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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Relative Role Of Understory And Overstory In Carbon And Nitrogen Cycling In A Southern Appalachian Spruce-Fir Forest, P. T. Moore, H. Van Miegroet, N. S. Nicholas Jan 2007

Relative Role Of Understory And Overstory In Carbon And Nitrogen Cycling In A Southern Appalachian Spruce-Fir Forest, P. T. Moore, H. Van Miegroet, N. S. Nicholas

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

This study investigated aboveground pools and fluxes of biomass, carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) in the overstory and understory of a southern Appalachian red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) – Fraser fir (Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir.) forest, following adelgid-induced fir mortality and spruce windthrow. Using fifty 20 m × 20 m plots, stratified by elevation (1700–1900 m), we estimated standing biomass and fluxes of all growth forms from periodic stand inventories (1998–2003), vegetation surveys, and existing or derived allometric equations. Total C and N pools and fluxes were calculated from plant- and tissue-specific C and N concentrations. Total aboveground biomass attained …


Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics Along A Climatic Gradient In A Southern Appalachian Spruce-Fir Forest, C. E. Tewksbury, H. Van Miegroet Jan 2007

Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics Along A Climatic Gradient In A Southern Appalachian Spruce-Fir Forest, C. E. Tewksbury, H. Van Miegroet

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

A field study was conducted in a high-elevation spruce–fir (Picea rubens Sarg. – Abies fraseri (Pursh.) Poir) forest in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to assess the effect of temperature on soil C storage and dynamics. In eight plots along an elevation gradient (1500–1900 m), we measured soil temperature, forest floor and mineral soil C, litter decomposition, soil respiration, and forest floor mean residence time. Mean annual soil temperature and annual degree-days above 5 °C were inversely correlated with elevation. Total soil C (166–241 Mg·ha–1) showed no trend with elevation, while forest floor C accumulation (16.3–35.9 Mg·ha–1) decreased significantly …


Utah Prairie Dog Habitat Evaluation Guide, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Environmental Defense Jan 2007

Utah Prairie Dog Habitat Evaluation Guide, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Environmental Defense

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens) (UPD) is listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and exists only in southwestern Utah. UPD numbers and range have declined dramatically since settlement of Utah because of conversion of rangeland to cropland, urban development, fire suppression, improper grazing, drought, and introduced sylvatic plague (Yersina pestis). As of this writing, approximately 75% of all Utah prairie dogs inhabit private lands. This fact highlights the need to encourage farmers and ranchers to manage UPD habitat on their property in order to move the species closer to recovery. This guide provides technical …