Forest fragmentation is a ubiquitous, ongoing global phenomenon with profound impacts on the growing conditions of the world's remaining forest. The temperate broadleaf forest makes a large contribution to the global terrestrial carbon sink but is also the most heavily fragmented forest biome in the world. We use field measurements and geospatial analyses to characterize carbon dynamics in temp...

We examined reassembly of winning and losing tree species, species traits including shade and fire tolerance, and associated disturbance filters and forest ecosystem types due to rapid forest change in the Great Lakes region since 1850. We identified winning and losing species by changes in composition, distribution, and site factors between historical and current surveys in Minnesota's mixed a...

Freeze-induced cell tensions were determined by cell water relations in leaves of broadleaf evergreen species and cell cultures of grapes (Vitis spp.) and apple (Malus domestica). Cell tensions increased in response to cold acclimation in leaves of broadleaf evergreen species during extracellular freezing, indicating a higher resistance to cell volume changes during freezing in cold-hardened le...

Natural regeneration is the natural process by which plants replace themselves. It is a cost-effective way to re-establish vegetation, and it helps to preserve genetic identity and diversity. In this study, we investigated the natural regeneration of trees in three types of afforested stands in the Taihang Mountains, China, which were dominated by Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust), Quercus va...

The spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), is one of the most destructive insects infesting spruce forests in Europe. Data concerning infestations of I. typographus occurring over the last 19 years (1994–2012) on the Southern Alps were analyzed in seven spruce forest types: (1) pure spruce plantations; (2) pure spruce reforestations; (3) pure spruce mo...

Arable land weed seed banks are dynamic and reflect cropping history, current management, and environment. Changes in crop rotation and tillage system can alter weed seed density and species composition. In the semi-arid region of the Pacific Northwest, USA, no-till spring cropping is being studied as an alternative to the traditional winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)/dust-mulch fallow (WWF) ...

Leaf area index (LAI) is an important variable needed by various land surface process models. It has been produced operationally from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data using a look-up table (LUT) method, but the inversion accuracy still needs significant improvements. We propose an alternative method in this study that integrates both the radiative transfer (RT) sim...

The lowlands associated with the Mississippi River and its tributaries historically supported extensive broadleaf forests that were particularly rich in oak (Quercus spp.) species. Beginning in the 1700s, deforestation for agriculture substantially reduced the extent of the original forest, and fragmented the remainder into small parcels. More recently, declines in agricultural commodity prices...

Genotypes of burley (cultivars B-21 and B-49), flue-cured (line VA-81 and cultivar PD-4), and Connecticut broadleaf (cultivar C9) tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) resistant (R) or susceptible (S) to the tobacco cyst nematode Globodera tabacum tabacum were crossed. F1 progeny of burley and susceptible broadleaf were selfed and backcrossed to produce additional progeny for evaluation of resistance in ...

[1] In this paper, we use growing season Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as an indicator of plant growth to quantify the relationships between vegetation production and intra-annual precipitation patterns for three major temperate biomes in China: grassland, deciduous broadleaf forest, and deciduous coniferous forest. With increased precipitation, NDVI of grassland and deciduous b...