Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
- Publication Year
- Publication
-
- Technical Bulletins (4)
- Electronic Theses and Dissertations (3)
- Biological Sciences Faculty Research (1)
- Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations (1)
- Biology Faculty Publications (1)
-
- Ecology Center Publications (1)
- Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations (1)
- Frank S. Gilliam (1)
- Gordon Natural Area Forest Restoration Project Documents (1)
- Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (1)
- Ivan J. Fernandez (1)
- Theses, Dissertations and Capstones (1)
- Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts (1)
- Virginia Journal of Science (1)
- Publication Type
- File Type
Articles 1 - 19 of 19
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Natural Regeneration Dynamics And Survival Influenced By Abiotic And Biotic Factors In A Bottomland Hardwood Forest, Lydia J. Voth Rurup
Natural Regeneration Dynamics And Survival Influenced By Abiotic And Biotic Factors In A Bottomland Hardwood Forest, Lydia J. Voth Rurup
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Riparian ecosystems are vital to the landscape, providing critical services including water filtration and purification, flood and erosion control, carbon sequestration, biodiversity support, and aesthetic value. Bottomland hardwood forests, however, are threatened by invasive species, land loss/conversion, inconsistent or absence of harvesting disturbances, and altered hydrological patterns, leading to reduced success of desired, native species. This research assessed regeneration dynamics and one-year survival in a seasonally-flooded bottomland hardwood forest at Boggy Slough Conservation Area in East Texas to identify abiotic and biotic factors important for successful establishment of native regeneration. Areas sampled included two that were previously treated with herbicide …
Leaf Angle And Leaf Stomata Responses To Experimental Drought In Quercus Velutina And Acer Saccharum, Brittany Nichole Casey
Leaf Angle And Leaf Stomata Responses To Experimental Drought In Quercus Velutina And Acer Saccharum, Brittany Nichole Casey
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The possibility of increased severity and frequency of drought conditions, as a result of global climate variability, greatly complicates our ability to forecast future forest functions such as productivity and carbon sequestration. Assessing how tree species vary in their response to drought can aid in predicting the impact on forest ecosystems as a whole. Throughfall exclusion (TfE) experiments are potentially useful tools to simulate realistic drought conditions within intact forest ecosystems. We employed a TfE experiment during the 2018 growing season within the WV Land Trust’s Elizabeth’s Woods Nature Preserve, near Morgantown, WV, to assess the leaf angle and leaf …
Mule Deer Impede Pando’S Recovery: Implications For Aspen Resilience From A Single-Genotype Forest, Paul C. Rogers, Darren J. Mcavoy
Mule Deer Impede Pando’S Recovery: Implications For Aspen Resilience From A Single-Genotype Forest, Paul C. Rogers, Darren J. Mcavoy
Ecology Center Publications
Aspen ecosystems (upland Populus-dominated forests) support diverse species assemblages in many parts of the northern hemisphere, yet are imperiled by common stressors. Extended drought, fire suppression, human development, and chronic herbivory serve to limit the sustainability of this keystone species. Here we assess conditions at a renowned quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) grove—purportedly the largest living organism on earth—with ramifications for aspen biogeography globally. The “Pando” clone is 43 ha and estimated to contain 47,000 genetically identical aspen ramets. This iconic forest is threatened in particular by herbivory, and current management activities aim to reverse the potential for …
Seed Dispersal: A Tale Of Two Species, W. John Hayden
Seed Dispersal: A Tale Of Two Species, W. John Hayden
Biology Faculty Publications
Orchids have minute, dustlike seeds. In this respect, Goodyera pubescens (Downy Rattlesnake Plantain), the 2016 VNPS Wildflower of the Year, is a typical orchid. Like all other orchids, Goodyera seeds contain little more than a few embryonic cells enclosed in a thin seed coat. There are two advantages to small seed size in orchids: minute seeds can be produced in prodigious quantities, and they can disperse over great distances by wind.
Quantifying Effects Of Quaking Aspen Silvicultural Treatments On Aspen Regeneration And Residual Growth, Philip W. Williams
Quantifying Effects Of Quaking Aspen Silvicultural Treatments On Aspen Regeneration And Residual Growth, Philip W. Williams
Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts
Many quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) populations are in decline across the western United States, a trend likely driven by ongoing climate change and past management that has led to increased competition with conifers. Restoration of aspen is a management goal potentially achievable through active forest management, but treatment effects on regeneration and residual growth have not been comprehensively studied. This project examined if removal of competing conifers altered aspen regeneration density, ungulate browsing, and residual adult aspen diameter growth using a control-impact study design. Sampling occurred at the Burnt Fork (ten treatments, four controls) and Bandy (seven treatments, four controls) …
Tb196: Temperature, Soil Moisture, And Streamflow At The Bear Brook Watershed In Maine (Bbwm), Ivan J. Fernandez, Joseph E. Karem, Stephen A. Norton, Lindsey E. Rustad
Tb196: Temperature, Soil Moisture, And Streamflow At The Bear Brook Watershed In Maine (Bbwm), Ivan J. Fernandez, Joseph E. Karem, Stephen A. Norton, Lindsey E. Rustad
Ivan J. Fernandez
The Bear Brook Watershed in Maine is a whole-ecosystem chemical manipulation initiated in 1987 to study the effects of acid deposition on forests and surface waters. The focus of this research was to understand the biogeochemical response of watersheds with emphasis on chemistry and hydrology. In 2001 a program was initiated to provide more detailed measurements of temperature and moisture to examine critical linkages amongst chemical, biological, and physical processes that ultimately work together to define ecosystem function. The purpose of this publication is to provide data from the initial phase of soil temperature, air temperature, and soil moisture measurements …
Amphibian And Small Mammal Assemblages In A Northern Virginia Forest Before And After Defoliation By Gypsy Moths (Lymantria Dispar), Joseph C. Mitchell
Amphibian And Small Mammal Assemblages In A Northern Virginia Forest Before And After Defoliation By Gypsy Moths (Lymantria Dispar), Joseph C. Mitchell
Virginia Journal of Science
The introduced European gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) caused substantial defoliation and mortality of oak trees along the North Fork of Quantico Creek in Prince William Forest Park, Prince William County, Virginia, U.S.A., in 1989 and the early 1990s. Results of a drift fence/pitfall study conducted in 1988 were compared to those obtained from the same technique in the same areas in 1993 to elucidate whether the amphibian and small mammal assemblages had changed over time. Number of Lithobates sylvaticus increased significantly in 1993, but the numbers of Lithobates clamitans and Plethodon cinereus were significantly higher in 1988. Total …
Carbon Dynamics In The Future Forest: The Importance Of Long-Term Successional Legacy And Climate–Fire Interactions, E. Louise Loudermilk, Robert M. Scheller, Peter J. Weisberg, Jian Yang, Thomas E. Dilts, Sarah L. Karam, Carl Skinner
Carbon Dynamics In The Future Forest: The Importance Of Long-Term Successional Legacy And Climate–Fire Interactions, E. Louise Loudermilk, Robert M. Scheller, Peter J. Weisberg, Jian Yang, Thomas E. Dilts, Sarah L. Karam, Carl Skinner
Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations
Understanding how climate change may influence forest carbon (C) budgets requires knowledge of forest growth relationships with regional climate, long-term forest succession, and past and future disturbances, such as wildfires and timber harvesting events. We used a landscape-scale model of forest succession, wildfire, and C dynamics (LANDIS-II) to evaluate the effects of a changing climate (A2 and B1 IPCC emissions; Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory General Circulation Models) on total forest C, tree species composition, and wildfire dynamics in the Lake Tahoe Basin, California, and Nevada. The independent effects of temperature and precipitation were assessed within and among climate models. Results …
The Ecological Significance Of The Herbaceous Layer In Temperate Forest Ecosystems, Frank Gilliam
The Ecological Significance Of The Herbaceous Layer In Temperate Forest Ecosystems, Frank Gilliam
Frank S. Gilliam
Despite a growing awareness that the herbaceous layer serves a special role in maintaining the structure and function of forests, this stratum remainsan underappreciated aspect of forest ecosystems. In this article I review and synthesize information concerning the herb layer’s structure,composition, and dynamics to emphasize its role as an integral component of forest ecosystems. Because species diversity is highest in the herb layeramong all forest strata, forest biodiversity is largely a function of the herb-layer community. Competitive interactions within the herb layer candetermine the initial success of plants occupying higher strata, including the regeneration of dominant overstory tree species. Furthermore, …
Tb202: Composition And Biomass Of Forest Floor Vegetation In Experimentally Acidified Paired Watersheds At The Bear Brook Watershed In Maine, Peter Kenlan, G. B. Wiersma, A. S. White, I. J. Fernandez
Tb202: Composition And Biomass Of Forest Floor Vegetation In Experimentally Acidified Paired Watersheds At The Bear Brook Watershed In Maine, Peter Kenlan, G. B. Wiersma, A. S. White, I. J. Fernandez
Technical Bulletins
The percentage cover (abundance), frequency of occurrence, biomass, species richness, and species diversity of understory herbs was measured on a paired watershed ecosystem in eastern Maine, USA. This paired watershed site (Bear Brook Watershed in Maine, BBWM) has had the West Bear Brook Watershed treated bi-monthly with granular ammonium sulfate at a rate of 28.8 kg S ha-1 yr-1 and 25.2 kg N ha-1 yr-1 since 1989. East Bear Brook Watershed serves as the reference site. More than 100 plots were randomly located across the two watersheds. The data suggest that there is generally a lower frequency of occurrence of …
Influence Of Silvicultural Treatment, Site Characteristics, And Land Use History On Native And Nonnative Forest Understory Plant Composition On The Penobscot Experimental Forest In Maine, Elizabeth Bryce
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This study investigates forest understory plant diversity and composition in managed and unmanaged stands within the context of a long-term silvicultural experiment in the Acadian Forest of Maine. I examined the effects of silvicultural intensity and past land use on understory plant species diversity and composition. Silvicultural treatments include three variants of the selection system, three variants of the shelterwood system, modified and fixed diameter-limit cutting, and an unregulated harvest. Two types of unmanaged stands were studied: a continuously forested natural area and secondary forest stands on old fields. Chapter 1 presents analysis of understory plant diversity and composition in …
Tb197: Forest Biomass Estimates In Maine:Statewide, County, And Spatial, Kenneth M. Laustsen
Tb197: Forest Biomass Estimates In Maine:Statewide, County, And Spatial, Kenneth M. Laustsen
Technical Bulletins
In Maine, statewide biomass estimates have increased from 752 million dry tons in 1982 to 980 million dry tons in a 2003 estimate. These estimates are produced using Forest Inventory & Analysis (FIA) data collected during Maine’s periodic and now annualized inventory design. The Maine Forest Service began tracking and reporting on wood flows of biomass in 1986. For the last 20 years (1986–2005) the total annual harvesting of all products has ranged between 6 and 7 million cords, extracted from a standing inventory that is currently estimated to be 277 million cords. The objectives of this current study were …
Relative Fitness And Behavioral Compensation Of Amphibians In A Managed Forest, Sean Michael Blomquist
Relative Fitness And Behavioral Compensation Of Amphibians In A Managed Forest, Sean Michael Blomquist
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Habitat loss and degradation are two of the most important factors leading to the imperilment of species worldwide including amphibians, but mechanisms underlying these changes are poorly understood. To understand the fitness potential of harvested forests, I conducted studies of a forest specialist, Rana sylvatica (Wood Frogs) and compared these results with those from identical studies with an open canopy specialist, R. pipiens (Northern Leopard Frogs) in response to an unharvested control and three forest harvesting treatments: clearcutting (with removal of all merchantable timber > 10 cm diameter), clearcutting with coarse woody debris retention, and partial harvesting with removal of < 25% canopy cover. First, I used radio-telemetry data collected on 72 adult R. …
Tb196: Temperature, Soil Moisture, And Streamflow At The Bear Brook Watershed In Maine (Bbwm), Ivan J. Fernandez, Joseph E. Karem, Stephen A. Norton, Lindsey E. Rustad
Tb196: Temperature, Soil Moisture, And Streamflow At The Bear Brook Watershed In Maine (Bbwm), Ivan J. Fernandez, Joseph E. Karem, Stephen A. Norton, Lindsey E. Rustad
Technical Bulletins
The Bear Brook Watershed in Maine is a whole-ecosystem chemical manipulation initiated in 1987 to study the effects of acid deposition on forests and surface waters. The focus of this research was to understand the biogeochemical response of watersheds with emphasis on chemistry and hydrology. In 2001 a program was initiated to provide more detailed measurements of temperature and moisture to examine critical linkages amongst chemical, biological, and physical processes that ultimately work together to define ecosystem function. The purpose of this publication is to provide data from the initial phase of soil temperature, air temperature, and soil moisture measurements …
The Ecological Significance Of The Herbaceous Layer In Temperate Forest Ecosystems, Frank S. Gilliam
The Ecological Significance Of The Herbaceous Layer In Temperate Forest Ecosystems, Frank S. Gilliam
Biological Sciences Faculty Research
Despite a growing awareness that the herbaceous layer serves a special role in maintaining the structure and function of forests, this stratum remainsan underappreciated aspect of forest ecosystems. In this article I review and synthesize information concerning the herb layer’s structure,composition, and dynamics to emphasize its role as an integral component of forest ecosystems. Because species diversity is highest in the herb layeramong all forest strata, forest biodiversity is largely a function of the herb-layer community. Competitive interactions within the herb layer candetermine the initial success of plants occupying higher strata, including the regeneration of dominant overstory tree species. Furthermore, …
The Last Plant Standing - Ecosystem Assessment And Response To Human Disturbance In The Gordon Natural Area, West Chester University, Chester County, Pennsylvania, Katie Mohn, Frank Mcsherry, Rob Stabs, Michael Mcgeehin, Kristen Noble
The Last Plant Standing - Ecosystem Assessment And Response To Human Disturbance In The Gordon Natural Area, West Chester University, Chester County, Pennsylvania, Katie Mohn, Frank Mcsherry, Rob Stabs, Michael Mcgeehin, Kristen Noble
Gordon Natural Area Forest Restoration Project Documents
No abstract provided.
Tb187: Forest Vegetation Monitoring In Acadia National Park, J. D. Eckhoff, G. B. Wiersma, J. A. Elvir
Tb187: Forest Vegetation Monitoring In Acadia National Park, J. D. Eckhoff, G. B. Wiersma, J. A. Elvir
Technical Bulletins
The goal of this report is to present the results of the vegetation component of the PRIMENet study at Acadia. The results include a classification of vegetation types and their locations within Cadillac Brook and Hadlock Brook watersheds; a synthesis of the primary and meta tree, sapling, and seedling data from the two study watersheds; and foliar chemical analyses using Acer rubrum and Picea rubens from Cadillac Brook and Hadlock Brook watersheds. This report provides the baseline information for long-term forest vegetation monitoring in the deciduous and coniferous forests in Cadillac Brook and Hadlock Brook watersheds. Ongoing interest and studies …
Four-Year And Seasonal Patterns Of Herbaceous Layer Development In Hardwood Stands Of The Fernow Experimental Forest, Parsons, Wv, Anne Wallace Hockenberry
Four-Year And Seasonal Patterns Of Herbaceous Layer Development In Hardwood Stands Of The Fernow Experimental Forest, Parsons, Wv, Anne Wallace Hockenberry
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
This study described patterns of herbaceous layer characteristics in watersheds of the Fernow Experimental Forest (FEF) in Parsons, WV. The purpose of this study was to examine four-year and seasonal patterns of change in herb layer species composition, cover, and richness within three stands of mixed hardwood forest. Sampling was conducted within seven circular plots (0.04 ha) in each of three watersheds of the FEF: WS3 (24-yr-old stand, previously clear-cut, receiving experimental nitrogen additions), WS7 (24-yr-old stand, previously clear-cut and treated with herbicide), and WS4 (>85-yr-old stand, untreated, control). All vascular plants~ lm in height were identified to species …
Herbaceous Production In Burned-Cut Burned-Uncut And Control Areas Of A Chamaecyparis Thyoides (L.) Bsp (Cupressaceae) Stand In The Great Dismal Swamp, Caroline Elisabeth Mckinley
Herbaceous Production In Burned-Cut Burned-Uncut And Control Areas Of A Chamaecyparis Thyoides (L.) Bsp (Cupressaceae) Stand In The Great Dismal Swamp, Caroline Elisabeth Mckinley
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
The herbaceous layer of an Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) stand in the Great Dismal Swamp was sampled to estimate the productivity of two burned areas and a control area. The herbaceous vegetation was sampled along three transects utilizing the harvest method and productivity values were estimated using peak biomass values for each individual species. The burned-cut area had the highest productivity (3623 kg ha-l yr-1) and was characterized by species of the Asteraceae, Poaceae, and Cyperaceae. The burned-uncut area had a productivity value of 1636 kg ha-1 yr-1 with similar species of the Asteraceae …