Plant Ecology Research Papers/Topics

RESPONSES OF FABA BEAN (Vicia faba L.) TO PHOSPHORUS FERTILIZER RATES AND PLANT POPULATION AT HARAMAYA EASTERN HARARGHE, ETHIOPIA.

Abstract: A field experiment was conducted to study the responses of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) to phosphorus fertilizer rates and plant population at Haramaya University, Rare research site during 2019/2020 cropping season. Factorial combinations of four phosphorus (P2O5) levels (0, 23, 46, and 69 kg/ha) and six plant populations (133,333; 166,667; 200,000; 222,222; 250,000 and 300,000 plants ha-1 respectively were tested. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RC...

Long-term mammal herbivory on arthropod assemblages at Kruger National Park, South Africa

Abstract: Protected savannas are essential reserves for biological diversity, including endangered arthropod species, however, extreme grazing by mammals has cascading impacts on the communities and disrupts the functioning of these ecosystems globally. The current study assessed the abundance, species richness and composition of arthropods at the long-term grazing exclosures of Kruger National Park, South Africa. Pitfall traps and active searches were used to sample arthropods at the ungraz...

Companion Cropping to Manage Parasitic Plants

Abstract: Parasitic plants, through a range of infestation strategies, can attack crop plants and thereby require management. Because such problems often occur in resource-poor farming systems, companion cropping to manage parasitic plants is an appropriate approach. Many examples of companion cropping for this purpose have been reported, but the use of cattle forage legumes in the genus Desmodium as intercrops has been shown to be particularly successful in controlling the parasitic witchwe...

Discriminative feeding behaviour of Anopheles gambiae s.s. on endemic plants in western Kenya

Abstract: Anopheles gambiae Giles s.s. (Diptera: Culicidae) is known to feed on plant sugars, but this is the first experimental study to consider whether it discriminates between plant species. Thirteen perennial plant species were selected on the basis of their local availability within the vicinity of human dwellings and larval habitats of An . gambiae s.s. in western Kenya. Groups of 100 or 200 mosquitoes were released into cages either with a cutting of one plant type at a time (single-...

Environmental Factors Associated with the Distribution of Anopheles Arabiensis and Culex Quinquefasciatus in a rice Agro-ecosystem in Mwea, Kenya

Abstract: Studies were conducted between May and June, 2006 to investigate the environmental factors affecting the distribution of An. arabiensis Patton and Culex quinquefasciatus Say in Mwea, Kenya. The sampling unit comprised all nonpaddy aquatic habitats and ten randomly selected paddies and canals located within a 200 m radius from the periphery of the study site. Thirteen physico-chemical variables were recorded for each sampling site in each sampling occasion and a sample of mosquito l...

Endophytic fungi improve management of the burrowing nematode in banana (Musa spp.) through enhanced expression of defence-related genes

Abstract: The root-burrowing nematode, Radopholus similis, is reputedly the most damaging nematode pest of banana and responsible for major production losses. In this study, the endophytic potential of 13 fungal isolates was assessed for the management of R. similis in East African Highland bananas (‘Ng’ombe’). All isolates successfully colonised tissue-cultured banana roots, with isolates from Trichoderma, Fusarium and Hypocrea producing the highest (⩾49.1%) and Beauveria isolates t...

Exogenous and endogenous plant growth regulators’ effect on regeneration of selected African sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam) cultivars

Abstract: Optimization of plant regeneration protocol is a first critical step to facilitate techniques such as transgenesis, cisgenesis and genome editing. In this study, we assessed: i) influence of explant type on regeneration efficiency (RE); ii) RE of 33 sub-Saharan African sweetpotato cultivars; and iii) levels of endogenous zeatin riboside (ZR), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and their correlation to RE. Indirect organogenesis was conducted using a 2-step protocol: step-1, explants were c...

Behavioural responses ofPhlebotomus duboscqito plant-derived volatile organic compounds

Abstract: Phlebotomine sand flies are vectors ofLeishmaniaparasites that causeleishmaniases. Both sexes of sand flies feed on plants primarily for sugars, althoughthe chemical cues that mediate attraction to host plants remain largely unknown.Previously, using coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, the authors identifiedseveral volatile organic compounds (VOCs) common to preferred host plants forselected Afrotropical sand flies from the Fabaceae family. Of the identified volatiles,the...

Grass-like plants release general volatile cues attractive for gravid Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto mosquitoes

Abstract: Background: Understanding the ecology and behaviour of disease vectors, including the olfactory cues used to orient and select hosts and egg-laying sites, are essential for the development of novel, insecticide-free control tools. Selected graminoid plants have been shown to release volatile chemicals attracting malaria vectors; however,whether the attraction is selective to individual plants or more general across genera and families is still unclear.Methods: To contribute to the ...

Non-host plant odors influence the tritrophic interaction between tomato, its foliar herbivore Tuta absoluta and mirid predator Nesidiocoris tenuis

Abstract: The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta is a destructive invasive pest of cultivated tomato and other Solanaceae plants, with yield losses of 80-100%. Mirid predators are key natural enemies of T. absoluta, but they also feed on host plants in the absence of their prey. Management of T. absoluta is a challenge due to its high biotic potential, resistance to many insecticides and the absence of sufficiently adapted auxiliary fauna in its new dispersion zones. Olfaction plays an importan...

Powdery Mildew Fungus Oidium lycopersici Infected-Tomato Plants Attracts the Non-Vector Greenhouse Whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, but Seems Impair Their Development

Abstract: The mechanism underlying the mediation of the behavior and fitness of non-vector herbivores by fungal pathogen-infected host plants is still unclear. In this study, we experimentally assessed the effects of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) plant infection status on non-vector herbivores using tomato powdery mildew disease fungus (Oidium lycopersici) and the greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum as a model multitrophic plant-pathogen, non-vector herbivore interaction. In ...

Predicting the Habitat Suitability and Distribution of Two Species of Mound-Building Termites in Nigeria Using Bioclimatic and Vegetation Variables

Abstract: Temperature is an important factor determining the abundance, distribution and diversity of termite species. Thus, termites are affected by changing climate and have to adopt different means of surviving in order to avoid extinction. Using termite occurrence data, bioclimatic variables and vegetation cover, we modelled and predicted the current and future habitat suitability for mound-building termites in Nigeria. Of the 19 bioclimatic variables and the vegetation index (NDVI) test...

Integrating plant-to-plant communication and rhizospheremicrobial dynamics: ecological and evolutionary implicationsand a call for experimental rigor

Abstract: The perception of airborne chemical signals by plants can trigger reconfigurations of their metabolism that alter their bioticinteractions. While plant-to-plant chemical communication has primarily been studied in the context of eliciting defenses toherbivores and pathogens, recent work suggests that it can also affect plants’ interactions with their rhizosphere microbiomes. Inthis perspective, we discuss the potential for integrating the fields of plant-to-plant communication an...

Pollen diversity and protein content indifferentially degraded semi-arid landscapes inKenya

Abstract: In Africa there is a scarcity of information on how plant species that can provide forage for honey bees vary across dif-ferentially structured landscapes, and what are the implications of such variabilities on colony integrity. This researchpresents new insights into the diversity and richness of pollen collected byApis mellifera scutellata, a subspecies of theWestern honey bee native to sub-Saharan Africa, at six study sites of different degradation levels within a semi-aridlands...

Long-distance Pollen flow Assessment through Evaluation of Pollinator Foraging Range Suggests Transgene Escape Distances

Abstract: Foraging range, an important component of bee ecology, is of considerable interest for insect-pollinated plants because it determines the potential for outcrossing among individuals. However, long-distance pollen flow is difficult to assess, especially when the plant also relies on self-pollination. Pollen movement can be estimated indirectly through population genetic data, but complementary data on pollinator flight distances is necessary to validate such estimates. By using radi...


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