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Neotyphodium are fungal endosymbionts of grasses that reproduce asexually by infecting the hosts seed. This relationship has traditionally been considered mutualistic, with the fungus improving host fitness by alleviating important stresses. To determine the importance of biotic and abiotic stresses in mediating the endophyte-grass interaction, I investigated the relationship between grazing pressure by collared pikas and Neotyphodium sp. infection frequency in the grass Festuca altaica in an alpine meadow. I conducted a factorial design experiment combining endophyte infection, grazing history, fungicide and fertilizer. Leaf demography and herbivory damage were monitored every two weeks. In areas with chronic grazing history, infected plants were significantly less productive than uninfected tussocks, but there was no difference at low grazing history. There was no effect of infection on the likelihood of herbivory. Contrary to predictions of the mutualism theory, the Neotyphodium sp. / F. altaica symbiotum varied from parasitic to neutral across our gradient of interest. / Ecology

Empirical measurements of the use of space of an enclosure are important indicators of the enclosure’s appropriateness for the exhibited animal. By studying the animal’s use of space zoological parks are able to provide a more species-adequate environment. In this study the utilization of space by the Siberian tigers held at Kolmården Djurpark was analyzed. Data were collected using the scan sample method for a total of 120 observation hours during 15 days. The tigers showed a marked difference in the utilization of different parts of the enclosure with the number of observations ranging from 1252 for the most popular zone to only 172 for the least popular one. The tigers showed a consistent preference for two of the 15 zones across all days of observation. Further analyses showed that these zones were preferred both during mornings and afternoons as well as during feeding days and non-feeding days. This study demonstrates that the tigers might display a preference for certain environmental features as a result of their behavioral needs that are no different from tigers in the wild.