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Michael L Roderick

Publications and source records attributed to Michael L Roderick.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Application of an ecological framework linking scales based on self-thinning.

Barnes and Roderick developed a generic, theoretical framework for vegetation modeling across scales. Inclusion of a self-thinning mechanism connects the individual to the larger-scale population and, being based on the conservation of mass, all mass flux processes are integral to the formulation. Significantly, disturbance (both regular and stochastic) and its impact at larger scales are included in the formulation. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how this model can be used to predict patch and ecosystem dry mass, and consequently system carbon. Examples from pine plantations and mixed forests are considered, with these applications requiring estimates of system carrying capacity and the growth rates of individual plants. The results indicate that the model is relatively simple and straightforward to apply, and its predictions compare well with the data. A significant feature of this approach is that the impact of local scale data on the dynamics of larger patch and ecosystem scales can be determined explicitly, as we show by example. Further, the general formulation has an analytic solution based on characteristics of the individual, facilitating practical and predictive application.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2005

The ever-flickering light.

To date, ecologists involved in global change have focused on the consequences of changes in air temperature. Concurrently, the amount of sunlight reaching the surface of the Earth has been declining, resulting in so-called 'global dimming'. Now, Wild et al. and Pinker et al. have reported a reversal in this trend in some regions that has occurred over the past 15 years or so. These new findings, combined with earlier work, show that the transparency of the atmosphere can vary substantially over periods of at least 20-50 years. Thus, the ecological consequences of sustained trends in the occurrence of sunlight at the surface of the Earth need a more careful assessment than was previously thought.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2005

A mechanical interpretation of pressure chamber measurements--what does the strength of the squeeze tell us?

Argument still continues about what properties of a plant organ the pressure chamber measures. A mechanical (as opposed to a thermodynamic) analysis is made of the system squeezed by the pressurized gas, the non-gaseous part of the leaf. The boundary of the system is defined so that it remains at constant mass, and constant density is assumed, during the squeeze. This is equivalent to assuming constant volume. On those assumptions, it is shown that the liquid is brought to the cut surface by a change of shape of the system. Generic mechanical principles are then used to deduce a priori, a quantitative interpretation of the balance pressure. The formal mechanical interpretation involves two variables, the interfacial tension and the change in surface area, which cannot currently be measured. Instead of these, we used two related variables which can be measured, the mass fraction of water in the leaf (Q) and the maximum mass fraction of water at full saturation (Qx) to deduce an approximate mechanical interpretation. When Q is close to Qx, we deduced that the balance pressure (Pb) required for the shape change should be approximately proportional to the reduction in mass in changing from Qx to Q, a variable called the relative water loss (RWL). The constant of proportionality (kappa) is a basic characteristic of the type of leaf used, and the final relation, Pb=kappa (RWL) is called Relation A. We then deduce that the constant kappa should be an approximately linear function of Qx. The linear function is defined by limiting values, so that when Qx is 1, kappa is predicted to be 0 bar, and at the other extreme, when Qx is 0, kappa is predicted to be in the range 500-1000 bar. This is called Relation B. Experiments with 32 leaves from 10 species are used to test the mechanical interpretation. The results showed that Relation A was a reasonable approximation for most of the tested leaves. The data for 10 species, were used to estimate Relation B, confirming that as Qx approached 1, kappa did approach 0 bar as predicted, and that as Qx approached 0, kappa approached approximately 750 bar, consistent with the a priori prediction of 500-1000 bar. The relations were also successfully tested using independent published data. An estimate of Qx is shown to be of considerable practical value in (a) converting Pb to water status and vice versa; (b) characterizing leaf morphology and composition; and (c) rationalizing quantitatively the functional classes of xerophytes, mesophytes and hygrophytes. The assumption of constant density inside the outer boundary of the non-gaseous material cannot be guaranteed, and when this is violated, our (or any other) interpretation of Pb is unreliable. Investigation of the conditions under which this assumption is invalid should be a high priority.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed2005

A second pathway for gas out of the pressure chamber--what is being squeezed?

We report a qualitative description of the flows of gas that occur through a leaf when its balance pressure is measured in the pressure chamber. There are two distinct pathways: (a) a bulk flow of gas through the intercellular air spaces, and (b) a diffusion-driven pathway where gas is dissolved into solution under high pressure and comes out of solution at the liquid/atmosphere surface of the cut end where the pressure is atmospheric. The intercellular space flow is well known. It is argued that this flow shows to a reasonable approximation, that the externally supplied gas is squeezing the non-gaseous part of the leaf, and the outer boundary of the non-gaseous material is the boundary of the system that is being manipulated. The second pathway, the diffusion-driven flow, has not (we believe) been described before, and is analogous to a diver getting the bends. The diffusion-based flow demonstrates that gas spaces can and do form inside the outer boundary of the non-gaseous part of the leaf when a balance pressure is measured. These interior gas spaces alter the value recorded for the balance pressure, and complicate any interpretation of what this measurement tells us about the water status of the plant. A hypothesis is proposed that the diffusion-based flow from the xylem comes from vessels that are embolized, and that percentage embolisms might be measured by the proportion of vessels showing the diffusion-driven flow.

Acacia↗
PubMed2005

Plant-water relations and the fibre saturation point.

This review is about the behaviour of water in cell walls. The aim is to introduce to biologists the concept of the fibre saturation point (FSP), and the related research of material scientists and engineers on the thermodynamics and chemistry of water in timber and wood. In the review, we first summarise what the FSP is, why it is important and how the FSP is routinely used by engineers and material scientists to estimate the volume fractions of solid, liquid and gas phases in bulk timber. We then show that the FSP can be intuitively understood using equilibrium thermodynamics. That analysis shows that the FSP is based on the concept that a certain (and repeatable) amount of water is chemically bound to cellulose and other substances in wood. That water, sometimes called bound water, exists in a water-cell wall mixture. The noted physical chemist and wood scientist, A. J. Stamm, called this mixture a 'solid solution'. In timber, the 'solid solution' is considered a separate phase from adjacent water in either a pure liquid phase or a vapour phase. Following that, we examine the FSP and wood-water dynamics at the molecular and cellular level. Despite differences between timber and living trees, we conclude that the FSP-based framework long used by material scientists and engineers is likely to be useful to biologists.

Cell Wall↗
PubMed2004

An ecological framework linking scales across space and time based on self-thinning.

Scaling up from measurements made at small spatial and short temporal scales is a central challenge in the ecological and related sciences, where predictions at larger scales and over long time periods are required. It involves two quite distinct aspects: a formulation of a theoretical framework for calculating space-time averages, and an acquisition of data to support that framework. In this paper, we address the theoretical part of the question, and although our primary motivation was an understanding of carbon accounting our formulation is more general. To that end, we adopt a dynamical systems approach, and incorporate a new dynamical formulation of self-thinning. We show how to calculate rates of change for total (and average) plant dry mass, volume, and carbon, in terms of the properties of the individual plants. The results emphasize how local scale statistics (such as, variation in the size of individuals) lead to nonlinear variation at larger scales. Further, we describe how regular and stochastic disturbance can be readily incorporated into this framework. It is shown that stochastic disturbance at patch-scales, results in (to first approximation) regular disturbance at ecosystem scales, and hence can be formulated as such. We conclude that a dynamical formulation of self-thinning can be used as a generic framework for scaling ecological processes in space and time.

Ecosystem↗
PubMed2002

Simulation of subduction zone seismicity by dehydration of serpentine.

We measured acoustic emission energy during antigorite dehydration in a multianvil press from 1.5 to 8.5 gigapascals and 300 degrees to 900 degrees C. There was a strong acoustic emission signal on dehydration, and analysis of recovered samples revealed brittle deformation features associated with high pore-fluid pressures. These results demonstrate that intermediate depth (50 to 200 kilometers) seismicity can be generated by dehydration reactions in the subducting slab.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

On the conservative nature of the leaf mass-area relationship.

In a previous empirical study, Hughes and colleagues showed that for several herbaceous species there is apparently a unique species-specific relationship between the area and mass of leaves. We tested this proposition using measurements from 15 broad-leaved species. We found that to a reasonable approximation, leaf area was proportional to leaf mass within a given species despite relatively large variations in both leaf thickness and the mass fraction of liquid matter. These observations show that the inverse density-thickness of leaves from a given species, which we call the Hughes constant, is approximately conserved. We conclude that the Hughes constant is likely to be more conservative than other traits traditionally used to describe leaves.

Algorithms↗