SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
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Comparison of Transgenic, Non-Transgenic, and Hybrid Genotypes: Physiology of the American Chestnut
No full textThe American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was devastated in the early 20th century by chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica). The American Chestnut Project at ESF has inserted an oxalate oxidase (OxO) gene to confer blight resistance in a restoration project. We hypothesized that transgene expression imposes a metabolic burden on transgenic plants that would give them higher rates of respiration and photosynthesis. We measured the physiology of transgenic, non- transgenic, and conventional hybrid chestnuts in 2018 and 2019. We found evidence of a stimulation of respiration in transgenic plants, but this was only present earlier in the season, and no consistent significant difference in photosynthesis between genotypes (Chapter 2). However, this respiratory stimulation in transgenic plants was not present in a larger sample of plants (Chapter 3). These results suggest that transgene expression modestly impacts chestnut physiology, and is not likely to significantly alter chestnut ecology in a field setting
Visual Resource Stewardship Conference: Seeking 20/20 Vision for Landscape Futures Proceedings 2019
Get PDFThe 2019 Visual Resource Stewardship Conference: Seeking 20/20 Vision for Landscape Futures was held in October 27-30, 2019 at the Argonne National Laboratory. Four technical training workshops were offered on the first day of the conference, which was the first time for that format. Seventy-five technical papers and visual case studies were presented over 2-1/2 days with single audience format in the mornings and concurrent sessions in the afternoons. Invited plenary speakers were Andrew Lothian from Australia and Martin “Mike” Pasqualetti from Arizona State University. Presenters were private practitioners, public agency landscape architects, and university faculty and students. The presenters were from the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, and New Zealand. The 2019 conference ended with a session devoted to the need to adequately train a future generation of visual resource practitioners, as this was recognized a was a major concerns of the planning committee while organizing the 2019 conference
Gendered Wilderness: Gendered Language in Wilderness Discourse
Get PDFA theory of social nature has proliferated and is becoming widely accepted among social researchers, especially within critical geography. This states that our encounters with the non- human world are always mediated. Whether we engage the outdoors using the park system, television, outdoor outfitters, or political organizations, the rhetoric of race, gender, economics, and politics are always at work on how we interact with landscapes. Three goals for this research include: 1) To outline the discursive constructions of wilderness and gender in connection with the social, and political work they do modern society 2) To outline the lived gender experience among wilderness advocates, highlighting moments when this experience resonates with the dominant discourse as well as moments of dissonance. 3) To use the subsequent categories of experience to arrive at a theories of dominant and subversive wilderness discourse
Evaluation of the Spectral Reflectance Pattern of Capsicum annuum L. Treated with Fungicides and Grown Under Controlled Conditions
Get PDFThe spectral response pattern of Capsicum annuum L. grown under controlled greenhouse conditions and treated with the fungicides mancozeb (an organic pesticide) and copper diammonia diacetate (a copper- based pesticide) was determined using proximal hyperspectroscopy. An ANOVA and Tukey HSD test were performed for each wavelength from 350 nm to 2500 nm. The spectral reflectance of treated plants showed significant difference (α=0.05) in the regions of the spectra from 414 nm to 523 nm, 583 nm to 697 nm and 1909 nm to 1953 nm for the detection of mancozeb up to seven days after the application of the treatment and in the regions from 737 nm to 1898 nm and from 1986 nm to 2432 nm for the detection of copper diammonia diacetate up to seven days after the application of treatment
Stripped Down: Extractive Industries, Cultural Ecosystem Services and Environmental Identity in West Virginia
Get PDFExtractive industries, such as surface mining and large-scale timbering, have significantly altered the landscape of central Appalachia, especially as these industries have become increasingly mechanized through the 20th century. While the impacts of these practices on the physical landscape have been well-documented in the region, the cultural and social implications of changes to the landscape have received comparably little attention. These types of services are often difficult to measure, due to their intangibility and ambiguity. This project draws upon the operational definitions for specific cultural ecosystem service indicators provided by other peer-reviewed studies. Longtime residents of southern West Virginia were interviewed to identify how changes to the landscape are perceived and talked about in terms of these cultural and social benefits. Results of this inquiry support the notion that landscapes are a critical component of cultural identity. I find that degradation of place leads to diminished cultural significance and generational loss of related place-based identity. The findings contribute to a growing body of evidence documenting the harms of surface mining to rural Appalachian communities and the imperiled cultural richness of the region at large
Environmental Citizenship in Kuwait: Finding Meaning and Mobility
No full textThe concept of environmental citizenship has evolved in Western literature and it was never examined in the Arabian Gulf States particularly Kuwait. The aim of this research was to develop a theoretical framework of what constitutes environmental citizenship in Kuwait from the perspective of the Environment Public Authority (KEPA) employees as well as individuals and environmental advocates working on environmental initiatives in Kuwait. Using participant observation, and semi-structured interviews conceptualized within the social theory of symbolic interaction, and constructivist grounded theory, a Model for Environmental Citizenship in Kuwait was developed. This model explicates three core elements of meaning and six elements of mobility. Elements of mobility include three enabling, and three inhibiting factors that affect how the meaning of environmental citizenship is manifesting and growing in Kuwait. This study contributed substantively to the existing literature as it examined environmental citizenship in a unique socio-political atmosphere and in a semi-authoritarian state which heavily depends on fossil fuels. It also revealed avenues for future research as it highlighted the rising environmental justice issues in Kuwait due to the demographic imbalance
Assessing the Implementation of Forestry Best Management Practices in the Catskill Region of New York State
No full textSUGAR MAPLE LEAF CHARACTERISTICS RESPOND TO DEPTH WITHIN THE CROWN AND TO NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS ADDITION
Get PDFLeaf characteristics may differ within tree crowns due to light environment or the availability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the soil, with important considerations for ecosystem budgets. To determine the relationship of leaf characteristics as a function of depth in the crown and increased soil N and P availability, we collected sugar maple leaves and twigs vertically in a full factorial N x P fertilization experiment in three mature forest stands of the multiple element limitation in northern hardwood ecosystems project in central New Hampshire, USA. The addition of N increased the concentrations of many metabolites such as chlorophyll and amino acids, and concentration of toxins such as aluminum (Al) and manganese (Mn). Phosphorus addition dramatically increased foliar P and adjusted the relationship of leaf characteristics with depth in the crown, particularly in leaves low in the crown. Leaf characteristics showed strong relationships with both depth in the crown, and in response to nutrient availability. We did not detect a difference in twig mass or twig growth as a function of depth in the crown, or with N or P addition. Studies that ignore the vertical gradient miss the opportunity to understand the plasticity with which trees can make crown-level adjustments
Visual Resource Analysis and Management Pedagogy Evaluation
Get PDFThe inventory, evaluation, and planning for the management of visual resources is within the domain of professional knowledge, skills, and abilities required of professional landscape architects. The characterization and treatment of scenery has been a core skill from the early eras of the profession( Bloom et al 1956, McHrg 1969) Significant advancements in the theory, practice, and policies related to Visual Resource Management (VRM) were stimulated by the environmental movement of the late 1960s culminating with the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 1970. Although views and scenery were considered important and visual resource management became a significant aspect of practice, there has been inadequate development of appropriate visual assessment pedagogy. This situation seems to exist despite the fact that visual assessment is a topic frequently referenced as a specialization and is widely covered in celebrated textbooks in landscape architecture education (Hubbard & Kimball 1917,LaGro 1913, Newton 1971, Steiner 2000). Previous standards set by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) before 2016 did not explicitly reference visual and scenic assessment as an identified component of an accredited curriculum (LAAB 2016) However, in 2016 as part of LAAB’s systematic updating of standards, visual and scenic assessment was explicitly identified as a component expected in professional curricula (LAAB 2016) This paper explores the current state of visual analysis and management by 1) reviewing how LAAB address visual analysis, 2) reviewing the educational offerings of visual analysis at various educational institutions, 3) evaluating the implementation and efficacy of visual resource management instruction in a recent landscape architecture studio, and 4) proposing suggestions for future visual analysis pedagogy that closes the gap between education and practice
Morphological Variation of Bowfin (Amiidae: Amia calva Linnaeus 1766) Populations from the Mississippi River Basin: Taxonomic and Conservation Implications
No full textBowfins, Amia spp., are among the best-studied North American fishes because they are a sister-taxon to teleosts. Of 13 nominal species, 12 were synonymized with A. calva in 1896; six of those originated from the Mississippi drainage. To test that monotypy hypothesis for Mississippi basin (and adjacent Lake Pontchartrain) Bowfins, morphological differences among six populations were analyzed using ANCOVA, PCA, Mann-Whitney U-tests. Results revealed significant differences among populations, indicating five morphotypes (species?) were present. Two sites had sympatric morphotypes. Thus, the 123-year-old monotypy hypothesis was rejected, highlighting need for taxonomic revision of Amia. Discovery of previously unrecognized Bowfin diversity raises new urgency for conservation of various populations. Recent establishment of fisheries for Bowfin caviar in various states may threaten persistence of some populations. Review of Bowfin management revealed general absence of regulations concerning caviar harvests. Broader use of caviar regulations, perhaps including closed seasons or size limits, may be needed