scholarly journals Assemblages of myxomycetes associated with three different substrates affected by forest wildfires

2021 ◽  
Vol 154 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-27
Author(s):  
Steven L. Stephenson ◽  
Nazrana Payal ◽  
Gurpreet Kaur ◽  
Carlos Rojas
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Culture Technique ◽  
Forest Recovery ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Lower Intensity ◽  
Great Smoky Mountains ◽  
Smoky Mountains ◽  
Similarity Indices ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Forest Wildfires

Background and aims – In late November and early December of 2016, forest wildfires occurred over portions of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (USA) and more than 4 000 ha were affected. Previous studies have shown that myxomycete assemblages can be greatly impacted as a result of this type of disturbance; after which, the recovery of the forest determines the availability of substrates for new colonisation. The objective of the project reported herein was to assess the impact of wildfires on the recovery of the assemblages of myxomycetes associated with three different substrates (forest floor leaf litter, the bark of living trees, and woody twigs) in two areas with different fire intensity.Material and methods – Two study areas subjected to different fire intensity were selected and sampled 30 months after the wildfires. Myxomycetes were studied using the moist chamber culture technique as it applies to these organisms. Satellite imagery was used to determine forest recovery and similarity indices were used to compare experimental myxomycete assemblages among study areas and substrates. Historical data were used as a reference to contextualise the results.Key results – A total of 38 species of myxomycetes representing 17 different genera were recorded from the two study areas. Samples from the lower intensity burn area yielded more myxomycetes than samples from the higher intensity burn area, with values of 84% and 59%, respectively. This same pattern was also observed for the number of recorded specimens (133 and 93, respectively). The comparison of experimental assemblages with previous data suggested that ground litter assemblages were still in early stages of recovery, whereas the assemblages associated with bark and twigs had recovered much faster.Conclusion – The relatively higher intensity fire had more of an effect on myxomycetes than the relatively lower intensity fire. Myxomycete assemblages are resilient to wildfires and they recover differentially depending on the substrate they grow on.

Identification of Southeastern Bat Species Using Noninvasive Genetic Sampling of Individual Guano Pellets

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 632-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica A. Brown ◽  
Emma V. Willcox ◽  
Kirstin E. Fagan ◽  
Riley F. Bernard
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Ribosomal Subunit ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Monitoring Methods ◽  
Species Occurrence ◽  
Great Smoky Mountains ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Genetic Sampling ◽  
Smoky Mountains ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The impact of white-nose syndrome on North American bat populations may limit the effectiveness of traditional monitoring methods, including roost surveys, mist netting, and acoustic monitoring, and, in turn, determination of bat species occurrence. Genetic markers from deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extracted from feces (i.e., guano pellets) may provide an effective alternative method for assessing occurrence. We used an existing genetic marker from the 16S ribosomal subunit, mitochondrial DNA, to create a DNA sequence database for the 16 species of bats known to occur in Tennessee. We used our database to identify bat species from DNA extracted from 68 guano pellets collected from accumulations found in buildings of Great Smoky Mountains National Park from May to August 2015. No bats were directly observed at 19 roost buildings (55.9% of all identified roost buildings), where genetic analysis of guano was the only method available to determine species occurrence. Two of the species we detected roosting in buildings using DNA from guano, the little brown myotis Myotis lucifugus and northern long-eared myotis M. septentrionalis, are of special concern as a result of declines from white-nose syndrome. There are no records of the northern long-eared myotis roosting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park buildings, and no records of the little brown myotis roosting in buildings since white-nose syndrome became established in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Our findings emphasize the utility of these genetic techniques for detecting bat species when visual or acoustic methods may be compromised by species rarity, elusive behavior, or similarities in species morphology and call characteristics.

New species of Anillinus Casey (Carabidae: Trechinae: Bembidiini) from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, U.S.A. and phylogeography of the A. langdoni species group

Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1542 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
IGOR M. SOKOLOV ◽  
YULIYA Y. SOKOLOVA ◽  
CHRISTOPHER E. CARLTON
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
New Species ◽  
National Park ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
Great Smoky Mountains ◽  
Smoky Mountains ◽  
Habitat Corridors ◽  
The Impact

The Anillinus langdoni–species group is characterized and two new species are described, Anillinus cieglerae Sokolov and Carlton sp. nov. and A. pusillus Sokolov and Carlton sp. nov., both from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The langdoni–group includes four species at present, three apparently endemic to the Great Smoky Mountains and adjacent mountains of western North Carolina/Tennessee, and a fourth from South Mountains of middle North Carolina. They are distinguished mainly using characters of the male genitalia and to a lesser extent, differences in shapes of female spermathecae. Phylogenetic analyses based on aedeagal morphology and COI gene sequences yielded conflicting results, with the later providing a phylogeny that was more parsimonious with expectations based on geographic distributions. Speciation within the group may derive from ecological constraints and altitudinal fluctuations of habitat corridors during past climate changes combined with the impact of local watersheds as fine scale isolating mechanisms.

Environmental correlates of tardigrade community structure in mosses and lichens in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee and North Carolina, USA)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane R Nelson ◽  
Paul J Bartels ◽  
Stephen R Fegley
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
National Park ◽  
Forest Disturbance ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Great Smoky Mountains ◽  
Environmental Correlates ◽  
Smoky Mountains ◽  
Level Versus ◽  
The Impact

Abstract A major inventory of tardigrades in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was conducted and we compared tardigrade species composition in moss and lichen samples and analysed environmental correlates of tardigrade community structure. We also compared these tardigrades with those collected from soil. The basic dataset from tree mosses and lichens consisted of 336 samples, 9200 individuals and 43 species. The supplemental dataset from rock mosses and lichens consisted of 29 samples, 811 individuals, and 41 species. Collectively, there were 57 species present in mosses and lichens. Eleven species were found uniquely on rock habitats. Two-way ANOVAs for various community metrics showed no significant differences between substrate (moss versus lichen) or height (ground level versus breast height); however, there were significant differences between ATBI plots. Tardigrade communities were not significantly different between mosses and lichens, but soil tardigrade communities were quite distinct from these moss/lichen communities. We analysed the impact of 17 environmental variables on community structure using partition tree analyses. SOx deposition explained most of the variation in species richness and evenness in moss tardigrades. Forest disturbance regime had the greatest impact on abundance in lichen tardigrades. Other environmental factors influencing community structure are discussed.

Using Scenarios to Assess the Impact of Air Pollution in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean H. Peretz ◽  
Bruce E. Tonn ◽  
Gregory D. Reed ◽  
Luis Alonso Diaz Robles
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
National Park ◽  
Great Smoky Mountains ◽  
Smoky Mountains ◽  
The Impact

Using Spatial Modeling to Improve Wetland Inventories in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 482
Author(s):  
Alix A. Pfennigwerth ◽  
Joshua Albritton ◽  
Troy Evans
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Modeling ◽  
National Park ◽  
Great Smoky Mountains ◽  
Smoky Mountains

scholarly journals Description of Mesocriconema ericaceum n. sp. (Nematoda: Criconematidae) and notes on other nematode species discovered in an ericaceous heath bald community in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA

Nematology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 879-903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas O. Powers ◽  
Peter Mullin ◽  
Rebecca Higgins ◽  
Timothy Harris ◽  
Kirsten S. Powers
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
National Park ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Nematode Species ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
Parasitic Nematodes ◽  
Soil Nematode ◽  
Coastal Forests ◽  
Great Smoky Mountains ◽  
Smoky Mountains

A new species of Mesocriconema and a unique assemblage of plant-parasitic nematodes was discovered in a heath bald atop Brushy Mountain in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Mesocriconema ericaceum n. sp., a species with males, superficially resembles M. xenoplax. DNA barcoding with the mitochondrial COI gene provided evidence of the new species as a distinct lineage. SEM revealed significant variability in arrangement of labial submedian lobes, plates, and anterior and posterior annuli. Three other nematodes in the family Criconematidae were characterised from the heath bald. Ogma seymouri, when analysed by statistical parsimony, established connections with isolates from north-eastern Atlantic coastal and north-western Pacific coastal wet forests. Criconema loofi has a southern Gulf Coast distribution associated with boggy soils. Criconema cf. acriculum is known from northern coastal forests of California. Understanding linkages between these species and their distribution may lead to the broader development of a terrestrial soil nematode biogeography.

Reconnaissance of cumulative risk of pesticides and pharmaceuticals in Great Smoky Mountains National Park streams

2021 ◽  
pp. 146711
Author(s):  
Paul M. Bradley ◽  
Matt Kulp ◽  
Bradley J. Huffman ◽  
Kristin M. Romanok ◽  
Kelly L. Smalling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Cumulative Risk ◽  
Great Smoky Mountains ◽  
Smoky Mountains
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