Temporal dynamics of forage succession for elk at two scales: Implications of forest management

Rapid conversion of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) dominated landscapes in western Alberta to a mosaic of successional stand ages has long-term implications for elk populations in the region that have not been fully assessed. We developed stand-level models of forage succession using data from 159 cutblocks to simulate forage and cover availability within the home range of an elk under “even-flow” and “pulsed” timber cutting scenarios that are common in this area. We found forage biomass peaked approximately 9 years following felling for both herbaceous (graminoids and forbs) and palatable browse forage. Forage production was determined primarily by the age of the cutblock (time since felling) and to a lesser extent elevation, compound topographic index (a measure of site wetness), and the distance to the nearest deciduous forest patch. Forbs became increasingly abundant as stands matured. Browse composition shifted from palatable species to unpalatable species after approximately 30 years. Within an elk home range (100 km²), we found that simulating an “even-flow” cutting regime resulted in forage availability that was always higher than under the current conditions of 90% forests when more than 10 ha were harvested per year. Further, forest cover (>30$>30$-year-old stands) was never less than the guideline of 60% of the area needed to provide adequate thermal and hiding cover. In contrast, when a “pulsed” harvest scenario was simulated, similar to what occurs for mountain pine beetle control, forage availability changed dramatically over time as a large cohort of harvested timber aged. Without further harvesting the stand conditions in the home range eventually returned to a state of pre-harvest risk for mountain pine beetle outbreak. We demonstrated several additional harvesting scenarios that avoided the potential risk and produced a much higher level of forage than currently exists.     

Trophic consequences of postfire logging in a wolf–ungulate system

Controversy surrounds postfire logging, often because of negative effects on snag-dependent wildlife species. Few studies, however, have examined effects on early-seral species that may benefit from postfire logging, nor effects on trophic relationships. We studied the effects of postfire logging on trophic dynamics between wolves (Canis lupus), three ungulate species and ungulate forage biomass during the first 3 years in a large burn in the Canadian Rockies, Alberta, Canada. We examined plant biomass and ungulate responses to two treatments (post- and prefire logging) compared to a burned but unlogged area (control). We evaluated resource selection for the three treatments by elk (Cervus elaphus) using radiotelemetry and for deer (Odocoileus spp.), moose (Alces alces), and, secondarily, elk using pellet counts. Elk resource selection was modeled as a function of the trade-off between wolf predation risk and herbaceous forage biomass to test for trophic impacts of postfire treatments. Postfire logging had transient effects on total herbaceous biomass; while forb biomass was reduced, increases in graminoid biomass more than compensated by the third year. Prefire logging areas were dominated by a few species, but had generally higher forage biomass by the third year. Ungulates avoided postfire and prefire logged areas despite greater herbaceous biomass. Only when we considered elk resource selection as a function of both forage and wolf predation risk was the extent to which trophic interactions affected by postfire logging revealed. Wolves selected proximity to roads and the higher forage biomass associated with postfire logging in open logged areas. This translated to the highest predation risk for elk in postfire logged areas. Thus, ungulates avoided postfire logged areas because of human alteration of top-down predation risk despite enhancements to bottom-up forage biomass. Managers should consider trophic consequences of postfire logging on the interactions among species when gauging logging effects on terrestrial ecosystems. Making use of existing roads, minimizing the construction of new roads, and managing road removal following postfire logging will help mitigate the negative effects of postfire logging on terrestrial ecosystems.     

Diviner Lunar Radiometer observations of cold traps in the Moon's south polar region

Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment surface-temperature maps reveal the existence of widespread surface and near-surface cryogenic regions that extend beyond the boundaries of persistent shadow. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) struck one of the coldest of these regions, where subsurface temperatures are estimated to be 38 kelvin. Large areas of the lunar polar regions are currently cold enough to cold-trap water ice as well as a range of both more volatile and less volatile species. The diverse mixture of water and high-volatility compounds detected in the LCROSS ejecta plume is strong evidence for the impact delivery and cold-trapping of volatiles derived from primitive outer solar system bodies.     

Identification of unique DNA sequences present in highly virulent 2009 Alabama isolates of Aeromonas hydrophila

In 2009, a disease outbreak caused by Aeromonas hydrophila occurred in 48 catfish farms in West Alabama, causing an estimated loss of more than 3 million pounds of food size channel catfish. Virulence studies have revealed that the 2009 isolates of A. hydrophila are at least 200-fold more virulent than a 1998 Alabama isolate AL98-C1B. However, up to now, no molecular markers have been identified to differentiate the highly virulent 2009 isolates from other isolates of A. hydrophila. To understand the genetic differences between the highly virulent 2009 isolates and the less virulent AL98-C1B at molecular level, PCR-select bacterial genome subtractive hybridization was used in this study. A total of 96 clones were selected from the subtractive genomic DNA library. Sequencing results revealed that the 96 clones represented 64 unique A. hydrophila sequences. Of the 64 sequences, three (hypothetical protein XAUC_13870, structural toxin protein RtxA, and putative methyltransferase) were confirmed to be present in the three virulent 2009 Alabama isolates but absent in the less virulent AL98-C1B. Using genomic DNAs from nine field isolates of A. hydrophila with different virulence as templates, two sequences (hypothetical protein XAUC_13870 and putative methyltransferase) were found to be only present in highly virulent A. hydrophila isolates, but absent in avirulent isolates.