Septoria canker remains the most important disease of poplars in intensively managed forest plantations. Genetic resistance has long been considered the best way to manage for this disease. Transgenic resistance mediated by RNA silencing against pathogens and pests (HIGS: host-induced gene silencing) has shown promise in other pathosystems but has...
Oomycete and fungal pathogens threaten food, fiber, and forests around the world. With climate change, these pathogens are expected to emerge more frequently. Evolution can facilitate their emergence through mechanisms such as mutations that change or expand host range. Characterizing evolutionary mechanisms in plant pathogens will contribute to our ability...
The field of toxicology is challenged with a vast number of environmental chemicals and mixtures to which humans and ecosystems are exposed with limited toxicity data available. Chemical hazard assessment traditionally utilizes mammalian models and can be both cost- and time-limiting and may pose ethical concerns. To rapidly tackle this...
The European hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is a tree nut crop that is important in Oregon, which produces 99% of the United States’ hazelnuts but only 5% of the world’s supply. In order to maintain this market share, farmers in Oregon need cultivars that produce high quality nuts, mature early,...
Black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis L.) is a US Pacific Northwest specialty crop prized for its unique flavor profile and nutritional attributes. A major obstacle for the raspberry industry is Black raspberry necrosis virus vectored by the large raspberry aphid (Amphorophora agathonica). Market expansion depends on production, which is currently hindered...
Otoferlin is a C2-domain, transmembrane protein whose mutated form is responsible for the DFNB9 subtype of prelingual hearing impairment. Mutations in otoferlin cause an autosomal recessive, non-syndromic form of deafness that is characterized by auditory neuropathy/ auditory dissynchrony (AN/AD), meaning that the outer hair cells (OHCs) are normal, and the...
Coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var menziesii) forests are extensive west of the crest of the Cascade Mountains in Oregon and Washington and are renowned for their productivity, biodiversity, and the ecosystem services they provide. Increasing wildfire activity in recent years including the extensive 2020 Labor Day fires, and a warming...
The outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the restrictions implemented in response to it (e.g., stay-at-home orders, social distancing mandates, business closures) had unprecedented effects on the trucking industry. The pandemic prompted the first significant overhaul of federal hours-of-service (HOS) regulations in over 15 years. Prior to the...
Specialized or secondary metabolism is a collection of pathways and small molecules that, while beneficial to an organism, are not strictly necessary for survival. Plants use secondary metabolites to, among other things, attract pollinators, defend against biotic and abiotic stressors, and form symbioses. Natural products from plants have seen an...
On coral reefs, disturbances rarely occur in isolation. Global stressors such as increasing seawater temperature often coincide with local stressors like nutrient pollution. In the face of increasing anthropogenic stress, corals can function as environmental sentinels, although little is known about how multiple stressors interact to disrupt their associated bacterial...