The impact of boreal forest fire on climate warming.

We report measurements and analysis of a boreal forest fire, integrating the effects of greenhouse gases, aerosols, black carbon deposition on snow and sea ice, and postfire changes in surface albedo. The net effect of all agents was to increase radiative forcing during the first year (34 +/- 31 Watts per square meter of burned area), but to decrease radiative forcing when averaged over an 80-year fire cycle (-2.3 +/- 2.2 Watts per square meter) because multidecadal increases in surface albedo had a larger impact than fire-emitted greenhouse gases. This result implies that future increases in boreal fire may not accelerate climate warming.

Factors controlling long- and short-term sequestration of atmospheric CO2 in a mid-latitude forest.

Net uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) measured by eddy covariance in a 60- to 80-year-old forest averaged 2.0 +/- 0.4 megagrams of carbon per hectare per year during 1993 to 2000, with interannual variations exceeding 50%. Biometry indicated storage of 1.6 +/- 0.4 megagrams of carbon per hectare per year over 8 years, 60% in live biomass and the balance in coarse woody debris and soils, confirming eddy-covariance results. Weather and seasonal climate (e.g., variations in growing-season length or cloudiness) regulated seasonal and interannual fluctuations of carbon uptake. Legacies of prior disturbance and management, especially stand age and composition, controlled carbon uptake on the decadal time scale, implying that eastern forests could be managed for sequestration of carbon.

Automated measurements of CO(2) exchange at the moss surface of a black spruce forest.

We used an automated, multiplexing gas-exchange system to measure the net exchange of CO(2) at the surfaces of three shady feather moss and three exposed sphagnum moss sites in a black spruce forest during 35 days at the end of the 1995 growing season. Midday gross photosynthesis was 0.5 to 1.0 micro mol m(-2) s(-1) by feather moss and 0.5 to 2.5 micro mol m(-2) s(-1) by sphagnum moss. Photosynthesis by sphagnum moss was reduced by approximately 70% at 0 degrees C, and reached a maximum rate at 8 degrees C. Nighttime CO(2) efflux, the sum of soil and moss respiration was 1 to 2.5 micro mol m(-2) s(-1) above feather moss and 0.5 to 1.5 micro mol m(-2) s(-1) above sphagnum moss at moss temperatures of 0 to 15 degrees C. The higher rates of respiration at the feather moss sites probably reflected a greater belowground input of carbon from black spruce, and the lower rates of photosynthesis were probably associated with shading by the black spruce canopy. Photosynthesis by moss accounted for 10 to 50% of whole-forest gross CO(2) uptake measured simultaneously by eddy covariance. Respiration at the moss surface was 50 to 90% of whole-forest respiration, with a decreasing fraction on warm nights apparently because of a disproportionate rise in aboveground respiration.

Carbon assimilation and water-use efficiency by neighboring Mediterranean-climate oaks that differ in water access.

Quercus agrifolia Nee and Quercus durata Jeps. are sclerophyllous evergreens that co-occur in regions of northern California that have a serpentine-derived soil. The species are of similar stature and density where they grow together, even though late-drought xylem pressure potentials indicate that Q. durata has access to more soil water than Q. agrifolia. To assess how carbon uptake and water-use efficiency (WUE) are affected by water access, I monitored leaf and canopy gas exchange of neighboring Q. durata and Q. agrifolia trees over a 15-month period. Transpiration and photosynthesis by Q. agrifolia peaked in spring and declined through the summer, whereas transpiration and photosynthesis by Q. durata continued at a moderate rate year round. When summed over the study, Q. agrifolia transpired 25% less water on a ground-area basis than Q. durata, but assimilated 25% more carbon. Quercus agrifolia achieved a greater integrated WUE by: (1) maintaining a 20% advantage in instantaneous WUE as a result of lower leaf intercellular CO(2) concentrations; (2) responding rapidly to increased soil water following rain; and (3) assimilating carbon at high rates during periods of low evaporative demand.

Environmental controls on the photosynthesis and respiration of a boreal lichen woodland: a growing season of whole-ecosystem exchange measurements by eddy correlation.

Measurements of net ecosystem CO2 exchange by eddy correlation, incident photosynthetically active photon flux density (PPFD), soil temperature, air temperature, and air humidity were made in a black spruce (Picea mariana) boreal woodland near Schefferville, Quebec, Canada, from June through August 1990. Nighttime respiration was between 0.5 and 1.5 kg C ha-1 h-1, increasing with temperature. Net uptake of carbon during the day peaked at 3 kg C ha-1 h-1, and the daily net uptake over the experiment was 12 kg C ha-1 day-1. Photosynthesis dropped substantially at leaf-to-air vapor pressure deficit (VPD) greater than 7 mb, presumably as a result of stomatal closure. The response of ecosystem photosynthesis to incident PPFD was markedly non-linear, with an abrupt saturation at 600 µmol m-2 s-1. This sharp saturation reflected the geometry of the spruce canopy (isolated conical crowns), the frequently overcast conditions, and an increase in VPD coincident with high radiation. The ecosystem light-use efficiency increased markedly during overcast periods as a result of a more even distribution of light across the forest surface. A mechanistic model of forest photosynthesis, parameterized with observations of leaf density and nitrogen content from a nearby stand, provided accurate predictions of forest photosynthesis. The observations and model results indicated that ecosystem carbon balance at the site is highly sensitive to temperature, and relatively insensitive to cloudiness.

Diurnal patterns of leaf photosynthesis, conductance and water potential at the top of a lowland rain forest canopy in Cameroon: measurements from the Radeau des Cimes.

Diurnal patterns of leaf conductance, net photosynthesis and water potential of five tree species were measured at the top of the canopy in a tropical lowland rain forest in southwestern Cameroon. Access to the 40 m canopy was by a large canopy-supported raft, the Radeau des Cimes. The measurements were made under ambient conditions, but the raft altered the local energy balance at times, resulting in elevated leaf temperatures. Leaf water potential was equal to or greater than the gravitational potential at 40 m in the early morning, falling to values as low as -3.0 MPa near midday. Net photosynthesis and conductance were typically highest during midmorning, with values of about 10-12 micro mol CO(2) m(-2) s(-1) and 0.2-0.3 mol H(2)O m(-2) s(-1), respectively. Leaf conductance and net photosynthesis commonly declined through midday with occasional recovery late in the day. Photosynthesis was negatively related to leaf temperature above midday air temperature maxima. These patterns were similar to those observed in other seasonally droughted evergreen communities, such as Mediterranean-climate shrubs, and indicate that environmental factors may cause stomatal closure and limit photosynthesis in tropical rain forests during the midday period.

Net Exchange of CO2 in a Mid-Latitude Forest.

The eddy correlation method was used to measure the net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide continuously from April 1990 to December 1991 in a deciduous forest in central Massachusetts. The annual net uptake was 3.7 +/- 0.7 metric tons of carbon per hectare per year. Ecosystem respiration, calculated from the relation between nighttime exchange and soil temperature, was 7.4 metric tons of carbon per hectare per year, implying gross ecosystem production of 11.1 metric tons of carbon per hectare per year. The observed rate of accumulation of carbon reflects recovery from agricultural development in the 1800s. Carbon uptake rates were notably larger than those assumed for temperate forests in global carbon studies. Carbon storage in temperate forests can play an important role in determining future concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Aflatoxin in corn: evaluation of filter fluorometer reading of minicolumns.

A minicolumn method using a filter fluorometer was compared with thin layer chromatography for determining aflatoxin in corn. The minicolumn-fluorometer method identified many more samples as aflatoxin-positive than the AOAC CB method. Some corn samples contain a blue-fluorescing substance that interferes with minicolumn chromatography of aflatoxins. Aflatoxin levels measured by the minicolumn-fluorometer method did not correspond to those obtained by the CB method.

Survey of 1975 wheat and soybeans for aflatoxin, zearalenone, and ochratoxin.

Wheat samples (102 lots) were collected from Virginia, North Carolina, southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois, and Kentucky. Soybean samples (180 lots) were collected from Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas. Samples of both commodities were analyzed for zearalenone, aflatoxin, and ochratoxin by the Eppley method. None of the 3 mycotoxins was detected in soybeans. Aflatoxins and ochratoxin A were not detected in wheat, but zearalenone was detected in 19 of 42 samples collected in Virginia. Half of the Virginia samples were collected because they were mold-damaged. Zearalenone levels ranged from 0.36 to 11.05 ppm; the identity of the zearalenone was confirmed by gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy. Gibberella zea infection (6-60%) was detected in all of the zearalenone-positive samples; 6-60% of the kernels in the samples tested contained G. zea.

Confirmation of results of rapid screening test for aflatoxins performed at corn elevator.

A screening method for corn and corn products, based on a minicolumn, was modified slightly to assay 60 lots of corn at one elevator to determine whether they could be sold as animal feed. To be salable, the lots had to contain less than 20 ppb total aflatoxin. Aflatoxin levels in the lots were later determined by the official AOAC method for corn to check effectiveness of the screening. No lot had been designated for sale that contained 20 or more ppb total aflatoxin.

Determination of zearalenone in corn: collaborative study.

Corn samples spiked at levels of 100, 300, 1000, and 2000 mug zearalenone/kg were sent to 22 collaborators for analysis by the Eppley method. All samples were yellow corn except one white corn sample spiked at 2000 mug/kg. Results from 16 collaborators were statistically analyzed. Only 4 of 16 collaborators detected zearalenone in the sample containing 100 mu/kg, but 11 detected the toxin in the sample containing 300 mug/kg. Average recoveries from all samples were 129% at 300 mug/kg, 101% at 1000 mug/kg, and 88% at 2000 mug/kg. The between-laboratory coefficients of variation were 53.0% at 300 mug/kg, 38.2% at 1000 mug/kg, and 27.0% at 2000 mug/kg. Five naturally contaminated corn samples, one in triplicate, were also provided. The mean level of zearalenone in the naturally contaminated samples ranged from 431 to 7622 mug/kg. The mean coefficient of variation for all samples was 40.5%. Two collaborators measured quantities of zearalenone on thin layer chromatographic plates densitometrically. Their results were not included in the statistical analysis, but the results indicated that densitometric measurement, given proper dilutions of solutions, could be used. The method has been adopted as official first action.

Survey of U.S. wheat for ochratoxin and aflatoxin.

A total of 291 hard red winter wheat samples, 286 hard red spring wheat samples, and 271 soft red winter wheat samples were analyzed for the presecne of ochratoxin and aflatoxin. Samples in all grades came from those collected during crop years 1970-1973 for grade determinations by the Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Sensitivity limits of the analytical method as carried out were 1-3 ppb aflatoxin B1 and 15-30 ppb ochratoxin A. No aflatoxin was detected in any sample. Three samples of hard red winter wheat (Grades U.S. No. 4 and 5 and Sample Grade) contained ochratoxin A (trace, 35, and 25 ppb, respectively). Eight of the hard red spring wheats contained ochratoxin A (15-115 PPB); these were in Grades U.S. No. 4 and 5 and Sample Grade.

Ochratoxin A: occurrence as natural contaminant of a corn sample.

Ochratoxin A was detected as a natural contaminant for the first time. It was present in a corn sample.