Oil palm and rubber plantations extend over large areas and encompass heterogeneous site conditions. In periods of high rainfall, plants in valleys and at riparian sites are more prone to flooding than plants at elevated topographic positions. We asked to what extent topographic position and flooding affect oil palm and rubber tree water use patterns and thereby influence spatial and temporal h...

[1] There is intense debate about whether terrestrial vegetation contributes substantially to global methane emissions. Although trees may act as a conduit for methane release from soils to atmosphere, the debate centers on whether vegetation directly produces methane by an uncharacterized, abiotic mechanism. A second mechanism of direct methane production in plants occurs when methanogens – mi...

Louping-ill (LI) is a tick-borne viral disease of red grouse, Lagopus lagopus scoticus Lath. (Tetraonidae: Galliformes), and sheep, Ovis aries L. (Bovidae: Artiodactyla), that causes economic loss to upland farms and sporting estates. Unvaccinated sheep, grouse and mountain hares, Lepus timidus L. (Leporidae: Lagomorpha), are known to transmit LI virus, whereas red deer, Cenrus elaphus L. (Cerv...

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the north-central U.S. and south-central Canada contains millions of small prairie wetlands that provide critical habitat to many migrating and breeding waterbirds. Due to their small size and the relatively dry climate of the region, these wetlands are considered at high risk for negative climate change effects as temperatures increase. To estimate the poten...

The goal of this study was to evaluate the water quality effects of alternative conservation practice scenarios using the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model in the Little River Experimental watershed, a representative coastal plain watershed located in southern Georgia. We simulated the water quality effect of two suites of upland conservation practices (CPs)—one targeting erosion and ...

Flood regime and vegetation flood tolerance interact to influence tree growth in riverine landscapes. We studied tree growth in floodplain and upland forests of theWisconsin River. About a century ago, levees set back from the river were constructed on this floodplain. The levee restricts some floodplain area from overbank flood events, but leaves a portion of active floodplain still inundated ...

Abstract The Polish rural cultural landscape is inherently linked to a special, centuries-old system that combines agricultural tradition and biodiversity. One of such environmentally, ecologically, agriculturally, historically, culturally unique areas the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. Home small holdings, this diversified mosaic where agricultural, husbandry, craft, local industry experience hand...

The Harvard Southern California Chronic Ozone Exposure Study measured personal exposure to, and indoor and outdoor ozone concentrations of, approximately 200 elementary school children 6-12 years of age for 12 months (June 1995-May 1996). We selected two Southern California communities, Upland and several towns located in the San Bernardino mountains, because certain characteristics of those co...

The loss of shrubland habitat is linked to population declines formanywildlife species, including several bird species of conservation concern. Conservation agencies in the northeastern United States encourage private landowners to clearcut patches of forest to create shrubland habitat. Many private landowners are only willing to create small clearcuts; therefore, it is important to understand ...

Urbanization has been cited as an important factor in worldwide amphibian declines, and although recent work has illustrated the important influence of broad-scale ecological patterns and processes on amphibian populations, little is known about the factors structuring amphibian communities in urban landscapes. We therefore examined amphibian community responses to wetland habitat availability ...