Treesearch

White oak (Quercus alba L.) is an ecologically and economically important tree species, common in upland hardwood forests throughout the eastern United States (US). This study examines the population dynamics of this foundational species over the past 30 years, highlighting both range-wide and regional metrics of change. Using data from the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis program, we analyzed changes in age and size distributions, as well as recruitment, mortality, and growth rates. We found a significant shift towards an older, mature-dominant population, with a notable...

Ecological responses to climate change occur across vastly different time-scales, from minutes for physiological plasticity to decades or centuries for community turnover and evolutionary adaptation. Accurately predicting the range of ecosystem trajectories will require models that incorporate both fast processes that may keep pace with climate change and slower ones likely to lag behind and generate disequilibrium dynamics. However, the knowledge necessary for this integration is currently fragmented across disciplines.We develop ‘ecological acclimation’ as a unifying framework to...

The Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (ALB, Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is a federally regulated invasive species capable of infesting several different genera of hardwood trees. Accurate knowledge of ALB’s phenology is critical for the effective implementation of management and eradication plans. We updated the ALBLT prediction model and used empirical data collected in South Carolina, USA to validate ALBLT v. 2.0. The new model largely agreed with ALB life stages found in field collections, except for late instars and pupae. We also ran the model at 8 other potentially...

Climate change will have profound effects on recreation, infrastructure, and related opportunities over the 21st century. This assessment evaluates how changes in climate, hydrology, and ecosystems influence the overall vulnerability of the Mark Twain National Forest’s recreation opportunities and related infrastructure under a range of future climates. We synthesized and summarized information on the contemporary landscape (physiography and recreation assets), provided information on observed climate trends (including extreme events and hydrologic changes), described a range of projected...

The genome of the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) is presented in 10 chromosomal pseudomolecules along with 132 unplaced scaffolds for a combined length of 216.56 Mb. The genome is highly contiguous with an N50 of 20.54 Mb and its longest scaffold 37.41 Mb in length. The assembly recovered 97.7% of benchmarked universal single-copy Hemiptera orthologs (BUSCO) with an overall completion score of 98.6%. On the basis of chromosomal synteny with other aphid genomes, the hemlock woolly adelgid's genome is composed of eight autosomes and two sex (X) chromosomes. Annotation of the...

Modern tools in genetic engineering are enabling the development of diverse and exciting strategies for the genetic control of pest insects. This technological development takes time. Communicating where along the developmental timeline a nascent technology exists, and how long the technology might take to reach the next stage, is important for managing expectations between key stakeholders. Importantly, while the key stages in technology development can be standardized with different metrics or stage-gates, the residence time that different technologies will require at each stage is not...

In northeastern North America, episodic eastern spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) outbreaks extensively defoliate balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and spruces (Picea glauca, Picea rubens, Picea mariana). We investigated eastern spruce budworm defoliation in eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), a reported alternate host species, during previously documented outbreaks in Maine, USA. We compiled red spruce and hemlock tree-ring series from nine sites, seven of which showed synchronous radial growth reductions in spruce and hemlock during documented budworm outbreaks. Outbreak evidence...

We used field measurements and sampling simulations with existing tree-level data to assess the precision of the estimates and data measurement costs for ground-based sampling inventory for above-ground tree biomass (AGB) and basal area estimation. Data were obtained from primary wet tropical forests using field measurements in Costa Rica and, for simulations, published tree-level data on Barro Colorado Island in Panama. Plot configurations and costs were compared using criteria commonly used by forest carbon offset project developers to meet precision of +/−10% at 90% confidence interval...

In snow‐dominated areas, runoff from winter precipitation can comprise up to 80% of the annual water budget. Warming winters are shifting snow precipitation to rain, shortening the snow accumulation and melt seasons, and increasing midwinter melt events and flooding during rain‐on‐snow events. At the same time, forests are changing in species composition and geographical extent, and forest‐dominated catchments can mediate the effects of increased winter temperatures on snow dynamics. Here, we combine climatic data and high‐resolution forest and snow observations to investigate the complex...

Residential yards are a common land use in tropical cities, and often poorly planned in terms of biodiversity conservation. One of the most striking features of tropical cities is deep social inequality: poor neighborhoods are often devoid of basic infrastructure, including parks. The social inequity is also reflected in the vegetation cover in residential landscapes: most upper and middle-income neighborhoods contain abundant and high-quality vegetation, meaning they have more shrubs, trees and greater species diversity compared to low-income neighborhoods, where cement reigns. Accelerated...