We analyzed the similarity of structural and functional characteristics of temperate grassland and shrubland ecosystems of North and South America. We based our analyses on correlative models that describe the climatic controls of grassland and shrubland structure and functioning at regional scales. We evaluated models that describe the regional distribution of plant functional types (C3 and C4...

Construction of six large dams and reservoirs on the Missouri River over the last 50-75 years has resulted in major landscape changes and alterations in flow patterns, with implications for riparian forests dominated by plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides). We quantified changes in land cover from 1892-1950s and the 1950s-2006 and the current extent and age structure of cottonwood forests on s...

Many threatened primates now exist in fragmented forest habitats. The survival of these populations may depend on their ability to utilise agricultural or other matrix habitats between forest fragments, but this is poorly known. Here, we systematically investigate an arboreal primate’s use of a heterogeneous matrix in a fragmented forest landscape: the Angola black-and-white colobus (Colobus an...

In order to understand how carbon storage and allocation patterns vary among plantation types, we estimated carbon allocation between aboveand below-ground compartments in four subtropical plantations and a naturally recovered shrubland (as a control). Results indicated that the carbon storage and allocation pattern varied greatly among forest types and was highly dependent on specific traits o...

in agroforestry landscapes, land use, and the associated management practices exert strong impacts upon soil organic carbon stocks. data on the soil organic carbon were collected for different land-use types within a small watershed, el salado, located in lanjarón (se spain). eight land-use types namely: farmland planted in olive, almond, and cereals; forest with pinus halepensis mill. and pinu...

Spatial-temporal changes of land use and land cover in Luang Namtha Province in northern part of Laos was analyzed using Landsat TM (Thematic Mapper)/ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper) images from 1990 to 2010 since the opening of the Boten border adjacent to China. The results showed that: (1) “forest land—cultivated land—grassland” was the primary landscape structure. Woodland was the major land...

This paper constitutes a digest and critique of the currently available information pertaining to the influence of live fuel or foliar moisture content (FMC) on the spread rate of crown fires in conifer forests and shrublands. We review and discuss the findings from laboratory experiments and field-based fire behaviour studies. Laboratory experimentation with single needles or leaves and small ...

Urbanization increases risk for depression and other mental disorders. A growing body of research indicates the natural environment confers numerous psychological benefits including alleviation of mental distress. This study examined land cover types and landscape metrics in relation to mental health for 276 U.S. counties within metropolitan areas having a population of 1 million or more. Count...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Post-fire regeneration is a key process in Mediterranean shrubland dynamics, strongly determining the functional properties of the community. In this study, a test is carried out to determine whether there is co-variation between species regenerative types and functional attributes related to water use. METHODS An analysis was made of the seasonal variations in leaf relati...