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Environmental Controls (environmental + control)
Selected AbstractsEnvironmental control of fine root dynamics in a northern hardwood forestGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2003GERALDINE L. TIERNEY Abstract Understanding how exogenous and endogenous factors control the distribution, production and mortality of fine roots is fundamental to assessing the implications of global change, yet our knowledge of control over fine root dynamics remains rudimentary. To improve understanding of these processes, the present study developed regression relationships between environmental variables and fine root dynamics within a northern hardwood forest in New Hampshire, USA, which was experimentally manipulated with a snow removal treatment. Fine roots (< 1 mm diameter) were observed using minirhizotrons for 2 years in sugar maple and yellow birch stands and analyzed in relation to temperature, water and nutrient availability. Fine root dynamics at this site fluctuated seasonally, with growth and mortality peaking during warmer months. Monthly fine root production was strongly associated with mean monthly air temperature and neither soil moisture nor nutrient availability added additional predictive power to this relationship. This relationship exhibited a seasonal temperature hysteresis, which was altered by snow removal treatment. These results suggest that both exogenous and endogenous cues may be important in controlling fine root growth in this system. Proportional fine root mortality was directly associated with mean monthly soil temperature, and proportional fine root mortality during the over-winter interval was strongly related to whether the soil froze. The strong relationship between fine root production and air temperature reported herein contrasts with findings from some hardwood forest sites and indicates that controls on fine root dynamics vary geographically. Future research must more clearly distinguish between endogenous and exogenous control over fine root dynamics in various ecosystems. [source] Environmental controls and patterns of cumulative radial increment of evergreen tree species in montane, temperate rainforests of Chiloé Island, southern ChileAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2009CECILIA A. PÉREZ Abstract We investigated the local environmental controls on daily fluctuations of cumulative radial increment and cambial hydration of three dominant, evergreen tree species from montane, Coastal rainforests of Chiloé Island, Chile (42° 22, S). During 2 years (1997,1998 and 1998,1999) we recorded hourly cumulative radial increments using electronic band dendrometers in the long-lived conifer Fitzroya cupressoides (Cupressaceae), the evergreen broad-leaved Nothofagus nitida (Nothofagaceae), and the narrow-leaved conifer Podocarpus nubigena (Podocarpaceae). We also measured soil and cambial tissue hydration using capacitance sensors, together with air and soil temperature and rainfall during the period of the study. In addition, we collected cores of these tree species to evaluate how dendrometer measurements reflect annual tree ring width. One-year long daily time series of cumulative radial increments suggests that radial growth of Fitzroya cupressoides was initiated slowly in early spring, with a maximum in early summer. Multiple regressions showed positive relations between daily precipitation and radial index (i.e. the difference in cumulative radial increment of two consecutive days) in the three species. According to path analysis there was a significant direct effect of changes in tree hydration on radial index of the three focal species. In emergent, pioneer species such as Nothofagus and Fitzroya, radial index was negatively affected by changes in maximum air temperature and photosynthetically active radiation, probably because of high evapotranspiration demand on warm sunny days. The shade-tolerant species Podocarpus nubigena was positively affected by photosynthetically active radiation. Our diel scale findings support the use of tree ring widths for reconstructing past climate in these southern temperate forests and provide evidence that rainforest trees may be highly sensitive to future declines in rainfall and temperature increases during summer. [source] Loss of diversity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria correlates with increasing salinity in an estuary systemENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 9 2005Anne E. Bernhard Summary Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) play an important role in nitrogen cycling in estuaries, but little is known about AOB diversity, distribution and activity in relation to the chemical and physical changes encountered in estuary systems. Although estuarine salinity gradients are well recognized to influence microbial community structure, few studies have examined the influence of varying salinity on the diversity and stability of AOB populations. To investigate these relationships, we collected sediment samples from low-, mid- and high-salinity sites in Plum Island Sound estuary, MA, during spring and late summer over 3 years. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria distribution and diversity were assessed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) analysis of the ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) gene, and fragments were identified by screening amoA clone libraries constructed from each site. Most striking was the stability and low diversity of the AOB community at the high-salinity site, showing little variability over 3 years. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria at the high-salinity site were not closely related to any cultured AOB, but were most similar to Nitrosospira spp. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria at the mid- and low-salinity sites were distributed among Nitrosospira- like sequences and sequences related to Nitrosomonas ureae/oligotropha and Nitrosomonas sp. Nm143. Our study suggests that salinity is a strong environmental control on AOB diversity and distribution in this estuary. [source] Common variations in the pretest environment influence genotypic comparisons in models of anxietyGENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue 7 2005G. S. Izídio The behavioral characterization of rodent strains in different studies and laboratories can provide unreplicable results even when genotypes are kept constant and environmental control is maximized. In the present study, the influence of common laboratory environmental variables and their interaction with genotype on the results of behavioral tests of anxiety/emotionality were investigated. To this end, the inbred rat strains Lewis (LEW) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), which are known to differ for numerous emotionality-related behaviors, were tested in the open field (OF), elevated plus maze (EPM) and black/white box (BWB), while three environmental factors were systematically controlled and analyzed: (1) the experimenter handling the animal (familiar or unfamiliar); (2) the position of the home cage (top or bottom shelf of the rack) and (3) the behavioral state of the animal immediately before the test (arousal or rest). Experimenter familiarity did not alter the behavior of rats in the OF. Cage position, on the other hand, influenced the behavior in the OF and BWB, with rats housed in top cages appearing less anxious like than those housed in the bottom. In the BWB (but not in the OF), these effects were genotype dependent. Finally, the behavioral state of the animals prior to testing altered the results of the EPM in a strain-dependent manner, with some anxiety-related genotypic differences being found only among rats that were aroused in their home cages. This study showed that common variations in the laboratory environment interact with genotype in behavioral tests of anxiety/emotionality. Recognizing and understanding such variations can help in the design of more effective experiments. [source] Monoterpene emissions from rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis) in a changing landscape and climate: chemical speciation and environmental controlGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 11 2007YONG-FENG WANG Abstract Emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have important roles in ecophysiology and atmospheric chemistry at a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Tropical regions are a major global source of VOC emissions and magnitude and chemical speciation of VOC emissions are highly plant-species specific. Therefore it is important to study emissions from dominant species in tropical regions undergoing large-scale land-use change, for example, rubber plantations in South East Asia. Rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis) are strong emitters of light-dependent monoterpenes. Measurements of emissions from leaves were made in the dry season in February 2003 and at the beginning of the wet season in May 2005. Major emitted compounds were sabinene, , -pinene and , -pinene, but , -ocimene and linalool also contributed significantly at low temperature and light. Cis -ocimene was emitted with a circadian course independent of photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and temperature changes with a maximum in the middle of the day. Total isoprenoid VOC emission potential at the beginning of the wet season (94 ,g gdw,1 h,1) was almost two orders of magnitude higher than measured in the dry season (2 ,g g dw,1 h,1). Composition of total emissions changed with increasing temperature or PAR ramps imposed throughout a day. As well as light and temperature, there was evidence that assimilation rate was also a factor contributing to seasonal regulating emission potential of monoterpenes from rubber trees. Results presented here contribute to a better understanding of an important source of biogenic VOC associated with land-use change in tropical South East Asia. [source] Isolation of highly copper-tolerant fungi from the smelter of the Naganobori copper mine, an historic mine in JapanJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2008K. Fujii Abstract Aims:, Copper is a critical metal of modern industry, and is the most widespread heavy metal contaminant in wastewater. Therefore, isolation of copper-tolerant microbes having the potential as biosorbent is fascinating not only from an environmental microbiology, but also from a biotechnology view point. In this study, we attempted to isolate highly copper-tolerant microbes from soil samples of the Nabanobori copper mine, the oldest mine in Japan. Methods and Results:, As a result of an enrichment culture, two fungal strains were isolated from soil of the smelter remains. The isolates could grow in a maximum of 200 mmol l,l Cu2+, and grew under a wide pH range. The Cu2+ -binding capacity of nontreated biomass of the isolates was around 35 mg Cu2+ g,1 -biomass. Analysis of 18S rDNA suggested that the isolates belong to the Aspergillus/Penicillium clade, but they represented a distinct lineage against known neighbours. Conclusion:, The isolates were highly copper-tolerant, and their Cu2+ -binding capacity was comparable to well-studied fungal sorbents. The isolates were implied as novel species. Soil of the historic old mine under weather-beaten conditions might be a suitable source for metal-tolerant microbes. Significance and Impact of the Study:, The present results advance our understanding of metal-tolerant microbes, and offer a new tool for both environmental control and metal recovery operations. [source] Cassava root yields and culinary qualities as affected by harvest age and test environmentJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 4 2003Jacob M Ngeve Abstract Five cassava genotypes were grown at five contrasting sites in Cameroon, and their roots were harvested 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 months after planting, to determine the effects of growing environment and harvest age on storage root yields and culinary qualities. The highest root yields were obtained at Ekona (26.3,t,ha,1), whereas the highest root counts were recorded at Bertoua (33 roots per 10,m2). Root yields were lowest (2.9,t,ha,1) when roots were harvested at 6 months, but continued to bulk up to 18.5,t,ha,1 at 16 months. The greatest root increase (9.3,t,ha,1) was observed between 8 and 12 months. Improved and local varieties had comparable dry matter contents (39%). All clones cooked when harvested at 6 and 8 months; thereafter, improved clones did not cook, and cooking duration continued to increase even for the local variety, accounting for the difficulty seen in disseminating these newly developed clones to growers. Cooking durations of roots were longer at Nkolbisson, Bertoua and Ebolowa than at Ekona and Yoke. Soil carbon content was negatively correlated (r,=,,0.999***) with mealiness but not with cooking duration. Cooking quality appears to be under genetic and environmental control. Further studies to elucidate the role of the environment on cookability should concentrate on duration of the rainy and dry seasons, soil physical and chemical properties, and starch chemistry of the genotypes. Suggestions for further research are discussed. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Environmental regulation and modelling of cassava canopy conductance under drying root-zone soil waterMETEOROLOGICAL APPLICATIONS, Issue 3 2007Philip G. Oguntunde Abstract Sap flow was measured, with Granier-type sensors, in a crop of field-grown water-stressed cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in Ghana, West Africa. The main objective of this study was to examine the environmental control of canopy conductance (gc) with a view to modelling the stomatal control of water transport under water-stressed condition. Weather variables measured concurrently with sap flow were: air temperature (Ta), relative humidity (RH), wind speed (u) and solar radiation (Rs). Relationship between canopy conductance (gc) and vapour pressure deficit (D,) was curvilinear while no specific pattern was observed with Rs. Average diurnal gc decreased from 3.0 ± 0.6 to 0.7 ± 0.4 mm s,1 between 0730 and 2000 h local time ( = GMT) each day. A Jarvis-type model, based on a set of environmental control functions, was parameterized for the cassava crop in this study. Model results demonstrated that gc was estimated with a high degree of accuracy based on Rs, Ta, and D, (r2 = 0.92;F = 809.2;P < 0.0001). D, explained about 90% (F = 2129.7;P < 0.0001) of the variations observed in gc, whereas both Rs and Ta contributed about 2% of the explained variance in gc. The aerodynamic conductance (ga) was very high compared to gc, leading to a daily average ratio ga/gc > 100 and a decoupling factor < 0.1. Cross-validation analysis revealed a consistent good performance (r2 > 0.85) of the gc model with D, as the only independent environmental variable. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society [source] A Csr-type regulatory system, including small non-coding RNAs, regulates the global virulence regulator RovA of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis through RovMMOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2008Ann Kathrin Heroven Summary The MarR-type regulator RovA controls expression of virulence genes of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in response to environmental signals. Using a genetic strategy to discover components that influence rovA expression, we identified new regulatory factors with homology to components of the carbon storage regulator system (Csr). We showed that overexpression of a CsrB- or a CsrC-type RNA activates rovA, whereas a CsrA-like protein represses RovA synthesis. We further demonstrate that influence of the Csr system on rovA is indirect and occurs through control of the LysR regulator RovM, which inhibits rovA transcription. The CsrA protein had also a major influence on the motility of Yersinia, which was independent of RovM. The CsrB and CsrC RNAs are differentially expressed in Yersinia. CsrC is highly induced in complex but not in minimal media, indicating that medium-dependent rovM expression is mediated through CsrC. CsrB synthesis is generally very low. However, overexpression of the response regulator UvrY was found to activate CsrB production, which in turn represses CsrC synthesis independent of the growth medium. In summary, the post-transcriptional Csr-type components were shown to be key regulators in the co-ordinated environmental control of physiological processes and virulence factors, which are crucial for the initiation of Yersinia infections. [source] Is boron nutritionally relevant?NUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 4 2008Forrest H Nielsen Evidence from numerous laboratories using a variety of experimental models, including humans, shows that boron is a bioactive beneficial element. Much evidence has come from studies that did not require nutritional or environmental stressors or fastidious methods in diet preparation or environmental control. The evidence includes deprivation studies showing that boron is necessary for some higher animals to complete the life cycle, and that realistic low boron intakes result in impaired bone health, brain function, and immune response. Thus, low boron intake is a relevant nutritional concern, which diets rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and pulses can prevent. [source] The ED of the Future: an Interdisciplinary Graduate Course in Healthcare DesignACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 2009David Cowan Six faculty members from Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory Healthcare, and Perkins + Will created and taught a one-semester course titled "The Emergency Department of the Future". The goals of the course were to provide an environment for students to be exposed to the unique challenges of healthcare design, to experience and learn techniques for successful interdisciplinary design, and to create innovations with impact. Twenty graduate students representing five disciplines (architecture, health systems, human-computer interaction, computer science, and systems engineering) participated in this class. The course included a series of didactic lectures covering a wide range of issues including architectural design of hospitals and emergency departments, observation techniques for working environments, electronic medical records, and patient-centered care. Lecturers included emergency physicians, nurses, architects, human-computer interaction researchers, and design specialists. Students developed problem statements along with prototype design solutions through these lectures, direct observation, and interaction with course faculty. The resulting projects include a mobile triage chair that takes vital signs, equipment sliders for easy functional transformation, an integrated lighting design, as well as patient assistants for self registration, communication, environmental control, and discharge support. The developed projects have generated ideas to improve emergency care that may be implementable commercial products as well as fundable projects for future research. The final presentation open house attracted over a hundred visitors from local and national healthcare facilities and industry. This presentation will highlight the structure and organization of the course as well as the resulting projects. [source] Environmental constraints on life histories in Antarctic ecosystems: tempos, timings and predictabilityBIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Issue 1 2006Lloyd S. Peck ABSTRACT Knowledge of Antarctic biotas and environments has increased dramatically in recent years. There has also been a rapid increase in the use of novel technologies. Despite this, some fundamental aspects of environmental control that structure physiological, ecological and life-history traits in Antarctic organisms have received little attention. Possibly the most important of these is the timing and availability of resources, and the way in which this dictates the tempo or pace of life. The clearest view of this effect comes from comparisons of species living in different habitats. Here, we (i) show that the timing and extent of resource availability, from nutrients to colonisable space, differ across Antarctic marine, intertidal and terrestrial habitats, and (ii) illustrate that these differences affect the rate at which organisms function. Consequently, there are many dramatic biological differences between organisms that live as little as 10 m apart, but have gaping voids between them ecologically. Identifying the effects of environmental timing and predictability requires detailed analysis in a wide context, where Antarctic terrestrial and marine ecosystems are at one extreme of the continuum of available environments for many characteristics including temperature, ice cover and seasonality. Anthropocentrically, Antarctica is harsh and as might be expected terrestrial animal and plant diversity and biomass are restricted. By contrast, Antarctic marine biotas are rich and diverse, and several phyla are represented at levels greater than global averages. There has been much debate on the relative importance of various physical factors that structure the characteristics of Antarctic biotas. This is especially so for temperature and seasonality, and their effects on physiology, life history and biodiversity. More recently, habitat age and persistence through previous ice maxima have been identified as key factors dictating biodiversity and endemism. Modern molecular methods have also recently been incorporated into many traditional areas of polar biology. Environmental predictability dictates many of the biological characters seen in all of these areas of Antarctic research. [source] Morphometric controls and geomorphic responses on fans in the Southern Alps, New ZealandEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 3 2004Fes A. de Scally Abstract Morphometric variables associated with 41 debris-,ow and 18 ,uvial fans and their basins in the Southern Alps of New Zealand are examined. The results show statistically signi,cant differences in the area, maximum elevation, relief and ruggedness (Melton's R) of the basin and the area, gradient, and apex and toe elevations of the fan between debris-,ow and ,uvial sites. Concavity of the fan longitudinal pro,le also differs between the two fan types, although this could not be tested statistically. Most of these morphometric differences re,ect differences in processes and environmental controls on them. Discriminant analysis indicates that basin area and fan gradient best differentiate the two fan types by process. Moderately strong correlations exist, on both debris-,ow and ,uvial fans, between basin area or Melton's R and fan area. Correlations between basin area or Melton's R and fan gradient are generally weaker. The results of this study also indicate that on debris-,ow-prone fans the fan gradient and basin Melton's R have lower thresholds which overlap little with upper thresholds associated with basins where only stream,ow reaches the fan. These thresholds may therefore have value in preliminary morphometric assessments of debris-,ow hazard on fans in the Southern Alps. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Methods to account for spatial autocorrelation in the analysis of species distributional data: a reviewECOGRAPHY, Issue 5 2007Carsten F. Dormann Species distributional or trait data based on range map (extent-of-occurrence) or atlas survey data often display spatial autocorrelation, i.e. locations close to each other exhibit more similar values than those further apart. If this pattern remains present in the residuals of a statistical model based on such data, one of the key assumptions of standard statistical analyses, that residuals are independent and identically distributed (i.i.d), is violated. The violation of the assumption of i.i.d. residuals may bias parameter estimates and can increase type I error rates (falsely rejecting the null hypothesis of no effect). While this is increasingly recognised by researchers analysing species distribution data, there is, to our knowledge, no comprehensive overview of the many available spatial statistical methods to take spatial autocorrelation into account in tests of statistical significance. Here, we describe six different statistical approaches to infer correlates of species' distributions, for both presence/absence (binary response) and species abundance data (poisson or normally distributed response), while accounting for spatial autocorrelation in model residuals: autocovariate regression; spatial eigenvector mapping; generalised least squares; (conditional and simultaneous) autoregressive models and generalised estimating equations. A comprehensive comparison of the relative merits of these methods is beyond the scope of this paper. To demonstrate each method's implementation, however, we undertook preliminary tests based on simulated data. These preliminary tests verified that most of the spatial modeling techniques we examined showed good type I error control and precise parameter estimates, at least when confronted with simplistic simulated data containing spatial autocorrelation in the errors. However, we found that for presence/absence data the results and conclusions were very variable between the different methods. This is likely due to the low information content of binary maps. Also, in contrast with previous studies, we found that autocovariate methods consistently underestimated the effects of environmental controls of species distributions. Given their widespread use, in particular for the modelling of species presence/absence data (e.g. climate envelope models), we argue that this warrants further study and caution in their use. To aid other ecologists in making use of the methods described, code to implement them in freely available software is provided in an electronic appendix. [source] Soil chemistry versus environmental controls on production of CH4 and CO2 in northern peatlandsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2005J. B. Yavitt Summary Rates of organic carbon mineralization (to CO2 and CH4) vary widely in peat soil. We transplanted four peat soils with different chemical composition into six sites with different environmental conditions to help resolve the debate about control of organic carbon mineralization by resource availability (e.g. carbon and nutrient chemistry) versus environmental conditions (e.g. temperature, moisture, pH). The four peat soils were derived from Sphagnum (bog moss). Two transplant sites were in mid-boreal Alberta, Canada, two were in low-boreal Ontario, Canada, and two were in the temperate United States. After 3 years in the field, CH4 production varied significantly as a function of peat type, transplant site, and the type,site interaction. All four peat soils had very small rates of CH4 production (< 20 nmol g,1 day,1) after transplant into two sites, presumably caused by acid site conditions (pH < 4.0). One peat soil had small CH4 production rates regardless of transplant site. A canonical discriminant analysis revealed that large rates of CH4 production (4000 nmol g,1 day,1) correlated with large holocellulose content, a large concentration of p -hydroxyl phenolic compounds in the Klason lignin, and small concentrations of N, Ca and Mn in peat. Significant variation in rates of CO2 production correlated positively with holocellulose content and negatively with N concentrations, regardless of transplant site. The temperature response for CO2 production varied as a function of climate, being greater for peat formed in a cold climate, but did not apply to transplanted peat. Although we succeeded in elucidating some aspects of peat chemistry controlling production of CH4 and CO2 in Sphagnum -derived peat soils, we also revealed idiosyncratic combinations of peat chemistry and site conditions that will complicate forecasting rates of peat carbon mineralization into the future. [source] A thermodynamic analysis of the anaerobic oxidation of methane in marine sedimentsGEOBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2008D. E. LAROWE ABSTRACT Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) in anoxic marine sediments is a significant process in the global methane cycle, yet little is known about the role of bulk composition, temperature and pressure on the overall energetics of this process. To better understand the biogeochemistry of AOM, we have calculated and compared the energetics of a number of candidate reactions that microorganisms catalyse during the anaerobic oxidation of methane in (i) a coastal lagoon (Cape Lookout Bight, USA), (ii) the deep Black Sea, and (iii) a deep-sea hydrothermal system (Guaymas basin, Gulf of California). Depending on the metabolic pathway and the environment considered, the amount of energy available to the microorganisms varies from 0 to 184 kJ mol,1. At each site, the reactions in which methane is either oxidized to , acetate or formate are generally only favoured under a narrow range of pressure, temperature and solution composition , particularly under low (10,10 m) hydrogen concentrations. In contrast, the reactions involving sulfate reduction with H2, formate and acetate as electron donors are nearly always thermodynamically favoured. Furthermore, the energetics of ATP synthesis was quantified per mole of methane oxidized. Depending on depth, between 0.4 and 0.6 mol of ATP (mol CH4),1 was produced in the Black Sea sediments. The largest potential productivity of 0.7 mol of ATP (mol CH4),1 was calculated for Guaymas Basin, while the lowest values were predicted at Cape Lookout Bight. The approach used in this study leads to a better understanding of the environmental controls on the energetics of AOM. [source] Connecting Atmosphere and Wetland: Trace Gas ExchangeGEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2009Peter M. Lafleur This article reviews the exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) gases between wetland and atmosphere, with a primary emphasis on ecosystem-scale fluxes and their environmental controls. It is intended to complement a previous review of wetland energy and water exchanges (Lafleur 2008). It is shown that wetland exchanges of these gases are greatly variable in space and time, especially CH4. Most wetlands appear to be sinks for atmospheric CO2, while almost all are emitters of CH4. The strongest environmental control on the CO2 flux is drought, which often determines whether a wetland will be a net sink or source for atmospheric CO2. Due to complex biochemistry and transport mechanisms, methane efflux from wetlands often ranges over several orders of magnitude within a single wetland and among wetlands, making it difficult to quantify the environmental controls on this flux. The magnitude of gas fluxes is not strongly related to wetland type, which implies that modelling of these fluxes should consider wetlands a continuum and attempt to address processes as they vary along this continuum instead of as discrete entities. Although more research is required into the magnitude, variation and controls on trace gas fluxes in all wetland types, some wetlands (tropical and temperate marshes) are particularly understudied. [source] Storage, patterns and controls of soil organic carbon in the Tibetan grasslandsGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 7 2008YUANHE YANG Abstract The soils of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau store a large amount of organic carbon, but the magnitude, spatial patterns and environmental controls of the storage are little investigated. In this study, using data of soil organic carbon (SOC) in 405 profiles collected from 135 sites across the plateau and a satellite-based dataset of enhanced vegetation index (EVI) during 2001,2004, we estimated storage and spatial patterns of SOC in the alpine grasslands. We also explored the relationships between SOC density (soil carbon storage per area) and climatic variables and soil texture. Our results indicated that SOC storage in the top 1 m in the alpine grasslands was estimated at 7.4 Pg C (1 Pg=1015 g), with an average density of 6.5 kg m,2. The density of SOC decreased from the southeastern to the northwestern areas, corresponding to the precipitation gradient. The SOC density increased significantly with soil moisture, clay and silt content, but weakly with mean annual temperature. These variables could together explain about 72% of total variation in SOC density, of which 54% was attributed to soil moisture, suggesting a key role of soil moisture in shaping spatial patterns of SOC density in the alpine grasslands. [source] Modelling the interannual variability of net ecosystem CO2 exchange at a subarctic sedge fenGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Timothy J. Griffis Abstract This paper presents an empirical model of net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) developed for a subarctic fen near Churchill, Manitoba. The model with observed data helps explain the interannual variability in growing season NEE. Five years of tower-flux data are used to test and examine the seasonal behaviour of the model simulations. Processes controlling the observed interannual variability of CO2 exchange at the fen are examined by exploring the sensitivity of the model to changes in air temperature, precipitation and leaf area index. Results indicate that the sensitivity of NEE to changing environmental controls is complex and varies interannually depending on the initial conditions of the wetland. Changes in air temperature and the timing of precipitation events have a strong influence on NEE, which is largely manifest in gross ecosystem photosynthesis (GEP). Climate change scenarios indicate that warmer air temperatures will increase carbon acquisition during wet years but may act to reduce wetland carbon storage in years that experience a large water deficit early in the growing season. Model simulations for this subarctic sedge fen indicate that carbon acquisition is greatest during wet and warm conditions. This suggests therefore that carbon accumulation was greatest at this subarctic fen during its early developmental stages when hydroclimatic conditions were relatively wet and warm at approximately 2500 years before present. [source] Simulating forest ecosystem response to climate warming incorporating spatial effects in north-eastern ChinaJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 12 2005Hong S. He Abstract Aim, Predictions of ecosystem responses to climate warming are often made using gap models, which are among the most effective tools for assessing the effects of climate change on forest composition and structure. Gap models do not generally account for broad-scale effects such as the spatial configuration of the simulated forest ecosystems, disturbance, and seed dispersal, which extend beyond the simulation plots and are important under changing climates. In this study we incorporate the broad-scale spatial effects (spatial configurations of the simulated forest ecosystems, seed dispersal and fire disturbance) in simulating forest responses to climate warming. We chose the Changbai Natural Reserve in China as our study area. Our aim is to reveal the spatial effects in simulating forest responses to climate warming and make new predictions by incorporating these effects in the Changbai Natural Reserve. Location, Changbai Natural Reserve, north-eastern China. Method, We used a coupled modelling approach that links a gap model with a spatially explicit landscape model. In our approach, the responses (establishment) of individual species to climate warming are simulated using a gap model (linkages) that has been utilized previously for making predictions in this region; and the spatial effects are simulated using a landscape model (LANDIS) that incorporates spatial configurations of the simulated forest ecosystems, seed dispersal and fire disturbance. We used the recent predictions of the Canadian Global Coupled Model (CGCM2) for the Changbai Mountain area (4.6 °C average annual temperature increase and little precipitation change). For the area encompassed by the simulation, we examined four major ecosystems distributed continuously from low to high elevations along the northern slope: hardwood forest, mixed Korean pine hardwood forest, spruce-fir forest, and sub-alpine forest. Results, The dominant effects of climate warming were evident on forest ecosystems in the low and high elevation areas, but not in the mid-elevation areas. This suggests that the forest ecosystems near the southern and northern ranges of their distributions will have the strongest response to climate warming. In the mid-elevation areas, environmental controls exerted the dominant influence on the dynamics of these forests (e.g. spruce-fir) and their resilience to climate warming was suggested by the fact that the fluctuations of species trajectories for these forests under the warming scenario paralleled those under the current climate scenario. Main conclusions, With the spatial effects incorporated, the disappearance of tree species in this region due to the climate warming would not be expected within the 300-year period covered by the simulation. Neither Korean pine nor spruce-fir was completely replaced by broadleaf species during the simulation period. Even for the sub-alpine forest, mountain birch did not become extinct under the climate warming scenario, although its occurrence was greatly reduced. However, the decreasing trends characterizing Korean pine, spruce, and fir indicate that in simulations beyond 300 years these species could eventually be replaced by broadleaf tree species. A complete forest transition would take much longer than the time periods predicted by the gap models. [source] Landscape patterns of indicator plants for soil acidity in the Bavarian AlpsJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 10 2003Sebastian Schmidtlein Abstract Aim, Electronic distribution atlases and lists of ecological indicator values are becoming important tools in plant geography. In this contribution, we combine a geographical and an ecological data bank, and map out patterns of indicator value spectra (instead of single or average values) across a physiographically complex landscape. For our study, we select indicators of soil pH and carbonate content as key environmental factors that strongly affect overall plant diversity patterns in the temperate zone. Our goal is to relate the distribution and diversity of plant groups that are indicators of soil pH and carbonate content to environmental controls at the landscape-scale, and thus contribute to a causal understanding of species pools. Location, We studied the Bavarian Alps, which represent the German portion of the Northern Alps. Methods, Based on the existing floristic survey, we calculated relative frequencies of nine classes of indicator plants for soil pH and carbonate content in grid cells. The resulting attribute matrix (cells by indicator class frequencies) was subjected to principal components analysis and to k-means clustering. Results were compared and mapped out in the grid array of the whole region, resulting in continuous and discrete representations of species pool structure. We used a geographical information system to derive physiographical landscape properties from a geological map and a digital elevation model, and analysed their statistical relationship with the shapes of indicator spectra. Results and Main conclusions, Averages of indicator values for soil pH and carbonate content follow the geological structure quite closely. Surprisingly, the diversity of indicator plant groups does not appear to be a function of geological or topographic heterogeneity. Rather, it seems to be related to areas of high elevation with uniform geology. The effect is a matter of additional acidophytes in high mountain areas and, in the high calcareous Alps, extreme calciphytes, while species with intermediate requirements are rarer than usual. For explanation, we suggest two facts: (1) a frequent lack of mature soils at high elevations and (2) particularities in soil genetic processes occurring under the harsh climatic conditions of high mountains. [source] Pollen-based biome reconstructions for Colombia at 3000, 6000, 9000, 12 000, 15 000 and 18 000 14C yr ago: Late Quaternary tropical vegetation dynamicsJOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, Issue 2 2002Robert Marchant Abstract Colombian biomes are reconstructed at 45 sites from the modern period extending to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The basis for our reconstruction is pollen data assigned to plant functional types and biomes at six 3000-yr intervals. A reconstruction of modern biomes is used to check the treatment of the modern pollen data set against a map of potential vegetation. This allows the biomes reconstructed at past periods to be assessed relative to the modern situation. This process also provides a check on the a priori assignment of pollen taxa to plant functional types and biomes. For the majority of the sites, the pollen data accurately reflect the potential vegetation, even though much of the original vegetation has been transformed by agricultural practices. At 18 000 14C yr BP, a generally cool and dry environment is reflected in biome, assignments of cold mixed forests, cool evergreen forests and cool grassland,shrub; the latter extending to lower altitudes than presently recorded. This signal is strongly recorded at 15 000 and 12 000 14C yr BP, the vegetation at these times also reflecting a relatively cool and dry environment. At 9000 14C yr BP there is a shift to biomes thought to result from slightly cooler environmental conditions. This trend is reversed by 6000 14C yr BP; most sites, within a range of different environmental settings, recording a shift to more xeric biome types. There is an expansion of steppe and cool mixed-forest biomes, replacing tropical dry forest and cool grassland,shrub biomes, respectively. These changes in biome assignments from the modern situation can be interpreted as a biotic response to mid-Holocene climatic aridity. At 3000 14C yr BP the shift is mainly to biomes characteristic of slightly more mesic environmental conditions. There are a number of sites that do not change biome assignment relative to the modern reconstruction, although the affinities that these sites have to a specific biome do change. These ,anomalies' are interpreted on a site-by-site basis. Spatially constant, but differential response of the vegetation to climatic shifts are related to changes in moisture sources and the importance of edaphic controls on the vegetation. The Late Quaternary reconstruction of large-scale vegetation dynamics in Colombia allows an understanding of the environmental controls on these to be developed. In particular, shifts in the character of the main climatic systems that influence Colombian vegetation are described. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Upper and lower respiratory diseases after occupational and environmental disastersMOUNT SINAI JOURNAL OF MEDICINE: A JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE, Issue 2 2008David J. Prezant MD Abstract Respiratory consequences from occupational and environmental disasters are the result of inhalation exposures to chemicals, particulate matter (dusts and fibers) and/or the incomplete products of combusion that are often liberated during disasters such as fires, building collapses, explosions and volcanoes. Unfortunately, experience has shown that environmental controls and effective respiratory protection are often unavailable during the first days to week after a large-scale disaster. The English literature was reviewed using the key words,disaster and any of the following: respiratory disease, pulmonary, asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, pulmonary fibrosis, or sarcoidosis. Respiratory health consequences after aerosolized exposures to high-concentrations of particulates and chemicals can be grouped into 4 major caterogies: 1) upper respiratory disease (chronic rhinosinusitis and reactive upper airways dysfunction syndrome), 2) lower respiratory diseases (reactive [lower] airways dysfunction syndrome, irritant-induced asthma, and chronic obstructive airways diseases), 3) parenchymal or interstitial lung diseases (sarcoidosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and bronchiolitis obliterans, and 4) cancers of the lung and pleura. This review describes several respiratory consequences of occupational and environmental disasters and uses the World Trade Center disaster to illustrate in detail the consequences of chronic upper and lower respiratory inflammation. Mt Sinai J Med 75:89,100, 2008. © 2008 Mount Sinai School of Medicine [source] Light rings in Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) in semiarid areas of north China and their palaeo-climatological potentialNEW PHYTOLOGIST, Issue 4 2006Eryuan Liang Summary ,,Light rings in conifer trees are characterized by a light-coloured, narrow latewood band of thin-walled tracheids. Most reports on light rings have been for subarctic and subalpine regions, and little is known about their occurrence in semiarid areas. ,,Dendrochronological methods were used to date the occurrence of light rings in Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) in the semiarid region of north China. The anatomical and chemical characteristics and the potential environmental controls of their formation were investigated. ,,Light rings in Chinese pine were dated to the year of their formation. The wall thickness and lumen diameter of the wood cells of light rings and reference rings were distinctly different. However, the configuration of the light-ring latewood cell walls was normal, although they were thinner than average, and their lignification had been completed normally. ,,The climate characteristics that result in light-ring formation appear to be ongoing severe drought from the previous autumn to July of the current year in conjunction with a warm summer, suggesting that light rings can be used as indicators for past drought events. [source] Environmental controls and patterns of cumulative radial increment of evergreen tree species in montane, temperate rainforests of Chiloé Island, southern ChileAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2009CECILIA A. PÉREZ Abstract We investigated the local environmental controls on daily fluctuations of cumulative radial increment and cambial hydration of three dominant, evergreen tree species from montane, Coastal rainforests of Chiloé Island, Chile (42° 22, S). During 2 years (1997,1998 and 1998,1999) we recorded hourly cumulative radial increments using electronic band dendrometers in the long-lived conifer Fitzroya cupressoides (Cupressaceae), the evergreen broad-leaved Nothofagus nitida (Nothofagaceae), and the narrow-leaved conifer Podocarpus nubigena (Podocarpaceae). We also measured soil and cambial tissue hydration using capacitance sensors, together with air and soil temperature and rainfall during the period of the study. In addition, we collected cores of these tree species to evaluate how dendrometer measurements reflect annual tree ring width. One-year long daily time series of cumulative radial increments suggests that radial growth of Fitzroya cupressoides was initiated slowly in early spring, with a maximum in early summer. Multiple regressions showed positive relations between daily precipitation and radial index (i.e. the difference in cumulative radial increment of two consecutive days) in the three species. According to path analysis there was a significant direct effect of changes in tree hydration on radial index of the three focal species. In emergent, pioneer species such as Nothofagus and Fitzroya, radial index was negatively affected by changes in maximum air temperature and photosynthetically active radiation, probably because of high evapotranspiration demand on warm sunny days. The shade-tolerant species Podocarpus nubigena was positively affected by photosynthetically active radiation. Our diel scale findings support the use of tree ring widths for reconstructing past climate in these southern temperate forests and provide evidence that rainforest trees may be highly sensitive to future declines in rainfall and temperature increases during summer. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||