The goal of this dissertation was to improve our understanding of age-related constraints on aboveground production of forest trees. Previous research suggesting that carbon uptake of old trees is hydraulically constrained by tree size was used as the
springboard for this research. Three specific working hypotheses were investigated: 1) compensation...
Effects of tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) on early
growth, morphology, and physiology of Douglas-fir
(Pseudotsuga menziesii) were studied to determine
developmental characteristics of young stands and
mechanisms of competition. Growth, leaf area, and biomass
of Douglas-fir, tanoak, and shrubs / herbs were monitored
for six years after establishing a gradient of...
While there are many more species of reptiles in the tropics than in temperate
latitudes, relatively little is known about the natural history of tropical species of
snakes. Even basic information, such as reproductive ecology and behavior, is lacking. Patterns of reproduction in tropical species differ from patterns in temperate...
Every wood anatomist knows that the wood near the center of a tree (juvenile wood) differs from the wood laid down at some distance from the pith (mature wood), and that the wood produced during the spring (earlywood) differs from the wood produced during the summer (latewood). There is a...
To understand the effect of human-induced stresses on forests, there is a need for a method to separate effects of imposed stress from effects of natural climate stress. I developed an approach to predict forest response to climate stress using as indicators stable carbon isotopes in tree foliage and growth-rings....
Investigations were conducted to study in detail some biochemical and physiological aspects of ripening in pears. Anjou pears
picked at different degrees of maturity were treated with Ethrel
(2-chloroethane phosphonic acid), 4000 ppm, and ethylene, 500 ppm,
for different lengths of time. Respiration rate was measured twice
daily and changes...
Container grown pear trees were used to determine the effects of the following factors on the susceptibility to Phytophthora syringae: 1) tree nitrogen (N) status and foliar sprays of urea and copper-EDTA (CuEDTA); 2) dormancy and environmental conditions; 3) wound and wound age; and 4) chemical and biological control measures....
Pollen development is an important process in male flower development, the timing of which may be correlated with time of pollen shed in hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.). Early to very late blooming cultivars were identified and the relationship of microsporogenesis and microgametogenesis, and time of pollen shed were studied in...
