SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
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Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analyses of an Urban Forest Structure and Function Model
Full text linkUrban forest models can quantify forest structure and benefits, and are frequently employed in decision-making. This dissertation first reviewed case studies of urban forest modeling practices over the past two-decades, compared the similarities and differences among different models, and summarized the current trends and gaps in the field of urban forest modeling. One gap is the lack of uncertainty assessments for model output. To address this gap, this dissertation performed sensitivity and uncertainty analyses for a popular urban forest model, i-Tree Eco. Based on a case study in New York City, the sensitivity analyses found that the most important input variables are genus for isoprene and monoterpene emissions, DBH for carbon estimators, and leaf area index, temperature, and photosynthetically active radiation for dry deposition estimators. The uncertainty analyses addressed uncertainties associated with the entire i-Tree Eco modeling process, from input data collection, to the characterization of urban tree structure, to the subsequent estimators of the ecosystem services of urban trees. Uncertainty magnitudes were quantified by employing bootstrap and Monte Carlo simulations, and the three sources of uncertainty, input, model, and sampling, were aggregated to derive an estimator of total uncertainty. Through case studies in 16 cities across the United States, the average magnitude of total uncertainty across the 16 cities was 12.4% for leaf area, 12.4% for leaf biomass, 13.5% for carbon storage, 11.1% for carbon sequestration, 40.7% for isoprene emissions, and 25.0% for monoterpene emissions. For leaf and carbon estimators, the total uncertainty is primarily driven by sampling uncertainty, while the magnitudes of sampling, input and model uncertainty are similar across the 16 study cities. In contrast, input, sampling, and model uncertainties all contribute similarly to the total uncertainty for isoprene and monoterpene emission estimators, and there are larger variations in these three sources of uncertainty across the 16 study cities. To reduce overall uncertainty, future studies should develop more accurate urban-, local-, and species-specific allometric relationships, improve the spatial representation of meteorological variables, develop more extensive and accurate local-scale measurements to calibrate and verify models, and improve sampling strategies
Environmental Drivers of Morphological and Physiological Adaptation in an Invasive Defoliator, Lymantria Dispar
Full text linkClimatic gradients result in life-history tradeoffs across diverse taxa. Studying range-expanding invasive species can offer insight to environmental conditions that drive adaptive responses. Insects, which have rapid generations and high fecundity, can adapt rapidly to novel or changing environmental conditions, making them ideal model organisms for studying evolution in situ. European gypsy moth was introduced to North America in 1869 near Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and has since expanded its range to occupy 12 ̊ of latitude and diverse thermal regimes. I investigated environmental drivers of adaptation across the latitudinal-climatic range of gypsy moth in North America.
I linked variation in wing length, a proxy for body size, of pheromone-trapped males to metrics of habitat quality including forest composition, phenology, and population density. I found support for previously reported seasonal phenology-linked decline in wing length in both endemic and outbreaking gypsy moth populations. Furthermore, I found significant differences in wing length between males from forests of different quality by using discrete forest quality estimates, but not using continuous metrics of forest quality. Mean wing length of males from outbreak populations was smaller on than those from endemic populations.
Male flight capacity is an important aspect of fitness, and has important implications for mate- finding and establishment success during range expansion. Using fixed-arm flight mills, I found that body size is the most important predictor for total flight distance and maximum speed, and forewing aspect and relative thorax mass also had a significant effect on flight capacity.
Using a reciprocal transplant study, I found evidence for adaptive shifts in hatch timing occurring in populations from across the latitudinal range of gypsy moth, which may serve to reduce asynchrony with budburst of preferred host tree species at latitudinal range margins. I demonstrated that fitness costs of hatching ahead of or behind red oak budburst may provide sufficient selective pressures to drive the change observed in natural populations.
The results herein may inform current gypsy moth management priorities, and identify knowledge gaps where future research can improve our understanding of the barriers to range expansion in gypsy moth and perhaps other invasive species
Acrylate: The missing carbon in the marine organosulfur cycle
No full textAcrylate is produced by many marine phytoplankton in equimolar quantities to dimethylsulfide (DMS) from the enzymatic cleavage of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP). However, while DMS and DMSP have been studied intensively for more than 30 years, very little is known about acrylate even though it should be prevalent in the oceans and its concentrations and fluxes should be high in coral reefs and blooms of DMSP-rich phytoplankton. To better understand the importance of acrylate in the oceans, I studied the photochemistry and biological consumption of acrylate in seawater.
Acrylate absorbssolar radiation at wavelengths longer than 290 nm, but it did not photolyze in seawater. Instead, acrylate was photochemically produced in seawater when exposed to sunlight, with production rates much faster in coastal waters compared to open-ocean waters. Photoproduction rates were strongly correlated to the UV absorbance of the seawater, suggesting the involvement of chromophoric dissolved organic matter. Apparent quantum yields (AQYs) for acrylate photoproduction decreased exponentially with increasing wavelength, and AQYs were temperature dependent with a mean (± std dev) activation energy, Ea, at 320 nm equal to 21.9 ± 4.0 kJ mol-1 . Acrylate photoproduction peaked at ~330 nm, with ~30% of the total production in the UV-B and ~70% in the UV-A. Using wavelength and temperature dependent AQY data, depth- integrated photoproduction rates were modeled yielding a global photochemical production of 18.0 ± 9.8 Tg y-1 for acrylate in the surface-mixed layer. This corresponded to 1.7% of the total annual production of biologically-labile carbon from the photolysis of marine dissolved organic carbon.
A detailed study was undertaken to examine the acrylate cycle in a coral reef in Mo’orea, French Polynesia. Dissolved acrylate concentrations were low in coral-reef waters and in offshore open-ocean Pacific waters (ca. 1–2 nM), but concentrations were substantially higher (up to ~ 50 nM) in waters close proximity to prevalent coral and macroalgae in the reef. Dissolved acrylate and DMSP were rapidly taken up by heterotrophs in the reef, with mean turnover times of 6 and 3 h, respectively. A large diurnal pattern was seen for the concentrations and the biological consumption of dissolved acrylate and DMSP in the reef, with higher concentrations and faster consumption observed in daytime samples compared to samples collected at night. Given the high cellular concentrations observed in cultures of several coral algal symbionts, these coral-derived substrates are proposed to be important in the ecology of coral reefs. Collectively, this work advances our understanding of the marine acrylate cycle with respect to acrylate photochemistry and its role as a biological substrate in coral reefs
Semiochemicals mediating multitrophic interactions among Sirex noctilio and associated organisms
No full textThe Eurasian woodwasp, Sirex noctilio Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Siricidae), is a destructive forest pest in pine plantations of the Southern Hemisphere. S. noctilio can kill pine trees by injecting a pathogenic fungus, Amylostereum areolatum Boidin along with a phytopathogenic venom. The larvae live within the living wood layer of its host trees and adults congregate at the upper canopy level for mating. Extensive research has been directed toward the development of management strategies, including biological control. Ibalia leucospoides (Hymenoptera: Ibaliidae) is a larval parasitoid that has been widely introduced as a biological control agent for the invasive woodwasp in the Southern Hemisphere. Semiochemical-based lures, some of the most effective tools for detection of invasives, are not well developed for S. noctilio. In this study, the chemistry of attractive components of A. areolatum volatiles to both S. noctilio and I. leucospoides females was identified and evaluated in the laboratory and field. A female-produced sex pheromone, 10-oxo-decanoic acid, was discovered for S. noctilio which was attractive in laboratory assays. In addition, laboratory assays demonstrated a multi-component sex pheromone for I. leucospoides, produced by females. Understanding insect behavior and semiochemistry will lead to the development of lures, and this will open up new opportunities in S. noctilio management
Factors Limiting Abundance and Productivity of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) in New Jersey
Full text linkSuccessful recovery of endangered species requires an understanding of factors that limit population size and growth rate. Regulatory protection and management interventions for piping plovers have been largely successful in recovering populations throughout the breeding range; however, some subpopulations have not recovered, including the New Jersey population. The goal of this study was to understand how predators, foraging habitat, and management actions affect piping plover population dynamics in New Jersey. Using resighting data, we found that adult survival between 2012–2019 ranged from 0.62 [95% CI = 0.48, 0.74] to 0.85 [0.74, 0.92] for females and 0.65 [0.51, 0.78] to 0.89 [0.80, 0.94] for males and juvenile survival ranged from 0.40 [0.30, 0.51] to 0.70 [0.57, 0.80]. Abandoned nests were associated with lower survival rates, particularly for males. Daily chick survival rates increased with age (days since hatching), decreased with daily precipitation, and were lower when bayside foraging access was not available. Using predator tracking surveys and occupancy modeling, we found that mink occupancy was higher when red foxes were absent (0.787 [95% CI = 0.14, 0.98]) than when they were present (0.05 [0.01, 0.26]). Daily nest predation was similar at sites with red foxes (0.45 ± 0.11 SD) and without red foxes (0.43 ± 0.10) for nests not protected by predator exclosures, but predation rates were higher for exclosed nests at sites without red foxes (0.20 ± 0.08) than sites with red foxes (0.06 ± 0.04). We found evidence that red fox habitat use decreased as the distance to the nearest primary dune increased and that habitat use remained constant throughout the course of the nesting season. Our results will lead to more comprehensive recommendations for predation management and restoration to land managers within New Jersey that will simultaneously reduce predation pressures and create suitable habitat to begin recovery within the state
Oxalate Oxidase Quantification and Relative Mrna Expression in Transgenic American Chestnut (Castanea Dentata)
Full text linkAmerican chestnut (Castanea dentata) is highly susceptible to a canker disease caused by the invasive fungal pathogen Cryphonectria parasitica. Efforts to restore this tree to its natural range have led to the development of a transgenic American chestnut tree containing an oxalate oxidase (OxO) gene from wheat. The aim of this study was to quantify the OxO protein in our transgenic American chestnut tissues for review by the USDA APHIS BRS, EPA, and FDA federal regulatory agencies and to assess OxO mRNA expression stability in subsequent breeding generations. OxO protein levels were approximately 100-fold greater in chestnuts than found in endogenous cereal sources. Oxalate oxidase mRNA expression levels were stable in the founder Darling 58 transgenic line and its subsequent T1 generation. Expression levels began to fluctuate in some of the T2 generation as our project began to outcross to a more diverse group of mother trees
Characterizing the Empirical Drivers of the Carbon Fluxes of an Inland Salt Marsh
Full text linkWetlands promote carbon sequestration through saturated, anoxic soils. However, the persistent presence of water results in reduce conditions, which promotes methane (CH4) production. The climatological variables responsible for the source/sink behavior are still unclear. This study quantifies temporal changes in the empirical drivers of the carbon fluxes of a constructed inland salt marsh in Camillus, New York. The mean CH4 (0.328 μmol·m-2 ·s-1 ) and carbon dioxide (CO2) (0.195 μmol·m-2 ·s-1 ) emissions from June 27, 2019 to November 11, 2019 show the site’s slight carbon source behavior. Latent heat flux had the strongest relationship with CH4 and gross primary production (GPP), while air temperature best explained ecosystem respiration (Re). The lag responses of Re (3-hours) and CH4 (5-hours) from air temperature are likely attributed to the lag response between the air and soil temperature. Whereas the lag response of GPP (1-hour), Re (2-hours), and CH4 (1-day) from rainfall events are likely a reflection of an increase in dissolved oxygen and soil moisture content
City Kids in the Wilderness: Critical Outdoor Education Approaches
Full text linkOutdoor and environmental educators are increasingly concerned about the presence and resistance of whiteness, racism, and settler colonialism in outdoor pedagogy. In this dissertation, I present three distinct inquiries examining the entanglement of educator identity, curriculum, anti-colonialism, and anti-racism in outdoor and environmental education (OE/EE). All three manuscripts are united by self-study, which is a methodology whereby educational professionals make inquiries of and investigate their own practice. In chapter one I use an action research framework and discourse analysis to better theorize my anti-oppressive outdoor curriculum design. Through this analysis, I uncover my tendency to position critical educators at high levels of consciousness and ignore the complexity of learners’ meaning-making processes. Subsequently, I shifted towards strategies that placed participants in conversation with entities of place. This curricular approach decenters educators’ singular interpretations of injustice, which is an important theoretical concept for critical outdoor education. Chapter two uses autoethnographic methodology and applies performativity theory to analyze this same professional journey but from the perspective of educator identity. Here I describe a narrative in which my work and education forced me to 1) notice how my wilderness performativity enforced inequity and 2) acknowledge different outdoor performativities as expressions of different values of place. Ultimately, I use my journey to delineate a major lesson for outdoor educators: as we seek to incorporate justice and anti-oppression into our work, we should see ourselves as non- neutral agents with regards to place. Chapter three makes a case for the broader application of self-study in OE/EE; as we create anti-oppressive or social justice curriculum in OE/EE, it is important that educators and organizations have tools to reflexively examine their relationships to learners and places. With its focus on ontology, self-study is a well situated but underrecognized tool for such reflexivity. All three chapters arrive ix at a complex valuation of ‘place as teacher’ and I believe this notion implicates all outdoor professionals. It is important that the way we relate to place in our pedagogy grapples with the complexity and non-neutrality of place
Organic Contaminants in Surficial and Deep Sediments of Onondaga Lake, Syracuse, NY
Full text linkOnondaga Lake in Syracuse, New York was once considered to be the most polluted lake in North America. Since the lake’s placement on the EPA’s superfund site list in 1994. The purpose of this study was to determine historical and surficial sediment concentrations of organic pollutants within Onondaga Lake by analyzing core sediment samples from 1920 to 2011 and surficial sediment samples from nine locations taken in 2016. The sediment core revealed three distinctive periods of high organic compound pollution in the lake: late 1920s to early 1940s, late 1950s to late 1970s, and the 1990s to early 2000s. These peaks, in PAHs, PCBs, and chlorobenzenes corresponded to industrial activities surrounding the lake, mainly by Allied Chemical and General Motors. Analysis of the surficial sediments indicated that there are no major active sources of the organic compounds investigated in this study to Onondaga Lake
The Molecular Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Trochomorphidae in Belau (Republic of Palau, Oceania)
Full text linkThe Trochomorphidae is an understudied family of terrestrial pulmonate gastropods. The genera of this family are found throughout Southeast Asia and in western Pacific islands. Belau (Republic of Palau, Oceania) is home to five species of trochomorphids: Videna electra, Videna oleacina, Videna pagodula, Videna pumila, and Liravidena lacerata. While these species were previously described nearly 100 years ago, detailed research on the relationships between these species has yet to be studied. At the same time, these species are facing an extinction crisis due to humans, in the form of habitat loss and the introduction of invasive predators. This research presents the first phylogenetic analyses of the Belau trochomorphids, the first photographs of each of the five species, updated species descriptions, and current geographic range maps. Conservation suggestions for Belau trochomorphids were made based on the results of this research, including the continuation of rat eradication efforts across the archipelago