scholarly journals Seeking Environmental Sustainability in Dryland Forestry

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilan Stavi
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
Genetic Pollution ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Harvesting Systems

Forestry systems, including afforestation and reforestation land uses, are prevalent in drylands and aimed at restoring degraded lands and halting desertification. However, an increasing amount of literature has alerted potentially adverse ecological and environmental impacts of this land use, risking a wide range of ecosystem functions and services. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the potentially adverse implications of dryland forestry and highlight the caution needed when planning and establishing such systems. Wherever relevant, establishment of low-impact runoff harvesting systems is favored over high-impact ones, which might cause extensive land degradation of their surroundings. Specifically, both in hillslopes and channels, scraping, removal, or disturbance of topsoil for the construction of runoff harvesting systems should be minimized to prevent the decrease in soil hydraulic conductivity and increase in water overland flow and soil erosion. In order to negate suppression of understory vegetation and sustain plant species richness and diversity, low-density savanization by non-allelopathic tree species is preferred over high-density forestry systems by allelopathic species. Wherever possible, it is preferable to plant native tree species rather than introduced or exotic species, in order to prevent genetic pollution and species invasion. Mixed-species forestry systems should be favored over single-species plantations, as they are less susceptible to infestation by pests and diseases. In addition, drought-tolerant, fire-resistant, and less flammable tree species should be preferred over drought-prone, fire-susceptible, and more flammable species.

scholarly journals Tree canopy arthropods have idiosyncratic responses to plant ecophysiological traits in a warm temperate forest complex

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rudi C. Swart ◽  
Michael J. Samways ◽  
Francois Roets
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Temperate Forest ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Arthropod Diversity ◽  
Host Trees ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractBiodiversity studies on forest canopies often have narrow arthropod taxonomic focus, or refer to a single species of tree. In response, and to better understand the wide range of drivers of arthropod diversity in tree canopies, we conducted a large-scale, multi-taxon study which (a) included effect of immediate surroundings of an individual tree on plant physiological features, and (b), how these features affect compositional and functional arthropod diversity, in a warm, southern Afro-temperate forest. We found that tree species differed significantly in plant physiological features and arthropod diversity patterns. Surprisingly, we found negative correlation between surrounding canopy cover, and both foliar carbon and arthropod diversity in host trees, regardless of tree species. Subtle, tree intraspecific variation in physiological features correlated significantly with arthropod diversity measures, but direction and strength of correlations differed among tree species. These findings illustrate great complexity in how canopy arthropods respond to specific tree species, to immediate surroundings of host trees, and to tree physiological features. We conclude that in natural forests, loss of even one tree species, as well as homogenization of the crown layer and/or human-induced environmental change, could lead to profound and unpredictable canopy arthropod biodiversity responses, threatening forest integrity.

scholarly journals Recent Advances in Remote Sensing of Evapotranspiration

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 4260
Author(s):  
Nishan Bhattarai ◽  
Pradeep Wagle
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Modeling Tools ◽  
Recent Advances ◽  
Wide Range

Evapotranspiration (ET) plays an important role in coupling the global energy, water, and biogeochemical cycles and explains ecosystem responses to global environmental change. However, quantifying and mapping the spatiotemporal distribution of ET across a large area is still a challenge, which limits our understanding of how a given ecosystem functions under a changing climate. This also poses a challenge to water managers, farmers, and ranchers who often rely on accurate estimates of ET to make important irrigation and management decisions. Over the last three decades, remote sensing-based ET modeling tools have played a significant role in managing water resources and understanding land-atmosphere interactions. However, several challenges, including limited applicability under all conditions, scarcity of calibration and validation datasets, and spectral and spatiotemporal constraints of available satellite sensors, exist in the current state-of-the-art remote sensing-based ET models and products. The special issue on “Remote Sensing of Evapotranspiration II” was launched to attract studies focusing on recent advances in remote sensing-based ET models to help address some of these challenges and find novel ways of applying and/or integrating remotely sensed ET products with other datasets to answer key questions related to water and environmental sustainability. The 13 articles published in this special issue cover a wide range of topics ranging from field- to global-scale analysis, individual model to multi-model evaluation, single sensor to multi-sensor fusion, and highlight recent advances and applications of remote sensing-based ET modeling tools and products.

scholarly journals The Potential of Multi-Species Mixtures to Diversify Cover Crop Benefits

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 2058
Author(s):  
Tejendra Chapagain ◽  
Elizabeth A. Lee ◽  
Manish N. Raizada
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Species Mixtures

Cover crops provide a range of well-documented benefits to growers and the environment. However, no single species can deliver all of these benefits, and hence planting mixtures is gaining increasing attention. To the best of our knowledge, there is no comprehensive review on different multi-mix strategies. This article reviews available studies on multi-mixes, focusing on temperate North America, and discusses objective criteria for selecting components of a multi-mix and what future research is needed. Very few peer-reviewed studies on multi-mixes are currently available; a diversity of species compositions is being tested with a wide range of potential benefits but also with various limitations. Selection of species in multi-mixes is based on different criteria that help improve multiple ecosystem services. An emerging concept is the importance of selecting cover crop species with functional complementarity rather than simply increasing the number of species. Based on this concept, objective criteria have been developed to select the species for a multi-mix: grower objectives/primary purpose of planting the cover crop, crop rotation and cropping system compatibility, above and belowground compatibility, complementarity of different ecosystem functions, compatibility with the growing environment, duration for cover crop growth, termination option(s) available, input/labour costs, planting equipment required, persistence/weediness, and potential net economic returns. We propose a step-wise procedure to develop effective multi-species mixtures. The number of species and their ratio in the mixtures will depend on objective criteria, and hence long-term research is required to assess different species compositions and their impacts.

Biscogniauxia (Hypoxylon) Canker or Dieback in Trees

EDIS ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Paez ◽  
Jason A. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Root Disease ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Quercus Spp

Biscogniauxia canker or dieback (formerly called Hypoxylon canker or dieback) is a common contributor to poor health and decay in a wide range of tree species (Balbalian & Henn 2014). This disease is caused by several species of fungi in the genus Biscogniauxia (formerly Hypoxylon). B. atropunctata or B. mediterranea are usually the species found on Quercus spp. and other hosts in Florida, affecting trees growing in many different habitats, such as forests, parks, green spaces and urban areas (McBride & Appel, 2009).  Typically, species of Biscogniauxia are opportunistic pathogens that do not affect healthy and vigorous trees; some species are more virulent than others. However, once they infect trees under stress (water stress, root disease, soil compaction, construction damage etc.) they can quickly colonize the host. Once a tree is infected and fruiting structures of the fungus are evident, the tree is not likely to survive especially if the infection is in the tree's trunk (Anderson et al., 1995).

scholarly journals Camera Trapping to Assess Status and Composition of Mammal Communities in a Biodiversity Hotspot in Myanmar

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 880
Author(s):  
Giacomo Cremonesi ◽  
Francesco Bisi ◽  
Lorenzo Gaffi ◽  
Thet Zaw ◽  
Hla Naing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Disturbance ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Wildlife Trade ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Occupancy Models ◽  
Apex Predators ◽  
Disturbed Area ◽  
The Status ◽  
Mammal Communities

Tropical forests comprise a critically impacted habitat, and it is known that altered forests host a lower diversity of mammal communities. In this study, we investigated the mammal communities of two areas in Myanmar with similar environmental conditions but with great differences in habitat degradation and human disturbance. The main goal was to understand the status and composition of these communities in an understudied area like Myanmar at a broad scale. Using camera trap data from a three-year-long campaign and hierarchical occupancy models with a Bayesian formulation, we evaluated the biodiversity level (species richness) and different ecosystem functions (diet and body mass), as well as the occupancy values of single species as a proxy for population density. We found a lower mammal diversity in the disturbed area, with a significantly lower number of carnivores and herbivores species. Interestingly, the area did not show alteration in its functional composition. Almost all the specific roles in the community were present except for apex predators, thus suggesting that the effects of human disturbance are mainly effecting the communities highest levels. Furthermore, two species showed significantly lower occupancies in the disturbed area during all the monitoring campaigns: one with a strong pressure for bushmeat consumption and a vulnerable carnivore threatened by illegal wildlife trade.

scholarly journals Sequence data from isolated lichen-associated melanized fungi enhance delimitation of two new lineages within Chaetothyriomycetidae

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 911-927
Author(s):  
Lucia Muggia ◽  
Yu Quan ◽  
Cécile Gueidan ◽  
Abdullah M. S. Al-Hatmi ◽  
Martin Grube ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Data ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Asexual Propagation ◽  
Dna Sequence Data ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Family ◽  
Rock Inhabiting Fungi ◽  
Stable Habitat

AbstractLichen thalli provide a long-lived and stable habitat for colonization by a wide range of microorganisms. Increased interest in these lichen-associated microbial communities has revealed an impressive diversity of fungi, including several novel lineages which still await formal taxonomic recognition. Among these, members of the Eurotiomycetes and Dothideomycetes usually occur asymptomatically in the lichen thalli, even if they share ancestry with fungi that may be parasitic on their host. Mycelia of the isolates are characterized by melanized cell walls and the fungi display exclusively asexual propagation. Their taxonomic placement requires, therefore, the use of DNA sequence data. Here, we consider recently published sequence data from lichen-associated fungi and characterize and formally describe two new, individually monophyletic lineages at family, genus, and species levels. The Pleostigmataceae fam. nov. and Melanina gen. nov. both comprise rock-inhabiting fungi that associate with epilithic, crust-forming lichens in subalpine habitats. The phylogenetic placement and the monophyly of Pleostigmataceae lack statistical support, but the family was resolved as sister to the order Verrucariales. This family comprises the species Pleostigma alpinum sp. nov., P. frigidum sp. nov., P. jungermannicola, and P. lichenophilum sp. nov. The placement of the genus Melanina is supported as a lineage within the Chaetothyriales. To date, this genus comprises the single species M. gunde-cimermaniae sp. nov. and forms a sister group to a large lineage including Herpotrichiellaceae, Chaetothyriaceae, Cyphellophoraceae, and Trichomeriaceae. The new phylogenetic analysis of the subclass Chaetothyiomycetidae provides new insight into genus and family level delimitation and classification of this ecologically diverse group of fungi.

scholarly journals Quantifying Understory Complexity in Unmanaged Forests Using TLS and Identifying Some of Its Major Drivers

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1513
Author(s):  
Dominik Seidel ◽  
Peter Annighöfer ◽  
Christian Ammer ◽  
Martin Ehbrecht ◽  
Katharina Willim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Canopy Openness ◽  
Seasonal Precipitation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Precipitation And Temperature

The structural complexity of the understory layer of forests or shrub layer vegetation in open shrublands affects many ecosystem functions and services provided by these ecosystems. We investigated how the basal area of the overstory layer, annual and seasonal precipitation, annual mean temperature, as well as light availability affect the structural complexity of the understory layer along a gradient from closed forests to open shrubland with only scattered trees. Using terrestrial laser scanning data and the understory complexity index (UCI), we measured the structural complexity of sites across a wide range of precipitation and temperature, also covering a gradient in light availability and basal area. We found significant relationships between the UCI and tree basal area as well as canopy openness. Structural equation models (SEMs) confirmed significant direct effects of seasonal precipitation on the UCI without mediation through basal area or canopy openness. However, annual precipitation and temperature effects on the UCI are mediated through canopy openness and basal area, respectively. Understory complexity is, despite clear dependencies on the available light and overall stand density, significantly and directly driven by climatic parameters, particularly the amount of precipitation during the driest month.

scholarly journals Effects of Temperature on Anoplophora chinensis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) Adult Survival, Reproduction, and Egg Hatch

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melody A. Keena ◽  
Paul M. Moore ◽  
Gregg Bradford
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Adult Survival ◽  
Optimum Temperature ◽  
Egg Hatch ◽  
Laboratory Conditions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Survival And Reproduction ◽  
Summer Temperatures ◽  
Effects Of Temperature

Anoplophora chinensis (Forster) is an invasive species that can damage many tree species in orchard, urban, and forested habitats. Adult survival, reproduction, and egg hatch of A. chinensis from Italy and China are evaluated at eight constant temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 °C) under laboratory conditions. The estimated Tmax for longevity was 42 and 33 °C for females and 42 and 39 °C for males from China and Italy, respectively. The estimated Tmax, Tmin, and optimum temperature for fecundity were 35, 9, and 29 °C, respectively. Females laid eggs at 15–30 °C and eggs hatched at 15–35 °C. Days to first oviposition increased exponentially from 13 days at 30 °C to >300 days near 10 °C. The estimated Tmin for egg hatch was 13 °C, the Tmax at 38 °C, and the optimum 29 °C. Percentage hatch was estimated to be highest at 26 °C and have a Tmax of 31 °C and Tmin of 10 °C. These results indicate that summer temperatures over a wide range of latitudes should support beetle survival and reproduction, but at temperatures ≥35 °C, oviposition ceases, and adult survivorship declines. In addition, females may survive into the fall, but lay fewer eggs that may not hatch. These responses of A. chinensis to temperature can be used for developing phenological models to predict the timing of stages for management or eradication efforts.

scholarly journals Photosynthesis and Related Physiological Parameters Differences Affected the Isoprene Emission Rate among 10 Typical Tree Species in Subtropical Metropolises

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 954
Author(s):  
Junyao Lyu ◽  
Feng Xiong ◽  
Ningxiao Sun ◽  
Yiheng Li ◽  
Chunjiang Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Photosynthetic Rate ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Emission Rate ◽  
Intercellular Co2 Concentration ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Photosynthetic Parameters ◽  
Emission Rates ◽  
Isoprene Emission

Volatile organic compound (VOCs) emission is an important cause of photochemical smog and particulate pollution in urban areas, and urban vegetation has been presented as an important source. Different tree species have different emission levels, so adjusting greening species collocation is an effective way to control biogenic VOC pollution. However, there is a lack of measurements of tree species emission in subtropical metropolises, and the factors influencing the species-specific differences need to be further clarified. This study applied an in situ method to investigate the isoprene emission rates of 10 typical tree species in subtropical metropolises. Photosynthesis and related parameters including photosynthetic rate, intercellular CO2 concentration, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate, which can influence the emission rate of a single species, were also measured. Results showed Salix babylonica always exhibited a high emission level, whereas Elaeocarpus decipiens and Ligustrum lucidum maintained a low level throughout the year. Differences in photosynthetic rate and stomatal CO2 conductance are the key parameters related to isoprene emission among different plants. Through the establishment of emission inventory and determination of key photosynthetic parameters, the results provide a reference for the selection of urban greening species, as well as seasonal pollution control, and help to alleviate VOC pollution caused by urban forests.

A closed-loop wide-range tunable mechanical resonator for energy harvesting systems

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 094004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Peters ◽  
Dominic Maurath ◽  
Wolfram Schock ◽  
Florian Mezger ◽  
Yiannos Manoli
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Mechanical Resonator ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Harvesting Systems
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