Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Christopher M. Gough, Jeff W. Atkins, Robert T. Fahey, Peter S. Curtis, Gil Bohrer, Brady S. Hardiman, Laura J. Hickey, Lucas E. Nave, Kerstin M. Niedermaier, Cameron Clay, Jason M. Tallant, Ben Bond-Lamberty
Summary: The temporal dynamics of forest canopy structure following disturbance are influenced by factors such as the severity and source of disturbance, spatial and temporal scales of analysis, and the measures of structure assessed. Unlike traditional leaf area and cover indexes, structural complexity indicators display a more nuanced temporal and directional response to disturbance.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Correction
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Cornelius Senf, Rupert Seidl
Summary: A correction to this paper has been published along with the provided link.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rupert Seidl, Monica G. Turner
Summary: Forest ecosystems are strongly affected by climate change and disturbance activities. The short time window after a disturbance event plays a crucial role in shaping future forest development. Understanding and predicting forest reorganization through analyzing forest structure and composition is essential for anticipating forest change.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Cathryn H. Greenberg
Summary: This study evaluates the long-term impact of hurricanes on eastern temperate forests, revealing that heavy mortality caused by wind disturbances is unevenly distributed among species, particularly affecting scarlet and black oak. After 21 years, changes in forest structure and relative species importance were observed.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Christopher Mulverhill, Nicholas C. Coops, Alexis Achim
Summary: Spatially and temporally precise monitoring of forest resources is essential in the face of environmental and economic changes. This study demonstrated the efficacy of using moderate resolution satellite imagery and continuous monitoring algorithms for change detection and monitoring in high-latitude forests with data gaps over winter. The results showed successful change detection, with high overall accuracies, and the ability to detect changes in near-real time. The study also highlighted the potential for using the technique as an early warning signal for fine-scale changes.
ISPRS JOURNAL OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND REMOTE SENSING
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
E. Collado, J. A. Bonet, J. G. Alday, J. Martinez de Aragon, S. de -Miguel
Summary: This study found that forest thinning intensities can have short-term effects on fungal communities in Mediterranean regions, particularly under heavy and light thinning intensities; climatic factors, especially the mean temperature of September and October, can influence the compositional response of fungi to forest thinning; however, forest thinning does not impact sporocarp species diversity (richness and evenness).
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Wenjun Liang, Xi Wei
Summary: The study investigated the limiting factors affecting the natural regeneration of Larix principis-rupprechtii forests in northern China. It found that stand structure, herb index, soil index, and elevation all play a role in the regeneration process, with stand density and tree height to crown base being the most important factors. Adjusting stand density and timely pruning interventions can promote natural regeneration and sustainable development of forest resources.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiaming Lu, Chengquan Huang, Xin Tao, Weishu Gong, Karen Schleeweis
Summary: This study produced annual forest disturbance intensity maps for the contiguous United States from 1986 to 2015, revealing that higher disturbance intensities were found in the Southeastern and Western regions. The overall trend showed a slight increase in disturbance intensity over the study period.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yanlei Feng, Robinson I. I. Negron-Juarez, John C. H. Chiang, Jeffrey Q. Q. Chambers
Summary: This study examines 38 cases of windthrows in the Amazonia and investigates the relationship between windthrows and the characteristics of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) that caused them, including storm passing time, cloud top temperature, and maximum precipitation. The results show that windthrows mostly occur in August and September. The size of windthrows is positively correlated with the storm passing time. MCSs with colder cloud top temperatures (with a mean of 206K) result in larger windthrows, while those with warmer cloud tops (with a mean above 230K) result in relatively smaller windthrows, except in the western Amazonia. There is no significant relationship between maximum precipitation intensity and the area of windthrows.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Eric Adjei Lawer, Anne-Christine Mupepele, Alexandra-Maria Klein
Summary: The study in a tropical forest in Ghana revealed significant impacts of logging and artisanal mining activities on terrestrial small mammal communities, particularly showing strong effects of mining on community composition of forest floor small mammals.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Thomas S. Davis, Arjan J. H. Meddens, Camille S. Stevens-Rumann, Vincent S. Jansen, Jason S. Sibold, Mike A. Battaglia
Summary: A changing climate is affecting ecosystem carbon dynamics, but there is a lack of tools for land managers to incorporate carbon trajectories into planning efforts. This study evaluates forest management treatments and their impacts on resistance and resilience, and identifies forest structure and physiographic factors associated with carbon trajectory anomalies.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Oliver T. Coomes, Margaret Kalacska, Yoshito Takasaki, Christian Abizaid, Tristan Grupp
Summary: Recent studies show that small-scale deforestation is rapidly increasing in Amazonia. However, customary shifting cultivation along rivers does not pose a significant threat to old-growth forests, as the area and rate of expansion of secondary forests are modest.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Juncal Espinosa, Dario Martin-Benito, Oscar Rodriguez de Rivera, Carmen Hernando, Mercedes Guijarro, Javier Madrigal
Summary: The study in the Cuenca Mountains in Spain investigated the short-term post-burn tree growth of Pinus nigra and Pinus pinaster, revealing that prescribed burning had minimal impact on tree growth. Stand type and individual tree characteristics were significant factors affecting tree growth. The inclusion of fire severity variables in tree growth models showed that maximum scorch height played a key role in variability of tree growth.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Balazs Garamszegi, Christopher Jung, Dirk Schindler
Summary: Windstorms have a significant impact on managed forests, and modeling approaches using spaceborne remote sensing can be used to assess disturbance risk. This study explores the use of spaceborne imagery and recorded damage polygons to develop proxy predictors for wind disturbance modeling. The results show the potential of derived spaceborne variables as proxy variables for critical forest attributes, and these variables outperformed other spatial data products in modeling disturbance occurrence and severity. While the model accuracies were moderate, the study highlights the further potential of spaceborne imagery applications in disturbance modeling and assessment.
Article
Forestry
Flora Magdaline Benitez Romero, Laercio Antonio Goncalves Jacovine, Carlos Moreira Miquelino Eleto Torres, Sabina Cerruto Ribeiro, Vicente Toledo Machado de Morais Junior, Samuel Jose Silva Soares da Rocha, Richard Andres Benitez Romero, Ricardo de Oliveira Gaspar, Santiago Ivan Sagredo Velasquez, Christina Lynn Staudhammer, Jose Ambrosio Ferreira Neto, Edson Vidal, Philip Martin Fearnside
Summary: This study estimated the aboveground volume and carbon stocks of commercial tree species in a managed forest in Brazil, finding that harvested trees and remaining trees represent different proportions of the total aboveground volume.
Article
Forestry
Blaine C. Luiz, Christian P. Giardina, Lisa M. Keith, Douglass F. Jacobs, Richard A. Sniezko, Marc A. Hughes, James B. Friday, Philip Cannon, Robert Hauff, Kainana Francisco, Marian M. Chau, Nicklos Dudley, Aileen Yeh, Gregory Asner, Roberta E. Martin, Ryan Perroy, Brian J. Tucker, Ale'Alani Evangelista, Veronica Fernandez, Chloe Martins-Keli'iho'omalu, Kirie Santos, Rebekah Ohara
Summary: Metrosideros polymorpha is a keystone species in Hawaii's native forests and is of great cultural, ecological, and economic importance. However, these forests, especially on Hawaii Island, are being severely affected by Rapid 'Ohi'a Death (ROD), a disease caused by fungal pathogens. This article outlines the 'Ohi'a Disease Resistance Program (ODRP) which aims to identify and develop ROD resistance in Metrosideros polymorpha to mitigate the impacts of the disease and preserve the ecology, culture, and communities depending on this tree species.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Gregory P. Asner, Sonja F. Giardina, Christopher Balzotti, Crawford Drury, Sean Hopson, Roberta E. Martin
Summary: This study examines the impact of artificial reefs on coral diversity, finding that large shipwrecks could serve as havens for reef-building corals with genetic diversity comparable to nearby natural reefs. Ship length may be a predictor of coral diversity.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Daniel J. Wieczynski, Sandra Diaz, Sandra M. Duran, Nikolaos M. Fyllas, Norma Salinas, Roberta E. Martin, Alexander Shenkin, Miles R. Silman, Gregory P. Asner, Lisa Patrick Bentley, Yadvinder Malhi, Brian J. Enquist, Van M. Savage
Summary: The impacts of anthropogenic degradation and climate change on global carbon cycling are difficult to assess due to a lack of clear productivity models and scarce trait and productivity data. This study introduces a mechanistic framework (RS-CFM) that combines remotely-sensed data with trait-based metabolic theory to map productivity at large spatial scales. The framework successfully captures hotspots and elevational shifts in productivity, highlighting the importance of location-specific traits and light competition in driving productivity variability.
Article
Ecology
Mary K. Donovan, Catherine Alves, John Burns, Crawford Drury, Ouida W. Meier, Raphael Ritson-Williams, Ross Cunning, Robert P. Dunn, Gretchen Goodbody-Gringley, Leslie M. Henderson, Ingrid S. S. Knapp, Joshua Levy, Cheryl A. Logan, Laura Mudge, Chris Sullivan, Ruth D. Gates, Gregory P. Asner
Summary: This paper discusses how coral reef resilience is studied at different scales and explores emerging technologies that provide new insights. The authors also propose a framework for integrating insights across scales to guide management solutions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Konrad Wessels, Xiaoxuan Li, Alexandre Bouvet, Renaud Mathieu, Russell Main, Laven Naidoo, Barend Erasmus, Gregory P. Asner
Summary: Global savannas, as the third largest carbon sink, are facing rapid changes. This study tested the ability of L-band SAR to track changes in savanna vegetation structure and found that it has a higher sensitivity than previous studies suggested.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Bing Lin, Yiwen Zeng, Gregory P. P. Asner, David S. S. Wilcove
Summary: By combining Instagram data from tourists and live coral cover maps in Hawaii, this study reveals that coral reefs both attract and suffer from coastal tourism. Higher live coral cover attracts more visitors, but their visitation contributes to subsequent reef degradation. This finding highlights the economic value of coral reefs and the importance of effective conservation management.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiwei Li, Gregory P. Asner
Summary: Three-dimensional shallow benthic complexity provides valuable information for coral reef conservation and management, as it reflects the physical conditions and biodiversity of shallow coral reef environments. This study mapped global shallow water benthic complexity using satellite images and found that high complexity regions are mainly concentrated in areas with high benthic biodiversity. However, a significant portion of coral reef regions with high benthic complexity remains unprotected. The global coral reef benthic complexity map generated in this study can contribute to improving marine protected areas, reef conservation, and management.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Nicholas R. Vaughn, R. Flint Hughes, Gregory P. Asner
Summary: Fungal pathogens of the genus Ceratocystis have caused significant mortality of native 'O over bar hi'a trees on the island of Hawai'i. High resolution imaging spectroscopy has enabled the easy detection of the associated disease, Rapid 'O over bar hi'a Death (ROD). By analyzing wall-to-wall maps of affected 'O over bar hi'a canopy over four years, the study reveals the relationship between changes in canopy distribution and density and environmental drivers at different scales.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
M. M. Seeley, E. A. Stacy, R. E. Martin, G. P. Asner
Summary: Imaging spectroscopy can be used to map closely related plant species at a larger scale. This research focused on understanding the differences in spectral reflectance between genotypes of a single species, Metrosideros polymorpha, and its hybrids. The study found that leaf reflectance patterns successfully distinguished different varieties of M. polymorpha on Hawaii Island and populations of the same variety on different islands. The findings contribute to the use of imaging spectroscopy in biodiversity studies at the genetic level.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Megan M. Seeley, Roberta E. Martin, Nicholas R. Vaughn, David R. Thompson, Jie Dai, Gregory P. Asner
Summary: Imaging spectroscopy is a useful tool for studying ecosystem functioning, but its application in assessing intra-specific trait variation across environmental gradients needs more testing. Selection of specific genotypes and their effects on trait variation and functional diversity are unclear.
Correction
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Bing Lin, Yiwen Zeng, Gregory P. Asner, David S. Wilcove
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Erin C. Netoskie, Kristina L. Paxton, Eben H. Paxton, Gregory P. Asner, Patrick J. Hart
Summary: The recent development of animal-borne sensors combined with location data has allowed researchers to study how animals modify their behavior in response to specific habitat features. In a study on the endemic Hawaiian thrush, researchers used a novel acoustic transmitter to investigate the vocal behaviors of the bird and how they interacted with different habitat characteristics in a fragmented forest landscape. The study revealed that the use of different vocalization types by the bird varied across the landscape and was associated with distinct habitat features. The research also showed context-specific changes in behavior, including courtship, aggression, and social interactions.
Article
Engineering, Civil
Nadine Keller, Ilja van Meerveld, Christopher David Philipson, Gregory P. Asner, Elia Godoong, Hamzah Tangki, Jaboury Ghazoul
Summary: As secondary tropical forests grow, the changes in canopy structure and density affect the interception loss. However, the effects of tropical forest regeneration on mean throughfall are poorly studied. This hampers the estimation of interception loss for regenerating forests.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Megan M. Seeley, Gregory P. Asner
Summary: The role of intraspecific trait variation in functional ecology has gained attention in recent years. This study used remote sensing data of the tree species Metrosideros polymorpha to quantify the environmental controls on intraspecific trait variation. The results showed that elevation was the most important predictor for all canopy traits.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Megan M. Seeley, Nicholas R. Vaughn, Brennon L. Shanks, Roberta E. Martin, Marcel Konig, Gregory P. Asner
Summary: This study provides accurate and high-resolution spatial data on the keystone species Metrosideros polymorpha in Hawai'i Island, using airborne imaging spectroscopy and LiDAR. The study compares two tree species classification techniques and finds that the support vector machine (SVM) model better reproduces the spatial distribution of M. polymorpha than spectral mixture analysis (SMA) model.
