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University of Vermont

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2014

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Articles 1 - 29 of 29

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

The Ecological Genomic Basis Of Salinity Adaptation In Tunisian Medicago Truncatula, Maren L. Friesen, Eric J.B. Von Wettberg, Mounawer Badri, Ken S. Moriuchi, Fathi Barhoumi, Peter L. Chang, Sonia Cuellar-Ortiz, Matilde A. Cordeiro, Wendy T. Vu, Soumaya Arraouadi, Naceur Djébali, Kais Zribi, Yazid Badri, Stephanie S. Porter, Mohammed Elarbi Aouani, Douglas R. Cook, Sharon Y. Strauss, Sergey V. Nuzhdin Dec 2014

The Ecological Genomic Basis Of Salinity Adaptation In Tunisian Medicago Truncatula, Maren L. Friesen, Eric J.B. Von Wettberg, Mounawer Badri, Ken S. Moriuchi, Fathi Barhoumi, Peter L. Chang, Sonia Cuellar-Ortiz, Matilde A. Cordeiro, Wendy T. Vu, Soumaya Arraouadi, Naceur Djébali, Kais Zribi, Yazid Badri, Stephanie S. Porter, Mohammed Elarbi Aouani, Douglas R. Cook, Sharon Y. Strauss, Sergey V. Nuzhdin

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: As our world becomes warmer, agriculture is increasingly impacted by rising soil salinity and understanding plant adaptation to salt stress can help enable effective crop breeding. Salt tolerance is a complex plant phenotype and we know little about the pathways utilized by naturally tolerant plants. Legumes are important species in agricultural and natural ecosystems, since they engage in symbiotic nitrogen-fixation, but are especially vulnerable to salinity stress. Results: Our studies of the model legume Medicago truncatula in field and greenhouse settings demonstrate that Tunisian populations are locally adapted to saline soils at the metapopulation level and that saline origin …

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Climate Coupling Between Temperature, Humidity, Precipitation, And Cloud Cover Over The Canadian Prairies, Alan K. Betts, Raymond Desjardins, Devon Worth, Brian Beckage Dec 2014

Climate Coupling Between Temperature, Humidity, Precipitation, And Cloud Cover Over The Canadian Prairies, Alan K. Betts, Raymond Desjardins, Devon Worth, Brian Beckage

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

This analysis uses over 50 years of hourly observations of temperature, relative humidity, and opaque cloud cover and daily precipitation from 11 climate stations across the Canadian Prairies to analyze the monthly, seasonal, and long-term climate coupling in the warm season. On climate time scales, temperature depends on cloud forcing, while relative humidity depends on precipitation. The monthly climate depends on both opaque cloud cover for the current month and precipitation for both the present and past 2 months in summer. Multiple linear regression shows that anomalies of opaque cloud and precipitation explain 60–80% of the variance in the diurnal …

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Geographic Differences In Effects Of Experimental Warming On Ant Species Diversity And Community Composition, S. L. Pelini, S. E. Diamond, L. M. Nichols, K. L. Stuble, A. M. Ellison, N. J. Sanders, R. R. Dunn, N. J. Gotelli Oct 2014

Geographic Differences In Effects Of Experimental Warming On Ant Species Diversity And Community Composition, S. L. Pelini, S. E. Diamond, L. M. Nichols, K. L. Stuble, A. M. Ellison, N. J. Sanders, R. R. Dunn, N. J. Gotelli

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Publications

Ecological communities are being reshaped by climatic change. Losses and gains of species will alter community composition and diversity but these effects are likely to vary geographically and may be hard to predict from uncontrolled "natural experiments". In this study, we used open-top warming chambers to simulate a range of warming scenarios for ground-nesting ant communities at a northern (Harvard Forest, MA) and southern (Duke Forest, NC) study site in the eastern US. After 2.5 years of experimental warming, we found no significant effects of accumulated growing degree days or soil moisture on ant diversity or community composition at the …

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Are Genes Faster Than Crabs? Mitochondrial Introgression Exceeds Larval Dispersal During Population Expansion Of The Invasive Crab Carcinus Maenas, John A. Darling, Yi Hsin Erica Tsai, April M.H. Blakeslee, Joe Roman Oct 2014

Are Genes Faster Than Crabs? Mitochondrial Introgression Exceeds Larval Dispersal During Population Expansion Of The Invasive Crab Carcinus Maenas, John A. Darling, Yi Hsin Erica Tsai, April M.H. Blakeslee, Joe Roman

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Biological invasions offer unique opportunities to investigate evolutionary dynamics at the peripheries of expanding populations. Here, we examine genetic patterns associated with admixture between two distinct invasive lineages of the European green crab, Carcinus maenas L., independently introduced to the northwest Atlantic. Previous investigations based on mitochondrial DNA sequences demonstrated that larval dispersal driven by advective currents could explain observed southward displacement of an admixture zone between the two invasions. Comparison of published mitochondrial results with new nuclear data from nine microsatellite loci, however, reveals striking discordance in their introgression patterns. Specifically, introgression of mitochondrial genomes relative to nuclear background …

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Matrix Models For Quantifying Competitive Intransitivity From Species Abundance Data, Werner Ulrich, Santiago Soliveres, Wojciech Kryszewski, Fernando T. Maestre, Nicholas J. Gotelli Sep 2014

Matrix Models For Quantifying Competitive Intransitivity From Species Abundance Data, Werner Ulrich, Santiago Soliveres, Wojciech Kryszewski, Fernando T. Maestre, Nicholas J. Gotelli

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Publications

In a network of competing species, a competitive intransitivity occurs when the ranking of competitive abilities does not follow a linear hierarchy (A > B > C but C > A). A variety of mathematical models suggests that intransitive networks can prevent or slow down competitive exclusion and maintain biodiversity by enhancing species coexistence. However, it has been difficult to assess empirically the relative importance of intransitive competition because a large number of pairwise species competition experiments are needed to construct a competition matrix that is used to parameterize existing models. Here we introduce a statistical framework for evaluating the contribution of intransitivity …

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Climate-Smart Agriculture Global Research Agenda: Scientific Basis For Action, Kerri L. Steenwerth, Amanda K. Hodson, Arnold J. Bloom, Michael R. Carter, Andrea Cattaneo, Colin J. Chartres, Jerry L. Hatfield, Kevin Henry, Jan W. Hopmans, William R. Horwath, Bryan M. Jenkins, Ermias Kebreab, Rik Leemans, Leslie Lipper, Mark N. Lubell, Siwa Msangi, Ravi Prabhu, Matthew P. Reynolds, Samuel Sandoval Solis, William M. Sischo, Michael Springborn, Pablo Tittonell, Stephen M. Wheeler, Sonja J. Vermeulen, Eva K. Wollenberg, Lovell S. Jarvis, Louise E. Jackson Aug 2014

Climate-Smart Agriculture Global Research Agenda: Scientific Basis For Action, Kerri L. Steenwerth, Amanda K. Hodson, Arnold J. Bloom, Michael R. Carter, Andrea Cattaneo, Colin J. Chartres, Jerry L. Hatfield, Kevin Henry, Jan W. Hopmans, William R. Horwath, Bryan M. Jenkins, Ermias Kebreab, Rik Leemans, Leslie Lipper, Mark N. Lubell, Siwa Msangi, Ravi Prabhu, Matthew P. Reynolds, Samuel Sandoval Solis, William M. Sischo, Michael Springborn, Pablo Tittonell, Stephen M. Wheeler, Sonja J. Vermeulen, Eva K. Wollenberg, Lovell S. Jarvis, Louise E. Jackson

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Background: Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) addresses the challenge of meeting the growing demand for food, fibre and fuel, despite the changing climate and fewer opportunities for agricultural expansion on additional lands. CSA focuses on contributing to economic development, poverty reduction and food security; maintaining and enhancing the productivity and resilience of natural and agricultural ecosystem functions, thus building natural capital; and reducing trade-offs involved in meeting these goals. Current gaps in knowledge, work within CSA, and agendas for interdisciplinary research and science-based actions identified at the 2013 Global Science Conference on Climate-Smart Agriculture (Davis, CA, USA) are described here within three …

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Exploring Germplasm Diversity To Understand The Domestication Process In Cicer Spp. Using Snp And Dart Markers, Manish Roorkiwal, Eric J. Von Wettberg, Hari D. Upadhyaya, Emily Warschefsky, Abhishek Rathore, Rajeev K. Varshney Jul 2014

Exploring Germplasm Diversity To Understand The Domestication Process In Cicer Spp. Using Snp And Dart Markers, Manish Roorkiwal, Eric J. Von Wettberg, Hari D. Upadhyaya, Emily Warschefsky, Abhishek Rathore, Rajeev K. Varshney

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

To estimate genetic diversity within and between 10 interfertile Cicer species (94 genotypes) from the primary, secondary and tertiary gene pool, we analysed 5,257 DArT markers and 651 KASPar SNP markers. Based on successful allele calling in the tertiary gene pool, 2,763 DArT and 624 SNP markers that are polymorphic between genotypes from the gene pools were analyzed further. STRUCTURE analyses were consistent with 3 cultivated populations, representing kabuli, desi and pea-shaped seed types, with substantial admixture among these groups, while two wild populations were observed using DArT markers. AMOVA was used to partition variance among hierarchical sets of landraces …

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New Perspectives In Ecosystem Services Science As Instruments To Understand Environmental Securities, Ferdinando Villa, Brian Voigt, Jon D. Erickson Apr 2014

New Perspectives In Ecosystem Services Science As Instruments To Understand Environmental Securities, Ferdinando Villa, Brian Voigt, Jon D. Erickson

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

As societal demand for food, water and other life-sustaining resources grows, the science of ecosystem services (ES) is seen as a promising tool to improve our understanding, and ultimately the management, of increasingly uncertain supplies of critical goods provided or supported by natural ecosystems. This promise, however, is tempered by a relatively primitive understanding of the complex systems supporting ES, which as a result are often quantified as static resources rather than as the dynamic expression of human-natural systems. This article attempts to pinpoint the minimum level of detail that ES science needs to achieve in order to usefully inform …

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A Methodology For Adaptable And Robust Ecosystem Services Assessment, Ferdinando Villa, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Brian Voigt, Gary W. Johnson, Rosimeiry Portela, Miroslav Honzák, David Batker Mar 2014

A Methodology For Adaptable And Robust Ecosystem Services Assessment, Ferdinando Villa, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Brian Voigt, Gary W. Johnson, Rosimeiry Portela, Miroslav Honzák, David Batker

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Ecosystem Services (ES) are an established conceptual framework for attributing value to the benefits that nature provides to humans. As the promise of robust ES-driven management is put to the test, shortcomings in our ability to accurately measure, map, and value ES have surfaced. On the research side, mainstream methods for ES assessment still fall short of addressing the complex, multi-scale biophysical and socioeconomic dynamics inherent in ES provision, flow, and use. On the practitioner side, application of methods remains onerous due to data and model parameterization requirements. Further, it is increasingly clear that the dominant "one model fits all" …

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Genetic Diversity And Demographic History Of Cajanus Spp. Illustrated From Genome-Wide Snps, Rachit K. Saxena, Eric Von Wettberg, Hari D. Upadhyaya, Vanessa Sanchez, Serah Songok, Kulbhushan Saxena, Paul Kimurto, Rajeev K. Varshney Feb 2014

Genetic Diversity And Demographic History Of Cajanus Spp. Illustrated From Genome-Wide Snps, Rachit K. Saxena, Eric Von Wettberg, Hari D. Upadhyaya, Vanessa Sanchez, Serah Songok, Kulbhushan Saxena, Paul Kimurto, Rajeev K. Varshney

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding genetic structure of Cajanus spp. is essential for achieving genetic improvement by quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping or association studies and use of selected markers through genomic assisted breeding and genomic selection. After developing a comprehensive set of 1,616 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) and their conversion into cost effective KASPar assays for pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan), we studied levels of genetic variability both within and between diverse set of Cajanus lines including 56 breeding lines, 21 landraces and 107 accessions from 18 wild species. These results revealed a high frequency of polymorphic SNPs and relatively high level of cross-species transferability. …

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Using Historical And Experimental Data To Reveal Warming Effects On Ant Assemblages, Julian Resasco, Shannon L. Pelini, Katharine L. Stuble, Nathan J. Sanders, Robert R. Dunn, Sarah E. Diamond, Aaron M. Ellison, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Douglas J. Levey Feb 2014

Using Historical And Experimental Data To Reveal Warming Effects On Ant Assemblages, Julian Resasco, Shannon L. Pelini, Katharine L. Stuble, Nathan J. Sanders, Robert R. Dunn, Sarah E. Diamond, Aaron M. Ellison, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Douglas J. Levey

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Publications

Historical records of species are compared with current records to elucidate effects of recent climate change. However, confounding variables such as succession, land-use change, and species invasions make it difficult to demonstrate a causal link between changes in biota and changes in climate. Experiments that manipulate temperature can overcome this issue of attribution, but long-term impacts of warming are difficult to test directly. Here we combine historical and experimental data to explore effects of warming on ant assemblages in southeastern US. Observational data span a 35-year period (1976-2011), during which mean annual temperatures had an increasing trend. Mean summer temperatures …

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Rarefaction And Extrapolation With Hill Numbers: A Framework For Sampling And Estimation In Species Diversity Studies, Anne Chao, Nicholas J. Gotelli, T. C. Hsieh, Elizabeth L. Sander, K. H. Ma, Robert K. Colwell, Aaron M. Ellison Feb 2014

Rarefaction And Extrapolation With Hill Numbers: A Framework For Sampling And Estimation In Species Diversity Studies, Anne Chao, Nicholas J. Gotelli, T. C. Hsieh, Elizabeth L. Sander, K. H. Ma, Robert K. Colwell, Aaron M. Ellison

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Publications

Quantifying and assessing changes in biological diversity are central aspects of many ecological studies, yet accurate methods of estimating biological diversity from sampling data have been elusive. Hill numbers, or the effective number of species, are increasingly used to characterize the taxonomic, phylogenetic, or functional diversity of an assemblage. However, empirical estimates of Hill numbers, including species richness, tend to be an increasing function of sampling effort and, thus, tend to increase with sample completeness. Integrated curves based on sampling theory that smoothly link rarefaction (interpolation) and prediction (extrapolation) standardize samples on the basis of sample size or sample completeness …

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A Framework For Evaluating The Influence Of Climate, Dispersal Limitation, And Biotic Interactions Using Fossil Pollen Associations Across The Late Quaternary, Jessica L. Blois, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Anna K. Behrensmeyer, J. Tyler Faith, S. Kathleen Lyons, John W. Williams, Kathryn L. Amatangelo, Antoine Bercovici, Andrew Du, Jussi T. Eronen, Gary R. Graves, Nathan Jud, Conrad Labandeira, Cindy V. Looy, Brian Mcgill, David Patterson, Richard Potts, Brett Riddle, Rebecca Terry, Anikó Tóth, Amelia Villaseñor, Scott Wing Jan 2014

A Framework For Evaluating The Influence Of Climate, Dispersal Limitation, And Biotic Interactions Using Fossil Pollen Associations Across The Late Quaternary, Jessica L. Blois, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Anna K. Behrensmeyer, J. Tyler Faith, S. Kathleen Lyons, John W. Williams, Kathryn L. Amatangelo, Antoine Bercovici, Andrew Du, Jussi T. Eronen, Gary R. Graves, Nathan Jud, Conrad Labandeira, Cindy V. Looy, Brian Mcgill, David Patterson, Richard Potts, Brett Riddle, Rebecca Terry, Anikó Tóth, Amelia Villaseñor, Scott Wing

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Publications

Environmental conditions, dispersal lags, and interactions among species are major factors structuring communities through time and across space. Ecologists have emphasized the importance of biotic interactions in determining local patterns of species association. In contrast, abiotic limits, dispersal limitation, and historical factors have commonly been invoked to explain community structure patterns at larger spatiotemporal scales, such as the appearance of late Pleistocene no-analog communities or latitudinal gradients of species richness in both modern and fossil assemblages. Quantifying the relative influence of these processes on species co-occurrence patterns is not straightforward. We provide a framework for assessing causes of species associations …

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Climate-Smart Landscapes: Opportunities And Challenges For Integrating Adaptation And Mitigation In Tropical Agriculture, Celia A. Harvey, Mario Chacón, Camila I. Donatti, Eva Garen, Lee Hannah, Angela Andrade, Lucio Bede, Douglas Brown, Alicia Calle, Julian Chará, Christopher Clement, Elizabeth Gray, Minh Ha Hoang, Peter Minang, Ana María Rodríguez, Christina Seeberg-Elverfeldt, Bambi Semroc, Seth Shames, Sean Smukler, Eduardo Somarriba, Emmanuel Torquebiau, Jacob Van Etten, Eva Wollenberg Jan 2014

Climate-Smart Landscapes: Opportunities And Challenges For Integrating Adaptation And Mitigation In Tropical Agriculture, Celia A. Harvey, Mario Chacón, Camila I. Donatti, Eva Garen, Lee Hannah, Angela Andrade, Lucio Bede, Douglas Brown, Alicia Calle, Julian Chará, Christopher Clement, Elizabeth Gray, Minh Ha Hoang, Peter Minang, Ana María Rodríguez, Christina Seeberg-Elverfeldt, Bambi Semroc, Seth Shames, Sean Smukler, Eduardo Somarriba, Emmanuel Torquebiau, Jacob Van Etten, Eva Wollenberg

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Addressing the global challenges of climate change, food security, and poverty alleviation requires enhancing the adaptive capacity and mitigation potential of agricultural landscapes across the tropics. However, adaptation and mitigation activities tend to be approached separately due to a variety of technical, political, financial, and socioeconomic constraints. Here, we demonstrate that many tropical agricultural systems can provide both mitigation and adaptation benefits if they are designed and managed appropriately and if the larger landscape context is considered. Many of the activities needed for adaptation and mitigation in tropical agricultural landscapes are the same needed for sustainable agriculture more generally, but …

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Environmental Footprints Show China And Europe's Evolving Resource Appropriation For Soybean Production In Mato Grosso, Brazil, Michael J. Lathuillière, Mark S. Johnson, Gillian L. Galford, Eduardo G. Couto Jan 2014

Environmental Footprints Show China And Europe's Evolving Resource Appropriation For Soybean Production In Mato Grosso, Brazil, Michael J. Lathuillière, Mark S. Johnson, Gillian L. Galford, Eduardo G. Couto

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Mato Grosso has become the center of Brazil's soybean industry, with production located across an agricultural frontier expanding into savanna and rainforest biomes. We present environmental footprints of soybean production in Mato Grosso and resource flows accompanying exports to China and Europe for the 2000s using five indicators: deforestation, land footprint (LF), carbon footprint (CF), water footprint (WF), and nutrient footprints. Soybean production was associated with 65% of the state's deforestation, and 14–17% of total Brazilian land use change carbon emissions. The decade showed two distinct production systems illustrated by resources used in the first and second half of the …

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Preliminary Effects Of Fertilization On Ecochemical Soil Condition In Mature Spruce Stands Experiencing Dieback In The Beskid Śla̧Ski And Żywiecki Mountains, Poland, Stanisław Małek, Kazimierz Januszek, William S. Keeton, Józef Barszcz, Marek Kroczek, Ewa Błońska, Tomasz Wanic Jan 2014

Preliminary Effects Of Fertilization On Ecochemical Soil Condition In Mature Spruce Stands Experiencing Dieback In The Beskid Śla̧Ski And Żywiecki Mountains, Poland, Stanisław Małek, Kazimierz Januszek, William S. Keeton, Józef Barszcz, Marek Kroczek, Ewa Błońska, Tomasz Wanic

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

In recent years, there has been the phenomena of spruce dieback in Europe. Significant areas of spruce low mortality now cover both sides of the Polish southern border. We evaluated ecochemical parameters influencing the heavy dieback occurring in mature spruce stands in the Polish Carpathian Mountains. Dolomite, magnesite and serpentinite fertilizers were applied to experimental plots located in 100-year-old stands in the autumn of 2008. The experimental plots were located in the mid-elevational forest zone (900-950 m) on two nappes of the flysch Carpathians: Magura (Ujsoły Forest District) and Silesian (Wisła Forest District). The saturation of the studied soils demonstrates …

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Analysis Of A Consumer Survey On Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles, Joseph S. Krupa, Donna M. Rizzo, Margaret J. Eppstein, D. Brad Lanute, Diann E. Gaalema, Kiran Lakkaraju, Christina E. Warrender Jan 2014

Analysis Of A Consumer Survey On Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles, Joseph S. Krupa, Donna M. Rizzo, Margaret J. Eppstein, D. Brad Lanute, Diann E. Gaalema, Kiran Lakkaraju, Christina E. Warrender

College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences Faculty Publications

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) show potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, increase fuel efficiency, and offer driving ranges that are not limited by battery capacity. However, these benefits will not be realized if consumers do not adopt this new technology. Several agent-based models have been developed to model potential market penetration of PHEVs, but gaps in the available data limit the usefulness of these models. To address this, we administered a survey to 1000 stated US residents, using Amazon Mechanical Turk, to better understand factors influencing the potential for PHEV market penetration. Our analysis of the survey results …

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A Cosmogenic View Of Erosion, Relief Generation, And The Age Of Faulting In Southern Africa, Paul R. Bierman, Ryan Coppersmith, Kathryn Hanson, Johann Neveling, Eric W. Portenga, Dylan H. Rood Jan 2014

A Cosmogenic View Of Erosion, Relief Generation, And The Age Of Faulting In Southern Africa, Paul R. Bierman, Ryan Coppersmith, Kathryn Hanson, Johann Neveling, Eric W. Portenga, Dylan H. Rood

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Publications

Southernmost Africa, with extensive upland geomorphic surfaces, deep canyons, and numerous faults, has long interested geoscientists. A paucity of dates and low rates of background seismicity make it challenging to quantify the pace of landscape change and determine the likelihood and timing of fault movement that could raise and lower parts of the landscape and create associated geohazards. To infer regional rates of denudation, we measured 10Be in river sediment samples and found that south-central South Africa is eroding ∼5 m m.y.-1, a slow erosion rate consistent with those measured in other non-tectonically active areas, including much of southern Africa. …

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P Values, Hypothesis Testing, And Model Selection: It's Déjà Vu All Over Again, Aaron M. Ellison, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Brian D. Inouye, Donald R. Strong Jan 2014

P Values, Hypothesis Testing, And Model Selection: It's Déjà Vu All Over Again, Aaron M. Ellison, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Brian D. Inouye, Donald R. Strong

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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From Theoretical To Actual Ecosystem Services: Mapping Beneficiaries And Spatial Flows In Ecosystem Service Assessments, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Ferdinando Villa, David Batker, Jennifer Harrison-Cox, Brian Voigt, Gary W. Johnson Jan 2014

From Theoretical To Actual Ecosystem Services: Mapping Beneficiaries And Spatial Flows In Ecosystem Service Assessments, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Ferdinando Villa, David Batker, Jennifer Harrison-Cox, Brian Voigt, Gary W. Johnson

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Ecosystem services mapping and modeling has focused more on supply than demand, until recently. Whereas the potential provision of economic benefits from ecosystems to people is often quantified through ecological production functions, the use of and demand for ecosystem services has received less attention, as have the spatial flows of services from ecosystems to people. However, new modeling approaches that map and quantify service-specific sources (ecosystem capacity to provide a service), sinks (biophysical or anthropogenic features that deplete or alter service flows), users (user locations and level of demand), and spatial flows can provide a more complete understanding of ecosystem …

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Considering Vermont's Future In A Changing Climate: The First Vermont Climate Assessment, Gillian L. Galford, Ann Hoogenboom, Sam Carlson, Sarah Ford, Julie Nash, Elizabeth Palchak, Sarah Pears, Kristen Underwood, Daniel V. Baker Jan 2014

Considering Vermont's Future In A Changing Climate: The First Vermont Climate Assessment, Gillian L. Galford, Ann Hoogenboom, Sam Carlson, Sarah Ford, Julie Nash, Elizabeth Palchak, Sarah Pears, Kristen Underwood, Daniel V. Baker

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

The Vermont Climate Assessment (VCA) paints a vivid picture of a changing climate in Vermont and calls for immediate strategic planning to sustain the social, economic and environmental fabric of our state. The VCA is the first state-scale climate assessment in the country and speaks directly to the impacts of climate change as they pertain to our rural towns, cities and communities, including impacts on Vermont tourism and recreation, agriculture, natural resources and energy.

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Governing Agriculture-Forest Landscapes To Achieve Climate Change Mitigation, Arun Agrawal, E. Wollenberg, L. Persha Jan 2014

Governing Agriculture-Forest Landscapes To Achieve Climate Change Mitigation, Arun Agrawal, E. Wollenberg, L. Persha

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

This introduction to the special section on "Governing Agriculture-Forest Landscapes to Achieve Climate Change Mitigation" reviews external interventions to improve forest conditions and reduce deforestation, and by extension, influence carbon storage in agriculture-forest landscapes. The review is based on a careful survey of 123 cases of project-based and policy interventions to influence land use and forest cover outcomes. We propose that outcomes of interventions can be explained in terms of rights, incentives, and technologies related to land use and apply this framework to examine 12 types of interventions in agriculture-forest landscapes. The analysis of the identified 123 cases raises concerns …

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The Forest Has A Story: Cultural Ecosystem Services In Kona, Hawai‘I, Rachelle K. Gould, Nicole M. Ardoin, Ulalia Woodside, Terre Satterfield, Neil Hannahs, Gretchen C. Daily Jan 2014

The Forest Has A Story: Cultural Ecosystem Services In Kona, Hawai‘I, Rachelle K. Gould, Nicole M. Ardoin, Ulalia Woodside, Terre Satterfield, Neil Hannahs, Gretchen C. Daily

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Understanding cultural dimensions of human/environment relationships is now widely seen as key to effective management, yet characterizing these dimensions remains a challenge. We report on an approach for considering the nonmaterial values associated with ecosystems, i.e., cultural ecosystem services. We applied the approach in Kona, Hawai‘i, using 30 semistructured interviews and 205 in-person surveys, striving to balance pragmatism and depth. We found spirituality, heritage, and identity-related values to be particularly salient, with expression of some of these values varying among respondents by ethnicity and duration of residence in Hawai‘i. Although people of various backgrounds reported strong spirituality and heritage-related values, …

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Comment On "Opinion Paper: Forest Management And Biodiversity": The Role Of Protected Areas Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its Number Of Species, M. Mikoláš, M. Svoboda, V. Pouska, R. C. Morrissey, D. C. Donato, W. S. Keeton, T. A. Nagel, V. D. Popescu, J. Müller, C. Bässler, J. Knorn, L. Rozylowicz, C. M. Enescu, V. Trotsiuk, P. Janda, H. Mrhalová, Z. Michalová, F. Krumm, D. Kraus Jan 2014

Comment On "Opinion Paper: Forest Management And Biodiversity": The Role Of Protected Areas Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its Number Of Species, M. Mikoláš, M. Svoboda, V. Pouska, R. C. Morrissey, D. C. Donato, W. S. Keeton, T. A. Nagel, V. D. Popescu, J. Müller, C. Bässler, J. Knorn, L. Rozylowicz, C. M. Enescu, V. Trotsiuk, P. Janda, H. Mrhalová, Z. Michalová, F. Krumm, D. Kraus

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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Whales As Marine Ecosystem Engineers, Joe Roman, James A. Estes, Lyne Morissette, Craig Smith, Daniel Costa, James Mccarthy, J. B. Nation, Stephen Nicol, Andrew Pershing, Victor Smetacek Jan 2014

Whales As Marine Ecosystem Engineers, Joe Roman, James A. Estes, Lyne Morissette, Craig Smith, Daniel Costa, James Mccarthy, J. B. Nation, Stephen Nicol, Andrew Pershing, Victor Smetacek

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Baleen and sperm whales, known collectively as the great whales, include the largest animals in the history of life on Earth. With high metabolic demands and large populations, whales probably had a strong influence on marine ecosystems before the advent of industrial whaling: as consumers of fish and invertebrates; as prey to other large-bodied predators; as reservoirs of and vertical and horizontal vectors for nutrients; and as detrital sources of energy and habitat in the deep sea. The decline in great whale numbers, estimated to be at least 66% and perhaps as high as 90%, has likely altered the structure …

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Impacts Of Projected Climate Change Over The Lake Champlain Basin In Vermont, Justin Guilbert, Brian Beckage, Jonathan M. Winter, Radley M. Horton, Timothy Perkins, Arne Bomblies Jan 2014

Impacts Of Projected Climate Change Over The Lake Champlain Basin In Vermont, Justin Guilbert, Brian Beckage, Jonathan M. Winter, Radley M. Horton, Timothy Perkins, Arne Bomblies

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

The Lake Champlain basin is a critical ecological and socioeconomic resource of the northeastern United States and southern Quebec, Canada. While general circulation models (GCMs) provide an overview of climate change in the region, they lack the spatial and temporal resolution necessary to fully anticipate the effects of rising global temperatures associated with increasing greenhouse gas concentrations. Observed trends in precipitation and temperature were assessed across the Lake Champlain basin to bridge the gap between global climate change and local impacts. Future shifts in precipitation and temperature were evaluated as well as derived indices, including maple syrup production, days above …

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Potential Future Dynamics Of Carbon Fluxes And Pools In New England Forests And Their Climatic Sensitivities: A Model-Based Study, Guoping Tang, Brian Beckage, Benjamin Smith Jan 2014

Potential Future Dynamics Of Carbon Fluxes And Pools In New England Forests And Their Climatic Sensitivities: A Model-Based Study, Guoping Tang, Brian Beckage, Benjamin Smith

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

Projections of terrestrial carbon (C) dynamics must account for interannual variation in ecosystem C exchange associated with climate change, increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration, and species dynamics. We used a dynamic ecosystem model to (i) project the potential dynamics of C in New England forests under nine climate change scenarios (CCSs) for the 21st century and (ii) examine the sensitivity of potential C dynamics to changes in climate and atmospheric CO2 concentration. Our results indicated that forest net primary productivity (NPP) and soil heterotrophic respiration (RH) averaged 428 and 279 gC/m2/yr and New England forests sequestered CO 2 by 149 gC/m2/yr …

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Shade Coffee: Update On A Disappearing Refuge For Biodiversity, Shalene Jha, Christopher M. Bacon, Stacy M. Philpott, V. Ernesto Méndez, Peter Läderach, Robert A. Rice Jan 2014

Shade Coffee: Update On A Disappearing Refuge For Biodiversity, Shalene Jha, Christopher M. Bacon, Stacy M. Philpott, V. Ernesto Méndez, Peter Läderach, Robert A. Rice

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

In the past three decades, coffee cultivation has gained widespread attention for its crucial role in supporting local and global biodiversity. In this synthetic Overview, we present newly gathered data that summarize how global patterns in coffee distribution and shade vegetation have changed and discuss implications for biodiversity, ecosystem services, and livelihoods. Although overall cultivated coffee area has decreased by 8% since 1990, coffee production and agricultural intensification have increased in many places and shifted globally, with production expanding in Asia while contracting in Africa. Ecosystem services such as pollination, pest control, climate regulation, and nutrient sequestration are generally greater …

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More Cells, Bigger Cells Or Simply Reorganization? Alternative Mechanisms Leading To Changed Internode Architecture Under Contrasting Stress Regimes, Heidrun Huber, Jan De Brouwer, Eric J. Von Wettberg, Heinjo J. During, Niels P.R. Anten Jan 2014

More Cells, Bigger Cells Or Simply Reorganization? Alternative Mechanisms Leading To Changed Internode Architecture Under Contrasting Stress Regimes, Heidrun Huber, Jan De Brouwer, Eric J. Von Wettberg, Heinjo J. During, Niels P.R. Anten

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

Summary: Shading and mechanical stress (MS) modulate plant architecture by inducing different developmental pathways. Shading results in increased stem elongation, often reducing whole-plant mechanical stability, while MS inhibits elongation, with a concomitant increase in stability. Here, we examined how these organ-level responses are related to patterns and processes at the cellular level by exposing Impatiens capensis to shading and MS. Shading led to the production of narrower cells along the vertical axis. By contrast, MS led to the production of fewer, smaller and broader cells. These responses to treatments were largely in line with genetic differences found among plants from …

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