Treesearch

Two new species of the long-legged fly genus Hurleyella Runyon & Robinson, 2010 are described and illustrated: Hurleyella belizensis sp. nov. from Belize and Hurleyella salina sp. nov. from alkali areas of the Northern Rockies of the USA (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming). The discovery of these new species greatly extends the known distribution of Hurleyella northward in the Nearctic and southward into the Neotropics. Notes, photos of habitats, a distribution map, and a key to the four known species of Hurleyella are provided.

Four new species of Enlinia Aldrich are described from Chile: Enlinia biobio n. sp., Enlinia chilensis n. sp., Enlinia enormis n. sp., and Enlinia isoloba n. sp. These specimens were collected during a 2013 invertebrate survey in sclerophyll and Valdivian temperate rain forest habitats of the central and southern Chilean Andes. The only other species of Enlinia recorded from Chile is E. atrata (Van Duzee). Photos of holotypes and type localities and a key to the five species known to occur in Chile are provided.

The increasing frequency and severity of fire and drought events have negatively impacted the capacity and success of reforestation efforts in many dry, western U.S. forests. Challenges to reforestation include the cost and safety concerns of replanting large areas of standing dead trees, and high seedling and sapling mortality rates due to water stress, competing vegetation, and repeat fires that burn young plantations. Standard reforestation practices have emphasized establishing dense conifer cover with gridded planting, sometimes called ‘pines in lines’ followed by shrub control and...

Accurate census is essential for endangered plant management, yet lack of resources may make complete on-the-ground census difficult to achieve. Accessibility, especially for species in fragile habitats, is an added constraint. We examined the feasibility of using UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle, drone)-based imagery for census of an endangered plant species, Arctomecon humilis (dwarf bear-poppy), an herbaceous perennial gypsophile endemic of the Mojave Desert, USA. Using UAV technology, we captured imagery at both 50-m altitude (census) and 15-m altitude (validation) at two populations,...

Landscape resistance is often disregarded in studies of range expansions and population connectivity. To assess those effects, we simulated the expansion of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) in relation to landscape resistance through kernel resistance modeling, confronting it with previously published data regarding the observed pattern of expansion and genetic diversity of the population in Portugal.We modeled population expansion as a function of shrub cover and elevation through iterative simulation of a resistance model and a null model. We then performed an overlap analysis...

We have read Cruz and Alexander’s comments regarding our manuscript titled ‘‘Evaluating Crown Fire Rate of Spread Predictions from Physics-Based Models’’ [1] and appreciate the opportunity to respond to their comments. In our original manuscript [1], we presented an evaluation of crown fire rate of spread predictions from two physics-based wildland fire behavior models: FIRETEC and the Wildland Urban Interface Fire Dynamics Simulator (WFDS). Our approach, as outlined in our original paper, relied upon using a previously published dataset of real-world crown fires, hereafter referred to as...

A facilitated audience discussion on emerging needs for oak management and research at the Oak Symposium revealed several interrelated themes. The audience identified needs that fell into three primary categories: ● Applying research; ● Adoption of existing knowledge and technology; and ● Infrastructure/available markets.

Globally, biodiversity declines have occurred at alarming rates across a wide array of taxa. Amphibians and reptiles (known collectively as herpetofauna), represent two taxa that have declined considerably over the past three decades. A variety of stressors, including landscape change, habitat destruction, emerging pathogens, illegal collection, and climate change all contribute synergistically to impact herpetofaunal populations. Of these threats, habitat alteration and destruction represent acute stressors that have increased concomitantly with the rise in global human population....

Increasing the capacity of communities on the rural-urban fringe to accommodate sustainable growth is a key concern among resource management agencies. Decisions about the future of these landscapes involve difficult tradeoffs that underscore the importance of incorporating diverse stakeholder values and preferences into planning efforts. We assessed residents' preferences for exurban growth alternatives in two Midwestern U.S. counties – Jasper County, IA and Will County, IL – that have strong agrarian roots and lie at the fringe of rapidly-expanding metropolitan areas. Using a choice...

The spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma delicatula (White) (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae), is native to China and Vietnam. An early report that SLF occurs in India was described by the author as "doubtful" (Distant 1906); nevertheless, some papers have reported India within this insect's native range. SLF has also spread to Japan and Korea in recent decades, with the DNA in those populations matching very closely to populations in China (Kim et al. 2013). SLF was first reported in the USA in 2014, in Berks County, Pennsylvania, northwest of Philadelphia (Barringer et al. 2015, Dara et al. 2015). As...