Soil seed-bank components of the northern jarrah forest of Western Australia

The germinable soil seed-store of the northern jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Donn ex Sm.) forest was found to average 767 seeds m^?2 (range:377–1579 seeds m^?2) over six randomly selected plots within a range of forest sites. A total of 68 different taxa of vascular plants were recognized following heating and glasshouse tray germination tests of field-collected soils. Both the qualitative and quantitative composition of the soil seed-bank were dominated by annuals and sub-shrubs. Because less than 10% of the seed of the soil was from species of the dominant tree and woody shrub strata, there were major floristic differences between the existing flora and the composition of the soil seed-bank. The influences of the soil seed-bank on rehabilitation of disturbed jarrah forest lands and current fire management are discussed.     

Host Associations of the Introduced Annual Root Hemiparasite Parentucellia viscosa in Agricultural and Bushland Settings in Western Australia

Populations of the introduced annual root hemiparasite, Parentucelliaviscosa (L.) Caruel (Scrophulariaceae), were examined in habitatswhere introduced, mixed introduced plus native, or solely nativespecies provided potential hosts. Presence of haustoria on hostroots confirmed parasitism of 17 introduced and ten native taxaacross the sites investigated. Paired plots, one with all hostsremoved early in the season, the other left intact, showed overallincreases in shoot dry matter of the parasites over 3 monthsof growth. Results indicated a substantial growth benefit tothe parasite from continued access to introduced and indigenousplant species, although the parasite continued growing to alimited extent after removal of hosts. Carbon isotope discriminationvalues (     

Utilization by elephants of the Brachystegia woodlands of the Kasungu National Park, Malawi

Utilization by elephants of the trees of the Brachystegia woodlands of Kasungu National Park, Malawi, was investigated. Of forty-one common species thirtyfive species were eaten, of which thirteen species were selected by elephants. The chemical composition of the leaf material was analysed and a significant correlation was found between the utilization of certain species and the protein and sodium content, whereas the crude fibre content showed no significant correlation but in general appeared to be relatively low in highly favoured species. The pushing over and uprooting of trees by elephants appear to be part of a feeding strategy which improves the availability of food for elephants during the dry season. The number of trees browsed increased with an increasing tree density up to 300 trees ha^-1, where browsing intensity remained constant for both selected and non-selected species. The reasons why the species composition of Brachystegia woodlands is hardly affected by elephant use are briefly discussed.     

Sexual differences in the foraging behaviour of the frill-necked flycatcher Arses telescopthalmus in New Guinea

The foraging behaviour of male and female Arses telescopthalmus was studied at Brown River, Papua New Guinea. Significant differences exist between the sexes. The male mainly frequents the lower understorey and forages substantially on bare substrates, particularly vertical ones such as trunks and hanging vines. The female occurs mainly higher in the subcanopy, sallies frequently after aerial insects and forages mainly off leafy substrates. Both male and female show morphological adaptations to their specialized roles. Sexual differences in a species’foraging behaviour usually occur in depauperate avifaunas but the study area is rich in potential competitors of Arses. It is suggested that past environmental fluctuations may have initiated differentiation of male, female or both.     

Gastric resection; preoperative and postoperative care

Perhaps in no other field of surgery does attention to minute detail play so important a role in determining success as it does in gastric operations. As surgery of the stomach develops toward even greater security and favorable results can be expected with greater confidence, the several aspects of preoperative and postoperative care hitherto regarded as secondary demand closer consideration.     

A tyrannosaur jaw bitten by a confamilial: scavenging or fatal agonism?

Bell, P.R. & Currie, P.J. 2009: A tyrannosaur jaw bitten by a confamilial: scavenging or fatal agonism?. Lethaia, Vol. 43, pp. 278–281. A partial dentary of an adult tyrannosaur from the Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, Canada, preserves the embedded tooth of another tyrannosaur within the bone. The specimen’s incompleteness precludes generic identification of either the jaw or the embedded tooth, although Gorgosaurus and/or Daspletosaurus are most likely given the stratigraphic position. The absence of healing around the lesion indicates the bite took place either post‐mortem or within weeks prior to the death of this animal. A post‐mortem bite can be explained by confamilial or cannibalistic scavenging. Alternatively, the bite would represent a perimortem instance of intrafamilial aggression that may have resulted in the death of that animal. An estimated 6053N of bite force was required to produce the bite mark. This specimen provides the best evidence for aggressive peri‐ or post‐mortem confamilial interaction among tyrannosaurs and corroborates previous studies based on inferred tooth marks. □Alberta, behaviour, Campanian, Cretaceous, Dinosaur Park Formation, Theropoda, Tyrannosauridae.     

Studies in the Genus Elaphoglossum: III. Anatomy of the Rhizome and Frond

The investigation is continued of a number of species of Elaphoglossumfrom Jamaica. Features of interest in the anatomy of the rhizome and frondare described. Information, additional to that previously recorded,is given of the scales. It is shown that, in E. villosum, complexityof stelar structure and the presence of hydathodea in the frondsis accompanied by scales of a specialized type.     

RESPONSES OF JAPANESE AND AUSTRALIANS TO SWEETNESS IN THE CONTEXT OF DIFFERENT FOODS

The responses of Australians and Japanese to the sweetness of 36 products from 6 food categories, namely beverages, biscuits, cereals, chocolates, fruit juices and jams were compared using 'sweetness liking', 'sweetness strength' and 'sweetness just right' scales. Similar responses were obtained for the two panels with jams and fruit juices, but considerable disagreement particularly as regards 'sweetness liking' occurred with beverages, biscuits and chocolates where there was evidence that familiarity with the products influenced sweetness responses. Where it was possible to compare the 'sweetness strength' of similar products from each country, e.g., strawberry jam, there were no obvious differences. The sweetness of products from both countries covered a wide range of levels, and liking for sweetness levels appeared to be dependent on the context of the product and familiarity with the product. Prediction of liking for the sweetness level of a particular product does not appear possible and it is clear that with a significant number of products from either country that modification of sweetness levels would be necessary for acceptance by the other culture.