Use of Forest Edges by Bats in a Managed Pine Forest Landscape

ABSTRACT Forest edges often have increased species richness and abundance (edge effect) and affect spatial behaviors of species and dynamics of species interactions. Landscapes of intensively managed pine (Pinus spp.) stands are characterized by a mosaic of patches and linear forest edges. Managed pine forests are a primary landscape feature of the southeastern United States, but the effects of intensive management on bat communities are poorly understood. Insectivorous bats are important top predators in nocturnal forest food webs. We examined bat foraging behavior along forest edges and in 4 structurally distinct stand types (open-canopy pine, prethinned pine, thinned pine, and unmanaged forest) within a managed pine forest in the coastal plain of North Carolina, USA. During May-August, 2006 and 2007, we recorded echolocation calls using Pettersson D240X bat detectors linked to digital recorders at 156 sites. We also sampled nocturnal flying insects at each site using Malaise insect traps. We used negative binomial count regression models to describe bat foraging behavior relative to forest edges, stand types, and prey availability. Although some species showed affinities for certain stand types and prey items, bat activity patterns were most strongly related to forest edges. Edges were used extensively by 6 aerial-hunting bat species, but avoided by Myotis species. Forest edges function similarly to natural forest gaps, by providing foraging opportunities for aerial-hunting bat species. Therefore, the maintenance of forest edges in managed pine landscapes may enhance foraging habitat for aerial-hunting bat species.     

The Biogeochemistry of Submerged Soils. * Kirk, G. 2004. * Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. {pound}100 (hardcover). 304 pp.

One can learn a lot about thegeochemistry of submerged soils in this book by Kirk. However,it is not, as the title implies, focused on the biogeochemistryof all submerged soils. In Chapter 1 Kirk gives a very briefoverview     

Phenology of a northern hardwood forest canopy

While commonplace in other parts of the world, long‐term and ongoing observations of the phenology of native tree species are rare in North America. We use 14 years of field survey data from the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest to fit simple models of canopy phenology for three northern hardwood species, sugar maple (Acer saccharum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis). These models are then run with historical meteorological data to investigate potential climate change effects on phenology. Development and senescence are quantified using an index that ranges from 0 (dormant, no leaves) to 4 (full, green canopy). Sugar maple is the first species to leaf out in the spring, whereas American beech is the last species to drop its leaves in the fall. Across an elevational range from 250 to 825 m ASL, the onset of spring is delayed by 2.7±0.4 days for every 100 m increase in elevation, which is in reasonable agreement with Hopkin's law. More than 90% of the variation in spring canopy development, and just slightly less than 90% of the variation in autumn canopy senescence, is accounted for by a logistic model based on accumulated degree‐days. However, degree‐day based models fit to Hubbard Brook data appear to overestimate the rate at which spring development occurs at the more southerly Harvard Forest. Autumn senescence at the Harvard Forest can be predicted with reasonable accuracy in sugar maple but not American beech. Retrospective modeling using five decades (1957–2004) of Hubbard Brook daily mean temperature data suggests significant trends (P≤0.05) towards an earlier spring (e.g. sugar maple, rate of change=0.18 days earlier/yr), consistent with other studies documenting measurable climate change effects on the onset of spring in both North America and Europe. Our results also suggest that green canopy duration has increased by about 10 days (e.g. sugar maple, rate of change=0.21 days longer/yr) over the period of study.     

Morphology and Morphogenesis of Fuscheria terricola n. sp. and Spathidium muscorum (Ciliophora: Kinetofragminophora)1

The morphology and morphogenesis of the kinetofragminophoran soil ciliates, Fuscheria terricola n. sp. and Spathidium muscorum Dragesco & Dragesco-Kerneis, 1979, are described. Stained specimens (protargol) are characterized biometrically. The new species differs from the other species of the genus in its body size, body shape, number of kineties, length of extrusomes, and habitat. Both species have telokinetal stomatogenesis, which commences with a proliferation of kinetosomes at those kineties which bear the brosse. Fuscheria terricola does not have a complex perioral ciliature; indeed, it might be that this species has only monokinetids. Thus only a proliferation of kinetosomes and the separation of the kineties takes place in the prospective division furrow. In contrast, S. muscorum differentiates short dikinetid kinetofragments in the region of the division furrow, which are arranged to form the perioral kinety of the opisthe in the intermediate and late stages of the stomatogenesis. The right part of the perioral kinety develops first. This and other studies show that telokinetal stomatogenesis proceeds very differently depending on the differentiation of the oral ciliature; however, detailed studies on the morphogenesis of kinetofragminophoran ciliates are still too few in number for subtypes to be defined.