Treesearch

Korean oak wilt disease associated with Dryadomyces quercus-mongolicae recently emerged as a major tree disease in South Korea. A comprehensive transcriptome analysis is presented for D. quercus-mongolicae grown in vitro on three different culture media, identifying nearly 7,000 expressed transcripts. Most transcripts are associated with proteins essential for fungal survival and growth. The 40S ribosomal protein S25, ceramide very long chain fatty acid hydroxylase, Epl1 protein, and ADP/ATP translocase are particularly important due to their critical roles in the metabolism and environment...

Fuels treatments intended to reduce fuel loads and improve forest health on public lands offer one way to reduce wildfire hazards in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), where the natural and built environments meet. However, for fuels treatment implementation to be successful, it must comply with regulatory and scientific standards and be supported by local communities, as lack of acceptance can lead to alterations, delays, or abandonment. To foster support, public land managers can engage directly with residents in communities near treatment areas through various communication channels or...

Myrtle rust caused by Austropuccinia psidii is one of the most important diseases affecting eucalypts (Eucalyptus spp. and Corymbia spp.) in Brazil. Asexual spores of the myrtle pathogen, urediniospores, give rise to infection of young tissues (e.g., leaf, stem, flower and fruit) of the myrtaceous hosts. Symptoms of myrtle rust disease are necrosis and leaf deformation, and death of the apical shoots, whereas the primary diagnostic signs of myrtle rust disease are yellow urediniospores, which are formed by the myrtle rust pathogen on the infected organs. Occasionally, teliospores are...

Survival of perennial grasses between wet seasons depends on the maintenance of belowground buds and root systems. Belowground bud and root traits were evaluated in three perennial grasses (Pennisetum mezianum (Leeke), Digitaria macroblephara (Hack. ex Schinz) Paoli, and Themeda triandra (Forssk.) in semi-arid Kenyan rangelands during the short dry season. Bud number remained stablae while bud size declined for all three grass species during the study period. Non-structural carbohydrates in roots and percent root dry matter had increased in all three species by the end of the dry season....

-- The mechanistic links between fire-caused injuries and post-fire tree mortality are poorly understood. Current hypotheses differentiate effects of fire on tree carbon balance and hydraulic function, yet critical uncertainties remain about the relative importance of each and how they interact. -- We utilize two prescribed burns with Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine to examine: the relative evidence for fire-caused changes in hydraulic function and carbon dynamics, and how such impacts relate to fire injuries; which impacts most likely lead to post-fire mortality; and how these impacts vary...

Diversifying the simplified landscape of corn and soybeans in the Midwest is an emerging priority in both the public and private sectors to reap a suite of climate, social, agronomic, and economic benefits. However, little research has documented the perspectives of farmers, the primary stakeholders in diversification efforts. This preliminary report uses newly collected survey data (n = 725) from farmers in the states of Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa to provide descriptive statistics and tests to understand what farmers in the region think about agricultural diversification, including their...

The role of building characteristics and survival during wildfires are well studied. Less so is the role of urban vegetation type, condition, and location on building loss in fire events. We mapped and statistically modeled parcel-scale urban vegetation characteristics across different Defensible Space Buffers (DSBs) and their role in predicting building loss in shrub and forest dominated urban ecosystems. Using 3.0 m resolution PlanetScope imagery, geospatial data, and eCognition we mapped parcel-scale vegetation types and building characteristics in fire affected neighborhoods in Ventura...

1. Human activities have significantly altered terrestrial ecosystems, leading to biodiversity loss and habitat fragmentation. Traditional methods for measuring human impacts often lack the precision required for localized assessments, fail to capture temporal dynamics or are scale-limited. Human mobility data (HMD) from GPS-enabled smartphone applications offers a valuable approach to understanding human movement patterns, overcoming many of these limitations. 2. We present case studies demonstrating the use of HMD in assessing human activity within ecologically sensitive habitats (e.g....

Fire-caused tree mortality has major impacts on forest ecosystems. One primary cause of post-fire tree mortality in non-resprouting species is crown scorch, the percentage of foliage in a crown that is killed by heat. Despite its importance, the heat required to kill foliage is not well-understood. We used the “lag” model to describe time- and temperature-dependent leaf cell necrosis as a method of predicting leaf scorch. The lag model includes two rate parameters that describe 1) the process of cells accumulating non-lethal damage, and 2) damage becoming lethal to the cell. To parameterize...

Hardworking bees are a familiar sight outdoors as they forage for nectar and pollinate flowers. Along with nectar, both wild bees and honey bees collect pollen to bring back to brooding areas, where it feeds developing larvae. From the bee’s perspective, an important question arises: is all pollen nutritionally the same and, if not, how do bees get the nutrients they need?