Treesearch

This paper presents findings from a study that examined how well mountain bikers' cognitive processes predicted their recommendation intent—the intention to share their recreation experience with others. Specifically, we examined relationships between different mountain biking recreation goal appraisals, emotions, and mountain bikers’ intentions to suggest mountain biking destinations to others. We tested hypothesized relationships using a structural equation modeling approach. Our results show that goal congruence and interest are the primary appraisal factors predicting recommendation...

Forests provide critical habitats for pollinating insects, including forest-dependent and habitat generalist species, yet it is unknown how these assemblages are shaped by overstory tree composition. We sampled bees in closed canopy plots in the southeastern United States representing a continuum of forest age and tree composition, from younger conifer-dominated forests to older forests dominated by deciduous broadleaf trees. Species-specific responses of bees to forest composition, and the influence of their traits on responses, were estimated using a joint species distribution model....

More high-severity wildfire is occurring in the U.S. West and affecting people and forests in challenging ways. In places where mitigating high-severity wildfire is desirable, returning low-severity fire through fuel treatments is common practice. The last quantitative review of fuel treatment research happened 10 years ago. Much has been learned since then.

Background Flight can drastically enhance dispersal capacity and is a key trait defining the potential of exotic insect species to spread and invade new habitats. The phytophagous European spongy moths (ESM, Lymantria dispar dispar) and Asian spongy moths (ASM; a multi–species group represented here by L. d. asiatica and L. d. japonica), are globally invasive species that vary in adult female flight capability—female ASM are typically flight capable, whereas female ESM are typically flightless. Genetic markers of flight capability would supply a powerful tool for flight profiling of these...

In a recent article published in the journal Ecology, our research team reported that neighborhoods in Baltimore that were redlined have consistently lower street tree diversity and are nine times less likely to have large (old) trees occupying a viable planting site. What does this mean for those who live in these neighborhoods, and what steps might cities like Baltimore take to mitigate this structural challenge in their urban forests? For biodiversity experts, street trees provide a unique study population because trees can live for many decades, and patterns of street tree size,...

The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii), the largest freshwater turtle in North America, faces numerous threats, with population declines and range contractions suspected to have occurred across its historic range. Previous research studying movement patterns and microhabitat use of M. temminckii has mostly been conducted in large, open, lentic environments and few studies have been conducted in small, lotic habitats. We investigated the movement and microhabitat use of adult female and juvenile M. temminckii within Bonaldo Creek, a small tributary of the Angelina River in...

Rosewood and palisander belonging to Dalbergia (Fabaceae) are some of the most studied tree species in Madagascar. Dalbergia species can be identified based on morphological differences, mainly of flower and fruit, but are practically impossible to tell apart when these structures are missing. To support their sustainable management reliable identification of living Dalbergia is necessary prior to any exploitation. Studies of the vegetative anatomy of Dalbergia are lacking. This is the first report on young stems and leaves in endemic Dalbergia species. We studied 16 Dalbergia species from...

Across many upland environments, soils are thin and plant roots extend into fractured and weathered bedrock where moisture and nutrients can be obtained. Root water extraction from unsaturated weathered bedrock is widespread and, in many environments, can explain gradients in vegetation community composition, transpiration, and plant sensitivity to climate. Despite increasing recognition of its importance, the “rock moisture” reservoir is rarely incorporated into vegetation and Earth system models. Here, we address this weakness in a widely used dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM;...

Cities worldwide are grappling with complex urban environmental injustices. While environmental justice as a concept has gained prominence in both academia and policy, operationalizing and implementing environmental justice principles and norms remains underexplored. Notably, less attention has been given to centering the perspectives and experiences of community-based actors operating at the grassroots level, who can inform and strengthen urban environmental justice practice. Through ethnographic, participant-as-observer methods, interviews, and geovisualizations, this study explores the...

Wood turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) are a species of conservation concern throughout their geographic distribution. Several studies have investigated individual-level habitat selection of wood turtles in the Upper Midwest in the United States, but the effects of habitat characteristics on abundance are poorly understood. This information is needed to improve landscape-level habitat management and conservation initiatives for the species. Our study aimed to identify important aquatic and terrestrial habitat characteristics and quantify their influence on abundance dynamics of adult wood...