Papers by Nalini Nadkarni
DG.O (Inter)National Conference on Digital Government Research, 2002
The Biodiversity and Ecosystem Informatics Research Agenda (http://bio.gsfc.nasa.gov) notes curre... more The Biodiversity and Ecosystem Informatics Research Agenda (http://bio.gsfc.nasa.gov) notes current inability to compare data across spatial scales as a critical problem: "Biological data from different sources are frequently collected and presented in different scales and resolutions resulting in a loss of detail when multiple data sets are required for data synthesis and analysis." The proposed infrastructure would allow a scientist
Symposium 9: Linking Scientists with Nontraditional Public Audiences to Enhance Ecological Thought
Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 2009
Psyche: A Journal of Entomology, 1990
Biotropica, 2004
Tropical ecosystems support a diversity of species and ecological processes that are unparalleled... more Tropical ecosystems support a diversity of species and ecological processes that are unparalleled anywhere else on Earth. Despite their tremendous social and scientific importance, tropical ecosystems are rapidly disappearing. To help tropical ecosystems and the human communities dependent upon them better face the challenges of the 21st century, tropical biologists must provide critical knowledge in three areas: (1) the structure
Biotropica, 2004
Tropical ecosystems support a diversity of species and ecological processes that are unparalleled... more Tropical ecosystems support a diversity of species and ecological processes that are unparalleled anywhere else on Earth. Despite their tremendous social and scientific importance, tropical ecosystems are rapidly disappearing. To help tropical ecosystems and the human communities dependent upon them better face the challenges of the 21st century, tropical biologists must provide critical knowledge in three areas: (1) the structure and functioning of tropical ecosystems; (2) the nature and magnitude of anthropogenic effects on tropical ecosystems; and (3) the socio-economic drivers of these anthropogenic effects. To develop effective strategies for conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of tropical ecosystems, scientific perspectives must be integrated with social necessities. Three principles for guiding tropical biological research are suggested: (1) broadening the set of concerns; (2) integration of biological knowledge with the social sciences and traditional knowledge; and (3) linking science to policy and action. Four broad recommendations are proposed for immediate action in tropical biology and conservation that are fundamental to all biological and social disciplines in the tropics: (1) assemble and disseminate information on life's diversity in the tropics; (2) enhance tropical field stations and build a worldwide network to link them with tropical field biologists at their field sites; (3) bring the field of tropical biology to the tropics by strengthening institutions in tropical countries through novel partnerships between tropical and temperate zone institutions and scientists; and (4) create concrete mechanisms to increase interactions between tropical biologists, social scientists, and policy makers.
Global climate change models predict reduced cloud water in tropical montane forests. To test the... more Global climate change models predict reduced cloud water in tropical montane forests. To test the effects of reduced cloud water on epiphytes, plants that are tightly coupled to atmospheric inputs, we transplanted epiphytes and their arboreal soil from upper cloud forest trees to trees at slightly lower elevations that are naturally exposed to less cloud water. Control plants moved between trees within the upper site showed no transplantation effects, but experimental plants at lower sites had significantly higher leaf mortality, lower leaf production, and reduced longevity. After the epiphytes died, seedlings of terrestrial gap-colonizing tree species grew from the seed banks within the residual mats of arboreal soil. Greenhouse experiments confirmed that the death of epiphytes can result in radical compositional changes of canopy communities. Thus, tropical montane epiphyte communities constitute both a potentially powerful tool for detecting climate changes and a rich arena to study plant/soil/seed interactions under natural and manipulated conditions. This study also provides experimental evidence that the potential effects of global climate change on canopy and terrestrial communities can be significant for cloud forest biota. Results suggest there will be negative effects on the productivity and longevity of particular epiphytes and a subsequent emergence of an emerging terrestrial component into the canopy community from a previously suppressed seed bank.
Ecologists in prisons: Scientists, inmates, and other underserved audiences create synergistic public engagement
ABSTRACT A challenging ecological problem – the unsustainable harvesting of moss from old-growth ... more ABSTRACT A challenging ecological problem – the unsustainable harvesting of moss from old-growth forests for florists – led me to engage incarcerated men to learn how to “farm” moss. Prison staff and I then organized a science lecture series, which inspired prisoners to carry out gardening, bee-keeping, and recycling behind bars. We now collaborate with conservation partners to rear endangered frogs, butterflies, and prairie plants for restoration. This approach in Washington and other states demonstrates that such underserved audiences are excellent partners in sustainability and conservation, and that ecologists can and should engage partners well outside academia for synergistic public engagement.
The Canopy Database Project: Component-Driven Database Design & Visualization
ABSTRACT An abstract is not available.
Forest canopy communities are important in maintaining the diversity, resilience, and functioning... more Forest canopy communities are important in maintaining the diversity, resilience, and functioning of the ecosystems they inhabit. With the increasing interest in and amounts of data on forest canopies resulting from new access techniques, ecologists require tools to manage and analyze their data and to compare data from disparate studies. Canopy ecologists need to deal with new types of data,
Development of canopy structure in Pseudotsuga menziesii forests in the southern Washington Cascades
ABSTRACT We quantified stand-level structural diversity in eight stands of temperate coniferous f... more ABSTRACT We quantified stand-level structural diversity in eight stands of temperate coniferous forests that ranged in age from 50 to 950 years in the southern Washington Cascade Range. Stands were chosen based on the dominance, or former dominance in the case of the oldest stands, of Pseudotsuga menziesii. In addition, to avoid confusing patterns of structural development, only stands that had a single disturbance of origin were used. Within each stand, randomly located transects were laid out that were proportional in size to the dominant tree height. Tree heights and diameters ranged up to 90 m and 309 cm, respectively. A total of 5,737 trees among the 32 transects were mapped and measured for height, diameter, crown height, and four crown radii. The structure of the canopy in the younger stands is a simple, fairly even monolayer. This contrasts with the older stands, which have a very complex, highly diffuse canopy with extreme variability in both horizontal and vertical dimensions. The stands with the highest structural complexity were between 500 and 650 years old and retained from 17 to 76 Pseudotsuga stems/ha. Our oldest site had only one living Pseudotsuga/ha. Mean diameter of just the Pseudotsuga trees was less than 55 cm for stands less than 200 years and over 180 cm for the most complex old-growth stands. One measure of stand structural diversity, the standard deviation of dbh, ranged from less than 25 (stands less than 200 years) to values greater than 50 (most complex old-growth sites). A similar relationship exists when using the standard deviation of height. Large snags and logs important for wildlife were present only in the old-growth stands and were abundant in the most structurally diverse stands. FOR. SCI. 50(3):326341.
High-Latitude Rainforests and Associated EcoSystems of the West Coast of the Americas: Climate, Hydrology, Ecology, and Conservation
Ecology, 1997
... I. Lawford, Richard G. II. Alaback, Paul B. III. Fuentes, Eduardo. IV. Series: Ecological stu... more ... I. Lawford, Richard G. II. Alaback, Paul B. III. Fuentes, Eduardo. IV. Series: Ecological studies: v. 116. ... Implications of Patch Dynamics for Forested Ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest, 283 GA Bradshaw, Frederick J. Swanson, and Maria R. Fiorella Page 11. Contents ix 15. ...
Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2009
Canopy-held organic matter develops into a distinct soil system separate from the forest floor in... more Canopy-held organic matter develops into a distinct soil system separate from the forest floor in wet temperate coniferous forests, creating a natural microcosm. We distinguished between fungal and bacterial components of the decomposer community in one site with Maple (Acer macrophyllum) and one site with Alder (Alnus rubra) by using direct measurements of growth; acetate incorporation into ergosterol, and leucine incorporation for fungi and bacteria, respectively. The higher organic matter content of the canopy soils correlated with higher fungal growth. The relative importance of fungi, indicated by fungal:bacterial growth ratio, was higher in the canopy soil of the Maple site, while there was no difference in the Alder site. The high C:N ratio of the Maple canopy soil likely contributed to this difference. These results demonstrate a divergence between canopy and forest floor that should be explored to gain insights in decomposer ecology using the natural microcosms that the canopy soils provide.
Linking Ecological and Human Restoration: The Sustainability in Prisons Project
eco.confex.com
... Kelli Bush 1 , Marc P. Hayes 4 , Jim Lynch 5 , Patrick Dunn 6 , Mary J. Linders 4 , Carl Elli... more ... Kelli Bush 1 , Marc P. Hayes 4 , Jim Lynch 5 , Patrick Dunn 6 , Mary J. Linders 4 , Carl Elliott 1 , Dennis Aubrey 1 , Sarah ... This unique project is an integrated mix of conservation biology, science education, and social justice, and provides a successful model for expansion at new ...
Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 1990
In some tropical forests. organic matter derived from epiphytic plants accumulates as mats on tre... more In some tropical forests. organic matter derived from epiphytic plants accumulates as mats on tree branches. Microbial characteristics relating to the cycling of C and N were studied in this canopy organic matter (COM) and in the forest floor of a tropical montane forest in Costa Rica. COM was found to-have high microbial activity which was. in generai. similar to the forest floor H (FF-H) horizon. The concentration of microbial biomass C tias 2650. 2670 and 1950 UP P-' soil in COM. FF-H and FF-AI. respectively. Biomass N. laboratory CO: evolution and laboratory N mineralization were also higher or similar for COM relative to the forest Hoor. In contrast to the H and Al horizons of the forest floor. nitrification was not detectable or only very low in COM during laboratory and field incubations. The potential for denitrilication. as evidenced by the dtwline in added NO; relative to NH,' during laboratory incubation, was higher in the forest floor tPresent address: The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 81 I South Palm Avenue. Sarasota. FA 34236. U.S.A. rarely been studied, organic matter held within the canopy may be an important component of the nutrient cycling characteristics of such forests by trapping and transforming nutrients that are deposited in mist, rain and plant litter.
Plant and Soil, 1991
The monthly deposition of total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium via canopy... more The monthly deposition of total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium via canopy throughfall, and various components of the litterfall was measured for 31 months under mature Quercus douglasii and in the bulk precipitation in the surrounding open grassland. Seasonal patterns of nutrient concentration in leaf litter, throughfall, and precipitation were also measured. Total annual subcanopy deposition exceeded open precipitation deposition by approximately 45-60x for nitrogen, 5-15× for phosphorus, 30-35x for potassium, 25-35x for calcium, and 5-10x for magnesium. Total annual subcanopy deposition was low in comparison to other oak woodland sites reported in the literature. Throughfall and leaf litter were the primary sources of nutrients and thus determined the seasonal peaks of nutrient deposition. The first autumn rains and leaf fall were associated with one peak in nutrient deposition, and throughfall during early spring leaf emergence was associated with a second peak in potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. Non-leaf plant litter (excluding acorns) provided approximately 15-35% of most nutrients, with twigs and bark depositing over 12% of the annual calcium flux in 1987-1988, and flower litter depositing over 8% of the annual nitrogen flux in 1986-1987. Acorns had high concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen and during the mast season of 1987-1988 they contained a large proportion of the total subcanopy annual flux of these elements. With acorns excluded, total annual nutrient deposition was similar between years, but timing of nutrient deposition differed. Late summer leaf fall associated with drought, variation in precipitation, and variation in deposition of non-leaf parts were associated with seasonal differences in nutrient deposition between years.
Pedobiologia, 2002
Effects of stocking rate and moisture content on the growth and maturation of Eisenia andrei (Oli... more Effects of stocking rate and moisture content on the growth and maturation of Eisenia andrei (Oligochaeta) in pig manure. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 29, 743-746.
Oecologia, 2002
Global climate change models predict reduced cloud water in tropical montane forests. To test the... more Global climate change models predict reduced cloud water in tropical montane forests. To test the effects of reduced cloud water on epiphytes, plants that are tightly coupled to atmospheric inputs, we transplanted epiphytes and their arboreal soil from upper cloud forest trees to trees at slightly lower elevations that are naturally exposed to less cloud water. Control plants moved between trees within the upper site showed no transplantation effects, but experimental plants at lower sites had significantly higher leaf mortality, lower leaf production, and reduced longevity. After the epiphytes died, seedlings of terrestrial gap-colonizing tree species grew from the seed banks within the residual mats of arboreal soil. Greenhouse experiments confirmed that the death of epiphytes can result in radical compositional changes of canopy communities. Thus, tropical montane epiphyte communities constitute both a potentially powerful tool for detecting climate changes and a rich arena to study plant/soil/seed interactions under natural and manipulated conditions. This study also provides experimental evidence that the potential effects of global climate change on canopy and terrestrial communities can be significant for cloud forest biota. Results suggest there will be negative effects on the productivity and longevity of particular epiphytes and a subsequent emergence of an emerging terrestrial component into the canopy community from a previously suppressed seed bank.
Oecologia, 2002
Nutrients obtained by epiphytes may either be of atmospheric origin or from organic matter in the... more Nutrients obtained by epiphytes may either be of atmospheric origin or from organic matter in the canopy, which decomposes to form canopy soil on large branches. We hypothesised that the N supply for epiphytes on small branches was lower, and a larger proportion provided by rainwater, than for epiphytes rooting in canopy soil. We tested this by measuring the N concentration and isotopic composition in terrestrial and canopy soil and in various canopy compartments of a Costa Rican cloud forest. In general, epiphytes on small branches without canopy soil had lower N foliar concentrations and δ 15 N signals than plants rooted in canopy soil, suggesting that the former receive a higher proportion of N directly from the rain. Epiphytes on small branches also had less negative δ 13 C values, indicating more frequent water stress. Epiphytes had lower δ 15 N values (-3.9±2.3‰) than ground-rooted trees (-1.1± 1.6‰), and canopy soil had lower values (0.7±1.2‰) than terrestrial soil (3.8±0.7‰). Assuming that the isotopic effect of terrestrial and canopy soil organic matter formation is similar, our findings support earlier results showing that canopy soil is derived mainly from epiphytes, with only minor inputs from host tree matter. Thus, the epiphyte N cycle appears to be largely detached from the tree-soil cycle. Epiphylls on leaves of understorey shrubs had higher δ 15 N signals than cryptogams in the upper canopy, as a result of either 15 N accumulation in throughfall or increased N 2 fixation. The correlation between epiphyll and understorey host leaf δ 15 N suggests some exchange of N between epiphylls and host leaves. Differences between epiphyte groups also appear to be related to uptake of N through mycorrhizas or N 2 fixation. Thus, the source and quantity of N supply is highly variable, depending on the systematic group and canopy position.
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Papers by Nalini Nadkarni