81 research outputs found

    Effects of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid and Elongate Hemlock Scale on Eastern Hemlock Growth and Foliar Chemistry

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    In the eastern United States, two invasive specialist insects share a native host plant, Eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis. In recent years, much research has focused on the impacts of the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) because of the detrimental effects it has on hemlock growth and survival. In contrast, the invasive elongate hemlock scale (Fiorinia externa) is thought to have only minor impacts on hemlock. We infested hemlock saplings with each insect and compared them with control (i.e., neither insect herbivore) saplings to assess how early infestations impact Eastern hemlock health (measured using new branch growth, foliar %N, and C:N ratio). Our study showed that, at equal densities, the two insects differed in their effect on Eastern hemlock. F. externa did not impact plant growth or foliar chemistry over the course of the 2-yr experiment. A. tsugae significantly reduced plant growth and caused a reduction of %N in the first year of the experiment. By the end of the experiment, A. tsugae trees had the same %N in their foliage as control and F. externa trees but drastically reduced growth patterns. The most likely explanation for this result is the greater growth in control and F. externa saplings during the second year resulted in the dilution of available foliar N over a larger amount of newly produced plant tissue. For early infestations of both insects, our study suggests that management plans should focus on the more detrimental A. tsugae

    The Past, Present, and Future of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (\u3cem\u3eAdelges tsugae\u3c/em\u3e) and Its Ecological Interactions with Eastern Hemlock (\u3cem\u3eTsuga canadensis\u3c/em\u3e) Forests

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    The nonnative hemlock woolly adelgid is steadily killing eastern hemlock trees in many parts of eastern North America. We summarize impacts of the adelgid on these forest foundation species; review previous models and analyses of adelgid spread dynamics; and examine how previous forecasts of adelgid spread and ecosystem dynamics compare with current conditions. The adelgid has reset successional sequences, homogenized biological diversity at landscape scales, altered hydrological dynamics, and changed forest stands from carbon sinks into carbon sources. A new model better predicts spread of the adelgid in the south and west of the range of hemlock, but still under-predicts its spread in the north and east. Whether these underpredictions result from inadequately modeling accelerating climate change or accounting for people inadvertently moving the adelgid into new locales needs further study. Ecosystem models of adelgid-driven hemlock dynamics have consistently forecast that forest carbon stocks will be little affected by the shift from hemlock to early-successional mixed hardwood stands, but these forecasts have assumed that the intermediate stages will remain carbon sinks. New forecasting models of adelgid-driven hemlock decline should account for observed abrupt changes in carbon flux and ongoing and accelerating human-driven land-use and climatic changes

    Asymmetric Biotic Interactions and Abiotic Niche Differences Revealed by a Dynamic Joint Species Distribution Model

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    A species’ distribution and abundance are determined by abiotic conditions and biotic interactions with other species in the community. Most species distribution models correlate the occurrence of a single species with environmental variables only, and leave out biotic interactions. To test the importance of biotic interactions on occurrence and abundance, we compared a multivariate spatiotemporal model of the joint abundance of two invasive insects that share a host plant, hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA; Adelges tsugae) and elongate hemlock scale (EHS; Fiorina externa), to independent models that do not account for dependence among co‐occurring species. The joint model revealed that HWA responded more strongly to abiotic conditions than EHS. Additionally, HWA appeared to predispose stands to subsequent increase of EHS, but HWA abundance was not strongly dependent on EHS abundance. This study demonstrates how incorporating spatial and temporal dependence into a species distribution model can reveal the dependence of a species’ abundance on other species in the community. Accounting for dependence among co‐occurring species with a joint distribution model can also improve estimation of the abiotic niche for species affected by interspecific interactions

    Species Diversity Associated with Foundation Species in Temperate and Tropical Forests

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    Foundation species define and structure ecological communities but are difficult to identify before they are declining. Yet, their defining role in ecosystems suggests they should be a high priority for protection and management while they are still common and abundant. We used comparative analyses of six large forest dynamics plots spanning a temperate-to-tropical gradient in the Western Hemisphere to identify statistical “fingerprints” of potential foundation species based on their size-frequency and abundance-diameter distributions, and their spatial association with five measures of diversity of associated woody plant species. Potential foundation species are outliers from the common “reverse-J” size-frequency distribution, and have negative effects on alpha diversity and positive effects on beta diversity at most spatial lags and directions. Potential foundation species also are more likely in temperate forests, but foundational species groups may occur in tropical forests. As foundation species (or species groups) decline, associated landscape-scale (beta) diversity is likely to decline along with them. Preservation of this component of biodiversity may be the most important consequence of protecting foundation species while they are still common

    Peak radial growth of diffuse-porous species occurs during periods of lower water availability than for ring-porous and coniferous trees

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    Climate models project warmer summer temperatures will increase the frequency and heat severity of droughts in temperate forests of Eastern North America. Hotter droughts are increasingly documented to affect tree growth and forest dynamics, with critical impacts on tree mortality, carbon sequestration and timber provision. The growing acknowledgement of the dominant role of drought timing on tree vulnerability to water deficit raises the issue of our limited understanding of radial growth phenology for most temperate tree species. Here, we use well-replicated dendrometer band data sampled frequently during the growing season to assess the growth phenology of 610 trees from 15 temperate species over 6 years. Patterns of diameter growth follow a typical logistic shape, with growth rates reaching a maximum in June, and then decreasing until process termination. On average, we find that diffuse-porous species take 16-18 days less than other wood-structure types to put on 50% of their annual diameter growth. However, their peak growth rate occurs almost a full month later than ring-porous and conifer species (ca. 24 +/- 4 days; mean +/- 95% credible interval). Unlike other species, the growth phenology of diffuse-porous species in our dataset is highly correlated with their spring foliar phenology. We also find that the later window of growth in diffuse-porous species, coinciding with peak evapotranspiration and lower water availability, exposes them to a higher water deficit of 88 +/- 19 mm (mean +/- SE) during their peak growth than ring-porous and coniferous species (15 +/- 35 mm and 30 +/- 30 mm, respectively). Given the high climatic sensitivity of wood formation, our findings highlight the importance of wood porosity as one predictor of species climatic sensitivity to the projected intensification of the drought regime in the coming decades.Peer reviewe
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