Treesearch

Raffaelea lauricola is an invasive fungal pathogen and symbiont of the redbay ambrosia beetle (Xyleborus glabratus) that has caused widespread mortality to redbay (Persea borbonia) and other Lauraceae species in the southeastern USA. We compare two genomes of R. lauricola (C2646 and RL570) to seven other related Ophiostomatales species including R. aguacate (nonpathogenic close relative of R. lauricola), R. quercus-mongolicae (associated with mortality of oaks in Korea), R. quercivora (associated with mortality of oaks in Japan), Grosmannia clavigera (cause of blue stain in conifers),...

With the advance of methods for estimating species distribution models has come an interest in how to best combine datasets to improve estimates of species distributions. This has spurred the development of data integration methods that simultaneously harness information from multiple datasets while dealing with the specific strengths and weaknesses of each dataset. 2. We outline the general principles that have guided data integration methods and review recent developments in the field. We then outline key areas that allow for a more general framework for integrating data and provide...

Capture-recapture techniques provide valuable information, but are often more cost-prohibitive at large spatial and temporal scales than less‐intensive sampling techniques. Model development combining multiple data sources to leverage data source strengths and for improved parameter precision has increased, but with limited discussion on precision gain versus effort. We present a general framework for evaluating trade‐offs between precision gained and costs associated with acquiring multiple data sources, useful for designing future or new phases of current studies. We illustrated how...

Background: Few studies have examined post-fire vegetation recovery in temperate forest ecosystems with Landsat time series analysis. We analyzed time series of Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) derived from LandTrendr spectral-temporal segmentation fitting to examine post-fire NBR recovery for several wildfires that occurred in three different coniferous forest types in western North America during the years 2000 to 2007. We summarized NBR recovery trends, and investigated the influence of burn severity, post-fire climate, and topography on post-fire vegetation recovery via random forest (RF)...

Explaining why fluctuations in abundances of spatially disjunct populations often are correlated through time is a major goal of population ecologists. We address two hypotheses receiving little to no testing in wild populations: (i) that population cycling facilitates synchronization given weak coupling among populations, and (ii) that the ability of periodic external forces to synchronize oscillating populations is a function of the mismatch in timescales (detuning) between the force and the population. Here, we apply new analytical methods to field survey data on gypsy moth outbreaks....

Choice and no-choice tests were run to evaluate natural resistance of the woods of two Morus species (Morus alba and Morus nigra) against the subterranean, Heterotermes indicola, under field conditions. Toxicity, antifeedent, and repellency potential of the heartwood extractives was also investigated under laboratory conditions. Heartwood extractives were removed from wood shavings by using methanol or an ethanol: toluene (2:1) mixture. Results of choice and no-choice tests with sap and heartwood blocks exposed to termites, showed that both mulberry species were resistant to termites but...

Lab-sca e structura insu ated pane s (SIPs), using ignin-incorporated rigid po yurethane (RPU) foams as the therma insu ation core, were fabricated and characterized. The RPU foams incorporating surface-modifed ignin were sandwiched between two oriented strand board (OSB) sheets to produce ignin-incorporated SIPs with nomina dimensions of 350×350×46mm3. In comparison to the reference RPU foam without ignin, the ignin-incorporated RPU foams exhibited progressive y higher therma stabi ities coinciding with ignin amount, but simi ar therma conductivity (˜24.5mW·m−1 K−1) and water absorption...

The development and use of tornado shelters have helped reduce loss of human life associated with extreme weather events. Currently, the majority of shelters are built from either steel or concrete. The development of the cross-laminated timber (CLT) industry in the United States has provided an ideal wood product to resist the debris impact and high wind forces associated with tornados. This report overviews the design and development of a residential tornado shelter constructed from CLT. This design was impact- and wind-pressure-tested according to the core requirements of the Internation...

Structural insulated panels (SIPs) have been successfully used in wall and roof construction for years. Combining the strength of facers made of wood structural panels and the energy-efficient core made of foam plastic insulation, SIP walls and roofs are structurally strong and energy-efficient construction systems. However, the data for lateral load performance of most SIP systems have generally remained proprietary and are covered in code evaluation reports held by various SIP manufacturers. The purpose of this project was to develop test data needed to characterize the lateral load...

One measure of habitat quality is a species’ demographic performance in a habitat and the gold standard metric of performance is reproduction. Such a measure, however, may be misleading if individual quality is a fitness determinant. We report on factors affecting lifetime reproduction (LR), the total number of lifetime fledglings produced by an individual, and long-term territory-specific reproduction in a multi-generational study of northern goshawks (Accipiter gentilis). LR increased with longer lifespans and more breeding attempts and was strongly correlated with the number of recruits...