Life Sciences Commons^™

Food Benefit And Climate Warming Potential Of Nitrogen Fertilizer Uses In China, Hanqin Tian, Chaoqun (Crystal) Lu, Jerry Melillo, Wei Ren, Yao Huang, Xiaofeng Xu, Mingliang Liu, Chi Zhang, Guangsheng Chen, Shufen Pan, Jiyuan Liu, John Reilly

Chaoqun (Crystal) Lu

Chemical nitrogen (N) fertilizer has long been used to help meet the increasing food demands in China, the top N fertilizer consumer in the world. Growing concerns have been raised on the impacts of N fertilizer uses on food security and climate change, which is lack of quantification. Here we use a carbon–nitrogen (C–N) coupled ecosystem model, to quantify the food benefit and climate consequence of agronomic N addition in China over the six decades from 1949 to 2008. Results show that N fertilizer-induced crop yield and soil C sequestration had reached their peaks, while nitrous oxide (N2O) emission continued …

Effect Of Nitrogen Deposition On China's Terrestrial Carbon Uptake In The Context Of Multifactor Environmental Changes, Chaoqun (Crystal) Lu, Hanqin Tian, Mingliang Liu, Wei Ren, Xiaofeng Xu, Guangsheng Chen, Chi Zhang

Chaoqun (Crystal) Lu

The amount of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposited on the land surface has increased globally and by nearly five times in China from 1901 to 2005. Little is known about how elevated reactive N input has affected the carbon (C) sequestration capability of China's terrestrial ecosystems, largely due to the lack of reliable data on N deposition. Here we have used a newly developed data set of historical N deposition at a spatial resolution of 10 km × 10 km in combination with other gridded historical information on climate, atmospheric composition, land use, and land management practices to drive a process-based …

Contemporary And Projected Biogenic Fluxes Of Methane And Nitrous Oxide In North American Terrestrial Ecosystems, Hanqin Tian, Chaoqun (Crystal) Lu, Guangsheng Chen, Bo Tao, Shufen Pan, Stephen J. Del Grosso, Xiaofeng Xu, Lori Bruhwiler, Steven C. Wofsy, Eric A. Kort, Stephen A. Prior

Chaoqun (Crystal) Lu

Accurately estimating biogenic methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems is critical for resolving global budgets of these greenhouse gases (GHGs) and continuing to mitigate climate warming. Here, we assess contemporary biogenic CH4 and N2O budgets and probable climate-change-related impacts on CH4 and N2O emissions in terrestrial North America. Multi-approach estimations show that, during 1990–2010, biogenic CH4 emissions ranged from 0.159 to 0.502 petagrams of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents per year (Pg CO2eq yr–1, where 1 Pg = 1 × 1015 g) and N2O emissions ranged from 0.802 to 1.016 Pg CO2eq yr–1, which offset 47–166% of …

Does Immunocontraception In Feral Horses (Equus Caballus) Extend Reproductive Cycling Beyond The Normal Breeding Season?, Cassandra M.V. Nuñez, James S. Adelman, Daniel I. Rubenstein

Cassandra M.V. Nuñez

Although the physiological effects of immunocontraceptive treatment with porcine zona pellucida (PZP) have been well studied, little is known about PZP’s effects on the scheduling of reproductive cycling. Recent behavioral research has suggested that recipients of PZP extend the receptive breeding period into what is normally the non-breeding season. To determine if this is the case, we compiled foaling data from wild horses (Equus caballus) living on Shackleford Banks, North Carolina for 4 years pre- and 8 years post-contraception management with PZP (pre-contraception, n = 65 births from 45 mares; post-contraception, n = 97 births from 46 mares). Gestation lasts …

Global Change, Global Trade, And The Next Wave Of Plant Invasions, Bethany Bradley, D. M. Blumenthal, R. Early, E. D. Grosholz, J. J. Lawler, L. P. Miller, C. J.B Sorte, C. M. D'Antonio, J. M. Diez, J. S. Dukes, I. Ibanez, J. D. Olden

Bethany Bradley

Many non-native plants in the US have become problematic invaders of native and managed ecosystems, but a new generation of invasive species may be at our doorstep. Here, we review trends in the horticultural trade and invasion patterns of previously introduced species and show that novel species introductions from emerging horticultural trade partners are likely to rapidly increase invasion risk. At the same time, climate change and water restrictions are increasing demand for new types of species adapted to warm and dry environments. This confluence of forces could expose the US to a range of new invasive species, including many …

Bats Track And Exploit Changes In Insect Pest Populations, Gary F. Mccracken, John K. Westbrook, Veronica A. Brown, Melanie Eldridge, Paula Federico, Thomas H. Kunz

Gary F. McCracken

The role of bats or any generalist predator in suppressing prey populations depends on the predator's ability to track and exploit available prey. Using a qPCR fecal DNA assay, we document significant association between numbers of Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) consuming corn earworm (CEW) moths (Helicoverpa zea) and seasonal fluctuations in CEW populations. This result is consistent with earlier research linking the bats' diet to patterns of migration, abundance, and crop infestation by important insect pests. Here we confirm opportunistic feeding on one of the world's most destructive insects and support model estimates of the bats' ecosystem services. Regression …

Yosemite National Park Meadow Use And Impact Study, Christopher Monz, A. D'Antonio

Christopher Monz

No abstract provided.

An Assessment Of Usda Forest Service Wilderness In Colorado: Manager's Perceptions Of Conditions And Remoteness Modeling, Christopher Monz

Christopher Monz

No abstract provided.

Yosemite National Park Trampling Study. Final Project Report., Christopher Monz, A. D'Antonio

Christopher Monz

No abstract provided.

Rapid Diversification Of Tragopogon And Ecological Associates In Eurasia, Charles Bell

Charles D. Bell

No abstract provided.

How Culture Makes Us Human: Primate Social Evolution And The Formation Of Human Societies, Dwight W. Read

Dwight W Read

Total Recoil: Perch Compliance Alters Jumping Performance And Kinematics In Green Anole Lizards (Anolis Carolinensis), Casey A. Gilman, Michael D. Bartlett, Gary B. Gillis, Duncan J. Irschick

Michael Bartlett

The Variable Subdomain Of Escherichia Coli Seca Functions To Regulate Seca Atpase Activity And Adp Release, Sanchaita Das, Lorry M. Grady, Jennifer Michtavy, Yayan Zhou, Frederick M. Cohan, Manju M. Hingorani, Donald B. Oliver

Frederick M. Cohan

No abstract provided.

Phylogeny And Diversification Of Valerianaceae (Dipsacales) In The Southern Andes, Charles D. Bell

Charles D. Bell

No abstract provided.

Diversity Of Bacteria And Archaea In Hypersaline Sediment From Death Valley National Park, California, J.-S. Kim, M. Makama, J. Petito, N.-H. Park, Frederick M. Cohan, R. S. Dungan

Frederick M. Cohan

No abstract provided.

Comment On "Population Genomics Of Early Events In The Ecological Differentiation Of Bacteria", Sarah M. Kopac, Frederick M. Cohan

Frederick M. Cohan

No abstract provided.

Geomorphic Determinants Of Species Composition Of Alpine Tundra, Glacier National Park, U.S.A., George P. Malanson

George P Malanson

Because the distribution of alpine tundra is associated with spatially limited cold climates, global warming may threaten its local extent or existence. This notion has been challenged, however, based on observations of the diversity of alpine tundra in small areas primarily due to topographic variation. The importance of diversity in temperature or moisture conditions caused by topographic variation is an open question, and we extend this to geomorphology more generally. The extent to which geomorphic variation per se, based on relatively easily assessed indicators, can account for the variation in alpine tundra community composition is analyzed versus the inclusion of …

A Postulate For Tiger Recovery: The Case Of The Caspian Tiger, Carlos A. Driscoll, I Chestin, H Jungius, Y Darman, E Dinerstein, J Seidensticker, J Sanderson, S Christie, S J. Luo, M Shrestha, Y Zhuravlev, O Uphyrkina, Y V. Jhala, S P. Yadav, D G. Pikunov, N Yamaguchi, D E. Wildt, J D. Smith, Marker, Philip J. Nyhus, R Tilson, D W. Macdonald, S J. O'Brien

Philip J. Nyhus

Recent genetic analysis has shown that the extinct Caspian Tiger (P. t. virgata) and the living Amur Tigers (P. t. altaica) of the Russian Far East are actually taxonomically synonymous and that Caspian and Amur groups historically formed a single population, only becoming separated within the last 200 years by human agency. A major conservation implication of this finding is that tigers of Amur stock might be reintroduced, not only back into the Koreas and China as is now proposed, but also through vast areas of Central Asia where the Caspian tiger once lived. However, under the current tiger conservation …

The Role Of Tooth Enamel Mechanical Properties In Primate Dietary Adaptation, Paul J. Constantino, James Jw Lee, Yvonne Gerbig, Adam Hartstone-Rose, Mauricio Talebi, Brian Lawn, Peter Lucas

Paul J. Constantino

Primate teeth adapt to the physical properties of foods in a variety of ways including changes in occlusal morphology, enamel thickness, and overall size. We conducted a comparative study of extant primates to examine whether their teeth also adapt to foods through variation in the mechanical properties of the enamel. Nanoindentation techniques were used to map profiles of elastic modulus and hardness across tooth sections from the enamel-dentin junction to the outer enamel surface in a broad sample of primates including apes, Old World monkeys, New World monkeys, and lemurs. The measured data profiles feature considerable overlap among species, indicating …

Porous Capsule Irrigation, David A. Bainbridge

David A Bainbridge

Porous capsule irrigation is a modern adaptation of buried clay pot irrigation. Research in Brazil and Mexico has demonstrated its value in improving water use efficiency. Porous capsules are more easily integrated in an irrigation network than buried clay pots.

Economic Impact Of Stable Flies (Diptera: Muscidae) On Cattle Production., David B. Taylor, Roger D. Moon, Darrell R. Mark

David B Taylor

Stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L), are among the most damaging arthropod pests of cattle worldwide. The last estimate of their economic impact on US cattle production was published 20 years ago and placed losses at $608 million. Subsequently, several studies of effects of stable flies on beef cattle weight gain and feed efficiency have been published, and stable flies have become increasingly recognized as pests of cattle on pasture and range. We analyzed published studies and developed yield-loss functions to relate stable fly infestation levels to cattle productivity, and then estimated the economic impact of stable flies on cattle production …

This Shrew Is A Jumping Mouse (Mammalia, Dipodidae): Sorex Dichrurus Rafinesque, 1833 Is A Synonym Of Zapus Hudsonius (Zimmermann, 1780), Neal Woodman

Neal Woodman

Midges, Cladophora And Epiphytes: Shifting Interactions Through Succession, Paula Furey, Rex L. Lowe, Mary E. Power, Alexis M. Campbell-Craven

Paula Furey

No abstract provided.