Treesearch

Plant species coexistence can be promoted by multiple tradeoffs including temporal niche separation via differences in phenology. Namely, if phenological differences afford longer leaf life-spans that confer species the opportunity to exploit light and fix carbon during periods relatively free of other competitors, then coexistence, or even competitive superiority, may arise. Phenological niche separation explanations, including the Extended Leaf Phenology (ELP) hypothesis, have garnered considerable support as a mechanistic explanation for both exotic invasive species success and maintenan...

Structure of vegetation significantly influences its flammability and resulting fire spread. Despite considerable amount of laboratory studies, experimental works carried out with full plant specimens, representative of field conditions, are still limited. Present study aims to collect meaningful experimental data on structure and flammability of shrub of rockrose and evaluate the predictions of a fire model (WFDS) against this dataset. Spatial distribution of fuel elements, sorted according to their characteristic thickness, was established from destructive measurements. 28 fire tests...

Research Highlights: Regenerating northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) is challenging throughout much of its range. This study attempts to relate differences in natural regeneration to standand seedbed-level factors. Background and Objectives: Lack of regeneration of northern white-cedar is often attributed to overbrowsing by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman) because white-cedar is a preferred winter browse species. However, there are many other factors that may contribute to regeneration failure for white-cedar including its specific seedbed requirements and...

New records of Douglas’s squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii) document the species in 2 mountain ranges of the Great Basin where tree squirrels have not been previously reported, including 2 sites in the White Mountains, California, and 1 site in the Desert Creek Mountains, Nevada. In the White Mountains, squirrels were photographed by a camera trap on 9 different dates in winter and spring 2016–2017 at a site on the east side of the range crest near the Crooked Creek Field Station of the White Mountain Research Center (3125 m). In early winter 2018, two Douglas’s squirrels were observed and...

Eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) use a polygynous-promiscuous mating system, wherein males compete for mating opportunities and communicate with females via courtship behaviors. One courtship behavior is vocalization (gobbling), which attracts females and signals dominance to other males. However, temporal variation in gobbling activity may be influenced by external stimuli, environmental variation, and hunter activity. Gobbling activity is a key determinant of hunter satisfaction, and gobbling chronology is often used by state agencies to inform regulatory processes....

Context: Increasing carnivore-human conflict has threatened the survival of many carnivore species, thus evaluating habitat requirements, landscape connectivity and the protection of biological corridors is critical to guide conservation of carnivores. Objectives: We evaluated the suitability of study landscape for grey wolf and golden jackal, assessed how well populations of each species are connected by movement corridors, and examined the feasibility of optimal multi-species conservation strategies based on intersection of habitat and connectivity areas of multiple species. Methods: We...

Alpine treeline species, like Great Basin bristlecone pine (GBBP) (Pinus longaeva Bailey), have received attention for their potential as indicators of climate change. Most studies have focused on climate-induced changes to treeline position, but climate effects on the physiology and stress of treeline plants remain poorly understood. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could provide insights into plant responses to climate change since the quantity and blends of VOCs released by plants exhibit variation in response to the environment, and can convey detailed information about the status of...

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...