The favorable growth of young loblolly pines (Pinus taeda L.) in response to controlling non-crop vegetation is well documented. However, the beneficial effects of non-crop vegetation on soil quality, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity have not been thoroughly explored. A study was conducted to determine the effects of harvesting-induced soil disturbance, bedding and chemical vegetation control on soil processes and productivity, and to characterize the effects of silvicultural treatments on non-crop vegetation dynamics. Study plots were established on a wet pine flat on South Carolina's lower Coastal Plain. Treatments included a range of 5 disturbance classes (undisturbed, compression tracked, shallowly rutted, deeply rutted and churned), two site preparation treatments (flat planted and bedded) and a gradient of vegetation control (no vegetation control, operational-level weed control and complete weed control). Soil disturbances had relatively small effects on soil quality. Soil compaction reduced soil aeration, but this condition was fully ameliorated by bedding. Churning did not degrade the soil physical environment in any measureable way, largely because slash and litter were incorporated into the surface soil. Bedding and churning increase soil biological activity, which increased nitrogen mineralization in excess of pine demand. When non-crop vegetation was chemically controlled, mineralization rates increased due to increases in surface soil temperatures. With less vegetation on the site, the amount of nitrogen sequestered was less, furthering the potential for nitrogen loss by leaching or denitrification. Soil quality improved somewhat with increasing levels of non-crop vegetation biomass; however, these beneficial effects were marginal during two years of operational vegetation control. The majority of dominant species on undisturbed treatment areas were woody, and soil disturbance, including bedding, reduced the proportions of these species. Silvicultural treatments had little effect on the prevalence of hydrophytic species on these wetland study sites. From a forest management point of view, for this site type, it appears that much is gained by reducing competition from non-crop vegetation; the benefits of controlling the density of non-crop vegetation for encouraging early pine growth are clear. While non-crop vegetation slightly improved system function by sequestering available nitrogen, increasing diversity and increasing soil quality, these improvements do not appear to be critical to forest function on these inherently high-quality sites. / Master of Science

Ectomycorrhizal fungi are essential to seedling establishment in disturbed sites. This dissertation examines the effects of trace metals and soil disturbance on ectomycorrhizal fungi in the laboratory and the field. The first experiment assessed Cu and Zn impact on growth of three ectomycorrhizal species in pure culture. Suillus granulatus and Pisolithus tinctorius were more tolerant to Cu than Paxillus involutus, however, none of the species grew at 250 ppm Cu. Suillus granulatus had the highest Zn tolerance, followed by Paxillus involutus and Pisolithus tinctorius. Sectoring observed in Suillus granulatus was deemed spontaneous and not involved in metal tolerance. The second experiment examined the adsorption of copper and zinc to acidic Uchee fine loamy sand. Contrary to expectations, the soil adsorbed up to 667 ppm Cu and 238 ppm Zn. Adsorption occurred mainly in the non-crystalline fraction of the soil. This analysis is a new approach in mycorrhizal research, and the crucial need for such tactics is discussed. The third experiment surveyed ectomycorrhizae on a mine reclamation project in Wise County, Virginia. Pinus strobus trees planted 1, 8, 13, and 25 years prior to the experiment were sampled. Colonization was lower than in well developed soils, but occurred on all seedlings. Increased colonization and a late stage mycobiont (Tuber) occurred on roots taken from the 25 year old subsite. A new observation was made of Suillus americanus on one year old seedlings. Lack of species overlap among sites suggests localized inoculum sources. The last experiment explored Pinus strobus and Pinus virginiana seedlings naturally regenerating on acidic, bare-mineral soil exposed by a road cut in Floyd County, Virginia. Ectomycorrhizal colonization ranged between 30 to 80 percent. Wide variation among individual samples suggests patchy inoculum distribution. Scleroderma citrinum, a common early-stage fungus, was dominant throughout. Other early stage genera included Rhizopogon, Pisolithus, and Thelephora. Mid to late stage genera including Suillus and Lactarius were identified. Cenococcum, often a dominant taxon, was a minor taxon here. The unusual presence of the ericoid mycobionts Hymenoscyphus and Oidiodendron is discussed. These results suggest that native inoculum can be an important resource for seedling recruitment. / Ph. D.

Streamside management zones (SMZs) are a common and effective mechanism used to protect and maintain water quality during timber harvesting operations. In the southeastern United States timber harvesting is typically allowed inside the SMZ, but there is little information regarding suitable types of harvesting systems and the acceptable amount of canopy cover. The effects of two harvesting systems and harvesting intensities on visual soil disturbance were evaluated throughout Virginia and eastern West Virginia. The harvesting systems were a chainsaw/cable-skidder system (manual) and a feller-buncher/grapple-skidder system (mechanized). A total of 118 unique SMZ plots were measured at 50 different harvest sites, split evenly between manual and mechanized operations. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) at the p < 0.10 significance level indicated that there was no significant difference in visual indices of soil disturbance levels between the two systems. However, the manual system had significantly more "rutted" disturbed area and slash cover than the mechanized system. Harvesting intensity was found to be a significant factor in the occurrence of total visual soil disturbance (slight, deep, rutted classes). Slope gradient was evaluated and revealed that slope percentages had no significant effect on percent soil disturbance for this study. Based on the parameters measured, the general occurrence and frequency of soil disturbance generally depends on the specific site conditions. / Master of Science

Forest biomass burned for energy purposes does not need to be accounted for under IPCC rules. This has led to a number of countries considering tree stump harvesting as a source of forest biomass. However there are concerns that the soil disturbance that this may entail could have adverse environmental effects, including the loss of sequestered carbon from the soil. Published results differ in the degree and nature of stump harvesting soil disturbance. Two widely used measures employed in stump harvesting soil disturbance studies are visual assessment of disturbance extent and bulk density measures of the nature of disturbance. Each of these has limitations. This study seeks to extend the insight into both the nature and extent of soil disturbance resulting from stump harvesting by the application of additional techniques. In this way the physical effects of soil disturbance by stump harvesting will be compared with those of other forestry practices. To overcome the two-dimensional and subjective nature of visual assessment, a radiometric approach was adopted, utilising residual Chernobyl 137Cs fallout to determine the degree of soil mixing. To complement bulk density measurements, micromorphological analyses of soil thin sections taken from field samples were carried out to investigate the impact of compressive force on pore space. Low-cost tracer devices were deployed in the soil around stumps prior to extraction to permit the monitoring of the lateral movement of soil during stump extraction. These methods were applied to a stump harvesting operation carried out under current UK guidance at a UPM Tilhill managed site in south west Scotland. The radiometric method demonstrated its capacity to recognise differing degrees of soil disturbance in an operational forest environment, including some disturbance that might escape visual assessment. Analysis of soil thin sections provided the evidence of a significant increase in the pore capacity of disturbed soil. The soil movement tracers developed for this project provided the capability to examine the various trajectories of soil during stump extraction as well as dimensioning the resulting disturbance crater. The study indicated that under current UK management and operational practice, stump harvesting generated a higher level of soil disturbance compared to ground preparation by trench mounding, with an estimated 1260 m3 ha-1 of soil disturbed by stump harvesting compared to 250 m3 ha-1 from trench mounding. Stump harvesting was found to generate a net reduction in soil bulk density in the affected areas, contrary to the findings of some other studies. This outcome is dependent on adhering to particular site management and operational procedures. The practice of raking over the site following stump harvesting is estimated to add a further 10% to the volume of soil disturbed, and is a questionable activity under soil sustainability guidance. This work was part-funded and actively supported by the UK Forestry Commission and UPM Tilhill.

Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) is an environmentally-mediated respiratory disease caused by the inhalation of airborne spores from the fungi Coccidioides spp. The fungi reside in arid and semi-arid soils of the Americas. The disease has increased epidemically in Arizona and other areas within the last two decades. Despite this increase, the ecology of the fungi remains obscure, and environmental antecedents of the disease are largely unstudied. Two sources of soil disturbance, hypothesized to affect soil ecology and initiate spore dissemination, are investigated. Nocturnal desert rodents interact substantially with the soil substrate. Rodents are hypothesized to act as a reservoir of coccidioidomycosis, a mediator of soil properties, and a disseminator of fungal spores. Rodent distributions are poorly mapped for the study area. We build automated multi-linear regression models and decision tree models for ten rodent species using rodent trapping data from the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (ORPI) in southwest Arizona with a combination of surface temperature, a vegetation index and its texture, and a suite of topographic rasters. Surface temperature, derived from Landsat TM thermal images, is the most widely selected predictive variable in both automated methods. Construction-related soil disturbance (e.g. road construction, trenching, land stripping, and earthmoving) is a significant source of fugitive dust, which decreases air quality and may carry soil pathogens. Annual differencing of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) mid-infrared images is used to create change images, and thresholded change areas are associated with coordinates of local dust inspections. The output metric identifies source areas of soil disturbance, and it estimates the annual amount of dust-producing surface area for eastern Pima County spanning 1994 through 2009. Spatially explicit construction-related soil disturbance and rodent abundance data are compared with coccidioidomycosis incidence data using rank order correlation and regression methods. Construction-related soil disturbance correlates strongly with annual county-wide incidence. It also correlates with Tucson periphery incidence aggregated to zip codes. Abundance values for the desert pocket mouse (Chaetodipus penicillatus), derived from a soil-adjusted vegetation index, aspect (northing) and thermal radiance, correlate with total study period incidence aggregated to zip code.

Submitted by BRUNA DE OLIVEIRA SILVA null (bruna1oliver@hotmail.com) on 2017-08-10T13:47:30Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_Bruna_de_Oliveira_Silva_2017.pdf: 1592024 bytes, checksum: 54c12badc4ec47ebc7de6a76e0b27c36 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by LUIZA DE MENEZES ROMANETTO (luizamenezes@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2017-08-15T18:30:25Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_bo_me_jabo.pdf: 1592024 bytes, checksum: 54c12badc4ec47ebc7de6a76e0b27c36 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-15T18:30:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_bo_me_jabo.pdf: 1592024 bytes, checksum: 54c12badc4ec47ebc7de6a76e0b27c36 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-17 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Concomitantemente ao desenvolvimento agrícola brasileiro surge a preocupação com os impactos ambientais causados pelo setor, dentre esses, as emissões de CO2 oriundas de práticas de cultivo e manejo dos solos nos sistemas produtivos. Neste estudo, objetivou-se investigar a variação temporal da emissão de CO2 e atributos físicos do solo sob influência do processo de reorganização das partículas do solo após as atividades de preparo do solo. O estudo foi conduzido em três áreas adjacentes medindo 10 × 3 m cada, nas quais foram conduzidos dois sistemas de preparo do solo: (i) enxada rotativa + grade niveladora convencional, representando um preparo intenso do solo (PI); (ii) grade aradora + niveladora, caracterizando um preparo reduzido (PR), e a terceira área envolvida no estudo foi mantida sem revolvimento do solo caracterizando o sistema semeadura direta (SD). Foram realizadas avaliações diárias da emissão de CO2 do solo (FCO2), temperatura e umidade do solo, distribuição de classes de poros, densidade do solo, resistência do solo à penetração, porosidade livre de água, diâmetro médio ponderado, índice de estabilidade de agregado, carbono orgânico total e carbono orgânico particulado, durante um período de 29 dias após o preparo do solo. No primeiro dia após preparo, a FCO2 foi 87% superior na parcela PI (3,86 µmol m-2 s-1) quando comparado a PR(2,06 µmol m-2 s-1) e 147% superior quando comparado a parcela sem distúrbio (1,56 µmol m-2 s -1). A densidade e a resistência do solo à penetração apresentaram menor variação a partir do 12º dia após as atividades de preparo do solo, tal efeito foi considerado como um processo natural de consolidação do solo, sendo que esse processo influenciou na variação temporal da emissão de CO2 do solo. A distribuição de classes de poros são atributos físicos importantes para explicar as variações temporais da emissão de CO2 do solo, e essas classes são influenciadas pelo manejo adotado. Portanto, o estudo desses atributos deve ser levado em consideração quando avaliada a variação da emissão de CO2 em solos agrícolas. / The development of the Brazilian agricultural sector necessarily implies a greater concern with diverse environmental impacts caused by the sector, among them the CO2 emissions from soil and crop management in the production systems. This study aimed to investigate the CO2 emission associated to physical properties in the short term after soil management submitted to different intensities. The study was conducted in three adjacent areas, measuring 10 × 3 m each, in which two soil tillage systems were performed: (i) rotary hoe + conventional harrow representing a much more intense soil tillage (PI); (ii) disc plowing + disc harrowing, characterizing a reduced soil tillage (PR), and in the third area was no-tillage (SD), without disturbance. They were carried out daily evaluations of soil CO2 emissions (FCO2), temperature and soil moisture, bulk density, soil resistance to penetration, water-free porosity, mean weight diameter, stability indices of soil aggregates, total organic carbon and particulate organic carbon, over a period of 29 days. On the first day after management, FCO2 was 87% higher in PI (3.86 μmol m-2 s-1) when compared to PR (2.06 μmol m-2 s-1) and was 147% higher when compared to area without disturbance (1.56 μmol m-2 s-1).The physical soil attributes: bulk density, resistance to penetration; showed lower variation from day 12 after soil management, this effect was considered in this study as a natural process of soil consolidation, and this process may also have influenced the temporal variation of soil CO2 emission. However, future studies involving a longer period of time are necessary in order to establish more concrete relationships. However, future studies involving a longer period of time are necessary to fortify the interrelations observed in this study. The distribution of pore classes are important physical attributes to explain the temporal variations of the soil CO2 emission, and these classes are influenced by the adopted management. Therefore, the study of these attributes should be taken into account when evaluating the variation of CO2 emission in agricultural soils. / FAPESP: 2015/25615-3

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第21842号 / 農博第2355号 / 新制||農||1069(附属図書館) / 学位論文||H31||N5214(農学部図書室) / 京都大学大学院農学研究科森林科学専攻 / (主査)教授 大澤 晃, 教授 神﨑 護, 教授 井鷺 裕司 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

Animals affect vegetation in many different ways. In this thesis we have focused on the impact of wild ungulates in the Czech Republic (wild boar, red deer, sika deer, roe deer). These animals affect vegetation with grazing, defoliation, defecation, browsing and other activities. We decided to study the effect of browsing. The animal trails are formed by browsing animals. These trails can be easily recognized due to long-term browsing. They are especially caused by trampling, which affects vegetation in many ways. The aim of this study is to determine how the vegetation of dry-grasslands (Festuco-Brometea) responds to long-term trampling caused by wild ungulates. We found that on trails, there is more bare soil, less litter and lower vegetation. In its close proximity, there is also a slightly greater diversity of plants than in control samples. Species like Plantago media which are growing straight on the trail, have adapted to trampling, while smaller shrubs (eg. Rubus, Crataegus), start to appear 2 meters from the trail. Using Ellenberg values, we found out that heliophile species, which grow on the trails and the species in control samples need more moisture and more nitrogen. Using the experiment with transplanted blocks, we learned how vegetation responds to the introduction/exclusion of...

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The Southeastern Lower Coastal Plain wet pine flats include thousands of acres of jurisdictional wetlands that are economically, socially, and environmentally important. These highly productive forests have been intensively managed as pine plantations for the past few decades. More recently, harvesting and site preparation practices have become a concern among natural resource managers because intensive forestry practices may alter soil physical properties and site hydrology. These alterations could decrease seedling survival, growth, and future site productivity. However, the effects of soil disturbance on long-term site productivity and the effects of amelioration techniques on site hydrology are uncertain. The overall objectives of this study were (1) to characterize disturbed forest soil morphology and physical properties, (2) to assess their impact on the processes that control site hydrology and site productivity, (3) to determine effects of harvesting and site preparation on site hydrology, specifically on the overall hydrological balance and on spatial and temporal patterns of surface water storage. The study site is located in an intensively managed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantation in the lower coastal plain of South Carolina. This study was established in winter 1991, and dry- and wet-weather harvesting treatments were installed in summer 1993 and winter 1994, respectively. Bedding and mole channel/bedding treatments were installed in both dry- and wet-harvested plots in fall 1995. Soil profiles were described for a recently disturbed, deeply-rutted area, and 2-year-old deeply-rutted and churned areas, bedded and undisturbed areas. Intact soil core samples and composite loose soil samples were collected from each morphological section for soil physical characterizations. Automated weather station and wells were used to collect continuous climatic and surface water level data since 1996. Surface water levels were monitored monthly on a 20 x 20 m grid of 1-m wells since 1992. Total groundwater heads were determined from differential piezometer measurements at high and low elevation places in each treatment plot. Soil profile descriptions and soil physical property measurements indicated that significant amounts of organic debris were incorporated into the surface horizons, and subsurface soil horizons showed significant soil structural changes and increased redoximorphic features caused by soil disturbance. The disturbed soil layers in recently created traffic ruts consisted of exposed and severely disturbed subsurface soils, but this layer was naturally ameliorated 2 years after the disturbance. Bedding site preparation had little amelioration effects on the physical properties of surface soil horizons because the surface horizons already had some incorporation of organic debris. Overall, the main consequence of bedding in a disturbed wet site was to increase the aerated soil volume. The bedding appeared to have little effect on disturbed subsurface horizons. Groundwater head in the study site was constantly higher than -25 cm during the study period, which caused groundwater inflow when the surface water level was low. Frequent fluctuation of the surface water level and constant water supply from the groundwater probably explain the high productivity of the study site. Results of the annual water balance showed that surface soil water storage changes were very small, and annual precipitation and potential evapotranspiration were approximately equal. Silvicultural practices and minor topography on the study site had significant effects on the water balance because they influenced surface water level. Surface water hydraulic gradient evaluation and multivariate cluster analysis indicated that micro-site hydrology and water flow patterns were significantly altered by wet-weather harvesting and bedding site preparation, but overall site hydrology was not altered. Evaluation of predicted surface water level indicated that micro-topography and precipitation patterns had significant influences on surface water levels during the site establishment period. These results revealed that the hydrologic components of wetland delineation are complex in the wet pine flatwoods. / Ph. D.