit the flowers during daytime, and these flowers are pollinated only by night-sheltering solitary male bees. These iris flowers are partially or fully dark-colored, suggesting that they gather heat by absorbing solar radiation. Here we test the hypothesis that the dark-colored flowers of the Oncocyclus irises offer heat reward to their male solitary bee pollinators. Floral temperature was higher by 2.5 degrees C than ambient air after sunrise. Solitary male bees emerged earlier after sheltering in Oncocyclus flowers than from other experimental shelter types. Pollination tunnels facing east tow...
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