Biomass and mineral capital of epiphytes in an Acer macrophyllum community of a temperate moist coniferous forest, Olympic Peninsula, Washington State

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
pp. 2223-2228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nalini M. Nadkarni
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Acer Macrophyllum ◽  
River Terraces ◽  
Host Trees ◽  
Olympic Mountains ◽  
Seasonal Basis ◽  
Epiphyte Community

The epiphyte community of a Pacific northwest temperate rain forest makes up a conspicuous portion of the canopy, especially on the Acer macrophyllum trees that grow along river terraces of wet western slopes of the Olympic Mountains. Destructive sampling methods were used to assess the composition, biomass, and nutrient concentrations of live and dead epiphytes on representative host trees to determine the mineral capital contained in the epiphytic components of the standing vegetation. Average epiphyte standing crop on mature Acer macrophyllum trees is 35.5 kg. The nutrient capital (grams) is N, 370; P, 44; K, 145; Ca, 270; Mg, 50; and Na, 9. Although epiphyte biomass constitutes less than 2% of total aboveground ecosystem dry weight, it is equivalent to nearly four times the foliar biomass of host trees on a single-tree basis. Epiphytes are efficient at garnering nutrients from atmospheric sources and retaining them within the biotic portion of the ecosystem. They supplement the nutrient-gathering apparatus of host trees and buffer nutrient pulses on a short-term and on a seasonal basis.

The influence of bigleaf maple on chemical properties of throughfall, stemflow, and forest floor in coniferous forest in the Pacific Northwest

2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 868-878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaled Hamdan ◽  
Margaret Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Total N ◽  
Acer Macrophyllum ◽  
K Concentration ◽  
Species Specific

It is predicted that bigleaf maple ( Acer macrophyllum Pursh) will almost double in frequency in British Columbia by 2085 due to climate change. We address whether its frequency increase could influence chemical properties of throughfall, stemflow, and forest floor due to species-specific effects. Eight plots with a single bigleaf maple tree in the centre of conifers were paired with eight Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) plots without bigleaf maple. Compared with conifer plots, bigleaf maple throughfall and stemflow had higher pH and K concentration. The under-canopy and near-trunk forest floor associated with bigleaf maple showed higher pH, total exchangeable bases, cation-exchange capacity, and concentrations of exchangeable Ca and Mg. In addition, the near-trunk forest floor had higher base saturation and concentrations and contents of NO3-N and contents of total N and S. Throughfall and stemflow beneath bigleaf maple appear to contribute to higher pH and N availability in the forest floor. The results suggest that there is a soil microsite around bigleaf maple stems that is influenced by stemflow. These enriched microsites proximal to bigleaf maple trunks would allow bigleaf maple to have legacy effects on soil fertility and promote conifer productivity later in succession following bigleaf maple mortality.

Growth rates of the lichen Lobaria oregana as determined from sequential photographs

1977 ◽  
Vol 55 (16) ◽  
pp. 2226-2233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick M. Rhoades
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Lobaria Oregana ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Non Destructive ◽  
Epiphyte Community

The foliose lichen Lobaria oregana (Tuck.) Müll. Arg. is an important nitrogen-fixing component of the canopy epiphyte community in old-growth Douglas fir forests of the Pacific Northwest. This paper presents a non-destructive method for estimating the growth rate (grams per year) for L. oregana thalli of different weights.Photographs were made over a 2-year period of six in situ thalli. From a relationship of the photographic thallus area and weight of these and 31 other thalli, the dry weight of each of the six thalli is estimated through time. A growth rate is computed for each thallus and a relationship between growth rate and initial thallus weight is determined. Growth rate (grams per year) = exp (−0.8581 + 0.8444 (loge initial weight (grams))). The maximum radial growth rate of lobes of L. oregana determined from the photographs (9.4 mm/year) is comparable with rates for similar species.

Swine Effluent for Tomato in a Plasticulture Production System

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 524a-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kent Cushman ◽  
Thomas Horgan
Keyword(s):  
Production System ◽  
Irrigation System ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Tomato Production ◽  
Swine Effluent ◽  
Soluble Fertilizer ◽  
Source Number

Tomato was grown in Fall 1997 with swine effluent or commercial soluble fertilizer in a plasticulture production system. Four cultivars, `Mountain Delight', `Celebrity', `Equinox', and `Sunbeam', were transplanted to raised beds with plastic mulch and drip irrigation. Preplant fertilizer was not applied. Effluent from the Wiley L. Bean Swine Demonstration Unit's secondary lagoon was filtered through in-line screen filters and applied directly to the plants through the irrigation system. Toward the end of each application, sodium hypochlorite was injected in the line to achieve a free chlorine concentration of ≈1%. Clogging of filters or drip emitters did not occur. Control plants received 100 ppm N from soluble fertilizer injected in irrigation lines supplied by a municipal water source. Number and weight of tomatoes from plants receiving swine effluent were equal to that of plants receiving soluble fertilizer. No differences in fruit quality were evident between treatments. Plant dry weight was also equal for three out of four cultivars. No differences in soil characteristics were detected between treatments after the study. Chemical analysis of the effluent showed a pH of 7.8 and nutrient concentrations of ≈110 ppm NH4-N, 57 ppm P2O5, 150 ppm K2O, and trace amounts of Cu and Zn. Though no differences in yield were detected in this study, the effluent's high pH and high NH4-N content need to be managed more closely for commercial tomato production.

scholarly journals A protocol for sampling vascular epiphyte richness and abundance

2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan H. D. Wolf ◽  
S. Robbert Gradstein ◽  
Nalini M. Nadkarni
Keyword(s):  
Tree Height ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Mantel Test ◽  
Tree Size ◽  
Tree Level ◽  
Trunk Diameter ◽  
Host Trees ◽  
Epiphyte Communities ◽  
Vascular Epiphyte

Abstract:The sampling of epiphytes is fraught with methodological difficulties. We present a protocol to sample and analyse vascular epiphyte richness and abundance in forests of different structure (SVERA). Epiphyte abundance is estimated as biomass by recording the number of plant components in a range of size cohorts. Epiphyte species biomass is estimated on 35 sample-trees, evenly distributed over six trunk diameter-size cohorts (10 trees with dbh > 30 cm). Tree height, dbh and number of forks (diameter > 5 cm) yield a dimensionless estimate of the size of the tree. Epiphyte dry weight and species richness between forests is compared with ANCOVA that controls for tree size. SChao1 is used as an estimate of the total number of species at the sites. The relative dependence of the distribution of the epiphyte communities on environmental and spatial variables may be assessed using multivariate analysis and Mantel test. In a case study, we compared epiphyte vegetation of six Mexican oak forests and one Colombian oak forest at similar elevation. We found a strongly significant positive correlation between tree size and epiphyte richness or biomass at all sites. In forests with a higher diversity of host trees, more trees must be sampled. Epiphyte biomass at the Colombian site was lower than in any of the Mexican sites; without correction for tree size no significant differences in terms of epiphyte biomass could be detected. The occurrence of spatial dependence, at both the landscape level and at the tree level, shows that the inclusion of spatial descriptors in SVERA is justified.

Adaptation of Lupinus angustifolius L. and L. pilosus Murr. to calcareous soils

1999 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Brand ◽  
C. Tang ◽  
A. J. Rathjen
Keyword(s):  
Calcareous Soils ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Lupinus Angustifolius ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Carbonate Content ◽  
Soil Factors ◽  
Shoot Dry Weight ◽  
Caco3 Content

Current varieties of narrow-leafed lupin (Lupin angustifolius L.) are poorly adapted to alkaline and calcareous soils found commonly throughout the south-estern Australian cropping zone. Apot experiment compared the growth of Lupinus angustifolius cv. Gungurru with L. pilosus P20954 in a range of soils collected throughout South Australia. The soils displayed a range of texture (clay, 3–82%), pH (1:5 soil:H2O, 7·0–9·6), and calcium carbonate content (CaCO3, 0–47%). Potting mix (pH 5·8) was used as the control. The plants were grown for 7 weeks with weekly measurements of chlorosis score and leaf number. At harvest, dry weights were recorded and the youngest fully expanded leaves were analysed for nutrient concentrations. The line P20954 grew much better in all the soils than Gungurru in terms of plant dry weight relative to the control soil, this being particularly evident in the calcareous soils. Chlorosis score correlated highly with shoot dry weight for Gungurru, but not for P20954. The main soil factor contributing to the chlorosis score of Gungurru was CaCO3 content, whereas none of the soil factors significantly affected P20954, although in Weeks 2 and 3 chlorosis score correlated with CaCO3 content. The dry weight of Gungurru was affected by a combination of factors including clay content, pH, and CaCO3 content, whereas the dry weight of P20954 was affected by most of the soil factors measured. The dry weight of P20954 was positively correlated with aluminium and magnesium concentrations. Concentrations of all nutrients were above critical levels for both genotypes grown in all soils. The results indicate that L. pilosus has the potential to be grown in areas where current varieties of L. angustifolius are poorly adapted.

Science, Citizenship, and Humanities in the Ancient Forest of H. J. Andrews

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick J. Swanson
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Ancient Forest ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Long Term Ecological Research ◽  
Us Forest Service

The H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program has nurtured a large, highly interdisciplinary community that has been a wonderful seedbed for emergence of ideas from our group, and for my own growth as a scientist, educator, collaborator, and communicator. Collaborations for me as an individual and within the Andrews forest group have grown over the decades: research–land management since the 1950s, ecology–earth sciences since the early 1970s, biophysical sciences–social sciences since the early 1990s, and humanities–arts–sciences over the past dozen years. As a US Forest Service scientist in seamless collaboration with academic and land manager colleagues, the stable yet dynamic community that the LTER program fosters has served as a great platform for connecting science lessons with society through many means, ranging from development of regional conservation strategies and landscape management plans to storytelling. This is a practice of citizenship by individual scientists and by a science-based team. The sustained learning that the LTER program has underwritten gives scientists a foundation for communicating findings from science and discussing their implications with the public, and the forest itself is a great stage for these conversations. I have had a career of immersion in the International Biological Program (IBP) and in the LTER program since its inception. After completing graduate studies in geology in 1972, I had the good fortune to join the early stages of IBP in the Coniferous Forest Biome Project at the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest (AND) in the Cascade Range of Oregon. Our team of forest and stream ecologists, and a few earth scientists, had the decade of the 1970s to coalesce, mature, and craft stories of the ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest. The Andrews forest was a wonderful place to do that. It has a complex, ancient forest with nearly 100-m tall trees and fast, cold, clear, mountain streams whose beauty and chill takes your breath away. The year 1980 was pivotal for the group in three ways. First, Jerry Franklin led a synthesis of our team’s knowledge of old-growth forests, which set the stage for major transformation in public perception and policy toward federal forests a decade later and, incidentally, changed our lives.

scholarly journals The Sensitivity of Orographic Precipitation to Flow Direction: An Idealized Modeling Approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1673-1688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Picard ◽  
Clifford Mass
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Wind Direction ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Washington State ◽  
Directional Sensitivity ◽  
Orographic Precipitation ◽  
Major Question ◽  
Olympic Mountains ◽  
Physics Model

Abstract A major question regarding orographic precipitation is its sensitivity to flow direction, with some research suggesting substantial sensitivity. To examine this issue, this paper describes a full physics model with realistic three-dimensional terrain that is forced by a single input sounding. This system is used to investigate the sensitivity of orographic precipitation to wind direction over the Pacific Northwest for conditions approximating an atmospheric river. The model results show considerable modulation of regional precipitation as flow direction changes, with results for four Washington State river drainages agreeing well with previous observational studies. It is shown that precipitation amounts over such drainages can vary substantially with very small changes in the direction of the incoming flow. To explore the origin of directional sensitivity of precipitation over the Olympic Mountains of western Washington State, additional experiments were carried out using modified terrain fields with smoothed or idealized Olympic Mountains, or with nearby orography removed. These simulations suggest that the sensitivity of Olympic Mountain precipitation to wind direction is more strongly modulated by the presence of surrounding orography than by the specific geometry of the Olympic Mountains.

scholarly journals Yield and Mineral Content of Hydroponically Grown Mini-Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) as Affected by Reduced Nutrient Concentration and Foliar Fertilizer Application

HortScience ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (12) ◽  
pp. 1728-1733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin M. Maboko ◽  
Christian Phillipus Du Plooy ◽  
Silence Chiloane
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Concentration ◽  
Mineral Content ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Foliar Fertilizer ◽  
Yield And Quality ◽  
Hydroponically Grown

Nutrient application is one of the major inputs required for hydroponic production of cucumbers. Reduced nutrient solution concentration with supplementary foliar fertilizer application may maintain yield and quality of mini-cucumber, while decreasing the production costs. An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of foliar fertilizer in combination with reduced nutrient concentrations on the yield and quality of hydroponically grown mini-cucumber in a plastic tunnel. Mini-cucumber plants were grown in sawdust, fertigated with nutrient solutions containing 100% (control), 75%, 50%, or 25% of the recommended nutrient concentration (NC) and two foliar fertilizer applications (no foliar and foliar application). The highest fresh and dry weight of mini-cucumber plants were obtained with 75% and 100% NC and decreased with 50% to 25% NC application. The number of marketable fruit and marketable yield on mini-cucumbers increased with 75% to 100% NC, followed by 50% NC, as compared with 25% NC. Deformed fruit were significantly lower at 25% NC than at 50%, 75%, and 100% NC. Foliar fertilizer application did not have an effect on mini-cucumber yield, but reduced the yellowing of fruit. Fruit mineral content (P, Fe, and Mn) was significantly improved by 100% NC. Improvement in yield at 75% and 100% NC was as a result of improved plant height, leaf chlorophyll content, plant fresh and dry weight, and the increase in nutrient uptake of N, P, K, and Mn, which was evident in the analysis of cucumber leaves. The reduced NC of 75% can maintain yield and quality of mini-cucumbers, whereas the application of foliar fertilizer had a limited effect.

Effects of Herbicide, Tillage, and Grass Seeding on Wild Chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris)

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy W. Miller ◽  
Danielle E. D'Auria
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Weed Management ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Integrated Weed Management ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Perennial Weed ◽  
Native Plant Species ◽  
Herbicide Treatment ◽  
The Pacific

AbstractWild chervil is an invasive biennial or short-lived perennial weed introduced into North America that negatively impacts forage production and degrades habitat for native plant species. A 2-yr study using prebloom mowing followed by combinations of herbicide, tillage, and grass seeding was conducted in the Pacific Northwest to identify an effective integrated weed management strategy for this species. By 2 mo after herbicide treatment (MAHT), wild chervil control with glyphosate + ammonium sulfate (AMS) and clopyralid was 83 and 73%, respectively. Tillage with or without herbicide pretreatment resulted in 92 to 98% wild chervil control at 2 MAHT, whereas herbicide without tillage gave only 45% control across all treatments. Tillage with or without subsequent grass seeding reduced wild chervil density four-fold compared to herbicide alone at 9 MAHT. Herbicide + tillage + grass seeding resulted in similar wild chervil cover (1 to 5% cover) as herbicide + tillage (1 to 6% cover) without subsequent grass seeding. Wild chervil biomass at 1 yr after herbicide treatment (YAHT) was reduced to 487 kg ha−1 (439 lb ac−1) with herbicide + tillage compared to 4,256 kg ha−1 for herbicide treatment alone. Herbicide + tillage + grass seeding increased grass dry weight at 1 YAHT from 201 kg ha−1 for herbicide + tillage to 1,575 kg ha−1, compared to 351 kg ha−1 in herbicide-only plots.

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