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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Agricultural Conversion Without External Water And Nutrient Inputs Reduces Terrestrial Vegetation Productivity, William Kolby Smith, Cory C. Cleveland, Sasha C. Reed, Steven W. Running Jan 2014

Agricultural Conversion Without External Water And Nutrient Inputs Reduces Terrestrial Vegetation Productivity, William Kolby Smith, Cory C. Cleveland, Sasha C. Reed, Steven W. Running

Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences Faculty Publications

Driven by global population and standard of living increases, humanity co-opts a growing share of the planet's natural resources resulting in many well-known environmental trade-offs. In this study, we explored the impact of agriculture on a resource fundamental to life on Earth: terrestrial vegetation growth (net primary production; NPP). We demonstrate that agricultural conversion has reduced terrestrial NPP by ~7.0%. Increases in NPP due to agricultural conversion were observed only in areas receiving external inputs (i.e., irrigation and/or fertilization). NPP reductions were found for ~88% of agricultural lands, with the largest reductions observed in areas formerly occupied by tropical forests …


Prescribed Fire And Oak Sapling Physiology, Demography And Folivore Damage In An Ozark Woodland, D. Alexander Wait, Doug P. Aubrey Jan 2014

Prescribed Fire And Oak Sapling Physiology, Demography And Folivore Damage In An Ozark Woodland, D. Alexander Wait, Doug P. Aubrey

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Proceedings from the 2014 Central Hardwood Forest Conference in Carbondale, IL. The published proceedings include 27 papers and 47 abstracts pertaining to research conducted on biofuels and bioenergy, forest biometrics, forest ecology and physiology, forest economics, forest health including invasive species, forest soils and hydrology, geographic information systems, harvesting and utilization, silviculture, and wildlife management.