A5075949246- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Plant and animal studies
- Forest ecology and management
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Plant Diversity and Evolution
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
- Plant Pathogens and Resistance
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Cocoa and Sweet Potato Agronomy
- Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Plant Reproductive Biology
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Forest Insect Ecology and Management
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Plant Disease Resistance and Genetics
- Fern and Epiphyte Biology
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Plant Taxonomy and Phylogenetics
- Lichen and fungal ecology
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
2015-2024
Oregon State University
2015-2024
National Museum of Natural History
2020
ForestGEO
2020
Universiti Brunei Darussalam
2020
Imperial College London
2009-2016
University of Minnesota
2008
University of Georgia
2003
The assembly of DNA barcode libraries is particularly relevant within species-rich natural communities for which accurate species identifications will enable detailed ecological forensic studies. In addition, well-resolved molecular phylogenies derived from these sequences have the potential to improve investigations mechanisms underlying community and functional trait evolution. To date, no studies effectively applied barcodes sensu strictu in this manner. report, we demonstrate that a...
Traits associated with seed dispersal vary tremendously among sympatric wind-dispersed plants. We used two contrasting tropical tree species, traps, micrometeorology, and a mechanistic model to evaluate how variation in four key traits affects by wind. The conceptual framework of movement ecology, wherein external factors (wind) interact internal (plant traits) that enable determine when where occurs, fully captures the variable inputs outputs wind models informs their interpretation....
Forest dynamics plots, which now span longitudes, latitudes, and habitat types across the globe, offer unparalleled insights into ecological evolutionary processes that determine how species are assembled communities. Understanding phylogenetic relationships among in a community has become an important component of assessing assembly processes. However, application information to questions ecology been limited large part by lack accurate estimates individual found within communities, is...
Background Plants interact with each other, nutrients, and microbial communities in soils through extensive root networks. Understanding these below ground interactions has been difficult natural systems, particularly those high plant species diversity where morphological identification of fine roots is difficult. We combine DNA-based a DNA barcode database above stem locations floristically diverse lowland tropical wet forest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, all trees lianas >1 cm diameter...
Soils influence tropical forest composition at regional scales. In Panama, data on tree communities and underlying soils indicate that species frequently show distributional associations to soil phosphorus. To understand how these arise, we combined a pot experiment measure seedling responses of 15 pioneer phosphorus addition with an analysis the phylogenetic structure entire community. Growth pioneers revealed clear tradeoff: from high-phosphorus sites grew fastest in phosphorus-addition...
Abstract We used genotypes from six microsatellite loci and demographic data a large mapped forest plot to study changes in spatial genetic structure across stages, seed rain seedlings, juveniles, adult diameter classes the Neotropical tree, Jacaranda copaia . In pairwise comparisons of differentiation among classes, only seedlings were significantly differentiated other classes; F ST values ranged 0.006 0.009. Furthermore, showed homozygote excess suggesting biparental inbreeding...
Summary Fungi play critical roles in ecosystem processes and interact with plant communities mutualistic, pathogenic, commensal ways. Fungal are thought to depend on both associated tree soil properties. However, the relative importance of biotic abiotic drivers fungal community structure diversity lowland tropical forests remains poorly understood. We examined trees fungi at different levels phosphorus (0·17–16·3 mg kg −1 ) moist Panama. predicted that arbuscular mycorrhizal ( AM...
Abstract Long‐term ecosystem development involves changes in plant community composition and diversity associated with pedogenesis nutrient availability, but comparable soil microbial communities remain poorly understood. In particular, it is unclear whether the of plants microbes respond to similar abiotic drivers, or become decoupled as resources change over long time‐scales. We characterized archaea, bacteria fungi soils along a 2‐million‐year chronosequence coastal dunes biodiversity hot...
As extreme climate events are predicted to become more frequent because of global change, understanding their impacts on natural systems is crucial. Tropical forests vulnerable droughts associated with El Niño events. However, little known about how tropical seedling communities respond Niño-related droughts, even though patterns survival shape future forest structure and diversity. Using long-term data from eight moist spanning a rainfall gradient in central Panama, we show that...
Abstract Identifying key traits that can serve as proxies for species drought resistance is crucial predicting and mitigating the effects of climate change in diverse plant communities. Turgor loss point (π tlp ) a recently emerged trait has been linked to distributions across gradients water availability. However, direct relationship between π ability survive yet be established woody species. Using manipulative field experiment quantify (i.e., their survival response drought), combined with...
Premise of the study: We investigated whether wood metabolite profiles from direct analysis in real time (time‐of‐flight) mass spectrometry (DART‐TOFMS) could be used to determine geographic origin Douglas‐fir cores originating two regions western Oregon, USA. Methods: Three annual ring spectra were obtained 188 adult trees, and these analyzed using random forest models samples classified origin, growth year, or year origin. Specific molecules that contributed discrimination identified....
Oomycetes are a group of eukaryotes related to brown algae and diatoms, many which cause plant animal diseases. Improved methods needed for rapid accurate characterization oomycete communities using DNA metabarcoding. We have evaluated the mitochondrial 40S ribosomal protein S10 ( rps10) gene as locus metabarcoding provide primers predicted amplify this region from all oomycetes based on wide range available reference sequences. its utility relative internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), by...
Abstract Many factors interact to determine genetic structure within populations including adult density, the mating system, colonization history, natural selection, and mechanism spatial patterns of gene dispersal. We examined colonizing Quercus rubra seedlings Pinus strobus juveniles adults in an aspen–white pine forest northern Michigan, USA. A 20‐year spatially explicit demographic study enables us interpret results light recent site for both species. assayed 217 Q. 171 P. individuals at...
Tropical trees may show positive density dependence in fruit set and maturation due to pollen limitation low-density populations. However, from closely related individuals the local neighbourhood might reduce or increase abortion self-incompatible tree species. We investigated role of genetic relatedness on individual neotropical Jacaranda copaia a large forest plot central Panama. Using nested models, we found strong effect increased conspecific maturation. high interacted with total...
Negative density-dependent demographic processes operating at post-dispersal seed, seedling, and juvenile stages are the dominant explanation for coexistence of high numbers tree species in tropical forests. At adult stages, effect pollinators pre-dispersal fruit predators often dependent on density or abundance flowers canopy, but each have opposite effects individual realized reproduction. We studied total mature set predation rates within canopies a common canopy species, Jacaranda copaia...
Abstract To determine how well DNA barcodes from the chloroplast region perform in forest dynamics plots (FDPs) global CTFS-ForestGEO network, we analyzed barcoding sequences of 1277 plant species a wide phylogenetic range (3 FDPs tropics, 5 subtropics and temperate zone) compared rates discrimination (RSD). We quantified RSD by two barcode combinations ( rbc L + mat K trn H- psb A) using monophyly-based method (GARLI). defined indexes closely-related taxa (G m /G t S/G ratios) correlated...
Phylogenetic analyses of assemblage membership provide insight into how ecological communities are structured. However, despite the scale-dependency many processes, little is known about and source pool size definitions can be altered, either alone or together, to diversity maintained. Moreover, although studies have acknowledged that different clades within an may structured by forces, there has been no attempt relate age a clade its community phylogenetic structure. Using phylogenies...
Abstract Aim We examined and compared population genetic structure in a suite of four co‐occurring Panamanian tree species performed coalescent‐based analyses demographic history to evaluate hypotheses tropical vegetation change during the Last Glacial Maximum ( LGM ). Location Isthmus Panama. Methods Nuclear microsatellite variation was assayed multiple populations (1179 trees, 21 locations, 6–13 locations per species) Jacaranda copaia (Bignoniaceae), Luehea seemannii (Malvaceae), Simarouba...
Summary Genomic and transcriptomic information has been largely leveraged in ecological investigations of primarily model species their relatives. The amount infrastructure financing necessary for such meant that analyses assemblages full non‐model were impossible. These barriers have rapidly eroded over the past few years to point where community ecology will soon see a large influx genomic investigations. hope is studies greatly refine or even transform our inferences regarding...
Animal-mediated pollination is essential for the maintenance of plant reproduction, especially in tropical ecosystems, where networks have been thought to highly generalized structures. However, accumulating evidence suggests that not all floral visitors provide equally effective services, potentially reducing number realized pollinators and increasing cryptic specialization networks. Thus, there a need understand how different functional groups influence success. Here, we examined whether...