Abstract:Timely irrigation decisions require indicators that work at sub-field scale. We fly weekly multispectral missions over 36 wheat plots under controlled deficit irrigation and compare vegetation indices to stomatal conductance ground truth. A red-edge based index outperforms NDVI for detecting stress three to five days before visible wilting.
Abstract:Breeding for yield can unintentionally alter defensive chemistry. We profile headspace VOCs from eight chickpea cultivars and link emission suites to oviposition preference in a specialist bruchid. A subset of terpenoid-rich lines reduces attraction without yield penalty in field cages, pointing to a tractable resistance trait.
Abstract:Rewetting drained peat aims to cut carbon losses but spatial heterogeneity is large. We instrument hummocks and hollows with automated chambers following partial inundation and model fluxes against water table depth and redox proxies. Hollows switch to net uptake within months while hummocks remain net sources for two growing seasons.
Abstract:Cryptic moss species often differ subtly in gametophyte architecture. We combine ITS2 barcodes with geometric morphometrics on 210 collections previously assigned to one widespread taxon. Integrative clustering supports four operational species with partial reproductive isolation in crossing trials.
Abstract:Alpine treelines are shifting upward but fine-scale shrub expansion is hard to quantify. We align historical panoramas with UAV-derived point clouds at four sites and estimate shrub cover change over 35 years. Encroachment rates correlate with winter minimum temperature trends but not with summer precipitation alone.
Abstract:Photobiont switching is debated as a driver of lichen diversification. We assemble low-coverage genomes from 42 Umbilicaria thalli and map photobiont lineages onto a host phylogeny. Several host species associate with multiple photobiont haplotypes, but geographic structure within haplotypes is weak after accounting for elevation.
Abstract:Long-lived seed banks buffer climate variability but empirical estimates of mortality and recruitment are noisy. We fit stage-structured stochastic models to decade-long burial experiments and propagate parameter uncertainty into extinction forecasts. Dormancy fractions dominate variance in predicted persistence more than annual germination rates.
Abstract:Estuarine phytoplankton face abrupt shifts in osmotic stress and nutrient supply. We sample 24 stations along a salinity continuum and relate cell size, nutrient storage, and motility traits to environmental axes using fourth-corner analysis. Trait dispersion peaks at intermediate salinities where niche overlap is highest, suggesting transient coexistence before competitive exclusion.
Abstract:We aggregate timestamped plant images from a regional biodiversity platform and model first flowering as a function of urban warming and land cover. Woody species advance more than forbs on average, with the largest advances near impervious surfaces, controlling for observer effort using hierarchical offsets.
Abstract:Morphotype richness is often treated as a black box for nutrient acquisition. Using 15N-ammonium and 13C-glucose tracers in split-root microcosms, we show that cottony morphotypes acquire more ammonium early while crust types shift toward amino acid channels after four weeks, with implications for seedling establishment trials.