POTENTIAL SEX PHEROMONE COMPONENTS OF THE SADDLED PROMINENT (LEPIDOPTERA: NOTODONTIDAE)

2000 ◽  
Vol 132 (5) ◽  
pp. 681-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.J. Silk ◽  
G.C. Lonergan ◽  
D.C. Allen ◽  
J. Spear-O’Mara

Significant outbreaks of saddled prominent, Heterocampa guttivitta (Walker), have been recorded in northern hardwood stands throughout the northeastern United States since 1907 and were first noted in Ontario in 1938 (Martinat and Allen 1988). The insect overwinters as a pupa beneath litter, adult emergence begins in late May and peaks in mid-June, and oviposition activity ends in early July. Consequently, the major impact of defoliation usually occurs in late summer feeding. Principal hosts are sugar maple, Acer saccharum Marsh. (Aceraceae), American beech, Fagus grandifolia (Ehrh.) (Fagaceae), and yellow birch, Betula alleghaniensis Britton (Betulaceae) (Rush and Allen 1987). Two successive years of severe (>75%) defoliation of sugar maple result in significant growth loss (Bauce and Allen 1991), and heavy mortality may occur to understory sugar maple (Grimble and Newel1 1973). The quantity and sugar content of sugar maple sap are dramatically reduced the spring following heavy (>50%) defoliation (Magasi 1981; Handy 1968). Heavy to severe defoliation may cause crown dieback and defoliation and, in concert with other stresses, may initiate maple decline (Giese et al. 1964). Currently, monitoring and evaluation of saddled prominent populations must rely on egg sampling (Grimble and Kasile 1974), a time-consuming process that is inconvenient for survey personnel and landowners. A sex pheromone has not been identified for this species (nor for any other North American Notodontidae) and would be a potentially useful tool for detecting incipient outbreaks, predicting population levels, and evaluating population trends.

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 390-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilou Beaudet ◽  
Christian Messier ◽  
David W Hilbert ◽  
Ernest Lo ◽  
Zhang M Wang ◽  
...  

Leaf-level photosynthetic-light response and plant-level daily carbon gain were estimated for seedlings of moderately shade-tolerant yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton) and shade-tolerant sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) growing in gaps and under a closed canopy in a sugar maple stand at Duchesnay, Que. All three species had a higher photosynthetic capacity (Amax) in the gaps than in shade, but yellow birch and beech responded more markedly than sugar maple to the increase in light availability. The high degree of plasticity observed in beech suggests that the prediction that photosynthetic plasticity should decrease with increasing shade tolerance may not hold when comparisons are made among a few late-successional species. Unit-area daily carbon gain (CA) was significantly higher in the gaps than in shade for all three species, but no significant difference was observed between light environments for plant-level carbon gain (CW). In shade, we found no difference of CA and CW among species. In gaps, beech had a significantly higher CA than sugar maple but similar to that of birch, and birch had a significantly higher CW than maple but similar to that of beech. Sugar maple consistently had lower carbon gains than yellow birch and beech but is nevertheless the dominant species at our study site. These results indicate that although plant-level carbon gain is presumably more closely related to growth and survival of a species than leaf-level photosynthesis, it is still many steps removed from the ecological success of a species.


2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie L. Cleavitt ◽  
John J. Battles ◽  
Chris E. Johnson ◽  
Timothy J. Fahey

Forest harvesting can impact site quality by removing essential nutrients, exacerbating the effects of historic base cation losses associated with acid deposition. We studied the 30-year trajectory of forest recovery from clearcutting (whole-tree harvest (WTH)) in a forest originally dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). At both the watershed scale (21.9 ha) and the “detailed” plot scale (1 m2), a dramatic decline of sugar maple was observed, along with maintenance of American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) and an increase in birch, mainly yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.). Many of the “detailed” plots where sugar maple failed to recruit became unoccupied rather than being “won” by another species. The decline of sugar maple was most severe in the upper elevation zones of the watershed, where low base status (especially Ca) of the soils was a likely driver. The results support previous studies indicating that regeneration by sugar maple is severely compromised on base cation depleted soils. Lower survival of seedlings for sugar maple emphasized the importance of maintaining advance regeneration to favor desired species such as sugar maple. Foresters should consider that sites with low base saturation and exchangeable Ca are likely to exhibit regeneration failure for sugar maple in the long term, even those with initial dominance by this species.


2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 881-891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farrah R. Fatemi ◽  
Ruth D. Yanai ◽  
Steven P. Hamburg ◽  
Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur ◽  
Mary A. Arthur ◽  
...  

Estimates of aboveground biomass and nutrient stocks are commonly derived using equations that describe tree dimensional relationships. Despite the widespread use of this approach, there is little information about whether equations specific to stand age are necessary for accurate biomass predictions. We developed equations for small trees (2–12 cm diameter) of six species in four young northern hardwood stands. We then compared our equations with equations used frequently in the literature that were developed in mature stands (Whittaker et al. 1974. Ecol. Monogr. 44: 233–252). Our equations for yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) predicted 11%–120% greater stem wood for individual trees compared with the equations from Whittaker et al. and, on average, 50% greater aboveground yellow birch biomass in the four stands that we studied. Differences were less pronounced for sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.) and American beech ( Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.); our equations predicted, on average, 9% greater aboveground stand biomass for sugar maple and 3% lower biomass for American beech compared with Whittaker et al. Our results suggest that stand age may be an important factor influencing the aboveground allometry and biomass of small yellow birch trees in these developing northern hardwood stands.


2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 632-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Bannon ◽  
Sylvain Delagrange ◽  
Nicolas Bélanger ◽  
Christian Messier

Studies have reported divergent results on the effect of soil fertility and canopy opening on understory density and growth of sugar maple (AS; Acer saccharum Marsh.) and American beech (FG; Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.). The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a gradient of canopy opening and soil fertility on the density and growth of AS and FG saplings in southwestern Quebec, Canada. We investigated 56 stands containing both AS and FG that were subjected to different disturbance history types (DHTs) (UF, unmanaged forest; PC, partial cut; and CC, clearcut) on various soil types. AS and FG absolute and relative sapling density varied greatly among the 56 stands; however, no significant effects of DHT, soil nutrient availability, or their interaction were found. Both species responded positively in terms of radial growth to canopy openings, with FG growth being slightly better than AS growth in PC stands compared with other canopy treatments. Contrary to our hypothesis, AS did not show significantly higher growth than FG following clear-cutting. These results do not support the idea that AS abundance and growth could be promoted by increasing the intensity of the canopy opening during harvest, at least on the generally acidic and base-poor soils that were investigated.


2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 2273-2282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Duchesne ◽  
Rock Ouimet

Recently, sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.) decline in northeastern North America has been regarded as a major factor structuring hardwood forests by favouring American beech ( Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) in the understory of maple-dominated stands. To determine whether soil fertility differences associated with sugar maple decline may have promoted the expansion of American beech, we explored the relationships between the soil base status and the sapling and tree strata density and composition, using data from 426 permanent sample plots distributed throughout Quebec. Our results indicate that American beech is currently expanding in the sugar maple range of Quebec. The abundance and proportion of American beech in the sapling stratum are mainly associated with the proportion of American beech in the tree stratum, the relative basal area of dead sugar maple trees, and the base status of soils. In accordance with the many studies reporting on the high sensitivity of sugar maple to the acid–base status of soils and the decline of the sugar maple population, this study supports the hypothesis that soil base cation depletion, caused in part by atmospheric acid deposition, is among the main factors involved in the present-day expansion of American beech over a large area in Quebec.


2007 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jodi A. Forrester ◽  
Kimberly K. Bohn

Abstract Forest management in northern hardwoods benefits from the use of site preparation treatments when the amount of American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) and fern species in the understory interferes with regeneration of more desirable species, e.g., sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marshall). We assessed the cover and diversity of herbaceous and woody species in the ground layer of three Adirondack northern hardwood stands before and 3 years after a mechanical site preparation that removed all trees less than 14 cm with a brush saw. The treatment significantly increased the cover of all species cumulatively, with herbaceous, shrub, and arborescent species increasing significantly more in treated plots than in untreated plots. Sugar maple cover increased more in treated plots than in untreated plots, although American beech did as well. Species richness increased significantly more in treated plots than in untreated plots, but differences in diversity and evenness were not significantly different because of treatment after 3 years. Multivariate analysis indicated only minor changes in the plant community composition. Results show that mechanical site preparation techniques are a viable option for promoting abundance and maintaining diversity of the ground-layer vegetation in northern hardwood forests.


2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew B. Russell ◽  
Aaron R. Weiskittel

Abstract An extensive statewide data set for seven conifer and eight hardwood species commonly occurring in Maine was used in the development of maximum and largest crown width equations. To establish the characteristics of open-grown trees, quantile regression was used to estimate the biological maximum crown width for a species at a given diameter. To predict crown widths of trees in forested settings, a constrained nonlinear equation was used, using the predicted maximum crown width, tree diameter, and crown ratio. The models performed well across the wide range of stand conditions present in the data set and improved predictions over the currently used crown width equations for most species (reduction of mean absolute error ranged from 1 to 23%). In general, predictions of largest crown width were not greatly improved with the inclusion of crown ratio, and there was a high amount of unexplained variation for shade-tolerant hardwood species, such as American beech (Fagus grandifolia) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum). The equations presented herein can be used in examining tree crown profiles, computing measurements of stand density, and investigating canopy dynamics for species common to the forests of Maine.


2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1295-1307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Long ◽  
Stephen B. Horsley ◽  
Thomas J. Hall

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) is a keystone species in the northern hardwood forest, and decline episodes have negatively affected the growth and health of sugar maple in portions of its range over the past 50+ years. Crown health, growth, survival, and flower and seed production of sugar maple were negatively affected by a widespread decline event in the mid-1980s on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau in northern Pennsylvania. A long-term liming study was initiated in 1985 to evaluate responses to a one-time application of 22.4 Mg·ha–1 of dolomitic limestone in four northern hardwood stands. Over the 23-year period ending in 2008, sugar maple basal area increment (BAINC) increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) in limed plots from 1995 through 2008, whereas American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) BAINC was unaffected. For black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.), the third principal overstory species, BAINC and survival were reduced in limed plots compared with unlimed plots. Foliar Ca and Mg remained significantly higher in sugar maple foliage sampled 21 years after lime application, showing persistence of the lime effect. These results show long-term species-specific responses to lime application.


1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
pp. 2425-2428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uldis Roze

Winter feeding of individual porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum L.) was studied in the northern Catskill Mountains of New York by following individual feeding trails in the snow. The study population as a whole fed primarily on beech (Fagus grandifolia) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and less frequently on eight other tree species. Individual porcupines limited their feeding to one or two species. An individual's primary food choice corresponded to the numerically most abundant tree species in its foraging area; its secondary food choice could not be related to relative density nor to relative basal area.


2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 488-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Lou Lefrançois ◽  
Marilou Beaudet ◽  
Christian Messier

Crown openness (CO) of mature trees influences light transmission within the forest canopy. However, in modeling, this variable is often considered constant within species, and its potential regional variability is ignored. The objective of this study was to evaluate if CO values of yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis Britt.), sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.), and eastern hemlock ( Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière) vary according to the following factors: (i) species, (ii) regional actual evapotranspiration (AET), (iii) tree size (i.e., diameter at breast height, DBH), and (iv) angle of transmission from zenith. To achieve this, CO was evaluated for 136 yellow birches, 109 sugar maples, and 68 hemlocks from different regions of western Quebec, southern Ontario, and northern Michigan. Results showed that all of the studied factors affected CO. While dominant trees can intercept light laterally as well as vertically, smaller trees are more efficient at intercepting light vertically. Increasing AET is associated with more open crowns. Given its importance in light transmission in the understory, a better understanding of how CO varies between individuals, species, and regions is needed.


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