Treesearch

White oak (Quercus alba) is an abundant forest tree species across eastern North America that is ecologically, culturally, and economically important. We report the first haplotype-resolved chromosome-scale genome assembly of Q. albaand conduct comparative analyses of genome structure and gene content against other published Fagaceae genomes. In addition, we probe the genetic diversity of this widespread species and investigate its phylogenetic relationships with other oaks using whole-genome data. Our genome assembly comprises two haplotypes each consisting of 12 chromosomes. We found...

Nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ15N) are widely used to quantify trophic position in aquatic ecosystems. Comparing trophic position across space requires identifying baselines to account for variation in δ15N values of basal energy resources, but few standardized methods exist for identifying suitable baselines. We evaluated a standardized method for identifying optimal isotopic baselines in streams spanning the Rocky Mountains–Great Plains ecotone. We assessed candidate taxonomic groups and feeding groups following four criteria: (1) Organisms should be easy to collect and widely...

As wildfire risks increase, more homes are being damaged and communities impacted. Fortunately, decades of research and post-fire analysis have provided useful lessons for a new path forward. That path starts by redefining how we look at the wildfire threat to our homes and neighborhoods.

High rates of atmospheric N deposition can increase ecosystem N availability and stimulate N losses from soils via nitric oxide (NO; an air pollutant at high concentrations) and nitrous oxide (N2O; a strong greenhouse gas) emissions as predicted by N saturation theory. However, it remains unclear whether theories developed in mesic ecosystems apply to drylands, where plant N uptake and N availability are often decoupled. NO and N2O are produced during the oxidation of ammonia (i.e., nitrification) by ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) or ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). Because AOB may be...

Distributions of both native and invasive species are expected to shift under future climate. Species distribution models (SDMs) are often used to explore future habitats, but sources of uncertainty including novel climate conditions may reduce the reliability of future projections. We explore the potential spread of the invasive annual grass ventenata (Ventenata dubia) in the western United States under both current and future climate scenarios using boosted regression tree models and 30 global climate models (GCMs). We quantify novel climate conditions, prediction variability arising...

Context: Species-agnostic connectivity models are often used to inform management over broad spatial scales. The four main approaches to species-agnostic models parameterize resistance to movement based on naturalness, structural features, climate, or geodiversity variables. Though all four of these factors simultaneously affect species movement and flow of ecological processes, they are rarely combined.Objectives: We built upon an approach that uses all four of these factors to model current and future ecological connectivity for the Crown of the Continent Ecoregion, in Canada and the...

There are twenty experimental forest and range sites (EFRs) across the southeastern United States that are currently maintained by the USDA Forest Service (Forest Service) to conduct forest ecosystem research for addressing ecosystem management challenges. The overall objective of this study was to use multiple gridded datasets to assess the extent to which the twenty EFRs represent the climate, ecosystem structure, and ecosystem functions of southeastern forests. The EFRs represent the large variability of climate conditions across the region relatively well, but we identified small...

We present here new county records for 13 counties within Georgia, USA from the collections of the Georgia Museum of Natural History and the authors. These include four families, eight genera, and 23 species. Of these, eight species are new state records: Amynthas carnosus (Goto & Hatai, 1899); Aporrectodea longa (Ude, 1885); Bimastos parvus (Eisen, 1874); Diplocardia deborahae Damoff & Reynolds, 2017; Diplocardia gatesi Murchie, 1965; Diplocardia michaelseni Eisen, 1899; Metaphire hilgendorfi (Michaelsen, 1892); and Murchieona minuscula (Rosa, 1906). These findings are presented alongside...

Invasive species harm natural and managed ecosystems. Awareness and management of these species depends on effective education and outreach. Traditional common names, including those with geographic references, for many invasive pests may perpetuate slanderous terms or stigmatize people from that place. To create more inclusive invasive species educational materials, the University of Minnesota Extension’s Invasive Species Community of Practice developed guidelines for selection of common names. Suggested names were shared with others involved in invasive species communications, leading to...