Treesearch

The genome of the white rot fungus Pycnoporus cinnabarinus includes a large number of genes encoding enzymes implicated in lignin degradation. Among these, three genes are predicted to encode glyoxal oxidase, an enzyme previously isolated from Phanerochaete chrysosporium. The glyoxal oxidase of P. chrysosporium is physiologically coupled to lignin-oxidizing peroxidases via generation of extracellular H2O2 and utilizes an array of aldehydes and -hydroxycarbonyls as the substrates. Two of the predicted glyoxal oxidases of P. cinnabarinus, GLOX1 (PciGLOX1) and GLOX2 (PciGLOX2), were heterolog...

Certain wood decay basidiomycetes, collectively referred to as brown rot fungi, rapidly depolymerize cellulose while leaving behind the bulk of cell wall lignin as a modified residue. The mechanism(s) employed is unclear, but considerable evidence implicates the involvement of diffusible oxidants generated via Fenton-like chemistry. Toward a better understanding of this process, we have examined the transcriptome and secretome of Wolfiporia cocos when cultivated on media containing glucose, purified crystalline cellulose, aspen (Populus grandidentata), or lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) as...

This manuscript contains an overview of the 16th meeting of Caribbean Foresters that resulted in the establishment of a network of forest plots throughout the region with the purpose of increasing understanding of the patterns of long-term forest dynamics. Research projects in the network will improve collaboration among those working in Caribbean forests and will facilitate development of conservation plans consistent with the responses of Caribbean forests to hurricanes and other types of disturbances.

L’identificazione dei legni costituisce il primo passo per ottenere conoscenze indispensabili in molti ambiti di studio. Ad esempio, prima di eseguire il restauro di un manufatto di interesse culturale è indispensabile conoscere il nome dei legni che lo compongono. Oppure, nel caso in cui si sospetti che un legno protetto da convenzioni internazionali sia stato illegalmente posto nel commercio, è indispensabile che le autorità preposte al controllo possano identificarlo prontamente per bloccarne lo sfruttamento. Inoltre, nella pratica commerciale è spesso necessario appurare se la specie...

Heating logs prior to peeling positively affects the surface properties of veneer as well as the wood-adhesive bond strength. However, the mechanism behind this increase in strength is not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to separate the influence of soaking temperature and peeling temperature on the physical surface properties and bonding quality. Rotary-cut birch (Betula pendula Roth) logs were soaked at 70 °C, and half ofthem were subsequently cooled to 20 °C prior to peeling. Surface roughness measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface integrity...

Throughout the Caribbean, conservation is ecologically, politically, and socially challenging due to a number of factors including globalization, climate change, loss of biodiversity, and the spread of invasive species. Relationships between organizations and institutions that govern the region’s natural and cultural resources are key to conservation success as partners work to implement plans to meet science, capacity, and information needs. However, the complex challenges involved in conservation work and tenuous relationships among organizations can result in a “knowing–doing gap”....

Mist-netting of birds is a well-established and much used method for capturing birds for banding, taking blood, feather, or tissue samples, attaching radio transmitters or light-sensitive geolocators, and other purposes (Karr 1981, Dunn and Ralph 2004). Mistnets are typically ground based, with individual nets stretched between poles and extending 2.6 m high. Captures in ground-based mist-nets tend to be biased against canopy-dwelling species; however, (Pagen et al. 2002, Mallory et al. 2004) to compensate for this bias, numerous bird and bat researchers have developed methods to get nets...

Soil moisture supply and atmospheric demand for water independently limit-and profoundly affect-vegetation productivity and water use during periods of hydrologic stress1-4. Disentangling the impact of these two drivers on ecosystem carbon and water cycling is difficult because they are often correlated, and experimental tools for manipulating atmospheric demand in the field are lacking. Consequently, the role of atmospheric demand is often not adequately factored into experiments or represented in models5-7. Here we show that atmospheric demand limits surface conductance and evapotranspira...

Phylogenetic information provides insight into the ecological and evolutionary processes that organize species assemblages. We compared patterns of phylogenetic diversity among macromycete and woody plant communities along a steep elevational gradient in eastern Mexico to better understand the evolutionary processes that structure their communities. Macrofungi and trees were counted and identified in eight sites from 100 to 3500 m asl, and sequence data retrieved from GenBank for the same or closely related species were used to reconstruct their phylogenies. Patterns of species richness...

The role of hydrogeology in mediating long-term changes in mountain streamflow, resulting from reduced snowfall in a potentially warmer climate, is currently not well understood. We explore this by simulating changes in stream discharge and evapotranspiration from a mid-elevation, 1-km2 catchment in the southern Sierra Nevada of California (USA) in response to reduced snowfall under warmer conditions, for a plausible range in subsurface hydrologic properties. Simulations are performed using a numerical watershed model, the Penn State Integrated Hydrologic Model (PIHM), constrained by...