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Full-Text Articles in Other Plant Sciences

Climate Interactions Drive Tree Physiology And Growth In A Northeastern Forest Ecotone, Alexandra M. Barry Aug 2023

Climate Interactions Drive Tree Physiology And Growth In A Northeastern Forest Ecotone, Alexandra M. Barry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is a threat to global forest ecosystems. In the northeastern United States, forest trees are facing rising temperatures and increasingly inconsistent moisture regimes. In addition to long-term changes in climate conditions, there is concern about the potential for more frequent and intense climate extremes, which can have severe and rapid negative effects on tree physiology and growth. Further, climate extremes may co-occur to produce a greater magnitude of effect than the sum of their parts, with a prominent example being hot droughts, which are increasing in occurrence and severity. The impact of these and other extreme climate interactions …


Long-Term Influence Of Commercial Thinning On Spruce-Fir Forests, Bishnu H. Wagle Mr. Aug 2023

Long-Term Influence Of Commercial Thinning On Spruce-Fir Forests, Bishnu H. Wagle Mr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates long-term influences of pre-commercial thinning (PCT) and commercial thinning (CT) treatments in spruce-fir forests, a key forest type in northeastern North America. Utilizing repeated measurements from replicated experimental research sites (n=15) in Maine, both stand- and tree-level responses to contrasting CT with and without prior PCT (NoPCT) have been quantified. In addition, an in-depth economic analysis, exploring the impact of different thinning treatments, associated costs, merchantability specifications, varying timber and carbon prices, and discount rates, on net present value (NPV) has been carried out using both measured and projected data. Thinning treatments at nine PCT sites combined …


Biotic And Abiotic Factors Contributing To The Invasion Success Of Microstegium Vimineum In Eastern Deciduous Forests., Kimberly Koenig May 2023

Biotic And Abiotic Factors Contributing To The Invasion Success Of Microstegium Vimineum In Eastern Deciduous Forests., Kimberly Koenig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Forest managers face multiple challenges in maintaining woodland systems, including climate change, habitat destruction and fragmentation, and the invasion of novel species. Invaders can change microclimates, alter nutrient cycling and understory habitat, and outcompete native species, leading to native species population declines and reduction in species richness. To effectively combat plant invasions it is necessary to first understand factors contributing to invasive species spread, including the complex interactions between invaders and native biota. This dissertation investigates the abiotic conditions and biotic interactions associated with invasion success of the non-native grass Microstegium vimineum, which is a species of great concern …


A Programmatic Geographic Information Systems Analysis Of Plant Hardiness Zones, Andrew Bowen May 2023

A Programmatic Geographic Information Systems Analysis Of Plant Hardiness Zones, Andrew Bowen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Plant Hardiness Zone Map consists of thirteen geographical zones that describe whether a plant can survive based on average annual minimal temperatures. As climate change progresses, minimum temperatures in all regions are expected to change. This work programmatically evaluates predicted future climate projection data and converts it to United States Department of Agriculture-defined hardiness zones. Through the next 80 years, hardiness zones are projected to move poleward; in effect, colder zones will lose area and warmer zones will gain area globally. Some implications include changes in crop growing degree days, which could alter crop productivity, migration and settlement of …


Middle Savannah River: An A/R/Tographic Ecopedagogical Ethnography Experimenting With Rhizomatic Perspectives, Lisa Augustine-Chizmar Jan 2023

Middle Savannah River: An A/R/Tographic Ecopedagogical Ethnography Experimenting With Rhizomatic Perspectives, Lisa Augustine-Chizmar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research is an experiment in perspective. Using the four commonplaces (Schwab, 1978), I practiced letting the Savannah River teach me what there is to know about the water, the land, the people, and the other entities that depend on ki through artistic, ethnographic, and ecopedagogical lenses. The ethnographic findings describe the social actors that depend on ki and give a voice to the River. The a/r/tographic findings display the River on a canvas map through two hundred years using paint, clay, photography, video, abstract acrylics, and fabric. Together, these methods contribute to a unique ecopedagogical journey. This word cloud …