Article
Environmental Sciences
Jemma-Anne Lonsdale, Chloe Leach, Dan Parsons, Andrew Barkwith, Susan Manson, Michael Elliott
Summary: This article discusses the potential impacts of climate change on estuarine systems and highlights the need for improved legislation and management to address these changes.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY
(2022)
Article
Water Resources
Daniele Feitoza Silva, Slobodan P. Simonovic, Andre Schardong, Joel Avruch Goldenfum
Summary: This study focuses on the effects of climate change on extreme precipitation in Canada, specifically looking at the updated Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) relationships. The research finds that extreme events are intensifying in all study areas, with the Northeast coastal region being most affected in the future. Rare events are also becoming more frequent, increasing the risk to water infrastructure. These findings offer valuable insights for stakeholders making climate change adaptation decisions.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY-REGIONAL STUDIES
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Laura Boisvert-Marsh, Sylvie de Blois
Summary: The study investigated recruitment and colonization of temperate tree species in migration pathways towards boreal forests, revealing a northward trend in species migration and colonization events occurring at historically unsuitable sites. The climatic conditions at migration sites were initially colder than occupied sites, but warming trends suggest recent climatic suitability, facilitating species migration.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Geovane J. Alves, Carlos R. Mello, Li Guo
Summary: Climate change affects the erosive power of rain and therefore the vulnerability of mountainous landscapes to natural disasters. This study projected the spatiotemporal changes in daily rainfall erosivity, a useful index for rainfall disasters, under climate change. Results showed that the Mountain Region of the Rio de Janeiro State in Brazil is highly susceptible to rainfall disasters throughout the twenty-first century, with increased intensity around 2040-2071. Urban areas, where fatalities have occurred, are the most vulnerable due to frequent heavy rainfall. Public policy should focus on effective stormwater management to mitigate the impacts of these disasters.
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Michael J. Osland, Philip W. Stevens, Margaret M. Lamont, Richard C. Brusca, Kristen M. Hart, J. Hardin Waddle, Catherine A. Langtimm, Caroline M. Williams, Barry D. Keim, Adam J. Terando, Eric A. Reyier, Katie E. Marshall, Michael E. Loik, Ross E. Boucek, Amanda B. Lewis, Jeffrey A. Seminoff
Summary: Tropicalization refers to the transformation of temperate ecosystems by poleward-moving tropical organisms in response to warming temperatures. In North America, as extreme winter cold events decrease, many tropical species are expected to expand their range northward, potentially impacting temperate organisms. The effects of extreme cold events on tropical organisms are significant and understudied, with warming winters likely facilitating the poleward range expansion of tropical species.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Camille Domy, Rebecca Stone, Ruth Callaway, James C. Bull
Summary: Warming oceans are causing changes in the distribution of numerous species. This study focuses on the habitat suitability of Sabellaria alveolata and predicts that increasing sea surface temperatures will lead to the expansion of suitable habitats along the southern and western coastlines of Great Britain. However, there are limitations to the northward migration of the species due to overriding environmental constraints.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Saki Gerassis, M. T. D. Albuquerque, Natalia Roque, Silvia Ribeiro, Javier Taboada, Maria Margarida Ribeiro
Summary: This study aims to identify the impact of bioclimatic and physiographic variables on the spatial distribution of the strawberry tree in Portugal. By using machine learning techniques, a scalable Bayesian procedure was developed to assess the species' future habitat evolution under different temporal scenarios. The results suggest a significant loss of habitat for the strawberry tree in the south of Portugal by 2070, with potential migration paths and new refuges' settlement in the northern sub-region.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Bruno M. Oliveira, Roelof Boumans, Brian D. Fath, Joseph Harari
Summary: Understanding the complex dynamics between society and nature is essential in ecological modeling. This study developed a simulation model that integrates various climatic and social variables to forecast the behavior of a coastal socio-ecological system in Brazil. The results showed that climate change will significantly impact biological populations, and urban activities play a crucial role in these impacts. The model can serve as an integrative decision-making tool to manage natural capital and adapt to changes.
ECOLOGICAL MODELLING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Prakash N. Dixit, Goetz M. Richter, Kevin Coleman, Adrian L. Collins
Summary: Reducing CO2 emissions is crucial for the UK to achieve its net zero policy objective. By leveraging climate change and land use change, suitable bioenergy crops can be strategically deployed to enhance energy production and carbon sequestration. This study evaluates the potential of bioenergy crops and their response to changing climate in the upper River Taw observatory catchment in southwest England. The results indicate that a warming climate positively impacts the production of all crops considered, with colder areas benefiting more in terms of biomass. Additionally, converting permanent grassland to perennial bioenergy crops can increase production and carbon sequestration potential.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Political Science
Sabrina B. Arias, Christopher W. Blair
Summary: Research shows that climate migrants occupy an intermediate position in public view, receiving some support. Moreover, the results of a conjoint experiment indicate that the level of support for climate migrants does not impact public support for climate change mitigation.
JOURNAL OF POLITICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mark G. Anderson, Melissa Clark, Arlene P. Olivero, Analie R. Barnett, Kimberly R. Hall, Meredith W. Cornett, Marissa Ahlering, Michael Schindel, Bob Unnasch, Carrie Schloss, D. Richard Cameron
Summary: Motivated by declines in biodiversity exacerbated by climate change, we identified a network of conservation sites designed to provide resilient habitat for species, while supporting dynamic shifts in ranges and changes in ecosystem composition. Our 12-y study involved 289 scientists in 14 study regions across the conterminous United States (CONUS), and our intent was to support local-, regional-, and national-scale conservation decisions.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xiaofei Hu, Linfeng Wei, Qi Cheng, Xingqi Wu, Jian Ni
Summary: Climate change poses a threat to ecosystems and their function. This study investigates climate-smart planning for protected areas in the Tibetan Plateau under climate change scenarios. The results show that considering climate impacts in protected area planning can help minimize economic and climate costs but there is still a need to protect 58% of gap areas. Therefore, six adjustable areas in the eastern and southern Tibetan Plateau with complex ecological functions under future climate scenarios have been identified.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Guoqing Li, Jinghua Huang
Summary: This study examines the habitat range shift velocity of tree species in China under future climate change scenarios. The results indicate that the tree species are expected to shift northwards, with northwest and northeast directions accounting for a larger proportion. The shift directions described by the bioclimatic envelope model are inconsistent with those described by the climate velocity method.
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Rebeca Quintero Gonzalez, Jamal Jokar Arsanjani
Summary: This study used three machine learning algorithms to predict future changes in groundwater levels in Denmark based on climate change scenarios. The random forest (RF) model outperformed the other two models, showing a slight increase in water table levels in the future, especially during winter. The developed approach and models can be applied to other areas to improve prevention and adaptation plans for future climate change scenarios.
ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fazlullah Akhtar, Christian Borgemeister, Bernhard Tischbein, Usman Khalid Awan
Summary: Due to uncertainties in hydrological data and modeling, the reliability of findings in heterogeneous catchments such as the Kabul River Basin (KRB) is often questioned. This study evaluates the performance of the SWAT model in the KRB using statistical indicators and assesses streamflow under changing climate scenarios. The results highlight the importance of the KGE metric in evaluating streamflow in heterogeneous basins.
Review
Plant Sciences
Songlin Fei, Stephanie N. Kivlin, Grant M. Domke, Insu Jo, Elizabeth A. LaRue, Richard P. Phillips
Summary: First principles predict that there is a relationship between plant and mycorrhizal fungal diversity, but this relationship is inconsistent on larger scales, likely due to different relationships between different mycorrhizal fungal guilds and plant diversity, scale dependency, and lack of coordinated sampling efforts. Understanding the coupling between plant and mycorrhizal fungal diversity across scales is important for predicting the ecosystem consequences of species gains and losses.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yi-Chun Lin, Jinyuan Shao, Sang-Yeop Shin, Zainab Saka, Mina Joseph, Raja Manish, Songlin Fei, Ayman Habib
Summary: LiDAR technology is advancing rapidly, providing valuable data for characterizing forest vertical structure. Comparative analysis of point clouds from different LiDAR systems helps select appropriate systems and tools for various research questions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sungchan Oh, Jinha Jung, Guofan Shao, Gang Shao, Joey Gallion, Songlin Fei
Summary: The forest canopy height model (CHM) is a crucial tool for analyzing forest stocking and its spatiotemporal variations. This study presents a high-resolution CHM generation method using U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) LiDAR data for the entire state of Indiana, USA. The accuracy of the CHM was validated through comparison with field-based height measurements. Furthermore, the resulting CHM can serve as critical baseline information for monitoring and management decisions, as well as the calculation of other key forest metrics.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Laureline Rossignaud, Mark O. Kimberley, Dave Kelly, Songlin Fei, Eckehard G. Brockerhoff
Summary: This study explores the applicability of the biotic resistance hypothesis in forest ecosystems and finds that native trees play a crucial role in preventing invasions by exotic species. Competitive interactions are primarily important at small scales, while habitat heterogeneity plays a predominant role at larger scales.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jonathan Knott, Grant Domke, Christopher Woodall, Brian Walters, Michael Jenkins, Songlin Fei
Summary: This study analyzed two decades of forest plot data in the Great Lakes region of the eastern U.S. and found that shifts in forest communities have important implications for carbon dynamics. The carbon content of live trees varied with different communities, while the carbon content of standing dead trees was influenced by community composition and stand structure.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuhao Feng, Bernhard Schmid, Michel Loreau, David Forrester, Songlin Fei, Jianxiao Zhu, Zhiyao Tang, Jiangling Zhu, Pubin Hong, Chengjun Ji, Yue Shi, Haojie Su, Xinyu Xiong, Jian Xiao, Shaopeng Wang, Jingyun Fang
Summary: Multispecies tree planting can enhance tree growth in terms of height, diameter, and biomass, mainly due to interspecific complementarity. Consideration of factors such as leaf morphology and lifespan, stand age, planting density, and temperature can optimize the effectiveness of multispecies planting.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Aishwarya Chandrasekaran, Guofan Shao, Songlin Fei, Zachary Miller, Joseph Hupy
Summary: This paper presents a methodology for automated measurement of tree height and crown area in broadleaf tree plantations using unmanned aerial systems imagery. The analysis shows higher accuracy in tree measurements with the datasets derived from multi-rotor platform than with the fixed wing platform. The automated method can efficiently calculate tree-level biometric estimations for a large number of trees based on UAS-SfM derived images.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tian Zhou, Renato Cesar dos Santos, Jidong Liu, Yi-Chun Lin, William Changhao Fei, Songlin Fei, Ayman Habib
Summary: LiDAR data plays a crucial role in forest inventory and management. This study compares three tree detection and localization approaches using LiDAR data from different platforms and with different characteristics. The results highlight the importance of considering data characteristics when selecting an appropriate method.
Article
Entomology
Samuel F. Ward, Eckehard G. Brockerhoff, Rebecca M. Turner, Takehiko Yamanaka, Lorenzo Marini, Songlin Fei, Andrew M. Liebhold
Summary: The unintentional transport of insects beyond their native ranges has increased with globalization, leading to higher propagule pressure in non-native ranges. This study investigated the interceptions of European spruce bark beetle in the USA from 1914 to 2008 and found that interceptions were not related to outbreak levels in the native range, but were inversely related to annual import volume. The abundance of this beetle in invasion pathways has recently decreased, possibly due to strengthened phytosanitary protocols.
JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Joshua Carpenter, Jinha Jung, Sungchan Oh, Brady Hardiman, Songlin Fei
Summary: Terrestrial laser scanners, unmanned aerial LiDAR, and unmanned aerial photogrammetry are increasingly being used for forest analysis and mapping. This paper introduces an unsupervised method for segmenting individual trees from point clouds. Testing on terrestrial-laser-scanned datasets and unmanned aerial photogrammetric and LiDAR point clouds shows that the proposed algorithm achieves state-of-the-art performances in individual tree segmentation and stem-mapping accuracy, regardless of forest complexity.
Article
Ecology
Jonathan A. Knott, Liang Liang, Jeffrey S. Dukes, Robert K. Swihart, Songlin Fei
Summary: In a 58-year common garden experiment, we tested the phenological sensitivity of northern red oak populations to temperature changes and whether these differences were associated with differences in productivity and survival. We found that spring leaf out consistently advanced in warmer years, but fall phenology was less responsive to temperature changes. Southern populations had larger shifts in phenology in response to springtime warming, but lower long-term survival. However, higher phenological sensitivity to spring warming was not strongly linked to increased productivity, and fitness was more closely linked to latitudinal gradients.
Article
Ecology
Qinfeng Guo, Anping Chen, Erin T. H. Crockett, Jeff W. Atkins, Xiongwen Chen, Songlin Fei
Summary: Gradient and scale are two key concepts in ecology and evolution that can jointly influence eco-evo patterns. While scale refers to the dimensional space of a specific issue, gradient measures the range of a variable. However, the role of changing gradients has received relatively little attention compared to changing scales. Evaluating the role of scale in ecological patterns should be done in conjunction with considering the underlying environmental gradients, as the difference between sampled and potential gradients can profoundly impact observed patterns and alter scale-gradient relationships.
Article
Plant Sciences
Dennis Heejoon Choi, Elizabeth A. A. LaRue, Jeff W. W. Atkins, Jane R. R. Foster, Jaclyn Hatala Matthes, Robert T. T. Fahey, Bina Thapa, Songlin Fei, Brady S. S. Hardiman
Summary: Moderate severity disturbances play a crucial role in ecosystem dynamics, but their effects on forest canopy structure and their changes over time are not well understood. This study used multi-temporal LiDAR data to examine the effects of three press disturbances and three pulse disturbances on temperate forest canopy structure. The research found that high intensity disturbances inhibited canopy height growth, while low intensity pulse disturbances facilitated it. Canopy complexity also mitigated the impact of disturbances on canopy structure over time.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tian Zhou, Radhika Ravi, Yi-Chun Lin, Raja Manish, Songlin Fei, Ayman Habib
Summary: This paper investigates the use of LiDAR units onboard UAV and Backpack MMSs for high-quality point clouds in accurate forest inventory. By optimizing trajectory enhancement, the spatial accuracy of the point clouds can be significantly improved, and forest inventory metrics can be derived. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy in improving the quality of the point clouds.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gang Shao, Songlin Fei, Guofan Shao
Summary: Accurate tree inventory is important for sustainable forest planting and management. In this study, a stepwise tree detection approach was proposed, using horizontal point density and vertical structure profiles. The study demonstrated that horizontal point density provides critical information to locate individual trees, while vertical structure profiles can identify spreading branches and deliquescent crowns.
