Partners Spotlight

West Virginia University

University of Montana Department of Forestry

Utah State University Department of Watershed Sciences

University of Washington College of Forest Resources USDA Forest Service

Authors include Amy Hessl (West Virginia University), Cristina Milesi (University of Montana), Mike White (Utah State University), Robert Keane (USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station), David L. Peterson (University of Washington and USDA Forest Service).

NACSE

Based at Oregon State University since its inception in 1995, the Northwest Alliance for Computational Science and Engineering (NACSE) is an interdisciplinary research coalition that works to make large scientific databases accessible to different user audiences.

Tree Ecophysiology Database

Pacific Northwest Old-Growth Forest
Pacific Northwest Old-Growth Forest
[Photo: USDA Forest Service, Pacific NW Research Station]
Recent predictions of rapid changes in global climate and atmospheric biochemistry require a detailed understanding of how biochemistry, biophysics and plant responses interact across local, regional and global scales (Waring 1993). Though some of these interactions can be measured at local scales, empirical estimates of these processes at regional and global scales are not yet tenable. Simulation modeling provides an essential tool for exploring these complex interactions at larger spatial scales (Running 1994). Ecosystem models use input parameters including physiology, biochemistry, structure, and allocation to describe processes and fluxes such as productivity, nitrogen cycling and water relations. Many ecosystem models useful for investigating these interactions are grounded in ecophysiological relationships originally measured in the laboratory or field typically at scales ranging from the leaf to the plot level. These lab- or field-based measurements serve as both parameterization and validation data sets for ecosystem models and therefore play a crucial role in current and future model development and implementation.

Link to Introduction: http://sain.utk.edu/apps/pnwin/ecophys/index.php
Link to Database: http://sain.utk.edu/apps/pnwin/ecophys/ecophys.php


Citation: Data and text from: Hessl, Amy E.; Milesi, Cristina; Keane, Robert; Peterson, David L. Ecophysiological Parameterization Database for Pacific Northwest Trees or Forests. General Technical Report, GTR-PNW, Portland, OR. US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station.

About Ecophysiology


Western Cascade Mountains
[Photo: Sherry K. Pittam]

Predictions of rapid changes in global climate require us to learn in a detailed way how the chemistry of air changes with heating and cooling, and how those changes affect plants. Especially of interest is how plants respond to rapid atmospheric changes such as those currently occurring. The study of plant physiology combined with ecology allows scientists to look at vegetation growth variables against the environmental values such as soil temperature or moisture levels/availability.

We need to look at these details for vegetation on a local small scale, but also in larger regional and global scales. At present, ecological based studies of plant physiology on larger scales are only beginning to be realized Ecosystem models use input parameters including physiology (chemical processes inside the plant), structural (leaf, stem and root) measurements, and allocation (how efficiently nutrients are used by the plant) to describe processes and changes. Such changes include productivity (growth measures, leaf size and seed viability), nitrogen cycling and water relations. Future development of models that predict vegetation reactions to changes on a large scale need to be grounded in the measurements taken in past studies.

This database provides information from past scientific studies that published parameters of interest The web site allows the user to find literature based on locality , tree species , or specific parameter . The user may also browse the bibliography, download all data, and look up parameter definitions .

Link: http://sain.utk.edu/apps/pnwin/ecophys/index.php

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