Oregon State University

About: Oregon State University is a education organization based out in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Gene. The organization has 28192 authors who have published 64044 publications receiving 2634108 citations. The organization is also known as: Oregon Agricultural College & OSU.

Biomass, carbon, and nutrient dynamics of secondary forests in a humid tropical region of méxico

Abstract: Tropical secondary forests have the capacity to function as large carbon and nutrient sinks and may offset losses resulting from deforestation and land use. In the heavily deforested Los Tuxtlas Region of Mexico, aboveground biomass as well as aboveground and mineral soil C, N, S, and P pools were quantified in 11 secondary forest sites. These sites ranged in age from 6 mo to 50 yr following abandonment and had experienced between 1 and 30 yr of land use prior to abandonment. Total aboveground biomass (TAGB) increased with increasing site age and ranged from 4.8 Mg/ha in a recently abandoned site to 287 Mg/ha in the 50-yr-old secondary forest site. Results indicate that secondary forests would reach TAGB levels equivalent to those of primary forests in the Los Tuxtlas Region after 73 yr. Furthermore, mean annual aboveground biomass accumulation (ABA) of secondary forests was strongly and inversely related to the duration of prior land use. Aboveground pools of C, N, S, and P were also positively correlate...

The sensitivity of snowmelt processes to climate conditions and forest cover during rain‐on‐snow: a case study of the 1996 Pacific Northwest flood

Abstract: A warm, very wet Pacific storm caused significant flooding in the Pacific Northwest during February 1996. Rapid melting of the mountain snow cover contributed to this flooding. An energy balance snowmelt model is used to simulate snowmelt processes during this event in the Central Cascade Mountains of Oregon. Data from paired open and forested experimental sites at locations at and just below the Pacific Crest were used to drive the model. The event was preceded by cold, stormy conditions that developed a significant snow cover down to elevations as low as 500 m in the Oregon Cascades. At the start of the storm, the depth of the snow cover at the high site (1142 m) was 1.97 m with a snow water equivalent (SWE) of 425 mm, while at the mid-site (968 m) the snow cover was 1.14 m with a SWE of 264 mm. During the 5‐6 day period of the storm the open high site received 349 mm of rain, lost 291 mm of SWE and generated 640 mm of runoA, leaving only 0.22 m of snow on the ground. The mid-site received 410 mm of rain, lost 264 mm of SWE to melt and generated 674 mm of runoA, completely depleting the snow cover. Simulations at adjacent forested sites showed significantly less snowmelt during the event. The snow cover under the mature forest at the high site lost only 44 mm of SWE during the event, generating 396 mm of runoA and leaving 0.69 m of snow. The model accurately simulated both snow cover depth and SWE during the development of the snow cover prior to the storm, and the depletion of the snow cover during the event. This analysis shows that because of the high temperature, humidity and relatively high winds in the open sites during the storm, 60‐90% of the energy for snowmelt came from sensible and latent heat exchanges. Because the antecedent conditions extended the snow cover to very low elevations in the basin, snowmelt generated by condensation during the event made a significant contribution to the flood. Lower wind speeds beneath the forest canopy during the storm reduced the magnitude of the turbulent exchanges at the snow surface, so the contribution of snowmelt to the runoA from forested areas was significantly less. This experiment shows the sensitivity of snowmelt processes to both climate and land cover, and illustrates how the forest canopy is coupled to the hydrological cycle in mountainous areas. #1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluating theories of drought‐induced vegetation mortality using a multimodel–experiment framework

Abstract: 'Summary' 305 I. 'Background' 305 II. 'Model–experiment approach' 306 III. 'Simulations of hydraulic failure and carbon starvation' 310 IV. 'On thresholds vs duration of stress as drivers of mortality' 311 V. 'Interdependence of hydraulic failure and carbon starvation' 314 VI. 'Next-generation, traditional, and empirical models' 316 VII. 'A path forward' 317 VIII. 'Conclusions' 318 'Acknowledgements' 318 References 318 Summary Model–data comparisons of plant physiological processes provide an understanding of mechanisms underlying vegetation responses to climate. We simulated the physiology of a pinon pine–juniper woodland (Pinus edulis–Juniperus monosperma) that experienced mortality during a 5 yr precipitation-reduction experiment, allowing a framework with which to examine our knowledge of drought-induced tree mortality. We used six models designed for scales ranging from individual plants to a global level, all containing state-of-the-art representations of the internal hydraulic and carbohydrate dynamics of woody plants. Despite the large range of model structures, tuning, and parameterization employed, all simulations predicted hydraulic failure and carbon starvation processes co-occurring in dying trees of both species, with the time spent with severe hydraulic failure and carbon starvation, rather than absolute thresholds per se, being a better predictor of impending mortality. Model and empirical data suggest that limited carbon and water exchanges at stomatal, phloem, and below-ground interfaces were associated with mortality of both species. The model–data comparison suggests that the introduction of a mechanistic process into physiology-based models provides equal or improved predictive power over traditional process-model or empirical thresholds. Both biophysical and empirical modeling approaches are useful in understanding processes, particularly when the models fail, because they reveal mechanisms that are likely to underlie mortality. We suggest that for some ecosystems, integration of mechanistic pathogen models into current vegetation models, and evaluation against observations, could result in a breakthrough capability to simulate vegetation dynamics.

A model of the mechanical design process based on empirical data

Abstract: This paper describes the task/episode accumulation model (TEA model) of non-routine mechanical design, which was developed after detailed analysis of the audio and video protocols of five mechanical designers. The model is able to explain the behavior of designers at a much finer level of detail than previous models. The key features of the model are (a) the design is constructed by incrementally refining and patching an initial conceptual design, (b) design alternatives are not considered outside the boundaries of design episodes (which are short stretches of problem solving aimed at specific goals), (c) the design process is controlled locally, primarily at the level of individual episodes. Among the implications of the model are the following: (a) CAD tools should be extended to represent the state of the design at more abstract levels, (b) CAD tools should help the designer manage constraints, and (c) CAD tools should be designed to give cognitive support to the designer.

Mapping the Global Emergence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus

Abstract: The rapid worldwide emergence of the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is having a profound negative impact on biodiversity. However, global research efforts are fragmented and an overarching synthesis of global infection data is lacking. Here, we provide results from a community tool for the compilation of worldwide Bd presence and report on the analyses of data collated over a four-year period. Using this online database, we analysed: 1) spatial and taxonomic patterns of infection, including amphibian families that appear over- and under-infected; 2) relationships between Bd occurrence and declining amphibian species, including associations among Bd occurrence, species richness, and enigmatic population declines; and 3) patterns of environmental correlates with Bd, including climate metrics for all species combined and three families (Hylidae, Bufonidae, Ranidae) separately, at both a global scale and regional (U.S.A.) scale. These associations provide new insights for downscaled hypothesis testing. The pathogen has been detected in 52 of 82 countries in which sampling was reported, and it has been detected in 516 of 1240 (42%) amphibian species. We show that detected Bd infections are related to amphibian biodiversity and locations experiencing rapid enigmatic declines, supporting the hypothesis that greater complexity of amphibian communities increases the likelihood of emergence of infection and transmission of Bd. Using a global model including all sampled species, the odds of Bd detection decreased with increasing temperature range at a site. Further consideration of temperature range, rather than maximum or minimum temperatures, may provide new insights into Bd-host ecology. Whereas caution is necessary when interpreting such a broad global dataset, the use of our pathogen database is helping to inform studies of the epidemiology of Bd, as well as enabling regional, national, and international prioritization of conservation efforts. We provide recommendations for adaptive management to enhance the database utility and relevance.