Drought In Temperate Mesic Regions Leads To Micro-Density Anomalies In White Pine, Elise Miller

CSB and SJU Distinguished Thesis

Wood density and wood volume determine the amount of carbon fixed by trees; however, while we are beginning to understand normal seasonal variation in wood density, anomalies are common, and their drivers are poorly understood. In conifers, wood density normally increases continuously throughout the season, but intra-annual fluctuations in wood density can occur and have been linked to climatic events. The causes of these fluctuations in density at the micro-scale (hereafter micro-density anomalies) are still debated.

Mesic regions are experiencing more droughts, but micro-density anomalies are rarely studied in these ecosystems. This study examined micro-density anomaly distribution within the boles …

Subalpine Forest Tree Seedling Response To Drought, Alex Goke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge of tree species’ ability to tolerate drought is necessary to anticipate future forest dynamics with climate change, especially at the seedling stage given their role in shaping forest structure. We used precipitation reduction shelters to mimic drought for subalpine conifer seedlings (A. lasiocarpa and P. engelmannii) in the Rocky Mountains and compared survivorship and morphological and physiological responses to assess relative degrees of drought tolerance. We detected no significant investment in morphological tolerance traits (e.g. root biomass, leaf:stem area ratio) but substantial reductions in net photosynthesis. While shading partially ameliorated drought effects when precipitation reduction was moderate, …

The Effect Of Sodium Chloride On Hybrid Taxodium Selections, Anna Koonce, Edward Bush, David Creech

Faculty Publications

Saltwater intrusion is a major cause of coastal erosion. New hybrid bald cypress species have been shown to exhibit salinity tolerance compared to native bald cypress species. Planting these hybrids, or Nanjing Bot Garden genotype (NBG), trees where their roots can stabilize soil and preserve land may reduce coastal erosion in areas subjected to saltwater intrusion. The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether or not selected bald cypress NBG genotype tree species survive better than native bald cypress trees in areas inundated with saline water. Leaves were harvested, dried and analyzed for their elemental concentration. NBG genotype trees …

Comparing Canopy Metric Estimations Using Three Conifer Species In The Netherlands, Alan Duncan Hibler, Brian P. Oswald, Nienke Brouwer, Ester Willemsen, Hans M. Williams

Faculty Publications

A growing concern associated with fire in The Netherlands is estimating the spread of wildfire, however often the data needed to estimate canopy fires are lacking. The primary parameter required is canopy bulk density (CBD), which requires estimations of canopy gap fraction and leaf area index (LAI). The accuracy of three indirect methods of estimating CBD (a densiometer, hemispherical canopy photographs (HCP), and a LI-COR LAI 2200c plant canopy analyzer) was compared for three common tree species in the Netherlands [Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco)]. No …

An Integrated Method For Coding Trees, Measuring Tree Diameter, And Estimating Tree Positions, Linhao Sun, Luming Fang, Yuhi Weng, Siqing Zheng

Faculty Publications

Accurately measuring tree diameter at breast height (DBH) and estimating tree positions in a sample plot are important in tree mensuration. The main aims of this paper include (1) developing a new, integrated device that can identify trees using the quick response (QR) code technique to record tree identifications, measure DBH, and estimate tree positions concurrently; (2) designing an innovative algorithm to measure DBH using only two angle sensors, which is simple and can reduce the impact of eccentric stems on DBH measures; and (3) designing an algorithm to estimate the position of the tree by combining ultra-wide band (UWB) …

Activity Level-Predation Risk Tradeoff In A Tadpole Guild: Implications For Community Organization Along The Hydroperiod Gradient, Nicholas C. Schiwitz, Christopher M. Schalk, Daniel Saenz

Faculty Publications

Increasing activity levels permit greater food intake for use towards growth and reproduction, consequently increasing predation risk via increased detection. Larval anurans are models to examine activity level-predation risk tradeoffs, as they occupy a variety of lentic habitats that impose constraints on the distribution and abundance of species. Ephemeral ponds have a low abundance and diversity of predators and as a result tadpole species tend to have high foraging rates for rapid development. Permanent ponds generally possess a greater diversity and abundance of predators and tadpoles inhabiting these locations tend to have low activity rates or chemical defenses to minimize …

Modeling Early Responses Of Loblolly Pine Growth To Thinning In The Western Gulf Coastal Plain Region, Yuhi Weng, J. Grogan, Dean W. Coble

Faculty Publications

Growth response to thinning has long been a research topic of interest in forest science. This study presents the first 3–4 years of response of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) growth to thinning at different intensities. Data were collected from the East Texas Pine Research Project’s region-wide loblolly pine thinning study, which covers a wide variety of stand conditions. Four treatments, light, moderate, and heavy thinning, respectively having 370, 555, and 740 residual trees per hectare after thinning, and an unthinned control, were included. Individual tree diameter at breast height (dbh) and total height were recorded annually for the …

Integration Of Citygreen Landscape Ecological Analysis Into A Capstone Environmental Science Course, David L. Kulhavy, Daniel R. Unger, Reid Viegut, I-Kuai Hung, Yanli Zhang

Faculty Publications

CITYgreen Geographic Information Systems software was used to develop a campus wide cover type map for Stephen F. Austin State University in an environmental science landscape ecology course. The finding indicated an equal division of forest cover type compared to impervious surface of buildings and paved surface. Once the classification was completed, students chose an area for reforestation identified in CITYgreen, while raising funds for the purchase of trees for the project. Before completing the project, students reviewed tenets of landscape ecology, civic ecology education, and benefits of urban forestry. At the completion of the project, students reviewed service-learning aspects …

Timber Talk, Vol. 58, No. 1, March 2020

Timber Talk: Nebraska Forest Industry Newsletter

Timber Talk, Vol. 58, No. 1, March 2020

Timber Talk, Vol. 58, No. 2, July 2020

Timber Talk: Nebraska Forest Industry Newsletter

Timber Talk, Vol. 58, No. 2, Junly2020

Timber Talk, Vol. 58, No. 3, September 2020

Timber Talk: Nebraska Forest Industry Newsletter

Timber Talk, Vol. 58, No. 3, September 2020

Fireanalyst: An Effective System For Detecting Fire Geolocation And Fire Behavior In Forestsusing Mathematical Modeling, Yücel Güllüce, Rahmi̇ Nurhan Çeli̇k

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

This study proposes an effective new fire detection method and monitoring software for an early-warning fire detection system aimed at valuable forested areas, such as botanical parks or high conservation value forests, particularly those with boundaries. These critical forested areas need to be appropriately managed because they contain large concentrations of biological diversity, including threatened or endangered species, which are very susceptible to fire outbreaks; thus, early detection of fire and rapid response have a very important place in the fight against fire in those areas. In this proposed system, special detectors with state-of-the-art multispectral infrared technology and mathematical modeling …

Study Of The Physicochemical Properties Of Highbush Blueberry And Wild Bilberry Fruit Incentral Bosnia, Jasmina Aliman, Izabela Michalak, Edin Busatlic, Lamija Aliman, Mirko Kulina, Mirjana Radovic, Jasna Hasanbegovic

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Although around the globe numerous studies have been conducted on the nutritional composition of blueberry/bilberry and its effect on human health, very little is known about the fruit in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is the first report regarding the physical and chemical characteristics of the cultivated highbush blueberry and bilberry harvested in the same climatic conditions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this paper we present the physical (weight) and chemical (soluble solids content, total sugars, titratable acidity, pH, and total phenols) properties of the wild bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and cultivated highbush-'Earliblue', 'Bluegold', 'Bluecrop', 'Goldtraube'-blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.). Among the …

Properties Of Fiberboards Produced From Kermes Oak (Quercus Coccifera L.) And Brutianpine (Pinus Brutia Ten.) Woods, Gürcan Güler, Sami̇m Yaşar

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

In this study the utilization of kermes oak (Quercus coccifera L.) wood, which could be used as an industrial raw material for the production of fiberboard, was investigated. In the experimental design, boards were produced from mixtures of kermes oak and brutian pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) fibers in ratios of 0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25, and 100:0. The chemical and thermal characteristics of the fibers used were determined, and the effects of these characteristics on the physical and mechanical properties of the produced fiberboards were revealed. The main chemical component analysis indicated that kermes oak fibers contained higher quantities of extractives, …

Association Mapping Of Several Nut Characters In Walnut (Juglans Regia L.), Erdal Orman, Duygu Ateş, Esi̇n Özkuru, Serra Hepaksoy, Sali̇h Kafkas, Muhammed Bahatti̇n Tanyolaç

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

In the current study, significant variations were identified for seven fruit traits of the walnut accessions. The highest correlations were detected between nut height and nut width, and between nut weight and kernel weight. Most traits had a continuous normal binominal distribution. A total of 16,774 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers based on diversity arrays technology were generated and after filtering the missing data, the remaining 13,611 SNP data were used for genotyping. STRUCTURE (v.2.2) analysis revealed two possible scenarios (K = 3 and K = 5) according to the results of ΔK computation. While K = 3 indicated that walnut …

Lithological Constraints On Resource Economies Shape The Mycorrhizal Composition Of A Bornean Rain Forest, Monique Weemstra, Kabir G. Peay, Stuart J. Davies, Mohizah Mohamad, Akira Itoh, Sylvester Tan, Sabrina E. Russo

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

• Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) produce contrasting plant–soil feedbacks, but how these feedbacks are constrained by lithology is poorly understood.

• We investigated the hypothesis that lithological drivers of soil fertility filter plant resource economic strategies in ways that influence the relative fitness of trees with AMF or EMF symbioses in a Bornean rain forest containing species with both mycorrhizal strategies.

• Using forest inventory data on 1245 tree species, we found that although AMF-hosting trees had greater relative dominance on all soil types, with declining lithological soil fertility EMF-hosting trees became more dominant. Data on …

Does Masting Scale With Plant Size? High Reproductive Variability And Low Synchrony In Small And Unproductive Individuals, Michał Bogdziewicz, Jakub Szymkowiak, Rafael Calama, Elizabeth E. Crone, Josep M. Espelta, Peter Lesica, Shealyn Marino, Michael A. Steele, Brigitte Tenhumberg, Andrew Tyre, Magdalena Żywiec, Dave Kelly

Brigitte Tenhumberg Papers

Background and Aims In a range of plant species, the distribution of individual mean fecundity is skewed and dominated by a few highly fecund individuals. Larger plants produce greater seed crops, but the exact nature of the relationship between size and reproductive patterns is poorly understood. This is especially clear in plants that reproduce by exhibiting synchronized quasi-periodic variation in fruit production, a process called masting.

Methods We investigated covariation of plant size and fecundity with individual-plant-level masting patterns and seed predation in 12 mast-seeding species: Pinus pinea, Astragalus scaphoides, Sorbus aucuparia, Quercus ilex, Q. humilis …

Effects Of Non-Commercial Thinning On Great Horned Owls On Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Christopher P. Brady

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

To sustain forest health, increase species diversity and reduce wildfire events in the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests of at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (TNWR) managers have implemented a variety of approaches including prescribed burning and non-commercial thinning. The impacts of thinning on owl species diversity and habitat occupancy have not been studied in these ponderosa pine forests. My study had the following objectives 1) compare forest stand metrics between treatment plots, 2) compare owl species richness between treatment plots, 3) examine if occupancy and detection patterns of Great Horned Owls varied with forest condition and season, respectively, and 4) …

Identification, Phylogenetic Analysis, And Expression Patterns Of The Saur Gene Family Inloquat (Eriobotrya Japonica), Xiaoqing Gan, Yi Jing, Muhammad Qasim Shahid, Yehua He, Faheem Shahzad Baloch, Shunquan Lin, Xiang Hui Yang

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Small auxin-up RNAs (SAURs) are the most frequent and primary auxin responsive genes, and they are commonly used as early auxin-responsive markers. Until now, no SAUR gene has been identified in Eriobotrya plants. In this study, we used Arabidopsis SAUR sequences as a query to search against the loquat genome sequence. In total, we obtained 57 SAUR genes in loquat, hereafter referred to as Eriobotrya japonica SAUR(EjSAUR) genes, which ranged from 267 to 735 bp in the coding sequence with predicted proteins of 88?244 aa. A total of 47 EjSAURgenes were distributed on 11 chromosomes of the loquat genome. Based …

Manipulating Genome Of Diploid Potato Inbred Line Solanum Chacoense M6 Using Selectable Marker Gene, Sarbesh Das Dangol, İlknur Yel, Mehmet Emi̇n Çalişkan, Allah Bakhsh

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The development of transgenic potatoes is imperative to investigate various gene functions as well as to develop robust potato varieties resistant to different biotic and abiotic stresses. Directing a potato breeding program from cultivated tetraploids to self-compatible diploid lines will be highly helpful for potato breeders. However, diploid potatoes are considered recalcitrant to regeneration. We aimed to develop a protocol for the transformation of diploid Solanum chacoense M6 potatoes using leaf, internodes, and microtubers as the explants. Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain GV2260 harboring pBIN19 expression vector containing gusA gene (interrupted by an intron to induce expression from eukaryotic cells) was used …