Together, these experiments show that the PERIOD3 gene likely plays a key role in regulating the sleep - wake cycle, influencing mood and regulating the relationship between depression and seasonal changes in light availability, the team reports today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (sciencemag.org)
«By eating tall and wide - leaved plants, reindeer can increase light availability and thus allow more plant species to co-exist and benefit from warmer conditions,» says Elina Kaarlejärvi, post-doctoral researcher at Umeå University, who led the study. (sciencedaily.com)
In their upcoming second Ecological Restoration publication titled «Resurgence of Native Plants After Removal of Amur honeysuckle from Bender Mountain Preserve,» Conover and Sisson reveal the lengths to which honeysuckle alters habitats by decreasing light availability and depleting soil moisture and nutrients, as well as by possibly releasing toxic chemicals that prevent other plant species from growing in the vicinity. (sciencedaily.com)