LiDAR evaluation of the structural complexity of multi-cropped white oak (Quercus alba) and pine (Pinus spp.) plantings in east Tennessee, USA

Structural complexity has an important influence on wildlife habitat and several other ecosystem services. Establishment of white oak (Quercus alba) intercropped with loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata), or eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), in 2014 provided the opportunity to investigate effects of planting species mixtures in different spatial arrangements on structural complexity. Terrestrial LiDAR was used to evaluate the structure of each intercropped treatment and monoculture control. The measures of complexity included: 1) rumple 2) top rugosity 3) standard deviation of individual tree crown area, 4) standard deviation of maximum tree heights, 5) standard deviation of total number returns associated with trees, 6) standard deviation of LiDAR returns associated with trees across 0.5m vertical layers, and 7) standard deviation of 0.5 x 0.5 x 0.5m voxel by the number of returns at 0.5m vertical intervals. In addition, mean maximum tree height, individual tree crown area, mean of 95th percentile of returns, and the mean number of returns by tree height were analyzed. The following three hypotheses were tested: 1) oak and pine mixtures would have greater structural complexity than monocultures, 2) white oak and loblolly pine would have greater structural complexity than other mixtures, and 3) complexity would be greater in treatments with a 0.31m spacing than in those with a 1.74m spacing. Significantly greater complexity in the mixtures than in oak monocultures partially supported the hypothesis that oak and pine mixtures would have greater structural complexity. The lack of significant differences between the complexity of mixtures and pine monocultures, however, suggests that the pines were more important in contributing to complexity than white oak. According to most measures of variability, mixtures with loblolly pine and loblolly pine monocultures had the greatest structural complexity; supporting the hypothesis that white oak and loblolly pine would have greater structural complexity. The hypothesis that complexity would be greater in treatments with a 0.31m spacing was not supported. The importance of loblolly pine in this study suggests that fast-growing species can influence structural complexity as much or more than the number of species planted

Long-Term Ecosystem Changes in Riparian Forests

This open access book presents and analyzes the results of more than 30 years of long-term ecological research in riparian forest ecosystems with the aim of casting light on changes in the dynamics of riparian forests over time. The research, focusing on the Ooyamazawa riparian forest, one of the remaining old-growth forests in Japan, has yielded a number of interesting outcomes. First, it shows that large-scale disturbances afford various trees opportunities for regeneration and are thus the driving force for the coexistence of canopy trees in riparian forests. Second, it identifies changes in reproductive patterns, highlighting that seed production has in fact quantitatively increased over the past two decades. Third, it describes the decline in forest floor vegetation caused by deer grazing and reveals how this decline has affected bird and insect populations. The book illustrates the interconnectedness of phenomena within an ecosystem and the resultant potential for cascade effects and also stresses the need for long-term ecological studies of climate change impacts on forests. It will be of interest to both professionals and academics in the field of forest science

Modelling forest landscape dynamics in Glen Affric, northern Scotland

Consideration of forest management at the landscape scale is essential if commitments to the conservation of biodiversity are to be upheld. The ecosystem management approach, developed largely in North America, has made use of various landscape modelling tools to assist in planning for biodiversity maintenance and ecological restoration. The roles of habitat suitability models, metapopulation models, spatially explicit population models (SEPMs) and forest landscape dynamics models (FLDMs) in the planning process are discussed and a review of forest dynamics models is presented. Potential is identified for developing landscape models in the UK for both landscape restoration projects and semi-natural woodland management. Glen Affric, in northern Scotland contains a large area of native pine and birch woodland and is the subject of a long-term restoration project. A new model, GALDR (Glen Affric Landscape Dynamics Reconstruction) is introduced and is believed to be the first FLDM developed for British woodland. The theory behind the model is described in detail and preliminary results and sensitivity analyses are presented. Furthermore, GALAM (Glen Affric Lichen Abundance Model), a new SEPM for the rare epiphytic lichen Bryoria furcellata is also described. Results of simulations from the linked GALDR and GALAM models are presented which shed light on the role of landscape heterogeneity in determining the dynamics of lichen habitats and populations. It is concluded that, whilst much work will be required to develop a management-oriented decision support system from the GALDR model, the modelling process may aid researchers in the identification of knowledge gaps in ecological theory relevant to management and restoration

Semiotic study of the Japanese dry landscape garden in Ryoanji temple

http://www.ester.ee/record=b4749495*es

Sika deer antler as a novel model to investigate dental implant healing

The rapid growth and periodic regeneration of antlers make Sika deer a good and less invasive alternative model for studying bone remodelling. In this study, we developed a special loading protocol for dental implants inserted into deer antlers and analysed the bone reaction around dental implants under immediate loading (IL) and unloaded conditions until and how far osseointegration took place. The aim was to reveal changes in the structure and density of antler tissue during the healing phase, and observe the biomechanical properties of the implant and the surrounding antler tissue. Six healthy 4-year-old male captive bred and tamed Sika deer (Cervus nippon) were utilised in this study. Two implants per antler were inserted. One implant was loaded immediately via a self-developed loading device, the other was submerged and unloa¬ded as control. IL implants were harvested after different loading periods. The unloaded implants were collected after the shedding of antler. Specimens were scanned in a μCT scanner and the density of antler tissue around the implants was measured. Further¬more, samples were fixed, immersed, photopolymerised and parall¬elly cut in 100 to 200 μm thick sections. After grinding, sections were stained using tolui¬dine blue and evaluated under light microscope. Moreover, finite element (FE) models were generated from the μCT data by using FE software package. A vertical force of 10 N was applied on the implant. The mean values of maximum displacements, stresses and strains were compared and statistically analysed. The results showed that the density of antler tissue around the implants increased as the loading time increased. This finding was histologically confirmed by the good osseointegration that was observed in unloaded and loaded specimens. Besides, antler tissue displayed a similar healing process to human bone. After shedding the antler, the density of antler tissue remained in a similar value in all specimens. The maximum values of displacements and stresses in the implant and stresses and strains in antler tissue were significantly different among unloaded models and between loaded models. In one antler, all the biomechanical parameters of loaded model were significantly higher than those of unloaded model of the same animal (P It can be concluded that implants inserted into Sika deer antler might not disturb the growth and the calcification process of antler and the use of Sika deer antler model is a promising alternative for implant studies that does not require animal sacrifice

Roles of Non-thermal Plasma in Gas-phase Glycerol Dehydration Catalyzed by Supported Silicotungstic Acid

Acrolein is an indispensable chemical intermediate with a rising demand in recent years. The concern of the increase of propylene prices due to the shrinking supply of nonrenewable crude oil makes the acid-catalyzed gas-phase glycerol dehydration to acrolein a prime candidate for research. Our analysis showed that the sustainable acrolein production from glycerol was both technically and economically viable. Alumina2700® (Al) and Silica1252® (Si) loaded with silicotungstic acid (HSiW) possessed distinct features while provided equally good acrolein yield (73.86mol% and 74.05mol%, respectively) optimally. Due to the unique non-equilibrium characteristics, non-thermal plasma (NTP) could promote a variety of chemical reactions; however, its application in a dehydration process remained blank. This study used the reaction of glycerol dehydration to acrolein to probe whether NTP could 1) improve acrolein yield during dehydration, 2) suppress the coke formation and regenerate the catalyst, and 3) modify the properties of the catalyst. The dielectric barrier discharge configuration was used to generate NTP; various NTP field strengths and also their interaction with temperature and the catalyst were investigated. The results showed that NTP improved the glycerol conversion and that NTP with a proper field strength increased acrolein selectivity. The optimal acrolein yields of 83.6 mol% and 83.1 mol% were achieved with 3.78 kV/cm NTP and 4.58 kV/cm NTP at 275°C for HSiW-Al and HSiW-Si, respectively. The application of NTP-O2 (5% oxygen in argon, 4.58 kV/cm) during glycerol dehydration significantly suppressed coke formation on HSiW-Si. NTP-O2 could regenerate the deactivated HSiW-Si at low temperatures by removing both soft and hard coke at various rates. NTP-O2 with higher field strength, at medium operation temperature (150ºC) and in argon atmosphere was more effective for coke removal/catalyst regeneration. Applying NTP to the catalyst fabrication showed some capabilities in modifying catalyst properties, including enlarging surface area, preserving mesopores, increasing acid strength and Brønsted acidity. NTP with argon as the discharge gas performed better in these modifications than NTP with air as the discharge gas

Effects of ski resort management on vegetation

We investigated species composition and characteristics of plant communities in plots at seven site types within a ski resort: forests, an abandoned ski slope, an area under the gondola lines, forest waterfronts, open waterfronts, edges of ski slopes, and an active ski slope. On the abandoned ski slope, under the gondola lines, at the edges of ski slopes, and on the ski slope, canopy closure was low, tall herbs were present, and species diversity was high. Some wetland species were present at waterfront plots. Differential species composition was caused by vegetation cutting, which was necessary to manage the ski resort. We found various plants, including herbs, some rarely seen because their habitats have decreased. Despite their negative effects, such as surface-soil erosion and magnification of plant size due to the use of ammonium sulfate, ski resorts can be important plant habitats with highly diverse species composition.ArticleLANDSCAPE AND ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING. 6(1):61-74 (2010)journal articl

Long-Term Ecosystem Changes in Riparian Forests

This open access book presents and analyzes the results of more than 30 years of long-term ecological research in riparian forest ecosystems with the aim of casting light on changes in the dynamics of riparian forests over time. The research, focusing on the Ooyamazawa riparian forest, one of the remaining old-growth forests in Japan, has yielded a number of interesting outcomes. First, it shows that large-scale disturbances afford various trees opportunities for regeneration and are thus the driving force for the coexistence of canopy trees in riparian forests. Second, it identifies changes in reproductive patterns, highlighting that seed production has in fact quantitatively increased over the past two decades. Third, it describes the decline in forest floor vegetation caused by deer grazing and reveals how this decline has affected bird and insect populations. The book illustrates the interconnectedness of phenomena within an ecosystem and the resultant potential for cascade effects and also stresses the need for long-term ecological studies of climate change impacts on forests. It will be of interest to both professionals and academics in the field of forest science