A field-portable 3D laser scanner was employed as a means of digitizing the surface of fire ant ( Solenopsis invicta Buren) mounds for analysis of shape and orientation in Mississippi and Oklahoma. Estimates of above-ground mound volume obtained through manual measurements of mound length, width, and height were higher and more variable than estimates obtained by summing the area underneath int...

In mountainous or hilly areas, the slope aspect affects amount of solar radiation, with direct consequences on species distribution and tree growth. However, little is known how shape volume allometry may be affected by contrasting environmental conditions driven aspect. This study aims to investigate whether aboveground European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) trees. We used data scanned trees from...

The urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon is a significant worldwide problem caused by rapid population growth and associated urbanization. The UHI effect exacerbates heat waves during the summer, increases energy and water consumption, and causes the high risk of heat-related morbidity and mortality. UHI mitigation efforts have increasingly relied on wisely designing the urban residential environ...

This study aims to investigate the roles of slope aspect, land use and soil depth in altering organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) traits karst trough valley area experiencing extensive ecological restoration. A 54 samples were collected at 0–10, 10–20, 20–30 cm depths from secondary forest, plantation grassland on relatively more shaded east-facing contrasting west-facing slo...

Mountainous areas with rugged terrains are widely distributed around the world. Remotely sensed values of the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR) suffer from the effect of rugged terrain. In this study, the effect of rugged terrain was incorporated into the FAPAR model based on recollision probability (FAPAR-P), which was improved in two aspects: calculating the sky...

Regenerating oaks (Quercus spp.) has remained a widespread and persistent problem throughout their natural range. Research shows that abundant oak advance reproduction is crucial for success. Although it is recognized that oak advance reproduction accumulation is inversely related to site quality, there has been little effort to model oak advance reproduction density as a function of measured l...