A large portion of nitrogen deposition on southern California’s chaparral and coastal sage scrub (CSS) is due to anthropogenic sources. The implications of increasing soil nitrogen, and the relationship between soil nitrogen and carbon on soil microor . . .

The Brazilian savanna, locally known as the Cerrado, is a major ecosystem that covers a vast majority of central Brazil. Little is known about how woody growth within the Cerrado is affected by soil physical and chemical properties. In this study, the . . .

Most extant bear species are threatened or endangered. One of the species not endangered, the American black bear (Ursus americanus), provides a practical reproductive model that can be applied to the conservation of other ursid species, due to their . . .

Literature focusing on the reproductive mechanisms in bears is often limited and only has a narrow scope. However, with six out of eight bear species being considered threatened or endangered, it seems critical that more information about reproduction . . .

The mitochondrial electron transport chain (mETC) plays a central role in the bioenergetics of all eukaryotic cells. However, the structure of the mETC varies somewhat between plants and higher animals. Plants have a more branched mETC, providing alte . . .

Although the enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is well studied for its role in postharvest browning of commercial crops, its specific physiological function in plants is poorly understood. Previous research on the physiological role of PPO in walnut (Ju . . .

In the push to determine a means to decrease the rate of biological aging in humans, conclusions about over-the-counter use of some anti-aging drugs may be premature. Rapamycin is one drug that, while currently prescribed as an immunosuppressant for v . . .

Roads are recognized as a source of increased mortality and restricted movement among populations, and are expected to impact population connectivity. However, roads that are permeable barriers would still allow some degree of gene flow, and reduced a . . .

The tropical savanna of Brazil (cerrado) is extremely species diverse and it encompasses many different physiological features. These physiological differences are influenced by rainfall and nutrient availability in the soil. Plant litter decompositio . . .

The major objective of immunosuppressive therapy is to mitigate graft rejection while retaining the ability of the immune system to fight pathogens and repair tissue. Immunosuppressant drugs that inhibit mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling . . .