In the Pacific Northwest, over the next several decades, scientists have projected that both the average temperature and the frequency of extreme precipitation will continue to increase. These trends may lead to shifts in species' distributions and impose adverse impacts on species vulnerable to environmental change. Although resource managers and conservation specialists have developed tools to mitigate climate change, it is still important to assess the potential vulnerability of species to climate change and to identify the species that are most sensitive. Such an evaluation helps managers to set conservation priorities for different species and to make efficient conservation-investment decisions with limited resources. At this stage of the ongoing sensitivity assessment project, we are aiming to assess the sensitivity to climate change of species in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. We classify species into 14 categories: fungi, non-tree plants, tree plants, clitellata, gastropoda, malacostraca, bivalves, insects, lamprey, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. In the assessment of species sensitivity, we adopt two independent methodologies: synthesis from literature review and direct contact with species experts. For each species, we base our estimation of sensitivity on factors including dispersal ability, dependence on disturbance regimes (e.g. fire, flood), dependence on other species, physiological sensitivity to physical conditions (e.g. temperature, salinity, precipitation), reproductive strategy and susceptibility of the habitat to climate change. We are working with species experts both individually and in workshops to help them enter their rankings of sensitivity of species into the online database. For the final product, we will produce a database of species sensitivity to climate change, which will assist conservation planners and resource managers in setting conservation priorities and maximizing return on conservation investment.

Understanding the spatial patterns of tree regeneration, landscape-scale regeneration heterogeneity, and spatially explicit community composition may become increasingly important in a changing environment, but few studies have examined these phenomena in temperate forests. I examined diameter distributions for Pinus lambertiana and Abies concolor in the Yosemite Forest Dynamics Plot (YFDP). In the YFDP, currently 10.2 ha (300 x 340 m), all trees ≥1 cm dbh and all snags ≥10 cm dbh are identified, measured, and mapped. The YFDP is located in lower montane Pinus lambertiana-Abies concolor forests of the Sierra Nevada (elevation 1850 m). In addition to Pinus lambertiana and Abies concolor, common species include Calocedrus decurrens, Cornus nuttallii, and Quercus kelloggii. Fire suppression, grazing, climate change, introduced pathogens (Cronartium ribicola), and a shift in the behavior of many forest insects may have lead to landscape level changes in composition and structure, and the magnitude of these changes may be partially inferred through regeneration patterns. I examined the distribution and abundance of small diameter Pinus lambertiana and Abies concolor with respect to basal area, tree density, neighborhood species composition, stand index, and the presence of large snags or seed-producing trees. My objective is to illustrate the significance of scale in the interpretation of forest structure and composition, as well as provide meaningful information to Park management programs such as wildland fire use.

Plant pathogens in the genus Phytophthora (Oomycota: pythiaceae) cause diseases such as root or crown rot, canker, and foliar blight in over 3,000 ornamental, forest and agricultural plant species. These facultative necrotrophic parasites are aggressive and can remain dormant for long periods of time. Avoiding soil contamination and early detection of Phytophthora presence is essential to stave off wide spread infection and plant mortality throughout landscapes, nurseries and forest settings. There are two major goals of this project. First, to create a Phytophthora treatment priority map for the Washington Park Arboretum (WPA) based on pathogen soil assays from samples taken near susceptible hosts. Second, to determine if restoration activities in the Union Bay Natural Area (UBNA) are increasing pathogen populations based on matched soil sample assays of recent restoration plantings and nearby undisturbed areas. Soil samples were taken from the WPA based on host and priority areas identified by the Arboretum Grounds Supervisor. Sampling locations in the UBNA were selected through consultation with the head of restoration activities. Soil assays were conducted using Camellia japonica and Umbellularia californica leaf discs, which chemotactically attract Pythiaceous motile zoospores from flooded soils. After 48 hours, leaf baits were plated onto selective agar medium (V8- PAR). Colonies were examined microscopically and preliminary identifications were made based on spore and mycelia characteristics. A species list will be concluded from amplified restriction fragment length polymorph analysis. Preliminary screens have identified P. cinnamomi in the soil of an infected Quercus within the WPA. Further identification from the WPA survey will be used to create a chemical treatment priority map based on the presence of pathogens, susceptible hosts, and conducive disease conditions. Information from the UBNA survey will help determine if future restoration activities should include screening of plant materials for pathogens prior to outplanting.

Seagrasses provide critical ecosystem services in coastal zones, especially shoreline protection, carbon sequestration, and habitats for fished and protected species. Worldwide, seagrasses are in decline, but many populations of eelgrass (Zostera marina) in Washington appear to be robust and increasing. In my study, I sampled a Z. marina population at Brackett’s Landing, Edmonds, Washington for density, biomass, and growth. I compared this data from a fringing population to measurements from extensive meadows. Strong seasonal patterns emerged, with both biomass and leaf production lower in winter than in summer. The maximum leaf initiation rate was 0.169 leaves day^-1 in May, and the minimum was 0.0256 leaves day^-1 in December. Within a season, leaf initiation rate is invariant across plant size. So far, in November and December, the Brackett’s Landing population shows mean values of 1360 and 520 shoots m^-2, and 38 and 12 g m^-2, for density and aboveground biomass. The rate of leaf initiation in winter in this population is higher, at 0.0714 leaves day^-1, than that of extensive meadows. Should data from the fringing population continue to differ from that of the meadows, new considerations need to be taken in the future before grouping fringing and meadow populations in projections about Z. marina resilience.

Phytoremediation is the use of plants for the removal of contamination either indirectly by facilitating microbial activity or directly through uptake, sequestration, or metabolism of pollutants. This method is gaining significant attention due to its advantages as a “green” and benign approach over current engineering practices. Endophytic bacteria, microorganisms living within plant tissues, are capable of enhancing plant growth, resistance to pathogens, drought, and herbivores. Endophytes are only recently being considered in relation to their degradative capacity as part of the phytoremediation strategy. My research is currently following two directions both of which concern finding effective plant and endophyte partnerships for the uptake and degradation of the most commonly found contaminants: trichloroethylene (TCE) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). For the TCE studies, we will be screening several poplar and willow lines(some obtained from phytoremediation test sites) for TCE tolerance and identifying those with superior uptake and compare them with internally sterile plants (free of endophytes) to identify the role of endophytes in TCE removal and production of trichloroethanol(a TCE-metabolite). For the PAH phytoremediation studies, we will be testing a native willow inoculated with a PAH degrading endophyte isolated in our lab, and look for any enhanced removal of Phenanthrene (a two-ring PAH). These studies are a part of a larger project aimed to develop phytoremediation technologies for treatment of contaminated sites in a cost effective way.

Roads are one of the primary threats to wildlife within critical habitat as well as between them. Highways can limit landscape permeability for wildlife by acting as physical barriers and presenting dangerous obstacles, often resulting in death for animals and injury and economic damage to humans. Core habitat locations in Washington State are separated by roads which can be modified to allow for greater wildlife mobility. In order to utilize these wildlife connectivity structures such as fencing, underpasses, or wildlife bridges, wildlife behavior and habitat requirements must be understood to assist in determining where connectivity should be improved. This paper assesses where wildlife corridors should be prioritized based on the ecology of the landscape of potential corridors and their weighted distance from preferred habitat, as well as the challenges facing the success of connectivity implementation. Understanding which areas are most essential to wildlife mobility and landscape permeability will be useful in helping policymakers and conservationists determine where connectivity efforts should be focused.