Treesearch

Springsnails in the genus Pyrgulopsis in western North America have long been a dilemma for taxonomists. Defining species boundaries has been complicated by the presence of undiscovered or cryptic taxa, range over- or underestimation, species complexes representing an unknown number of species, and named species synonymous with other taxa. To address these issues, we conducted an array of molecular species delimitation analyses using sequences from up to 2 mitochondrial and 2 nuclear genes from over 5000 specimens representing 140 of the 151 currently recognized taxa. These analyses...

Maps of aboveground biomass density (AGBD) estimated from remote sensing data with models trained from inventory data are essential for carbon monitoring. Forest inventory plots in the United States (US) are measured by the forest inventory and analysis (FIA) program of the US Forest Service (USFS). These plots are spatially representative, design unbiased, and provide estimates of AGBD and other forest attributes over large spatial domains, but do not provide spatially continuous or sufficiently precise estimates over small spatial domains (e.g. forest stands). Integration with remote...

Congressionally designated wilderness offers the highest level of land protection in the USA, comparable to category 1b wilderness as defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, yet wilderness areas face impacts of climate change. Researchers and managers increasingly recognize the immense challenge of stewarding wilderness in a changing climate. Although responding to climate change is considered a wicked problem, this framing has not been applied to wilderness contexts. We move theory into practice by using wicked problem framing and four illustrative cases to explore...

Observed increases in wildfire activity across the contiguous United States (U.S.), together with continued warming and expanding development in fire-prone landscapes, highlight the need to anticipate near-term changes in fire regimes. We apply a Bayesian statistical model that integrates projected population density (SSP2) and downscaled climate simulations under a moderate emissions scenario (RCP 4.5) to estimate future wildfire occurrence, maximum fire size (using the 90th percentile of fire size distribution), and total area burned for large fires (>1000 acres) across all EPA Level III...

Riparian ecosystems in the American Southwest store disproportionate amounts of carbon relative to their limited extent, yet their capacity is poorly quantified and threatened by climate and land-use change. We synthesize current knowledge of riparian carbon dynamics in Arizona and New Mexico and combine this with spatial datasets to estimate potential and current carbon storage. We review how climate, hydrology, geomorphic setting, and biota interact to control carbon stored in biomass, large wood, and floodplain soils. Using the national riparian basemap and hydroclimatic data, we map...

Seedling functional attributes (i.e., morphological and physiological traits driving water, carbon, and nutrient economy, as well as stress resistance and resilience) influence the early performance of forest plantings. Nursery environment and cultivation practices interact with species ecology to shape these attributes and potential outplanting success. Although extensive literature exists on these topics, studies that have quantitatively synthesized findings to generalize plant quality and nursery cultivation theory are almost nonexistent. This chapter quantitatively reviews the effects...

Due to the prevalence of local adaptation in plants, the provenance of seed sources can impact plant community restoration outcomes. Yet programs developing commercial germplasm releases often overlook local adaptation as a development criterion, leading to the selection of traits that may not support restoration success. In many cases, commercial germplasms are more available than plant materials developed explicitly considering spatial adaptation patterns.This study aims to demonstrate how seed transfer models can calibrate restoration guidance for commercially available germplasms of...

Information on climate‐associated phenotypic variation is essential for sourcing seed that matches restoration site conditions. Spatially explicit seed transfer models can effectively deliver this information. However, standard modeling approaches often do not provide flexibility for practical considerations and may not capture highly complex trait‐climate associations. We characterized climate‐associated variation in growth, reproduction, morphology, phenology, and survival across 98 source populations at 3 common gardens for the grass Elymus elymoides (bottlebrush squirreltail), an...

Pine (Pinus spp.) trees worldwide are subjected to selective evolutionary pressures from both abiotic (fire) and biotic (insects) damage resulting in their extant distribution and abundance, and life-history and morphological traits. These interactions merit serious consideration in long-term pine forest conservation and sustainability plans, and hence, we provide the following elements in this chapter: (1) a synthesis of eco-evolutionary components of these tri-lateral (fire-pine-insect) interactions; (2) a framework for understanding herbivory patterns and processes as based on adaptation...

Old-growth forests in the Southeast are diverse, highly valued, and complicated to both define and differentiate on the landscape. In this report, we review the history of forests in the region, including how old-growth has been defined, the characteristics of old-growth communities and old trees, and the values that old-growth communities provide. We also provide information for land managers to consider: threats that old-growth forests face, examples of management strategies for maintaining and restoring ecological functions, and tools for managing old-growth characteristics in mature...