Ungulates exert a strong influence on the composition and diversity of vegetation communities. However, little is known about how ungulate browsing pressure interacts with episodic disturbances such as fire and stand thinning. We assessed shrub responses to variable browsing pressure by cattle and elk in fuels treated (mechanical removal of...
Despite nutrient-depleted conditions, coral reef waters harbor abundant and diverse microbes; as major agents of microbial mortality, viruses are likely to influence microbial processes in these ecosystems. However, little is known about marine viruses in these rapidly changing ecosystems. Herewe examined spatial and short-term temporal variability in marine viral abundance...
Forest health issues are on the rise in the United States, resulting from introduction of alien pests and diseases, coupled with abiotic stresses related to climate change. Increasingly, forest scientists are finding genetic/genomic resources valuable in addressing forest health issues. For a set of ten ecologically and economically important native...
Spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, is a devastating invasive pest of small and stone fruits in the Americas and Europe. To better understand the population dynamics of D. suzukii, we reviewed recent work on juvenile development, adult reproduction, and seasonal variation in life history parameters including the abiotic/biotic factors that...
Disease control of soilborne pathogens by biological control agents
(BCAs) is often inconsistent under field conditions. This inconsistency
may be partly influenced by pathogen diversity if there is a differential
response among pathogen species and isolates to selected BCAs. The
responses of 148 Pythium isolates obtained from soil at three...
The RNA genome of tobacco etch virus (TEV), a plant potyvirus, functions as an mRNA for synthesis of a
346-kilodalton polyprotein that undergoes extensive proteolytic processing. The RNA lacks a normal 5' cap
structure at its terminus, which suggests that the mechanism of translational initiation differs from that of a...
Studies of the effects of climate change on forests have focused on the ability of species to tolerate temperature and moisture changes and to disperse, but they have ignored the effects of disturbances caused by climate change (e.g., Ojima et al. 1991). Yet modeling studies indicate the importance of climate...
Groundwater–surface-water (GW-SW) interactions in streams are difficult to quantify because of heterogeneity in hydraulic and reactive processes across a range of spatial and temporal scales. The challenge of quantifying these interactions has led to the development of several techniques, from centimeter-scale probes to whole-system tracers, including chemical, thermal, and electrical...
Observations of annual growth and size and color of leaves and fruit are helpful in determining fertilizer needs. In addition, leaf analysis
indicates which elements are present in adequate, deficient, or excessive amounts. Soil analysis is useful in predicting the need for lime applications. Suspect a nutrient deficiency if poor...