Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Series

Forest Sciences

College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

2024

Articles 1 - 13 of 13

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Impact Of Changing Climate On Bryophyte Contributions To Terrestrial Water, Carbon, And Nitrogen Cycles, Mandy L. Slate, Anita Antoninka, Lydia Bailey, Monica B. Berdugo, Des A. Callaghan, Mariana Cárdenas, Matthew W. Chmielewski, Nicole J. Fenton, Hannah Holland-Moritz, Samantha Hopkins, Mélanie Jean, Bier Ekaphan Kraichak, Zoë Lindo, Amelia Merced, Tobi Oke, Daniel Stanton, Julia E. Stuart, Daniel Tucker, Kirsten K. Coe Apr 2024

Impact Of Changing Climate On Bryophyte Contributions To Terrestrial Water, Carbon, And Nitrogen Cycles, Mandy L. Slate, Anita Antoninka, Lydia Bailey, Monica B. Berdugo, Des A. Callaghan, Mariana Cárdenas, Matthew W. Chmielewski, Nicole J. Fenton, Hannah Holland-Moritz, Samantha Hopkins, Mélanie Jean, Bier Ekaphan Kraichak, Zoë Lindo, Amelia Merced, Tobi Oke, Daniel Stanton, Julia E. Stuart, Daniel Tucker, Kirsten K. Coe

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Bryophytes, including the lineages of mosses, liverworts, and hornworts, are the second-largest photoautotroph group on Earth. Recent work across terrestrial ecosystems has highlighted how bryophytes retain and control water, fix substantial amounts of carbon (C), and contribute to nitrogen (N) cycles in forests (boreal, temperate, and tropical), tundra, peatlands, grasslands, and deserts. Understanding how changing climate affects bryophyte contributions to global cycles in different ecosystems is of primary importance. However, because of their small physical size, bryophytes have been largely ignored in research on water, C, and N cycles at global scales. Here, we review the literature on how bryophytes …


Seasonal And Species-Level Water-Use Strategies And Groundwater Dependence In Dryland Riparian Woodlands During Extreme Drought, Jared Williams, John C. Stella, Michael Bliss Singer, Adam M. Lambert, Steve L. Voelker, John E. Drake, Jonathan M. Friedman, Lissa Pelletier, Li Kui, Dar A. Roberts Apr 2024

Seasonal And Species-Level Water-Use Strategies And Groundwater Dependence In Dryland Riparian Woodlands During Extreme Drought, Jared Williams, John C. Stella, Michael Bliss Singer, Adam M. Lambert, Steve L. Voelker, John E. Drake, Jonathan M. Friedman, Lissa Pelletier, Li Kui, Dar A. Roberts

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Drought-induced groundwater decline and warming associated with climate change are primary threats to dryland riparian woodlands. We used the extreme 2012–2019 drought in southern California as a natural experiment to assess how differences in water-use strategies and groundwater dependence may influence the drought susceptibility of dryland riparian tree species with overlapping distributions. We analyzed tree-ring stable carbon and oxygen isotopes collected from two cottonwood species (Populus trichocarpa and P. fremontii) along the semi-arid Santa Clara River. We also modeled tree source water δ18O composition to compare with observed source water δ18O within the floodplain to infer patterns of groundwater reliance. …


Changing The Culture Of Ecology From The Ground Up, Elsa Abs, Moira Hough Mar 2024

Changing The Culture Of Ecology From The Ground Up, Elsa Abs, Moira Hough

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

We are two early career soil ecologists in academia who entered the field of soil ecology with the goal of studying soil-climate feedbacks to make meaningful contributions to climate change mitigation. Although our training and research extensively focused on the effects of climate change on soil ecosystems, we were not trained during our PhD nor incentivized as postdocs to work on solutions for climate change mitigation. So the question we ask here is: Given the consensus among ecologists about the urgency of the climate crisis, why is our field not promoting more solutions-oriented research in training and practice? In this …


Responses Of Vascular Plant Fine Roots And Associated Microbial Communities To Whole-Ecosystem Warming And Elevated Co2 In Northern Peatlands, Katherine Duchesneau, Camille E. Defrenne, Caitlin Petro, Avni Malhotra, Jessica A.M. Moore, Joanne Childs, Paul J. Hanson, Colleen M. Iversen, Joel E. Kostka Mar 2024

Responses Of Vascular Plant Fine Roots And Associated Microbial Communities To Whole-Ecosystem Warming And Elevated Co2 In Northern Peatlands, Katherine Duchesneau, Camille E. Defrenne, Caitlin Petro, Avni Malhotra, Jessica A.M. Moore, Joanne Childs, Paul J. Hanson, Colleen M. Iversen, Joel E. Kostka

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Warming and elevated CO2 (eCO2) are expected to facilitate vascular plant encroachment in peatlands. The rhizosphere, where microbial activity is fueled by root turnover and exudates, plays a crucial role in biogeochemical cycling, and will likely at least partially dictate the response of the belowground carbon cycle to climate changes. We leveraged the Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments (SPRUCE) experiment, to explore the effects of a whole-ecosystem warming gradient (+0°C to 9°C) and eCO2 on vascular plant fine roots and their associated microbes. We combined trait-based approaches with the profiling of fungal and prokaryote communities in plant roots …


Shifting The Language Of ‘Invasion’ Ecology: Two-Eyed Seeing As A Framework For Discourse Regarding Introduced Species, Shelby Nicole Lane-Clark, Valoree Gagnon, Tara Bal Mar 2024

Shifting The Language Of ‘Invasion’ Ecology: Two-Eyed Seeing As A Framework For Discourse Regarding Introduced Species, Shelby Nicole Lane-Clark, Valoree Gagnon, Tara Bal

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Discourse used in the field of invasion ecology has significant impacts on society's perception, yet communication related to “invasives” is rife with problematic, exclusionary language. We provide potential solutions, including a repositioned perspective that may facilitate better relationships with the natural world by applying the two-eyed seeing framework. Our discussion calls for a paradigm shift for deeper understandings of human and more-than-human relationships. Ultimately, we advocate for respectful, considerate, and intentional language and stewardship.


A Flexible Inventory Of Survey Items For Environmental Concepts Generated Via Special Attention To Content Validity And Item Response Theory, John A. Vucetich, Jeremy T. Bruskotter, Benjamin Ghasemi, Claire E. Rapp, Michael Paul Nelson, Kristina M. Slagle Feb 2024

A Flexible Inventory Of Survey Items For Environmental Concepts Generated Via Special Attention To Content Validity And Item Response Theory, John A. Vucetich, Jeremy T. Bruskotter, Benjamin Ghasemi, Claire E. Rapp, Michael Paul Nelson, Kristina M. Slagle

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

We demonstrate how many important measures of belief about the environmental suffer from poor content validity and inadequate conceptual breadth (dimensionality). We used scholarship in environmental science and philosophy to propose a list of 13 environmental concepts that can be held as beliefs. After precisely articulating the concepts, we developed 85 trial survey items that emphasized content validity for each concept. The concepts’ breadth and the items’ content validity were aided by scrutiny from 17 knowledgeable critics. We administered the trial items to 449 residents of the United States and used item response theory to reduce the 85 trial items …


Land Use Change And Forest Management Effects On Soil Carbon Stocks In The Northeast U.S., Lucas E. Nave, Kendall Delyser, Grant M. Domke, Scott M. Holub, Maria K. Janowiak, Adrienne B. Keller, Matthew P. Peters, Kevin A. Solarik, Brian F. Walters, Christopher W. Swanston Feb 2024

Land Use Change And Forest Management Effects On Soil Carbon Stocks In The Northeast U.S., Lucas E. Nave, Kendall Delyser, Grant M. Domke, Scott M. Holub, Maria K. Janowiak, Adrienne B. Keller, Matthew P. Peters, Kevin A. Solarik, Brian F. Walters, Christopher W. Swanston

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Background: In most regions and ecosystems, soils are the largest terrestrial carbon pool. Their potential vulnerability to climate and land use change, management, and other drivers, along with soils’ ability to mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration, makes them important to carbon balance and management. To date, most studies of soil carbon management have been based at either large or site-specific scales, resulting in either broad generalizations or narrow conclusions, respectively. Advancing the science and practice of soil carbon management requires scientific progress at intermediate scales. Here, we conducted the fifth in a series of ecoregional assessments of the effects …


Author Correction: The Flying Spider-Monkey Tree Fern Genome Provides Insights Into Fern Evolution And Arborescence (Nature Plants, (2022), 8, 5, (500-512), 10.1038/S41477-022-01146-6), Xiong Huang, Wenling Wang, Ting Gong, David Wickell, Li Yaung Kuo, Xingtan Zhang, Jialong Wen, Hoon Kim, Fachuang Lu, Hansheng Zhao, Song Chen, Hui Li, Wenqi Wu, Changjiang Yu, Su Chen, Wei Fan, Shuai Chen, Xiuqi Bao, Li Li, Dan Zhang, Longyu Jiang, Dipak Khadka, Xiaojing Yan, Zhenyang Liao, Gongke Zhou, Yalong Guo, John Ralph, Ronald R. Sederoff, Hairong Wei, Ping Zhu, Fay Wei Li Feb 2024

Author Correction: The Flying Spider-Monkey Tree Fern Genome Provides Insights Into Fern Evolution And Arborescence (Nature Plants, (2022), 8, 5, (500-512), 10.1038/S41477-022-01146-6), Xiong Huang, Wenling Wang, Ting Gong, David Wickell, Li Yaung Kuo, Xingtan Zhang, Jialong Wen, Hoon Kim, Fachuang Lu, Hansheng Zhao, Song Chen, Hui Li, Wenqi Wu, Changjiang Yu, Su Chen, Wei Fan, Shuai Chen, Xiuqi Bao, Li Li, Dan Zhang, Longyu Jiang, Dipak Khadka, Xiaojing Yan, Zhenyang Liao, Gongke Zhou, Yalong Guo, John Ralph, Ronald R. Sederoff, Hairong Wei, Ping Zhu, Fay Wei Li

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Correction to: Nature Plantshttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-022-01146-6, published online 9 May 2022. In the version of the article initially published, Dipak Khadka, who collected the samples in Nepal, was thanked in the Acknowledgements instead of being listed as an author. His name and affiliation (GoldenGate International College, Tribhuvan University, Battisputali, Kathmandu, Nepal) have been added to the authorship in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.


Deciphering The Intricate Hierarchical Gene Regulatory Network: Unraveling Multi-Level Regulation And Modifications Driving Secondary Cell Wall Formation, Zhigang Wei, Hairong Wei Feb 2024

Deciphering The Intricate Hierarchical Gene Regulatory Network: Unraveling Multi-Level Regulation And Modifications Driving Secondary Cell Wall Formation, Zhigang Wei, Hairong Wei

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Wood quality is predominantly determined by the amount and the composition of secondary cell walls (SCWs). Consequently, unraveling the molecular regulatory mechanisms governing SCW formation is of paramount importance for genetic engineering aimed at enhancing wood properties. Although SCW formation is known to be governed by a hierarchical gene regulatory network (HGRN), our understanding of how a HGRN operates and regulates the formation of heterogeneous SCWs for plant development and adaption to ever-changing environment remains limited. In this review, we examined the HGRNs governing SCW formation and highlighted the significant key differences between herbaceous Arabidopsis and woody plant poplar. We …


Perianth Evolution And Implications For Generic Delimitation In The Eucalypts (Myrtaceae), Including The Description Of The New Genus, Blakella, Michael D. Crisp, Bui Q. Minh, Bokyung Choi, Robert D. Edwards, James Hereward, Carsten Kulheim, Yen Po Lin, Karen Meusemann, Andrew H. Thornhill, Alicia Toon, Lyn G. Cook Jan 2024

Perianth Evolution And Implications For Generic Delimitation In The Eucalypts (Myrtaceae), Including The Description Of The New Genus, Blakella, Michael D. Crisp, Bui Q. Minh, Bokyung Choi, Robert D. Edwards, James Hereward, Carsten Kulheim, Yen Po Lin, Karen Meusemann, Andrew H. Thornhill, Alicia Toon, Lyn G. Cook

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Eucalypts (Myrtaceae tribe Eucalypteae) are currently placed in seven genera. Traditionally, Eucalyptus was defined by its operculum, but when phylogenies placed Angophora, with free sepals and petals, as sister to the operculate bloodwood eucalypts, the latter were segregated into a new genus, Corymbia. Yet, generic delimitation in the tribe Eucalypteae remains uncertain. Here, we address these problems using phylogenetic analysis with the largest molecular data set to date. We captured 101 low-copy nuclear exons from 392 samples representing 266 species. Our phylogenetic analysis used maximum likelihood (IQtree) and multispecies coalescent (Astral). At two nodes critical to generic delimitation, we tested …


Non-Invasive Methods For Monitoring Weasels: Emerging Technologies And Priorities For Future Research, David S. Jachowski, Scott M. Bergeson, Stacy Cotey, Elizabeth Croose, Tim R. Hofmeester, Jenny Macpherson, Et Al. Jan 2024

Non-Invasive Methods For Monitoring Weasels: Emerging Technologies And Priorities For Future Research, David S. Jachowski, Scott M. Bergeson, Stacy Cotey, Elizabeth Croose, Tim R. Hofmeester, Jenny Macpherson, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Weasels (genus Mustela and Neogale) are of management concern as declining native species in some regions and invasive species in others. Regardless of the need to conserve or remove weasels, there is increasingly a need to use non-invasive monitoring methods to assess population trends. We conducted a literature review and held the first ever International Weasel Monitoring Symposium to synthesise information on historical and current non-invasive monitoring techniques for weasels. We also explored current limitations, opportunities, and areas of development to guide future research and long-term monitoring. Our literature search revealed that in the past 20 years, camera traps were …


Engagement For Life's Sake: Reflections On Partnering And Partnership With Rural Tribal Nations, Chelsea Schelly, Valoree Gagnon, Kathleen Brosemer, Kristin Arola Jan 2024

Engagement For Life's Sake: Reflections On Partnering And Partnership With Rural Tribal Nations☆, Chelsea Schelly, Valoree Gagnon, Kathleen Brosemer, Kristin Arola

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

In this paper, we reflect on our collective experiences engaging with Anishinaabe Tribal Nations in the Great Lakes region to support Tribal sovereignty in decision-making for food, energy, and water (FEW) systems. In these diverse experiences, we find common lessons. The first set of lessons contributes new empirical knowledge regarding the challenges and opportunities that rural Great Lakes Tribal Nations navigate for enacting sovereignty in decision-making. Our experiences illustrate that while Tribal Nations benefit from a broad and deep commitment to sovereignty and many cultural strengths, they are often challenged by shortages in administrative capacity; technical support; and embeddedness in …


Persistent Net Release Of Carbon Dioxide And Methane From An Alaskan Lowland Boreal Peatland Complex, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Colin W. Edgar, Evan Kane, Mark P. Waldrop, Rebecca B. Neumann, Kristen L. Manies, Thomas A. Douglas, Catherine Dieleman, Miriam C. Jones, Merritt R. Turetsky Jan 2024

Persistent Net Release Of Carbon Dioxide And Methane From An Alaskan Lowland Boreal Peatland Complex, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Colin W. Edgar, Evan Kane, Mark P. Waldrop, Rebecca B. Neumann, Kristen L. Manies, Thomas A. Douglas, Catherine Dieleman, Miriam C. Jones, Merritt R. Turetsky

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Permafrost degradation in peatlands is altering vegetation and soil properties and impacting net carbon storage. We studied four adjacent sites in Alaska with varied permafrost regimes, including a black spruce forest on a peat plateau with permafrost, two collapse scar bogs of different ages formed following thermokarst, and a rich fen without permafrost. Measurements included year-round eddy covariance estimates of net carbon dioxide (CO2), mid-April to October methane (CH4) emissions, and environmental variables. From 2011 to 2022, annual rainfall was above the historical average, snow water equivalent increased, and snow-season duration shortened due to later snow return. Seasonally thawed active …