Are standing dead trees (snags) suitable as climate proxies? A case study from the central Scandinavian Mountains     

Emad Farahat  Peng Zhang  Björn E. Gunnarson  Mauricio Fuentes  Petter Stridbeck 《Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research》2018,33(2):114-124

Standing dead trees (snags) play important roles in forest ecology by storing carbon as well as providing habitats for many species. Moreover, snags preserved for hundreds of years can provide useful data to extend tree-ring chronologies used for climatological and ecological studies beyond the lifespans of living trees. Here we examined the growth patterns of Scots pine snags from the central Scandinavian Mountains, in relation to still living trees. Using changes point analyses, we showed that a majority (74%) of the snags displayed significant negative growth changes prior (on average 17 years) to death. Change points around the same years were also seen in living trees, but they recovered their growth. The average growth reduction of snags showing negative growth changes before death was 46%. In most cases the final growth change points coincided with very cold summers, or to a lesser degree to period of cool summers. It was suggested that pines ending up as snags were less resilient than the trees which continued living, and thus not able to recover after cold summer events. Since the snag growth reductions prior to death were partly unrelated to climate, care should be taken when using such data in dendroclimatological studies.  相似文献   

Accurate single-tree positions from a harvester: a test of two global satellite-based positioning systems     

Marius Hauglin  Endre Hofstad Hansen  Erik Næsset  Bjørn Even Busterud  Jon Glenn Omholt Gjevestad  Terje Gobakken 《Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research》2017,32(8):774-781

Accurate positioning of single trees registered automatically during harvesting operations opens up new possibilities for reducing the field sampling effort in forest inventories utilising remotely sensed data. In the present study, we propose to use a harvester to collect single-tree data during regular harvest operations and use these data to substitute or supplement traditional measurements on sample plots. Today’s harvesters are capable of recording single-tree information such as species and diameter at breast height, and a cut-to-length harvester was equipped with an integrated accurate positioning system based on real-time kinematic global satellite positioning, as well as a low-cost global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver mounted directly on the harvester head. Positions from 73 trees were evaluated and compared to coordinates obtained using a total station. At the single-tree level, the mean error for the integrated positioning system was 0.94?m. The low-cost GNSS receiver mounted on the harvester head yielded a mean error of 7.00?m. The sub-meter accuracy obtained with the integrated system suggests that data acquired with a harvester using this positioning system may have a great potential as a method for single-tree field data acquisition.  相似文献   

Recurrent selection in oat for adaptation to diverse environments     

J.B. Holland  Å. Bjørnstad  K.J. Frey  M. Gullord  D.M. Wesenberg  T. Buraas 《Euphytica》2000,113(3):195-205

In order to test if selection can improve a population's adaptation to diverse environments simultaneously, three cycles of recurrent selection based on grain yield in Iowa, Idaho, and Norway were practiced in an oat (Avena sativaL.) population developed from North American, Scandinavian, and wild species (A. sterilis L.) germplasm sources. Specific objectives were to determine if selection: increased mean yields across environments and within all environments; changed the genetic correlation of yields in different environments; and changed genetic variation for yield within the population. We evaluated 100 to 210 randomly-chosen families from each cycle of selection at three Iowa locations, in Idaho, and in Norway for two years. Grain yield within each location and mean yields across locations increased significantly over cycles of selection. Mean yields across locations expressed as a percent of the original population mean increased at a rate of 2.6% per year. Several families from the third cycle population exhibited both high mean yields across locations and consistently high yields within all locations. Average genetic correlations of yield in different environments were higher in the second cycle than in the original population. A trend of reduced genetic variation and heritability was observed in Iowa only. These results suggest that we successfully improved mean population yield both within and across locations, and yield stability across environments, and in developing families with outstanding adaptation to diverse environments. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.  相似文献   

Aluminium precipitates formed downstream of springs in a mountainous environment     

SÆther  Ola Magne  Follestad  Bjørn Andreas 《Water, air, and soil pollution》1999,114(1-2):121-135

Areas a few square metres in size, devoid of higher vegetation other than moss, have been mapped at 600–700 m above sea level in the mountains of the western part of central Norway. The moss is covered by a grey precipitate during dry summer periods. The precipitate has been identified by ICP-AES analysis of HNO₃-extract, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as an aluminium(Al)-hydroxide, probably amorphous Al-hydroxide and diaspore (Al(OH)₃), containing 21–25% Al by weight. In comparison, the underlying moraine deposits contain 1.5–3.5% Al by weight. A small spring, where groundwater discharges, is located uphill of each contaminated area. The Al content of the water which emerges from these springs decreases downhill away from the spring and is inversely proportional to the pH. The runoff waters originating at the springs have been modelled using the computer-codes MINTEQA2 and ALCHEMI and are found to be saturated with respect to amorphous Al(OH)₃. This study raises the very important question as to what extent a lower pH in the influent meltwater may leach out more aluminium and possibly lead to the formation of larger amounts of precipitate.  相似文献   

Nationwide survey of antibodies to bovine coronavirus in bulk milk from Swedish dairy herds.     

M Tr?vén  L Bj?rnerot  B Larsson 《The Veterinary record》1999,144(19):527-529

Bulk milk samples from 2236 dairy herds randomly selected throughout Sweden in proportion to region and herd size were analysed for antibodies to bovine coronavirus (BCV) in an ELISA. The results were expressed as optical density (OD) values and an OD > 0.04 was considered positive. Eighty-nine per cent of the samples were antibody-positive and 52 per cent had high levels of antibodies to BCV (an OD > 0.70). There were significantly higher OD values (P < 0.001) and fewer antibody-negative samples (P < 0.001) from larger herds than from smaller herds. There were also significantly higher OD values and fewer antibody-negative samples from herds in southern Sweden than from herds in northern Sweden (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). These results indicate a higher frequency of BCV infections in larger herds and in herds in southern Sweden.  相似文献   

Serum antibody profile and reproductive performance during two consecutive pregnancies of cows naturally infected with Neospora caninum.     

S Stenlund  H Kindahl  U Magnusson  A Uggla  C Bj?rkman 《Veterinary parasitology》1999,85(4):227-234

The objective of this study was to record how the antibody levels change over time during pregnancy in dairy cows naturally infected with the protozoan parasite Neospora caninum, and relate this to the reproductive performance. Eighteen cows with antibodies to N. caninum were serum sampled monthly during their first pregnancy and 13 of them were also followed for a second pregnancy. In all, five pregnancies ended in abortion and two in stillbirth. Antibodies to N. caninum in serum were demonstrated by immune stimulating complex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iscom ELISA). The N. caninum antibody titres remained well above the 1:100 cut-off limit for the test used during 2 years in all cows. In the non-aborting cows, mean values of antibody titres to N. caninum rose 1.5-2.5 dilution steps to reach a plateau 4-5 months before parturition, and thereafter decreased from 2 months before parturition. These changes were statistically significant (p < 0.001). The same pattern was seen in the aborting cows. The consistent pattern of rise in antibody titres observed during both pregnancies in all cows indicated a reactivation rather than a reinfection of the parasite at mid-gestation.  相似文献