Sudden Oak Death (SOD) is a plant disease caused by the water
mold Phytophthora ramorum. This organism causes disease in
more than 100 species of trees, shrubs, herbs, and ferns.
The combined effects of habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation pose a serious threat to Earth's biodiversity, imperiling even relatively common species. 'Habitat' is necessarily a species-specific concept, and investigations of bird diversity relationships and subsequent efforts to prioritize conservation areas, are challenged by the difficulty of estimating complex habitat gradients...