Life Sciences Commons^™

Effectiveness Of Plant Species For Removing Atmospheric Ammonia, Marife B. Anunciado, Sheryll B. Jerez, Hans Williams, Joey Bray, Dean W. Coble, Rena Saito

Faculty Publications

Six plant species of Yaupon, Eastern red cedar, American holly, Arizona cypress, Arborvitae and Roughleaf dogwood were utilized to determine their effectiveness in the removal of atmospheric ammonia. All species were exposed to three ammonia levels (1, 5 and 10 ppm) in an environmental chamber. Foliar ammonia content was quantified using an enzymatic technique. The effects of exposure to ammonia on the physiological responses (e.g. photosynthetic activity, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate) of plants in ambient condition were also determined using an open design photosynthetic gas exchange system. Foliar ammonia content was significantly different among the six plant species (p<0.0001) with Eastern red cedar exhibiting the highest content. The physiological responses differed significantly depending on the plant species and the ammonia treatment level. The photosynthetic response of plants to the presence of ammonia was mixed. At low exposure level, all species except Arborvitae had decreased photosynthetic activity, reducing by as much as 44.5% for Yaupon. At the highest concentration, however, Yaupon’s photosynthetic activity improved by about 10%. Exposure to ammonia caused increased stomatal conductance and transpiration rate on American holly and Arizona cypress, making them more susceptible to water loss.

Move It Or Lose It: Interspecific Variation In Risk Response Of Pond-Breeding Anurans, Philip Matich, Christopher M. Schalk

Faculty Publications

Changes in behavior are often the proximate response of animals to human disturbance, with variability in tolerance levels leading some species to exhibit striking shifts in life history, fitness, and/or survival. Thus, elucidating the effects of disturbance on animal behavior, and how this varies among taxonomically similar species with inherently different behaviors and life histories is of value for management and conservation. We evaluated the risk response of three anuran species—southern leopard frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus), Blanchard’s cricket frog (Acris blanchardi), and green tree frog (Hyla cinerea)—to determine how differences in microhabitat use (arboreal vs …

Positional Precision Analysis Of Orthomosaics Derived From Drone Captured Aerial Imagery, I-Kuai Hung, Daniel Unger, David Kulhavy, Yanli Zhang

Faculty Publications

The advancement of drones has revolutionized the production of aerial imagery. Using a drone with its associated flight control and image processing applications, a high resolution orthorectified mosaic from multiple individual aerial images can be produced within just a few hours. However, the positional precision and accuracy of any orthomosaic produced should not be overlooked. In this project, we flew a DJI Phantom drone once a month over a seven-month period over Oak Grove Cemetery in Nacogdoches, Texas, USA resulting in seven orthomosaics of the same location. We identified 30 ground control points (GCPs) based on permanent features in the …

Weed Control And Overstory Reduction Improve Survival And Growth Of Under‐Planted Oak And Hickory Seedlings, Luke B. Oliver, Jeremy Stovall, Chris E. Comer, Hans Williams, Matt E. Symmank

Faculty Publications

Weed control and overstory reduction are important silvicultural treatments for improving survival and growth of under‐planted oak and hickory seedlings. Mast‐producing trees in the bottomland forests of the blackland prairie and Post Oak Savannah ecoregions of Texas have declined in abundance. Oaks and hickories have been replaced by more shade‐tolerant species, including green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall) and sugarberry (Celtis laevigata Willd.), which do not produce significant hard mast for priority wildlife species. A split‐plot experiment design was installed on three sites at Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area in Freestone County, Texas, studying the effects of canopy coverage …

Variation In Carbon Concentrations And Allocations Among Larix Olgensis Populations Growing In Three Field Environments, Jiang Ying, Yuhi Weng, Brian P. Oswald, Hanguo Zhang

Faculty Publications

Key message Variation in carbon concentration among Larix olgensis A. Henry provenances and tree tissues was significant, suggesting importance of such variation to carbon stock calculation. Provenance variation in carbon allocation was only significant in allocations to some tissues, including stem wood, and was strongly site-specific. Some allocation patterns correlated significantly with provenance growth and were related to geographic/climatic variables at the provenance origins.

Context Understanding variation in carbon concentrations and allocations to tree tissues among genetic entries is important for assessing carbon sequestration and understanding differential growth rates among the entries. However, this topic is poorly understood, in particular …

Correlates Of Snake Entanglement In Erosion Control Blankets, Sarah E. Ebert, Kasey L. Jobe, Christopher M. Schalk, Daniel Saenz, Cory K. Adams, Christopher E. Comer

Faculty Publications

In road construction projects across the United States, erosion control methods (e.g., erosion control blankets [ECBs]), are mandated to stimulate seedbed regeneration and prevent soil loss. Previous reports have suggested that snakes are vulnerable to entanglement in ECBs. We conducted a literature review, field surveys, and an entanglement experiment to examine what factors increase a snake’s risk of ECB entanglement. Our literature review produced reports of 175 reptiles entangled in mesh products, 89.1% of which were snakes, with 43.6% of snake entanglements occurring in erosion control products. During our field surveys, we found 10 entangled snakes (n = 2 alive; …

Temporal Changes In Fruit Production Between Recurrent Prescribed Burns In Pine Woodlands Of The Ouachita Mountains, Tamara B. Wood, Christopher E. Comer, Roger W. Perry, Brian P. Oswald

Faculty Publications

The use of prescribed fire is integral to the restoration of open woodlands and savannas, including shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) woodlands in the Ouachita Mountains of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Fire offers many potential benefits to numerous wildlife; however, short-term implications for understory fruit production are not fully understood, especially in stands subjected to frequent, recurrent burns. We examined the effects of dormant season prescribed burns on woody fruit production (kg ha−1) and fruit producing vegetative cover in the understory of restored pine woodlands. We inventoried 32 stands during four temporal periods after dormant season prescribed fires: 1, 2, …

Individual Tree And Stand-Level Carbon And Nutrient Contents Across One Rotation Of Loblolly Pine Plantations On A Reclaimed Surface Mine, Hannah Z. Angel, Jeremy S. Priest, Jeremy P. Stovall, Brian P. Oswald, Hans M. Williams

Faculty Publications

While reclaimed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations in east Texas, USA have demonstrated similar aboveground productivity levels relative to unmined forests, there is interest in assessing carbon (C) and nutrients in aboveground components of reclaimed trees. Numerous studies have previously documented aboveground biomass, C, and nutrient contents in loblolly pine plantations; however, similar data have not been collected on mined lands. We investigated C, N, P, K, Ca, and Mg aboveground contents for first-rotation loblolly pine growing on reclaimed mined lands in the Gulf Coastal Plain over a 32-year chronosequence and correlated elemental rates to stand age, stem …

Student Led Area Measurement Assessments Using Virtual Globes And Pictometry Web-Based Interface Within An Undergraduate Spatial Science Curriculum, David Kulhavy, I-Kuai Hung, Daniel Unger, Yanli Zhang

Faculty Publications

The use of Virtual Globes and Pictometry continues to expand and develop in undergraduate spatial science education. Spatial science undergraduates measured the area of 30 rectangles on the earth’s surface and compared them to Pictometry hyperspectral imagery measurements within a web-based interface and the Google Earth interface compared to ArcGIS Explorer, Map Developers and ArcMap using the ArcMap 10.5.2 interface. An analysis of variance of the absolute mean area errors (p-value of 0.009271) concluded the accuracy of the five area measurements were statistically different at the 95% confidence interval. A Tukey pair-wise test found that the Pictometry and Google Earth …

Forest Measurements, Yuhi Weng

Faculty Publications

Forest measurements, one of the cornerstones in the foundation of forestry, is the art and science of providing the quantitative information about trees and forest stands necessary for forest management, planning, and research. The updated edition (sixth edition) of this longstanding classic textbook, Forest Measurements, provides new and complete coverage of conventional and current measurement practices and technological applications that link the role of forest measurements with management of forest resources.

Resin Flow In Loblolly And Shortleaf Pines Used By Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers, David L. Kulhavy, W G. Ross, J H. Sun, Daniel Unger, I-Kuai Hung, Richard N. Conner

Faculty Publications

We measured resin flow in loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) and shortleaf (Pinus echinata Mill.) pines in stands used by red-cockaded woodpecker, Picoides borealis (Vieillot), in the Angelina and Davy Crockett National Forests in eastern Texas. We also measured resin flow in a mature loblolly pine stand not used by the woodpeckers. Resin flow varied by study area, species, and stand position. In woodpecker stands, pines experiencing low levels of competition seemed better able to tolerate the continual resin drainage associated with red-cockaded woodpecker resin well pecking. In the Angelina National Forest, all new cavity trees excavated during the study were …

Distribution Of Contaminants In The Environment And Wildlife Habitat Use: A Case Study With Lead And Waterfowl On The Upper Texas Coast, Brian Kearns, Stephen Mcdowell, Jena A. Moon, Elizabeth Rigby, Warren C. Conway, David A. Haukos

Faculty Publications

The magnitude and distribution of lead contamination remain unknown in wetland systems. Anthropogenic deposition of lead may be contributing to negative population-level effects in waterfowl and other organisms that depend on dynamic wetland habitats, particularly if they are unable to detect and differentiate levels of environmental contamination by lead. Detection of lead and behavioral response to elevated lead levels by waterfowl is poorly understood, but necessary to characterize the risk of lead-contaminated habitats. We measured the relationship between lead contamination of wetland soils and habitat use by mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula) on the Upper Texas Coast, USA. Mottled …

A New Site Index Model For Intensively Managed Loblolly Pine (Pinus Taeda) Plantations In The West Gulf Coastal Plain, Kynda R. Trim, Dean W. Coble, Yuhi Weng, Jeremy P. Stovall, I-Kuai Hung

Faculty Publications

Site index (SI) estimation for loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations is important for the successful management of this important commercial tree species in the West Gulf Coastal Plain of the United States. This study evaluated various SI models for intensively managed loblolly plantations in the West Gulf Coastal Plain using data collected from permanent plots installed in intensively managed loblolly pine plantations across east Texas and western Louisiana. Six commonly used SI models (Cieszewski GADA model, both Chapman-Richards ADA and GADA models, both Schumacher ADA and GADA models, and McDill-Amateis GADA model) were fit to the data and compared. …