Forest Sciences Commons^™

Forest Floor And Mineral Soil Respiration Rates In A Northern Minnesota Red Pine Chronosequence, Matthew Powers, Randall K Kolka, John Bradford, Brian Palik, Martin F. Jurgensen

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

We measured total soil CO₂ efflux (R_S) and efflux from the forest floor layers (R_FF) in red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) stands of different ages to examine relationships between stand age and belowground C cycling. Soil temperature and R_S were often lower in a 31-year-old stand (Y31) than in 9-year-old (Y9), 61-year-old (Y61), or 123-year-old (Y123) stands. This pattern was most apparent during warm summer months, but there were no consistent differences in R_FF among different-aged stands. R_FF represented an average of 4–13% of total soil respiration, and forest floor removal increased …

Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping Of Populus Bark Features And Stem Diameter, Roba Bdeir, Wellington Muchero, Yordan Yordanov, Gerald Tuskan, Victor B. Busov, Oliver Gailing

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Background

Bark plays important roles in photosynthate transport and storage, along with physical and chemical protection. Bark texture varies extensively among species, from smooth to fissured to deeply furrowed, but its genetic control is unknown. This study sought to determine the main genomic regions associated with natural variation in bark features and stem diameter. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) were mapped using an interspecific pseudo-backcross pedigree (Populus trichocarpa x P. deltoides and P. deltoides) for bark texture, bark thickness and diameter collected across three years, two sites and three biological replicates per site.

Results

QTL specific to bark texture …

Styrene-Assisted Maleic Anhydride Grafted Poly(Lactic Acid) As An Effective Compatibilizer For Wood Flour/Poly(Lactic Acid) Bio-Composites, Jun Du, Youyong Wang, Xinfeng Xie, Min Xu, Yongming Song

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of styrene-assisted maleic anhydride-grafted poly(lactic acid) (PLA-g-St/MAH) on the interfacial properties of wood flour/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) bio-composites. PLA-g-St/MAH was synthesized by free-radical melt grafting using styrene as a comonomer and dicumyl peroxide as an initiator. The structure of PLA-g-St/MAH was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Wood flour/PLA composites were prepared by compression molding using PLA-g-St/MAH as a compatibilizer. The effects of PLA-g-St/MAH on the rheological and mechanical properties, as well as on the fractured surface morphology of the composites were investigated. Results indicated that storage modulus, complex viscosity, equilibrium torque, and shear …

Spatially Varying Density Dependence Drives A Shifting Mosaic Of Survival In A Recovering Apex Predator (Canis Lupus), Shawn O'Neil, Joseph K. Bump, Dean E. Beyer

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Understanding landscape patterns in mortality risk is crucial for promoting recovery of threatened and endangered species. Humans affect mortality risk in large carnivores such as wolves (Canis lupus), but spatiotemporally varying density dependence can significantly influence the landscape of survival. This potentially occurs when density varies spatially and risk is unevenly distributed. We quantified spatiotemporal sources of variation in survival rates of gray wolves (C. lupus) during a 21-year period of population recovery in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA. We focused on mapping risk across time using Cox Proportional Hazards (CPH) models with time-dependent covariates, thus exploring a shifting …

Carbon And Nitrogen Accumulation And Decomposition From Coarse Woody Debris In A Naturally Regenerated Korean Red Pine (Pinus Densiflora S. Et Z.) Forest, Nam Jin Noh, Tae Kyung Yoon, Rae-Hyun Kim, Nicholas Bolton, Choonsig Kim, Yowhan Son

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The contribution of coarse woody debris (CWD) to forest carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics is poorly quantified. This study quantified total C and N content in CWD and estimated the decomposition rates of CWD at different decay stages in a 70-year-old naturally regenerated Korean red pine forest (Pinus densiflora S. et Z.). The N concentration in CWD varied among species and decay classes (from 0.15% to 0.82%), and exhibited a decreasing pattern in C:N ratios with increasing decay class. Total CWD amounts of 4.84 Mg C ha⁻¹, dominated by pine logs (45.4%) and decay class III (40.0%), …

Selecting Habitat To What Purpose? The Advantage Of Exploring The Habitat-Fitness Relationship, Alessia Uboni, Douglas W. Smith, Daniel R. Stahler, John A. Vucetich

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Measures of reproductive success have been recognized in many fields as essential tools to assess the status of populations, species, and communities. However, difficulties in gathering data on reproductive success often prevent researchers from taking advantage of the information offered by those measures. For example, most of habitat selection studies do not include reproductive success in their analysis even though doing so would highly improve our understanding of the habitat selection process. In our study, we aimed to assess to what extent habitat selection choices made by adult individuals are directed to increase their annual reproductive success. We tested this …

Applying Theory Of Constraints To Timber Harvesting: A Case Study From The Northeast Usa, Matthew Kelly, René H. Germain

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Logging firms are a critical link in wood supply chains, connecting forest landowners with markets for wood products. Improving operational planning can benefit individual logging firms as well as the larger wood supply chain in which they operate. Applying concepts from Theory of Constraints (TOC) to timber harvesting may help achieve greater predictability and efficiency when planning harvest operations. However, examples that demonstrate how TOC can improve logging operations are lacking. This study focuses on the analysis of production and activity data collected during the harvest of a temperate mixed hardwood forest in the Northeast United States using a chainsaw-forwarder …

The Database Of The Predicts (Projecting Responses Of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) Project, Lawrence N. Hudson, Tim Newbold, Sara Contu, Samantha L.L. Hill, Igor Lysenko, Adriana De Palma, David J. Flaspohler, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The PREDICTS project—Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)—has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in …

Adaptive Variation And Introgression Of A Constans-Like Gene In North American Red Oaks, Jennifer F. Lind-Riehl, Oliver Gailing

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Oaks provide a model system to study maintenance of species identity by divergent selection since they maintain morphological differences and ecological adaptations despite interspecific hybridization. The genome of closely related interfertile oak species was shown to be largely homogeneous, with a few genomic areas exhibiting high interspecific differentiation possibly as result of strong divergent selection. Previously, a genic microsatellite was identified as under strong divergent selection, being nearly fixed on alternative alleles in the two interfertile North American red oak species: Quercus rubra L. and Quercus ellipsoidalis E.J. Hill. Further genotyping in two other red oak species—Quercus velutina Lam. and …

Bottom-Up Ggm Algorithm For Constructing Multilayered Hierarchical Gene Regulatory Networks That Govern Biological Pathways Or Processes, Sapna Kupari, Wenping Deng, Chathura J. Gunasekara, Vincent Chiang, Huann-Sheng Chen, Hairong Wei, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Background: Multilayered hierarchical gene regulatory networks (ML-hGRNs) are very important for understanding genetics regulation of biological pathways. However, there are currently no computational algorithms available for directly building ML-hGRNs that regulate biological pathways.

Results: A bottom-up graphic Gaussian model (GGM) algorithm was developed for constructing ML-hGRN operating above a biological pathway using small- to medium-sized microarray or RNA-seq data sets. The algorithm first placed genes of a pathway at the bottom layer and began to construct an ML-hGRN by evaluating all combined triple genes: two pathway genes and one regulatory gene. The algorithm retained all triple genes where a regulatory …

Recombinant Dna Modification Of Gibberellin Metabolism Alters Growth Rate And Biomass Allocation In Populus, Haiwei Lu, Venkatesh Viswanath, Cathleen Ma, Elizabeth Etherington, Palitha Dharmawardhana, Olga Shevchenko, Steven H. Strauss, David W. Pearce, Stewart B. Rood, Victor Busov

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Overexpression of genes that modify gibberellin (GA) metabolism and signaling have been previously shown to produce trees with improved biomass production but highly disturbed development. To examine if more subtle types of genetic modification of GA could improve growth rate and modify tree architecture, we transformed a model poplar genotype (Populus tremula × P. alba) with eight genes, including two cisgenes (intact copies of native genes), four intragenes (modified copies of native genes), and two transgenes (from sexually incompatible species), and studied their effects under greenhouse and field conditions. In the greenhouse, four out of the eight tested genes produced …

Assessing Site Availability Of Aspen And Northern Hardwoods For Potential Feedstock Development In Michigan: A Case Study, Sara Alian, Ann Maclean

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The importance of wood and wood byproducts as biomass feedstocks is of increasing interest as a source of ethanol and electricity. Second generation woody feedstock sources in Michigan, e.g., hybrid poplar and hybrid willow (Populus spp.), and native forests, particularly aspen and northern hardwoods, are a potential source of woody biomass for these uses. This study provides a geographic information system (GIS) framework for assessing the current spatial extent of aspen and northern hardwoods) and their proximity to roads. Additionally, the potential for expanding the area of these feedstock sources based on pre-European settlement vegetation cover is assessed. Utilizing GIS …

Teaching Interdisciplinary Sustainability Science Teamwork Skills To Graduate Students Using In-Person And Web-Based Interactions, Jessie Knowlton, Kathleen E. Halvorsen, Robert Handler, Michael O'Rourke

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Interdisciplinary sustainability science teamwork skills are essential for addressing the world’s most pressing and complex sustainability problems, which inherently have social, natural, and engineering science dimensions. Further, because sustainability science problems exist at global scales, interdisciplinary science teams will need to consist of international members who communicate and work together effectively. Students trained in international interdisciplinary science skills will be able to hit the ground running when they obtain jobs requiring them to tackle sustainability problems. While many universities now have sustainability science programs, few offer courses that are interdisciplinary and international in scope. In the fall semester of 2013, …

Patterns Of Tree Distribution Within Small Communities Of The Sudanian Savanna-Sahel, Sarah J. Sterling, Blair D. Orr

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Crown diameter and tree density were measured in 52 communities in the Sudan-Sahel using satellite imagery to determine the relationships between rainfall and distance from community center to crown size diameter and tree density. As distance from the community center increased, tree density and crown diameter decreased. As rainfall increased, tree density decreased while crown diameter increased. Distance from the community center is a proxy for age since urbanization and our results indicate that older parts of communities show longer and more consistent tree management. The trends in patterns of tree distribution and size in communities are different from those …

Wood Colorization Through Pressure Treating: The Potential Of Extracted Colorants From Spalting Fungi As A Replacement For Woodworkers’ Aniline Dyes, Sara C. Robinson, Eric Hinsch, Genevieve Weber, Kristina Leipus, Daniel Cerney

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The extracellular colorants produced by Chlorociboria aeruginosa, Scytalidium cuboideum, and Scytalidium ganodermophthorum, three commonly utilized spalting fungi, were tested against a standard woodworker’s aniline dye to determine if the fungal colorants could be utilized in an effort to find a naturally occurring replacement for the synthetic dye. Fungal colorants were delivered in two methods within a pressure treater—the first through solubilization of extracted colorants in dichloromethane, and the second via liquid culture consisting of water, malt, and the actively growing fungus. Visual external evaluation of the wood test blocks showed complete surface coloration of all wood species with all colorants, …

Shifting Environmental Controls On Ch4 Fluxes In A Sub-Boreal Peatland, Thomas G. Pypker, P. A. Moore, John A. Hribljan, Rodney Chimner

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

We monitored CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes using eddy covariance from 19 May to 27 September 2011 in a poor fen located in northern Michigan. The objectives of this paper are to: (1) quantify the flux of CH₄ from a sub-boreal peatland, and (2) determine which abiotic and biotic factors were the most correlated to the flux of CH₄ over the measurement period. Net daily CH₄ fluxes increased from 70 mg CH₄ m⁻² d⁻¹ to 220 mg CH₄ m⁻² d⁻¹ from mid May to mid July. After July, CH_{4 …}

Efficacy Of Treatments Against Garlic Mustard (Alliaria Petiolata) And Effects On Forest Understory Plant Diversity, Lindsey M. Shartell, Linda M. Nagel, Andrew J. Storer

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Garlic mustard, an invasive exotic biennial herb, has been identified in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but is not yet widely distributed. We tested the effectiveness and impact of management tools for garlic mustard in northern hardwood forests. Six treatment types (no treatment control, hand-pull, herbicide, hand-pull/herbicide, scorch, and hand-pull/scorch) were applied within a northern hardwood forest invaded by garlic mustard. We sampled understory vegetation within plots to compare garlic mustard abundance (distinguishing first and second year plants) and native plant diversity before and after treatment. Results immediately following treatment indicated that garlic mustard seedling abundance was significantly reduced by …

Anthropogenic And Natural Causes Influencing Population Genetic Structure Of Juniperus Procera Hochst. Ex Endl. In The Ethiopian Highlands, Demissew Sertse, Oliver Gailing, Nicolas George Eliades, Reiner Finkeldey

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Juniperus procera is economically highly important but threatened tree species. It is the only species among 67 taxa in the genus Juniperus that naturally grows in Africa and south of the equator extending up to 18°S in Zimbabwe. Ethiopia is assumed to host the largest J. procera populations, which are also believed to have high genetic variation owing to their wide ecological amplitude. This study assessed genetic variation at AFLPs of J. procera populations in the Ethiopian highlands. In the study six populations, namely Chilimo, Goba, Menagesha-Suba, Wef-Washa, Yabelo and Ziquala were included. A total of 20-24 trees from each …

High Genetic Diversity And Significant Population Structure In Cedrus Brevifolia Henry, A Narrow Endemic Mediterranean Tree From Cyprus, Nicolas George Homer Eliades, Oliver Gailing, Ludger Leinemann, Bruno Fady, Reiner Finkeldey

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Endemic island plant species with a narrow distribution are often, but not always, linked to low genetic variation within populations and a lack of differentiation among populations. Cedrus brevifolia is a narrow endemic island tree species of Cyprus. Its range is restricted to a single forest, divided into five neighbouring sites. This study, using biparentally inherited nuclear microsatellites and paternally inherited plastid (chloroplast) microsatellites, assessed the genetic variation of C. brevifolia within its sole population and the level of genetic differentiation among formed sites. The results from both markers showed high diversity (nuclear HT = 0. 70; plastid HT = …

Assessment Of The Domestication State Of Ackee (Blighia Sapida K.D. Koenig) In Benin Based On Aflp And Microsatellite Markers, Marius R.M. Ekué, Oliver Gailing, Barbara Vornam, Reiner Finkeldey

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Ackee (Blighia sapida) is a native multipurpose species important for the livelihoods of the rural populations in Benin. Trees are found in natural forests or are managed by farmers in different traditional agroforestry systems. Genetic variation at amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers, four nuclear microsatellites (nSSRs) and one chloroplast microsatellite (cpSSR) were investigated in 279 individuals from six wild and eight cultivated populations from Benin. The AFLP data revealed moderate levels of diversity of ackee in Benin (mean diversity values are proportion of polymorphic loci = 52.8% and Nei's gene diversity = 0.157, for 375 AFLP fragments). The mean …

A Comparison Of Two Open Source Lidar Surface Classification Algorithms, Wade T. Tinkham, Hongyu Huang, Alistair M. S. Smith, Rupesh Shrestha, Michael J. Falkowski, Andrew T. Hudak, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

With the progression of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) towards a mainstream resource management tool, it has become necessary to understand how best to process and analyze the data. While most ground surface identification algorithms remain proprietary and have high purchase costs; a few are openly available, free to use, and are supported by published results. Two of the latter are the multiscale curvature classification and the Boise Center Aerospace Laboratory LiDAR (BCAL) algorithms. This study investigated the accuracy of these two algorithms (and a combination of the two) to create a digital terrain model from a raw LiDAR point …

Maintenance Of Genetic Diversity In Cordia Africana Lam., A Declining Forest Tree Species In Ethiopia, Abayneh Derero, Oliver Gailing, Reiner Finkeldey

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

We assessed genetic variation in a total of 22 populations of the tree species Cordia africana Lam. in Ethiopia and analyzed the country-wide impact of population history, forest disturbance and alteration of land use on extant intraspecific diversity. Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) and chloroplast microsatellite markers were investigated. The analyses of the AFLP data revealed high diversity in all investigated populations: the percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL) ranged from 62.2% to 92.2% and Nei's gene diversity from 0.220 to 0.320 within the populations. The mean PPL and the mean diversity within populations were 85.7% and 0.287, respectively. The analysis …

Combined Sustainable Biomass Feedstock Combustion, Co2/Eor, And Saline Reservoir Geological Carbon Sequestration In Northern Lower Michigan, Usa: Towards Negative Co2 Emissions, David Barnes, Robert Froese, R. G. Mannes, Brian Warner

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

This paper presents the results of a combined biomass combustion and geological carbon sequestration feasibility study in Northern Lower Michigan, USA related to a proposed solid fuel-fired 600 MW electric power plant, the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture (WCEV), near Rogers City, MI, USA. The biomass feedstock resource assessment, focused on low intensity, high diversity forest and agriculture in the proposed plant bioshed ( < 120 Km), has the potential to provide sustainable, dry biomass fuel well in excess of the maximum annual co-firing potential of 20% and offset as much as 1Tgy-1 of the estimated annual 5.1Tgy-1 of CO2 emissions (using 100% western coal). CO2/EOR potential in the Northern Niagaran Pinnacle Reef Trend is substantial. To date, seven reef reservoirs have been converted to CO2/EOR floods and three of these fields are sufficiently mature to project recovery efficiency in excess of 40% of primary oil recovery. Using these observations and historic oil production data CO2/EOR potential, in a region adjacent to a proposed CO2 pipeline originating from the plant site, is estimated to be at least 7.2 Mm3 (45 MMB) of incremental oil. Analysis of produced fluids in the same region indicates 55 Mmt of geological carbon sequestration (GCS) potential in abandoned oil and gas fields. GCS capacity is estimated at 271 Mmt in two, Paleozoic, saline reservoir targets providing a combined GCS (with abandoned oil and gas field GCS) of 326 Mmt in the pipeline study area. Estimated, combined, GCS in the proposed pipeline fairway alone is in excess of CO2 emissions for a hypothetical 50 year design life of the WCEV project burning 100% coal of 255 Mmt. Realization of biomass co-firing potential at 20% would result in a 50MMt offset of CO2 emissions during this 50 year period. Carbon capture and sequestration, including beneficial use in CO2/EOR, GCS in abandoned oil and gas fields, and saline reservoir GCS Sequestration at 90% of CO2 emissions from the proposed plant for a 50 year design life could result in the sequestration of 229.5 Mmt of CO2. These considerations support the potential for a net negative emissions profile of -24.5 Mmt for a hypothetical 50 year design life of the proposed WCEV project.

Transferability Of Simple Sequence Repeat (Ssr) Markers Developed In Litchi Chinensis To Blighia Sapida (Sapindaceae), Marius R.M. Ekué, Oliver Gailing, Reiner Finkeldey

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Ackee (Blighia sapida, Sapindaceae) is a multipurpose fruit tree species of high economic importance, native to the Guinean forests of West Africa, and belongs to the same family as that of lychee (Litchi chinensis). In this study, a set of 12 primer pairs for simple sequence repeats (SSRs) previously developed for lychee has been evaluated for polymorphism in 16 ackee trees from different populations. Seven primer pairs have been found to be transferable, and four have revealed polymorphisms. However, the average number of alleles per locus has dropped from 4.9 for lychee to 3.7 for ackee. Characterization of the four …

A Method For Digital Color Analysis Of Spalted Wood Using Scion Image Software, Sara Robinson, Peter Laks, Ethan J. Turnquist

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Color analysis of spalted wood surfaces requires a non-subjective, repeatable method for determining percent of pigmentation on the wood surface. Previously published methods used human visual perception with a square grid overlay to determine the percent of surface pigmentation. Our new method uses Scion Image©, a graphical software program used for grayscale and color analysis, to separate fungal pigments from the wood background. These human interface processes render the wood block into HSV (hue, saturation, value, within the RGB color space), allowing subtle and drastic color changes to be visualized, selected and analyzed by the software. Analysis with Scion Image© …