Transport-driven aerosol differences above and below the canopy of a mixed deciduous forest

Exchanges of energy and mass between the surrounding air and plant surfaces occur below, within, and above a forest's vegetative canopy. The canopy also can lead to vertical gradients in light, trace gases, oxidant availability, turbulent mixing, and properties and concentrations of organic aerosol (OA). In this study, a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer was used to measure non-refractory submicron aerosol composition and concentration above (30 m) and below (6 m) a forest canopy in a mixed deciduous forest at the Program for Research on Oxidants: PHotochemistry, Emissions, and Transport tower in northern Michigan during the summer of 2016. Three OA factors are resolved using positive matrix factorization: more-oxidized oxygenated organic aerosol (MO-OOA), isoprene-epoxydiol-derived organic aerosol (IEPOX-OA), and 91Fac (a factor characterized with a distinct fragment ion at m/z 91) from both the above- and the below-canopy inlets. MO-OOA was most strongly associated with long-range transport from more polluted regions to the south, while IEPOX-OA and 91Fac were associated with shorter-range transport and local oxidation chemistry. Overall vertical similarity in aerosol composition, degrees of oxidation, and diurnal profiles between the two inlets was observed throughout the campaign, which implies that rapid in-canopy transport of aerosols is efficient enough to cause relatively consistent vertical distributions of aerosols at this scale. However, four distinct vertical gradient episodes are identified for OA, with vertical concentration differences (above-canopy minus below-canopy concentrations) in total OA of up to 0.8 µg m−3, a value that is 42 % of the campaign average OA concentration of 1.9 µg m−3. The magnitude of these differences correlated with concurrent vertical differences in either sulfate aerosol or ozone. These differences are likely driven by a combination of long-range transport mechanisms, canopy-scale mixing, and local chemistry. These results emphasize the importance of including vertical and horizontal transport mechanisms when interpreting trace gas and aerosol data in forested environments.

Short Communication: Curcuma wanenlueanga (Zingiberaceae), a new species of subgenus Curcuma from Thailand

Saensouk S, Boonma T, Thomudtha A, Thomudtha P, Saensouk P. 2021. Short Communication: Curcuma wanenlueanga (Zingiberaceae), a new species of subgenus Curcuma from Thailand. Biodiversitas 22: 2988-2994. Curcuma wanenlueanga Saensouk, Thomudtha & Boonma, a new species of Curcuma subgenus Curcuma (Zingiberaceae) from Thailand was described with detailed illustrations, and photographs. The dominant morphological description is terminal inflorescence, leaf adaxially green with reddish-purple along the midrib, leaf-sheath with reddish-brown tinge. Moreover, the color and smell rhizome of C. wanenlueanga has yellow with a darker core internally. It is distributed in Mae Hong Son Province, Northern Thailand, and cultivated throughout the country, i.e. Nakhon Nayok, Maha Sarakham, Chiang Mai, Tak, Chantaburi, Suratthani, and Kanchanaburi Provinces. It is used as Thai traditional medicinal. It grows in in sandy loam soil and well-drained in the mixed-deciduous forest, at elevation 700-900 m asl. It is accompanied by a revised key to 26 species of Curcuma subgenus Curcuma from Thailand.

Transport-driven aerosol differences above and below the canopy of a mixed deciduous forest

Exchanges of energy and mass between the surrounding air and plant surfaces occur below, within, and above a forest's vegetative canopy. The canopy also can lead to vertical gradients in light, trace gases, oxidant availability, turbulent mixing, and properties and concentrations of organic aerosols (OA). In this study, a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer is used to measure non-refractory submicron aerosol composition and concentration above (30 m) and below (6 m) a forest canopy in a mixed deciduous forest at the Program for Research on Oxidants: Photochemistry, Emissions, and Transport tower in northern Michigan during the summer of 2016. Three OA factors are resolved using positive matrix factorization: more-oxidized oxygenated organic aerosol (MO-OOA), isoprene-epoxydiol-derived organic aerosol (IEPOX-OA), and 91Fac (a factor characterized with a distinct fragment ion at m/z 91) from both the above- and below-canopy inlets. MO-OOA was most strongly associated with long-range transport from more polluted regions to the south, while IEPOX-OA and 91Fac were associated with shorter-range transport and local oxidation chemistry. Overall vertical similarity in aerosol composition, degrees of oxidation, and diurnal profiles between the two inlets was observed throughout the campaign, which implies that rapid in-canopy transport of aerosols is efficient enough to cause relatively consistent vertical distributions of aerosols at this scale. However, four distinct vertical gradient episodes are identified for OA, with vertical concentration differences (above-canopy minus below-canopy concentrations) in total OA of up to 0.8 μg/m3. The magnitude of these differences correlated with concurrent vertical differences in either sulfate aerosol or ozone. These differences are likely driven by a combination of long-range transport mechanisms, canopy-scale mixing and local chemistry. These results emphasize the importance of including vertical and horizontal transport mechanisms when interpreting trace gas and aerosol data in forested environments.

The genus Dolichandrone (Fenzl.) Seem. (Bignoniaceae) in Thailand

Boonthasak W, Ngernsaengsaruay C. 2021. The genus Dolichandrone (Fenzl.) Seem. (Bignoniaceae) in Thailand. Biodiversitas 22: 1120-1128. Morphological, anatomical, and palynological studies of the genus Dolichandrone (Bignoniaceae) Thailand were conducted. Three species, D. columnaris Santisuk, D. serrulata (Wall. ex DC.) Seem., and D. spathacea (L. f.) Seem. were investigated. Morphological descriptions, distributions and ecological information are provided. A key to the species based on morphological characters are leaflet margins, length of lower cylindric tube and upper campanulate tube of corolla, width of upper campanulate tube of corolla, winged seed, shape and characters of fruits, width of septum, characters and width of pseudoseptum. D. columnaris occurs in low-lying rice fields and marshlands only in the peninsular region. D. serrulata occurs in mixed deciduous forest and low-lying rice fields in the eastern, central and peninsular regions. D. spathacea occurs in edges of mangrove forest in the central, south-eastern and peninsular regions. A key to the species based on anatomical characters includes leaf type, number of rows of palisade cells, arrangement of axial parenchyma, and height of ray parenchyma. All pollen grains are similar and do not provide characters for identification within the genus Dolichandrone.

Two new species records of Lecithoceridae (Gelechioidea: Lepidoptera) from India

The Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, located in the Dalma Hills about 10 km north of the city of Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India, is topographically and climatically unique. It encompasses a forested area of over 195 km2 east of the Singhbhum and Saraikela-kharsawan districts of Jharkhand, extending from Chandil about 40 km eastward, running nearly parallel to the National Highway-33 at an altitude of about 280 m. The forests of the sanctuary are "dry peninsular sal" and "northern dry mixed deciduous forest".

The effects of forest edge and nest height on nest predation in a U.K. deciduous forest fragment

It has been previously hypothesised that nest predation is higher at forest edges. This has important conservation implications for the increasingly fragmented U.K. climax community. I aimed to test the generality of this edge effect in a mixed deciduous forest fragment which borders open grassland. Artificial nests containing a combination of quail and plasticine eggs were used, at ground and arboreal levels. I found an overall edge effect on nest predation rates, however this effect was not specifically seen in ground nests. Ground nests experienced significantly higher levels of predation than arboreal nests. I suggest this edge effect is due in part to the steep productivity gradient over the ecotone.

Suku Phyllanthaceae pada Rawa Bakau dan Tambak di Telang Asri, Kabupaten Bangkalan, Pulau Madura

Madura island is known as a mixed deciduous forest area with dry seasons and limestone soil. The island has unique plant species compared to the mainland Java. However, most of the mangrove forest areas have been converted into ponds and housing. One of the remaining mangrove swamps is located at Telang Asri village, Kamal Subdistrict, Bangkalan Regency. Several species of mangroves have been reported here, along with other groups of plants from the Phyllanthaceae family, found numerously at the time of observation. In 1963, CA Backer and RC Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr. have already listed 16 species of Phyllanthaceae from Madura Island. Since then, the updated information on the Phyllanthaceae of Madura has not been available. Therefore, this study aimed to collect the members of Phyllanthaceae family in the mangrove swamp areas of Telang Asri village. The field study was carried out using the exploratory method, while specimen preparation was conducted in Herbarium Bandungense (FIPIA). In this study, seven species were collected from Telang Asri, namely Glochidion littorale Blume, G. zeylanicum (Gaertn.) A. Juss., Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. and Thonn., P. debilis Klein ex Willd., P. reticulatus Poir., P. urinaria L., and P. virgatus G. Forst.