Acknowledgements: We thank John McMillan, David Laibson, Colin Camerer, and three anonymous referees for useful comments. We thank Mandar Oak and Rosa Stipanovic for research assistance. For financial support, Frederick and Loewenstein thank the Integrated Study of the Human Dimensions of Global Change at Carnegie Mellon University (NSF Grant SBR-9521914), and O’Donoghue thanks the National Sci...

Oak savanna is one of the most endangered ecosystems of North America, with less than 0.02% of its original area remaining. Here we test whether oak savanna supports a unique community of ectomycorrhizal fungi, a higher diversity of ectomycorrhizal fungi or a greater proportional abundance of ascomycete fungi compared with adjacent areas where the absence of fire has resulted in oak savanna con...

1. Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 2. The Institute for Functional Imaging of Materials, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 3. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville TN 37996 4. Materials Sciences and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, T...

Zagros vegetation zone is one of the most important forest regions in Iran, which consists of a diverse group of arboreal species, especially oaks (Quercus spp.). Ilam province located in west of Iran and in Zagros vegetation zone which has 641000 ha of oak forests that its dominant species is Persian oak (Q. brantii). Oak trees decline is a complicated phenomenon that may result from different...

Early regeneration success of upland oaks (Quercus spp. L.) was compared for three regeneration cutting treatments in the Sandstone Mountain Region of northern Alabama. Two 4-acre replications each of block dearcutting. strip cutting, and deferment cutting were established on north-facing slopes. The three harvesting treatments were applied in midsummer. Regeneration subplots were reinventoried...

Invasive, non-indigenous, phytophagous insects have caused widespread declines in several dominant tree species. The decline in dominant tree species may lead to cascading effects on other tree and microbial species and their interactions, affecting forest recovery following the decline. In the eastern USA, eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr) is declining because of infestation by the ...

The effect on herbaceous production of blue oak canopies of 25, 50, and 75 percent, and the effect of complete removal of such canopies were determined over a 7-year period for a single site in the foothills of the northern Sierra Nevada. Tree covered plots produced 12 percent less than open grassland plots, while cleared plots produced 46 percent more than tree covered plots. Percentage differ...

Oak wilt is a vascular disease of oak trees caused by the fungus Bretziella fagacearum . Once infected, may die in few weeks. Although currently only found United States, it has been reported within just hundred meters Canada–USA border. To limit establishment and spread Canada, development an on-site, quick reliable method to detect B. critical. In this study, we developed validated new qPCR T...

Oaks are foundational species in much of California, and many oak populations in the state may be in jeopardy due to a lack of recruitment of young trees. Despite considerable interest in this problem, there have been few comprehensive surveys of all stages of oak development. We surveyed all stages of three oaks: Quercus lobata, Q. douglasii, and Q. agrifolia in a forest plot with mixed land-u...