Leaf herbivores decrease fitness of a tropical plant

Damage by insect herbivores to neighboring individuals of the shrub Piper arieianum in a neotropical wet forest varies greatly. This differential damage has a genetic basis and results in a 2-year decrease in growth, seed production, and seed viability, with larger plants recovering before smaller plants. The results provide evidence that leaf herbivores represent a potentially strong selective force for the evolution of plant defenses.     

Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Dibenzofurans in Sediments from Siskiwit Lake, Isle Royale

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans were found in sediment from Siskiwit Lake on Isle Royale, Lake Superior, a location which can receive only atmospheric inputs. The source of these compounds is the atmospheric transport of dioxins and furans formed by combustion of domestic and chemical waste.     

Early eocene vertebrates from baja california: evidence for intracontinental age correlations

Newly discovered fossils support a Wasatchian (early Eocene) age for the Punta Prieta vertebrate fauna of Baja California and reveal the utility of land mammal ages on a continental scale. Dispersal scenarios for late Paleocene and early Eocene vertebrates usually invoke heterochrony for similar, but geographically separated, faunas or taxa. Such heterochrony is not supported by independent geochronologies or adequate geographic samples.     

Ductile ordered intermetallic alloys

Many ordered intermetallic alloys have attractive high-temperature properties; however, low ductility and brittle fracture limit their use for structural applications. The embrittlement in these alloys is mainly caused by an insufficient number of slip systems (bulk brittleness) and poor grain-boundary cohesion. Recent studies have shown that the ductility and fabricability of ordered intermetallics can be substantially improved by alloying processes and control of microstructural features through rapid solidification and thermomechanical treatments. These results demonstrate that the brittleness problem associated with ordered intermetallics can be overcome by using physical metallurgical principles. Application of these principles will be illustrated by results on Ni(3)Al and Ni(3)V-Co(3)V-Fe(3)V. The potential for developing these alloys as a new class of high-temperature structural materials is discussed.