If I understand correctly, 'witness' trees represent trees who were singled out for their significance on a plot of land As said, these are often obscure and scattered, but put in a larger database could contribute to broader studies. While the primary objective in this study was to find records by new landowners, the concept of witness trees also applies to those who stood durring significant events, not just ownership. Im captured by this concept: I find importance in all species, but 'witness' trees proposes that trees become significant when something significant happens around them. It also gives a sort of anthropomorphic personality as a being who 'sees' and event or situation but will live decades after its human witnessers have passed on. It's almost humbling in a way. In a smaller sense, every creature you interact with is witness to your life, and depending on the longevity of that organism that moment could be held onto for a long time.

Fun collaboration of relevant studies

Latitude has direct relationship with distance from ecotone

Neat figure showing preferences of tree distribution from the conifer ecotone. Does 0 represent the barrier/center of the ecotone and then everything -0 is far from it? In that case Oak would prefer to be as far away from the ecotone as it could or is is vise versa?

Insane!! They must have had help, students etc

I love that they included this, such an important and cool aspect of the study to add as well as a great resource for other studies!

How many different methods of vegetation analysis are there? Ive done veg before and it takes forever, though I imagine skilled botanists would have a much easier time completing large areas of veg. analysis.

In Maine most all of these "Old-Growth" forests are in the North, tucked away on little plots of land to be untouched like Big Reed and Bradbury. Does "old growth" have limitations? Trees in Big Reed are about 300 years is old, but the trees that settlers would have seen would have been much older, so what really constitutes old at this point?

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/diospyros/virginiana/

(Also I find it amusing that when you search D. virginiana, that the Virginia Opossum, Didelphis virginiana, also comes up)

Why did they pick one tree species? Based on the description I though this paper was going to be similar to the Maya study, encompassing many difference species.

Interesting that they tested for genetic variation within populations that had at some point been raised or breed specifically for human usage. I would have predicted so significant change, but it makes sense wild and managed populations would remain similar. Curious how this can or has been used to test other wild and managed species for differences. Breed animals would be most obvious, but things that are frequently managed by humans would also work. How much of a factor is time? Should this also exclude anything genetically modified?

Makes me wonder how we compare this selection of land for soil and our current western practice of selecting land. We have ways of testing the soil for beneficial compounds for what we need, but this is still so much different than how the Maya culture would have selected for soil, not only because of the difference of technology, but because of the underlying reason. They are selecting for primarily for longevity and health, while we select for utility.

They actually include pictures of the study sights as well as pictures of the plant itself, how cool! Its a little aspect that I appreciate and that we are always talking about in class. Never hurts to throw a couple pictures in.

Super fun diagram; I love the inlay of leaf shapes as shadows below the dataset

Strange way to orient figures, putting the description a page after the chart. It makes sense in a structural way, just had to search for it.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1558-5646.1951.tb02789.x

Absolutely love this way of modeling, its so much more interesting and engaging than comparing these time interval plots on a 2D plane. Would love to see this for population dynamics, using each level like a literal map to track how populations move.

Do morphospaces need to be 3D, and if not what defines a scatter plot from a morphospace? Number of variables?

I looked up some other diagrams of these morphospaces which were created for other studies, some are really incredible. There are studies on bird flight patterns that use these methods to sort their flight behaviors, fish morphology, exoskeleton dimensions of beetles, etc!

There are now just about 700. Over 60, 000 total!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome/browse#!/overview/

I love this diagram! It's not often we get to see actual pictures AND fun graphics describing the methods in such a comprehensive way. Even though the language is still a bit complex, I could see this figure being really engaging to may audiences.

This paper came out in 2016, id be curious to see how far this research has come and also what advanced programs have been developed to make this process go even faster.

Similar in relation to modeling divergence of angiosperms to predict pollination interaction in the future, especially with a rapid changing climate? Conducting research with the primary intent to help prepare for future occurrences seems like a critical step along with conducting similar research on those issues for the present.

This plays into conservation as it befits humans to maintain biodiversity of plants that may have consumptive value and provide a service to us.

As simplified as I can make this: PACo helps determine the significance of relationship between two codependent/coevolved species. Here is the report on its application. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23580325/

Separation in population by geographic isolation

So emphasis on making sure the data set shows the actual interactions rather than the generation of interaction?

Random assemblages of species as compared to coevolution

This would likely also include highly specialized pollination interaction as we discussed in the last paper, where a specific plant relies on one pollinator species

I wonder how this pollination interaction specifically influences the blueberry industry in Maine, especially since Maine was one of the target areas he served.

Does this ever run into issues with introducing a non native plant, or are they close enough to the region where it wouldn't necessarily be a problem.

First person article? Not recommended or just uncommon?

I would be curious to know if similar papers have been done for the other specialist pollinators including other insects, birds, and bats

So (if i'm understanding this correctly) this conservation would mean both Nuphar and Persea had significant reasoning to capitalize on their carpels and stamens, as compared to the other specimens who had more flow between their genetics?

What would cause a "fading gradient of influence"as compared to a stable one? My first thought would be to diversify, maybe to fill more niche opportunities durring a time when new areas are readily available. Maybe also environmental stress forcing change.

I didn't know anything about soil horizons so I had to look it up: O - Surface level, organic material A - Topsoil E - Euvated horizon B - Subsoil C - Parent material R - Bedrock

Answered previous question about mosses on the felsenmeer.

Does this include the krummholz since it was above timberline, and if so were these areas directly in the krummholz plotted off as well? Seems like that would be a difficult task since the low shrubs are so dense.

If felsenmeer often contains large plots of largely undisturbed mosses, are the mosses not included because of their abundance as compared to the less prominent alpine species?

Felsenmeer: Rock beds that are broken and moved by frost action and are generally fractured and covered by other sediment. Occurs in arctic or high alpine (as referenced here)

Interesting description of vegetation pattern coming from an art background. Could be a cool art piece as well as map or study to show the positioning of plants in a literal mosaic.

This is amazing to think about and something I have never considered. I take the seasonal cycle of leaves dropping for-granted. These trees had giant leaves that possibly lived and grew for several years, thats wild. It seems like such a rudimentary thing to say, that I haven't though about leaves existing for longer than an annual cycle, but this course is opening a lot of new perspectives for me

What is the species with the closest match to this level of CO2 sequestration? My first though would bamboo, but hardwood trees are still the most significant influence. Has anyone tried bringing Lycopsid back?

This is funny to me, it would be like looking for fossil evidence of an oak tree and seeing tiny saplings and giant trees with no intermediate. Even though they possible had an extremely rapid growth rate there had to have been remnants of some that were moderate hight? Or maybe durring this intermediate phase they were more prone to consumption/environmental impacts so there really are very few fossils

I love this image to compare Lycopsid Structure with Modern (deciduous and coniferous ) trees. Lycopsid don't grow in rings, like we picture most trees to, instead have a main cylinder for water and xzylem... like modern green-plant structures just chunky? I also looked up palm tree cross sections for comparison because I was curious and they also dont grow in rings but are rather a large cylinder for vascular bundles. Hmm

Polycarpic - Many fruit, multiple times Monocarpic - One (or many) fruit, one time

In reference to the Cambrian Explosion: lots of space and new niches which allows for species to adapt and inhabit these new areas relatively quickly, hence explosion.

My first thought was "early derived cone structures" because of their appearance but it must just be analogous.

Reproductive sporangia similar looking to that of red algea and their spermatangium (large bulbs at the meristem containing sperm cells)

Had to look up a picture of these guys to see fossil records and reconstruction and the way the stem structures are represented make them seem "soft" as compared to more modern stem structures. It looks like they are made out of jello.

Hence the parasitism? Like it found another way of maintaining energy within cells?

"Housekeeping" functions of plants? Housekeeping genes are genes expressed consistently throughout cells and tissues to maintain basic function and are generally not affected by outside stimuli or harmful conditions. So like, permanently solidified genes. Makes sense, Ive just never heard of them referred to as Housekeeping genes

I was curious what this was simply because of the complicated name: "Mild, non-ionic detergents such as Dodecylmaltoside are well suited for the solubilization, stabilization, and purification of membrane proteins."

https://cube-biotech.com/us/products/ultrapure-detergents/dodecylmaltoside-ddm/

I actually just wrote a small blog for another class on Brown-headed cowbirds which are "brood parasites". They lay eggs in the nests of other birds.

For studies that include a decent amount of terminology, can references be made to specific points within figures or at that point should a new figure me made?

Leaf expansion as in growth, reach, or shape?

Just a thought: Its so easy to take color for-granted. As humans we easily accept our ability of sight, to see colors vibrantly and clearly. As an artist, of course I know the color wheel and how to use it, but those colors are often given to us as a resource in paints and pencils. But the chemistry that goes into every pigment or carful refraction of light really is incredible, and something I don't consider enough. Then we have plants who's photoreceptors take in colored light! How amazing is that

850 MYA - I find it hard to believe it was "bare"? This would have been after the Mesoproterozoic Era, so mostly bare rock and ocean?

Ive never thought about this, but the first time I noticed open teaching was in 6th grade so It must have been 2013, and teachers began using collaborative sites for kids to learn. Pretty crazy to think that open teaching evolved fairly recently.

I agree with this, but I also think it only works when applied correctly. Im currently in a class where the teacher shares a lot, but she doesn't share in a cohesive, educational way and thus I feel like I never learn anything.

Even though work is "public", there is still an inherent wall between two parties viewing each other through a barrier.

The only situation Ive had to make my work public is an online portfolio/website for my art. Ive never had to share school work publicly as I see this work as a classroom environment sort of thing.