Article
Horticulture
A. Sergio Serrano, Jesus Martinez-Gascuena, Gonzalo L. Alonso, Cristina Cebrian-Tarancon, M. Dolores Carmona, Adela Mena Morales, Juan L. Chacon-Vozmediano
Summary: The global viticulture industry is facing water scarcity due to climate change. Identifying grape varieties that can produce high-quality grapes and maintain good yields under drought conditions is crucial for ensuring the sustainability of the wine sector.
Article
Forestry
Diana F. Tomback, Eric Sprague
Summary: Whitebark pine, a declining endangered species, faces challenges in devising a restoration plan due to its wide distribution, limited funding, and lack of field personnel. The National Whitebark Pine Restoration Plan (NWPRP) is a collaborative effort among multiple agencies to restore whitebark pine across its U.S. range. The plan includes prioritized areas, proposed treatments and conservation actions, estimated costs, and a monitoring plan.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Aalap Dixit, Thomas Kolb, Owen Burney
Summary: We investigated the growth and traits of ponderosa pine seedlings from different provenances. The study found significant differences in stem growth rate, carbon isotope discrimination, and specific leaf area among provenances. The traits were correlated with environmental and climatic characteristics. Provenances from warmer sites had lower growth rate and higher water use efficiency than provenances from cooler sites.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Robert E. Keane, Anna W. Schoettle, Diana F. Tomback
Summary: Ecologically important high elevation five-needle white pine forests in western North America are facing multiple threats, including mountain pine beetles, white pine blister rust, and climate change. Multi-scaled management intervention is needed to conserve these keystone tree species.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jun-Jun Liu, Anna W. Schoettle, Richard A. Sniezko, Kristen M. Waring, Holly Williams, Arezoo Zamany, Jeremy S. Johnson, Angelia Kegley
Summary: This study compared the major gene resistance (MGR) in southwestern white pine and limber pine by analyzing SNP markers. The results showed that most SNPs in limber pine were transferable to southwestern white pine, and some SNPs linked to Cr4 were significantly associated with Cr3-controlled traits in southwestern white pine. The findings suggest the potential use of SNP markers for distinguishing resistant genotypes in white pines.
Article
Forestry
Anna W. Schoettle, Kelly S. Burns, Shawn T. McKinney, Jodie Krakowski, Kristen M. Waring, Diana F. Tomback, Marianne Davenport
Summary: Tree mortality rates are increasing globally, particularly in mountainous regions due to higher temperatures and the spread of pests. Western North American high-elevation forests, specifically the five-needle white pines (High-5), are facing multiple threats including non-native pathogens, climate-driven drought, mountain pine beetles, and wildfires. The adaptive capacities of these species differ and will impact their population trajectories.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Hiroki Horike, Tomomitsu Kinoshita, Atsushi Kume, Yuko T. Hanba
Summary: The xylem anatomy of urban shrub trees' petiole is related to their species-specific photosynthetic response and water-use properties. Selecting urban tree species based on drought response is crucial in warm temperate regions to combat water limitation and intensified drought stress caused by urban warming and global warming. Rhaphiolepis umbellata showed the highest photosynthesis and water use efficiency under drought, making it the most favorable species as an urban tree. On the other hand, Rhododendron obtusum had significantly lower photosynthesis and water use efficiency under drought, indicating it is less suitable as an urban tree species. The coordination between photosynthesis and leaf hydraulic traits during recovery was mediated by stomatal regulation.
TREES-STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jeremy S. Johnson, Richard A. Sniezko
Summary: White pine blister rust, caused by the invasive fungal pathogen Cronartium ribicola, is a significant threat to white pines in North America, but genetic resistance and quantitative disease resistance have been observed in southwestern white pine species. Some families of P. strobiformis show high levels of resistance, particularly in terms of reduced severity of infection, fewer stem symptoms, and increased bark reactions, providing valuable information for forest managers involved in restoration efforts.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Aalap Dixit, Thomas Kolb, Owen Burney, Karen Mock, Kevin Grady
Summary: The study found that survival of ponderosa pine seedlings in different elevational environments was influenced by their provenance, with low-elevation provenances showing higher drought tolerance. Seedling mortality at high-elevation sites was mainly attributed to biotic agents, presenting a challenge to establishing ponderosa pine in assisted migration projects. Furthermore, seedlings at mid-elevation sites exhibited higher growth rates and water use efficiency.
Article
Agronomy
A. Sergio Serrano, Jesus Martinez-Gascuena, Gonzalo L. Alonso, Cristina Cebrian-Tarancon, M. Dolores Carmona, Adela Mena, Juan L. Chacon-Vozmediano
Summary: Drought is a significant factor affecting plants, and this study focused on assessing the drought response of 13 red grape cultivars using agronomic indicators. The results showed significant variability among cultivars, with some maintaining high yields and must quality under drought conditions while others showing high water use efficiency but low yield and quality. Understanding which cultivars perform well under drought conditions is crucial for reducing water irrigation reliance and maintaining vineyard sustainability.
Article
Agronomy
Xiaoyun Niu, Zhaoying Song, Cong Xu, Haoran Wu, Qifu Luan, Jingmin Jiang, Yanjie Li
Summary: This study evaluated the performance of unmanned aerial vehicle multispectral imaging in estimating the canopy nitrogen (N) and nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) contents of 383 slash pine trees over 11 months of 2021. Four machine learning methods were compared to generate the optimal model for N and NSC prediction. The gradient boosting machine model yielded the best prediction results, with R2 values of 0.60 and 0.65 for N and NSC, respectively. The study also assessed the heritable variation of N and NSC over time, finding that the highest heritability (h2) for N and NSC was observed in July and March (0.26 and 0.49, respectively). Finally, five families with high N and NSC breeding values were selected. This research provides valuable insights into predicting N and NSC contents in trees using time-series unmanned aerial vehicle multispectral imaging and understanding the genetic variation of N and NSC for tree breeding programs.
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
R. J. Scott Lacombe, Richard P. Bazinet
Summary: Differences in carbon assimilation pathways among plants lead to variations in carbon isotope ratios in foods and animal products, which have been underappreciated in nutrition. Recent studies have shown that carbon isotope ratio analysis can serve as an effective tool for evaluating nutritional biomarker status, not only for sugar and animal protein intake, but also for studying fatty acid metabolism.
Article
Plant Sciences
Kersti Leppa, Yu Tang, Jerome Ogee, Samuli Launiainen, Ansgar Kahmen, Pasi Kolari, Elina Sahlstedt, Matthias Saurer, Pauliina Schiestl-Aalto, Katja T. Rinne-Garmston
Summary: In this study, the needle sugar isotopic compositions (delta O-18 and delta C-13) of boreal Scots pine were investigated over two growing seasons. A leaf-level dynamic model was built to predict the isotopic compositions, taking into account environmental conditions and isotope fractionation processes. The model results showed good agreement with observed data, indicating that relative humidity and intercellular to ambient CO2 concentration ratio were the main drivers of isotopic variability. However, the variability of needle sugar isotopic compositions was reduced on diel and intra-seasonal timescales due to the presence of a large needle sugar pool. Consideration of temperature-sensitive fractionation factors and mesophyll resistance was crucial for interpreting leaf-level isotopic signals.
Article
Plant Sciences
Elisabetta Oddo, Giuseppe D'Asaro, Emmanuele Monti, Geraldina Signa, Salvatrice Vizzini, Maurizio Sajeva
Summary: The study investigated the optimization of resource utilization in Lithops plants in extremely arid environments, and provided experimental evidence of carbon and nitrogen isotope values in leaves and roots, supporting the existence of CAM metabolism.
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Remote Sensing
Aaron Meneghini, Parinaz Rahimzadeh-Bajgiran, William Livingston, Aaron Weiskittel
Summary: This study evaluated the potential of satellite remote sensing technology to detect White Pine Needle Damage (WPND) outbreaks and achieved good accuracies in WPND detection and severity classification using Sentinel-2 imagery and spectral vegetation indices. The results suggest that fine resolution remote sensing is feasible for detecting severe WPND, but further research is needed to determine the effects of spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution of remote sensing data on detecting WPND severity levels.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF REMOTE SENSING
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Mitra Menon, Erin Landguth, Alejandro Leal-Saenz, Justin C. Bagley, Anna W. Schoettle, Christian Wehenkel, Lluvia Flores-Renteria, Samuel A. Cushman, Kristen M. Waring, Andrew J. Eckert
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2020)
Editorial Material
Forestry
Kristen Waring, John Bradford, Christopher Looney
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Forestry
Gennaro Falco, Kristen M. Waring
Article
Plant Sciences
Alejandro Leal-Saenz, Kristen M. Waring, Mitra Menon, Samuel A. Cushman, Andrew Eckert, Lluvia Flores-Renteria, Jose Ciro Hernandez-Diaz, Carlos Antonio Lopez-Sanchez, Jose Hugo Martinez-Guerrero, Christian Wehenkel
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
E. R. V. Moler, G. Page, L. Flores-Renteria, C. G. Garms, J. B. Hull, H. F. Cooper, J. Swenson, S. Perks, K. M. Waring, A. V. Whipple
Summary: This study developed and validated a method for passively warming developing seeds in tree canopies to study the effects of climate warming on seedling performance. The method was shown to reliably elevate the temperature surrounding seed cones and influence plant traits that may affect seedling performance under climate warming.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marja Haagsma, Gerald F. M. Page, Jeremy S. Johnson, Christopher Still, Kristen M. Waring, Richard A. Sniezko, John S. Selker
Article
Biology
Mitra Menon, Justin C. Bagley, Gerald F. M. Page, Amy Whipple, Anna W. Schoettle, Christopher J. Still, Christian Wehenkel, Kristen M. Waring, Lluvia Flores-Renteria, Samuel A. Cushman, Andrew J. Eckert
Summary: The genetic architecture of adaptive evolution in a conifer hybrid zone was revealed, with introduced variants favored in freeze-related environments and background variants favored in water availability-related environments. The mosaic of allelic variants within conifer hybrid zones may provide greater resilience to ongoing and future environmental change.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Connor D. Crouch, Amanda M. Grady, Nicholas P. Wilhelmi, Richard W. Hofstetter, Daniel E. DePinte, Kristen M. Waring
Summary: Oystershell scale is an emerging invasive insect that poses a serious threat to quaking aspen in the southwestern US. Research indicates that the ongoing outbreak of Oystershell scale in northern Arizona is causing dieback and mortality in aspen stands. The potential high impact of Oystershell scale as an invasive insect comes from its hypothesized role as a sleeper species, potential interactions with climate change, and its polyphagous nature.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Alejandro Leal-Saenz, Kristen M. Waring, Rebeca Alvarez-Zagoya, Jose Ciro Hernandez-Diaz, Carlos A. Lopez-Sanchez, Jose Hugo Martinez-Guerrero, Christian Wehenkel
Summary: The study analyzed insect damage to cones and seeds of P. strobiformis in Mexico, finding that a majority of seeds and all tree populations studied were affected by insects, mainly including Leptoglossus occidentalis, Tetyra bipunctata, Megastigmus albifrons, and various Lepidoptera species. The damage may have significant impacts on seed production and reforestation potential of P. strobiformis.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Marja Haagsma, Gerald F. M. Page, Jeremy S. Johnson, Christopher Still, Kristen M. Waring, Richard A. Sniezko, John S. Selker
Summary: Hyperspectral imaging is useful for identifying plant stress, with machine learning playing a crucial role in analyzing large datasets. The study evaluated different metrics for selecting classification models, finding that AUC was more effective than PA in ranking model accuracy when using dynamic data.
COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS IN AGRICULTURE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jun-Jun Liu, Anna W. Schoettle, Richard A. Sniezko, Kristen M. Waring, Holly Williams, Arezoo Zamany, Jeremy S. Johnson, Angelia Kegley
Summary: This study compared the major gene resistance (MGR) in southwestern white pine and limber pine by analyzing SNP markers. The results showed that most SNPs in limber pine were transferable to southwestern white pine, and some SNPs linked to Cr4 were significantly associated with Cr3-controlled traits in southwestern white pine. The findings suggest the potential use of SNP markers for distinguishing resistant genotypes in white pines.
Article
Forestry
Anna W. Schoettle, Kelly S. Burns, Shawn T. McKinney, Jodie Krakowski, Kristen M. Waring, Diana F. Tomback, Marianne Davenport
Summary: Tree mortality rates are increasing globally, particularly in mountainous regions due to higher temperatures and the spread of pests. Western North American high-elevation forests, specifically the five-needle white pines (High-5), are facing multiple threats including non-native pathogens, climate-driven drought, mountain pine beetles, and wildfires. The adaptive capacities of these species differ and will impact their population trajectories.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Adam D. Polinko, Marguerite A. Rapp, Andrew J. Sanchez Meador, Andrew D. Graves, Daniel E. Ryerson, Kristen M. Waring
Summary: The western spruce budworm is a highly destructive defoliator of forests in the western US. Forests in northern New Mexico have experienced severe defoliation and mortality caused by western spruce budworm outbreaks. The impacts of these outbreaks on forest dynamics in the US Southwest are still not well understood. This study found unsustainable levels of mortality in spruce-fir stands and a shift towards non-host species in mixed-conifer stands. It also suggests that mixed-conifer stands affected by these outbreaks may have increased resilience to future budworm defoliation events.
Review
Forestry
Connor D. Crouch, Paul C. Rogers, Margaret M. Moore, Kristen M. Waring
Summary: Quaking aspen populations in the southwestern United States and central Mexico have high conservation value due to their ecological importance, positive impact on local economies, and cultural significance. However, these populations lack resilience and adaptive capacity, and managers are uncertain about the best strategies for their preservation. This systematic review identifies factors influencing aspen forest dynamics in the Southwest and proposes management objectives to enhance aspen resilience, including promoting age diversity, mitigating ungulate impacts, and enhancing complexity.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Laura Nikinmaa, Marcus Lindner, Elena Cantarello, Barry Gardiner, Jette Bredahl Jacobsen, Alistair S. Jump, Constanza Parra, Tobias Plieninger, Andreas Schuck, Rupert Seidl, Thomas Timberlake, Kristen Waring, Georg Winkel, Bart Muys
Summary: Against the backdrop of increasing climate-induced disturbances, there is an urgent need to enhance the resilience of forests and forest management. However, current methods for assessing resilience lack considerations for trade-offs. This study proposes a hierarchical framework that considers trade-offs between mechanisms, social-ecological system components, ecosystem services, and spatial and temporal scales to assess resilience.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)