Abstract The probability of stem survival after fire is strongly influenced by energy allocation to bark because thickness affects heat transfer during fire. Greater relative investment in inner versus outer should also enhance greater moisture content bark. We measured diameter, thickness, and habitat preference five species typical long-leaf pine savannas, six characteristic adjacent wetlands (pocosins), calculated the proportion, radial growth, accumulation each species. hypothesized that...

Fire controls tree cover in many savannas by suppressing saplings through repeated topkill and resprouting, causing a demographic bottleneck. Tree can increase dramatically if even small fraction of escape this fire trap, so modeling management savanna vegetation should account for occasional individuals that the trap because they are "better" (i.e., grow faster than average) or "lucky" (they experience an longer-than-average interval without below-average severity). We quantified variation...

The causes of species rarity are critical concern because the high extinction risk associated with rarity. Studies examining individual rare have limited generality, whereas trait-based approaches offer a means to identify functional that can be applied communities disparate pools. Differences in traits between and common may indicative therefore useful crafting conservation strategies. However, there is conspicuous lack studies comparing co-occurring species. We measured 18 important for 19...

Abstract Establishing the phylogenetic and demographic history of rare plants improves our understanding mechanisms that have led to their origin can lead valuable insights inform conservation decisions. The Atlantic coastal plain eastern North America harbours many endemic species, yet evolution is poorly understood. We investigate Sandhills lily ( Lilium pyrophilum ), which seepage slopes in a restricted area America. Using evidence from chloroplast, nuclear internal transcribed spacer two...

Abstract Early detection of an invading nonindigenous plant species (NIS) may be critical for efficient and effective management. Adaptive survey sampling methods provide unbiased best estimates distribution rare spatially clustered populations plants in the early stages invasion. However, there are few examples these being used nonnative surveys which travelling distances away from initial or source patch, a road trail, can time consuming due to topography vegetation. Nor is guidance as...

The general phylogeographical paradigm for eastern North America (ENA) is that many plant and animal species retreated into southern refugia during the last glacial period, then expanded northward after maximum (LGM). However, some taxa of Gulf Atlantic Coastal Plain (GACP) demonstrate complex yet recurrent distributional patterns cannot be explained by this model. For example, eight co-occurring endemic with ranges from New York to South Carolina exhibit a large disjunction separating...

Information about seed dispersal effectiveness (SDE) for plant species of conservation concern is rarely available to inform management strategies and actions. For Lindera subcoriacea (bog spicebush, Lauraceae), a rare endemic dioecious shrub the southeastern United States, we examined influence two intrinsic five extrinsic drivers on number proportion seeds either dispersed, or predated pre- post-dispersal. The dispersed characterizes quantitative component SDE, while post-dispersal...

Abstract Prioritizing management of invasive plants is important for large land entities, such as federal and state public stewards, because resources are limited multiple uses objectives differentially impacted. Management decisions also have consequences the likelihood success ultimate cost control efforts. We applied multi-criteria decision analysis methods in a geographic information system using natural resource use data from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Landscape-scale prioritization...

Abstract An increasingly popular mark–recapture method to study the ecology of bats is use passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. Deployment PIT reader arrays at entrances caves and mines can yield insight into bat behavior during swarming, winter activity, emergence. This application has potential address questions about activity cave mine in response white-nose syndrome or seasonal movements; however, no studies have examined these arrays. We describe placement tag using camcorders...

In resprouting species, fire-induced topkill causes a reduction in height and leaf area without comparable the size of root system, which should lead to an increase efficiency water transport after fire. However, large plants undergo greater relative size, compared with small plants, so we hypothesized that this enhancement hydraulic would be greatest among growth forms. ecotone between long-leaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) savannas wetlands, measured stomatal conductance (gs), mid-day...

Rare species reintroductions are an increasingly common conservation strategy, but often result in poor survival of reintroduced individuals. Reintroduction sites chosen primarily based on historical occupancy and/or abiotic properties the site, with much less consideration given to larger biotic community. However, ecological niche theory suggests that ability coexist other is determined part by degree functional similarity between species. The which affects plants poorly understood, has...

In temperate ecosystems, hibernation allows bats to survive long periods of limited prey and water availability during colder months. Despite the extended amount time some spend in hibernation, researchers have only recently been able study ecology under natural conditions. With emergence white-nose syndrome (WNS), a mysterious disease presently killing large numbers period northeastern United States, expanding our knowledge history has become more crucial. To collect such data, we used...