Treesearch

1.Wood decomposition is characterised by complex and poorly understood nitrogen (N) dynamics with unclear implications for forest nutrient cycling and productivity.Wood-dwelling microbes have developed unique strategies for coping with the N limitations imposed by their substrate, including the translocation of N into wood by cord-forming fungi and the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen (N2) by bacteria and Archaea. 2. By accelerating the release of nutrients immobilised in fungal tissues and promoting N2 fixation by free-living and endosymbiotic prokaryotes, saproxylic insects have the...

Several North American walnut species (Juglans spp.) are threatened by thousand cankers disease which is caused by the walnut twig beetle (Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman) and its associated fungal plant pathogen, Geosmithia morbida M. Kolarý´k, E. Freeland, C. Utley and N. Tisserat sp. nov. Spread of this disease may occur via movement of infested black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) wood. This study evaluated the ability of P. juglandis to colonize J. nigra wood previously treated with various phytosanitation methods. Steam-heated and methyl bromide-fumigated J. nigra logs, as well as...

While mixed methods approaches to research have been accepted practice within the social sciences for several decades (Tashakkori and Teddlie 2003), the rising demand for cross-disciplinary analyses of socio-environmental processes has necessitated a renewed examination of this approach within environmental studies. Urban environmental stewardship is one area where it is clear that neither a quantitative nor qualitative approach can provide a full understanding. Rather, the typologies and relationships identified by quantitative data are essential to structuring qualitative data collection...

Context: Land-use change is a global phenomenon with potential to generate abrupt spatial changes in species’ distributions. Objectives: We assessed whether theory about the internal structure of bird species’ geographic ranges can be refined to reflect abrupt changes in distribution and abundance associated with human influences on landscapes, and whether the prevalence and diversity of bird–landscape threshold relationships may significantly complicate assemblage-level avian conservation. Methods; For three large regions in the United States, we used the North American Breeding Bird...

Human actions must be well planned and include consideration of their potential influences on water and aquatic ecosystems - such consideration is the foundation of watershed management. Watersheds are the ideal land unit for managing and protecting water resources and aquatic health because watersheds integrate the physical, biological and chemical processes within their boundaries. Managed forested watersheds tend to have more natural watershed functions and better water quality than other land uses. Land uses with greater amounts of soil disturbance and permanent reductions in infiltrati...

Eight poorly known or unusual crustose and pileate basidiomycete species were studied. These included the type specimens of three monotypic genera: Chrysoderma alboluteum from Réunion is conspecific with Cerocorticium molle; Dendrophysellum amurense from the Russian Far East is a species of Vararia; and Hyphoradulum conspicuum belongs in Pseudolagarobasidium and is the first representative of the genus from Europe. Corticium murrillii, from Mexico, is congeneric with Corneromyces kinabalui. New combinations Vararia amurensis, Pseudolagarobasidium conspicuum, and Corneromyces murrillii are...

Sealants are a vital part of a building’s environmental barrier envelope. Their ability to bond to numerous dissimilar substrates and form cure-in-place seals results in their widespread use throughout single story and high rise buildings. A typical 40 story concrete and glass facade building can have 70 miles of sealant bonds. Failure of sealants can lead to energy loss and widespread moisture ingression resulting in cosmetic and structural damage as well as the potential for mold colonization. Therefore, increasing the durability of sealants is of significant economic value. In this...

Payments for watershed services (PWS) as a policy tool for enhancing water quality and supply have gained momentum in recent years, but their ability to lead to sustainable watershed outcomes is uncertain. Consequently, the demand for effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of PWS impacts on coupled human and natural systems (CHANS) and their implications for watershed sustainability (WS) is increasing. The theoretical foundations and practical applications of WS frameworks, which integrate biophysical and socioeconomic indicators to assess progress toward WS goals, have been extensively...

There are various definitions for savanna and woodland in the ecological literature. Characteristic elements of each community are broadly defined and often overlap according to the authorities (Curtis 1959; Nuzzo 1986; Nelson 2010). Some confusion is inevitable when categorizing what is in reality a continuum of states from prairie to forest in which there can be much variation. Additional variation arises within each of these community types producing unique associations where composition and structure are further modified by site factors such as soil texture, depth, drainage, and parent...

The principal findings from five panels of the ninth forest survey of North Carolina are presented. In 2013, forests covered 18.6 million acres of the State, of which 17.9 million were classified as timberland. Oak-hickory was the most common forest-type group and covered 7.0 million acres of the timberland. The second most common forest-type group was loblollyshortleaf pine, which covered 5.5 million acres of timberland. Nonindustrial private forest ownerships controlled 80 percent of the State’s timberland. Hardwood tree species accounted for 65 percent of the 38.4 billion cubic feet of...