The Importance of Tree Size and Fecundity for Wind Dispersal of Big-Leaf Mahogany

Seed dispersal by wind is a critical yet poorly understood process in tropical forest trees. How tree size and fecundity affect this process at the population level remains largely unknown because of insufficient replication across adults. We measured seed dispersal by the endangered neotropical timber species big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King, Meliaceae) in the Brazilian Amazon at 25 relatively isolated trees using multiple 1-m wide belt transects extended 100 m downwind. Tree diameter and fecundity correlated positively with increased seed shadow extent; but in combination large, high fecundity trees contributed disproportionately to longer-distance dispersal events (>60 m). Among three empirical models fitted to seed density vs. distance in one dimension, the Student-t (2Dt) generally fit best (compared to the negative exponential and inverse power). When seedfall downwind was modelled in two dimensions using a normalised sample, it peaked furthest downwind (c. 25 m) for large, high-fecundity trees; with the inverse Gaussian and Weibull functions providing comparable fits that were slightly better than the lognormal. Although most seeds fell within 30 m of parent trees, relatively few juveniles were found within this distance, resulting in juvenile-to-seed ratios peaking at c. 35–45 m. Using the 2Dt model fits to predict seed densities downwind, coupled with known fecundity data for 2000–2009, we evaluated potential Swietenia regeneration near adults (≤30 m dispersal) and beyond 30 m. Mean seed arrival into canopy gaps >30 m downwind was more than 3× greater for large, high fecundity trees than small, high-fecundity trees. Tree seed production did not necessarily scale up proportionately with diameter, and was not consistent across years, and this resulting intraspecific variation can have important consequences for local patterns of dispersal in forests. Our results have important implications for management and conservation of big-leaf mahogany populations, and may apply to other threatened wind-dispersed Meliaceae trees

The BaBar detector

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Observation of CP violation in the B0 meson system

We present an updated measurement of time-dependent CP-violating asymmetries in neutral B decays with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric B Factory at SLAC. This result uses an additional sample of Upsilon(4S) decays collected in 2001, bringing the data available to 32 million B-anti-B pairs. We select events in which one neutral B meson is fully reconstructed in a final state containing charmonium and the flavor of the other neutral B meson is determined from its decay products. The amplitude of the CP-violating asymmetry, which in the Standard Model is proportional to sin2beta, is derived from the decay time distributions in such events. The result sin2beta = 0.59 +/- 0.14 (stat) +/- 0.05 (syst) establishes CP violation in the B^0 meson system. We also determine |lambda| = 0.93 +/- 0.09 {stat} +/- 0.03 {syst}, consistent with no direct CP violation.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter

Measurement of CP-Violating Asymmetries in B0 Decays to CP Eigenstates

We present measurements of time-dependent CP-violating asymmetries in neutral B decays to several CP eigenstates. The measurement uses a data sample of 23×10^6 ϒ(4S)→BB̅ decays collected by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric B Factory at SLAC. In this sample, we find events in which one neutral B meson is fully reconstructed in a CP eigenstate containing charmonium and the flavor of the other neutral B meson is determined from its decay products. The amplitude of the CP-violating asymmetry, which in the standard model is proportional to sin2β, is derived from the decay time distributions in such events. The result is sin2β = 0.34±0.20(stat)±0.05(syst)

Simultaneous measurement of the B-0 meson lifetime and mixing frequency with B-0 -> D(*-)l(+)nu(l) decays RID C-2728-2008 RID C-5223-2009 RID C-5719-2008 RID D-1055-2009 RID A-2675-2009

We measure the B-0 lifetime tau(B)(0) and the B-0-(B) over bar (0) oscillation frequency Deltam(d) with a sample of approximately 14000 exclusively reconstructed B-0-->D(*-)l(+)nul signal events, selected from 23 million B (B) over bar pairs recorded at the Y(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. The decay position of the other B is determined with the remaining tracks in the event, and its b-quark flavor at the time of decay is determined with a tagging algorithm that exploits the correlation between the flavor of the b quark and the charges of its decay products. The lifetime and oscillation frequencies are measured simultaneously with an unbinned maximum-likelihood fit that uses, for each event, the measured difference in decay times of the two B mesons (Deltat), the calculated uncertainty on Deltat, the signal and background probabilities, and b-quark tagging information for the other B. The results are tau(B)(0)=(1.523(-0.023)(+0.024)+/-0.022) ps and Deltam(d)=(0.492+/-0.018+/-0.013) ps(-1). The statistical correlation coefficient between tau(B)(0) and Deltam(d) is -0.22

Search for radiative b-hadron decays in p(p)over-bar collisions at root s=1.8 TeV RID C-1693-2008 RID A-5169-2010 RID E-4473-2011 RID C-2406-2008

We have performed a search for radiative b-hadron decays using events produced in p (p) over bar collisions at roots=1.8 TeV and collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab. The decays we considered were (B) over bar (0)(d)-->(K) over bar*(0)(-->K(-)pi(+))gamma, (B) over bar (0)(s)-->phi(-->K+K-)gamma, Lambda(b)(0)-->Lambda(-->ppi(-))gamma, and their charge conjugates. Two independent methods to identify photons from such decays were employed. In the first method, the photon was detected in the electromagnetic calorimeter. In the second method, the photon was identified by an electron-positron pair produced through the external photon conversion before the tracking detector volume. By combining the two methods we obtain upper limits on the branching fractions for the (B) over bar (0)(d), (B) over bar (0)(s), and Lambda(b)(0) radiative decays which, at the 95% confidence level, are found to be B((B) over bar (0)(d)-->(K) over bar*(0)gamma)phigamma)Lambdagamma)<1.9x10(-3)

Observation of a narrow meson state decaying to D-s(+)pi(0) at a mass of 2.32 GeV/c(2) RID C-2728-2008 RID C-5223-2009 RID C-5719-2008 RID D-1055-2009 RID A-2675-2009

We have observed a narrow state near 2.32 GeV/c(2) in the inclusive D(s)(+)pi(0) invariant mass distribution from e(+)e(-) annihilation data at energies near 10.6 GeV. The observed width is consistent with the experimental resolution. The small intrinsic width and the quantum numbers of the final state indicate that the decay violates isospin conservation. The state has natural spin-parity and the low mass suggests a J(P)=0(+) assignment. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 91 fb(-1) recorded by the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) storage ring

Measurement of B-0 -> D-s(*)D+*(-) branching fractions and B-0 -> D-s*D+*(-) polarization with a partial reconstruction technique RID C-2728-2008 RID C-5223-2009 RID C-5719-2008 RID D-1055-2009 RID A-2675-2009

We present a study of the decays B-0 --> D-s((*)) D*-, using 20.8 fb(-1) of e(+)e(-) annihilation data recorded with the BABAR detector. The analysis is conducted with a partial reconstruction technique, in which only the D-s((*)+) and the soft pion from the D*- decay are reconstructed. We measure the branching fractions B(B-0 --> Ds+D*-) = (1.03 +/- 0.14 +/- 0.13 +/- 0.26)% and B(B-0 --> D-s(*+) D*-) = (1.97 +/- 0.15 +/- 0.30+/- 0.49)%, where the first error is statistical, the second is systematic, and the third is the error due to the D-s(+) --> phipi(+) branching fraction uncertainty. From the B-0 --> D-s(*+) D*- angular distributions, we measure the fraction of longitudinal polarization Gamma(L)/Gamma = (51.9 +/- 5.0 +/- 2.8)%, which is consistent with theoretical predictions based on factorization