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Maintenance of Ecosystem Nitrogen Limitation by Ephemeral Forest Disturbance: An Assessment using MODIS, Hyperion, and Landsat ETM+Ephemeral disturbances, such as non-lethal insect defoliations and crown damage from meteorological events, can significantly affect the delivery of ecosystem services by helping maintain nitrogen (N) limitation in temperate forest ecosystems. However, the impacts of these disturbances are difficult to observe across the broad-scales at which they affect ecosystem function. Using remotely sensed measures and field data, we find support for the hypothesis that ephemeral disturbances help maintain landscape-wide ecosystem N limitation. Specifically, a phenology-based defoliation index derived from daily MODIS satellite imagery predicts three ecosystem responses from oak-dominated forested watersheds: elevated stream water N export (R(exp 2) = 0.48), decreased foliar N (R(exp 2) = 0.69, assessed with Hyperion imagery), and reduced vegetation growth vigor (R(exp 2) = 0.49, assessed with Landsat ETM+ imagery). The results indicate that ephemeral disturbances and other forest stressors may sustain N limitation by reducing the ability of trees to compete for--and retain--soil available N.
Document ID
20080041511
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
McNeil, Brenden E.
(Wisconsin Univ. Madison, WI, United States)
deBeurs, Kirsten M.
(Wisconsin Univ. Madison, WI, United States)
Eshleman, Keith N.
(Maryland Univ. Frostburg, MD, United States)
Foster, Jane R.
(Wisconsin Univ. Madison, WI, United States)
Townsend, Philip A.
(Wisconsin Univ. Madison, WI, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
October 13, 2007
Publication Information
Publication: Geophysical Research Letters
Publisher: American Geophysical Union
Volume: 34
ISSN: 0094-8276
Subject Category
Earth Resources And Remote Sensing
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: 05-CS-11231300-063
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX086AD45G
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNG04GL87G
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX07AG51G
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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