The
Lab of John S. King
Forest Physiological Ecology
Contact
Info:
1019 Biltmore Hall
919-513-7855 (ph)
Department of Forestry and Environmental
Resources
919-515-3169
(fx)
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695
john_king@ncsu.edu
Updated 9 August, 2006
Research
| Home
My research focuses on the ecophysiological
drivers of
forest productivity and how they respond to global
environmental
change, management, and their interaction. I have
worked in
the tropical moist forests of Africa (Gabon) and central America
(Nicaragua), the "wood basket" pine forests of the U.S. Southeast, and
the north-temperate and boreal forests of the Upper Great Lakes region.
The scale of study ranges from gas exchange
and biochemsitry of leaves and fine roots, to biomass
production and partitioning within plants, to stand level dynamics.
I am particularlty interested in how the rising
concentrations of
carbon dioxide and tropospheric ozone affect the physiology, growth and
environmental carbon relationships of forested ecosystems.
How net primary production and litter biochemistry are
affected
by the changing atmospheric chemistry, and in turn, the processes of
decomposition and nutrient cycling is currently an active area
of
research. The balance between NPP and decomposer communities
in
soil largely determines the capacity of terrestrial ecosystems to
sequester (fossil) atmospheric CO2. We
are also interested in how stomatal physiological
reponses to elevated CO2/O3 scale
up to the canopy to
affect stand-level water use and regional water balance that could
influence the availability of water for human consumption.
Recently, we completed a chronosequence study in
red pine
quantifying the partitioning of carbon above- and belowground as a
function of stand development. This work promises to have
large
impacts on how we inventory and model carbon sequestration in this
important northern forest type. The amount of carbon contained
belowground in most terrestrial ecosystems is poorly
characterized, and more work like this in a variety
of ecosystems around the world would improve our ability to
"manage" the global carbon cycle. Other work in my
lab explores
how inter- and intra-specific genetic variation contributes to
forest ecosystem productivity and responses to global
environmental
change.
Links | Home
NCSU
Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, NCSU
2004
North American Forest Biology Workshop
2007 North
American Forest Biology Workshop
School of Forest Resources
and Environmental Science, Michigan Tech University
RWU 4159 Northern
Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Houghton, MI
RWU 4152
Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Rhinelander, WI
The Aspen FACE Project
Physiologial
Ecology Section, Ecological Society of America
Durham-San Ramon
(Nicaragua) Organic Shade-Grown Coffee Project
USDA
Plant Sciences Research Unit
CV and Publication Download | Home
JOHN STEPHEN
KING
Born, 9 January 1962,
Millville, New Jersey, USA
Current address
Campus Box 8002
Department
of Forestry and Environmental Resources
North Carolina State University
Raleigh,
NC 27695
john_king@ncsu.edu
Education
Ph.D.
Forest
Ecophysiology, Department of Botany, Duke University, Durham NC,
May 1997
M.S. Forest
Ecology, School of the Environment, Duke University,
Durham,
NC,
December 1991
B.S.
Environmental Studies-Wildlife Biology, Stockton
State
College, Pomona,
NJ,
December 1985
A.A. Liberal Arts,
Cumberland County
College, Vineland,
NJ,
May 1983
Professional Experience
2005-present Assistant
Professor of Tree Physiology,
Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North
Carolina State
University
2005-present Adjunct
Professor, School
of Forest Resources
and Environmental
Science, Michigan
Technological
University
2002-2005
Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Science,
School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan
Technological University
2000-2002
Research Scientist, School
of Forest
Resources and Environmental
Science, Michigan
Technological University
1997-2000
Post-doctoral
Research Fellow, School
of Forestry
and Wood Products, Michigan
Technological University
1996
Teaching
Assistant, Department of Botany, Duke University
1993-1996
Research
Assistant, Department of Botany, Duke University
1992
Research Assistant, Department of Botany, Duke University
1990-1991
Research
Assistant, The Nature Conservancy, Chapel Hill, NC
1990
Teaching
Assistant, School of the Environment, Duke University
1986-1988
Peace
Corps Volunteer, Gabon,
Central Africa
Scientific Societies
American Institute of Biological Sciences
International Society of Tropical
Foresters
Ecological Society of America
Sigma Xi
Society of American
Foresters
Service
Ongoing
Reviewer
for scientific journals,
including: Ecology, Global Change Biology, New Phytologist, Tree
Physiology,
Plant and Soil, Forest Ecology and Management, Canadian Journal
of Forest
Research, Trees, Soil Science Society of America Journal
Ongoing Editorial
Review Board, Tree Physiology
2006 Panelist, U.S.
Department of Energy, National
Institute for Climate Change Research (formerly NIGEC)
2005 NC State Rooted Cutting Program Tour, NC BioAg Center, Robeson
Community College Continuing Education Field Trip
2005-2006 Search Committee, Assistant Professor of
Forest and Watershed Hydrology, Department of Forestry and
Environmental
Resources, North Carolina State University
2005 Laboratory Space Committee,
Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North
Carolina State
University
2005 Search Committee, Visiting
Assistant Professor of Wetlands, School of Forest Resources and
Environmental
Science, Michigan Technological University
2003-2005 Chair,
Graduate Studies Committee, School
of Forest
Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan
Technological University
2003-2004 Organizing
Committee Chair, 18th North American Forest
Biology Workshop,
Tree Physiology and Genetics Working Groups, Society of American
Foresters
2002-2003 University
Committee on Diversity, Michigan
Technological University
Grants
and Awards
King, J.S., G. Sun, and S. McNulty. 9/06 to 8/07. Eddy flux and
ecosystem modeling studies in managed forests of North
Carolina, Ohio and the US-China Consortium flux sites. USDA Forest
Service Southern Global Change Program, $70,000
King, J.S., G.
Sun, and S. McNulty. 10/05 to 9/07. Regional scaling of field-based
measurements of forest hydrologic parameters using compute hydrologic
models, and
evaluation of Best Management Practices to protect water
quality in
North
Carolina. USDA Forest
Service Southern Global Change Program, $128,138
King, J.S. 2/05
to 2/07. Carbon cycling in north temperate forest ecosystems,
Unrestricted
research donation, MeadWestVaco Corporation, $10,000
King, J.S. and
M.E. Kubiske. 7/04 to 7/07. Forestecophysiological
responses will influence regional water supplies due to
altered atmospheric conditions in the near future, USDA NRICGP Water
Resources
and Watershed Processes Program, $450,000
King, J.S. 2/03
to 2/04. Ecotourism and shade-grown coffee in San Ramon, Nicaragua,
MTU Faculty Scholarship Grant, $1,600
King, J.S. 7/03
to 7/06. Fluxes and decay rates of carbon and nutrients in leaf litter
under
elevated carbon dioxide and tropospheric ozone. Joint Venture
Agreement, USDA Forest
Service, North Central Research Station, $15,200
Giardina, C.,
K.S. Pregitzer, J.S. King, A.L. Friend and E. Lilleskov. 5/02 to 5/05.
Above
and belowground carbon storage in trembling aspen and red pine forests.
American
Forest
and Paper Association, Agenda
2020 Program, $150,000
King, J.S., K.S.
Pregitzer, and D.R.
Zak. 9/01 to 9/04.
Response of fine root chemistry to elevated CO2
and O3:
Implications for soil carbon cycling and storage, USDA NRICGP Soils and
Soil Biology Program, $265,000
Pregitzer K.S.
and J.S. King. 1/02 to 1/04. Decomposition of coarse woody roots in red
pine,
National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, $60,000
Pregitzer, K.S.
and J.S. King. 1/02
to 1/04. Carbon allocation
to coarse woody roots in red pine, USDA Forest Service Northern Global
Change
Program, $132,000
Pregitzer, K.S.
and J.S. King. 7/01 to 7/03. Carbon and nitrogen cycling in aspen
forests, USDA
Forest Service Northern Global Change Program, $117,000
King, J.S. 1/90
to 1/92. Fire exclusion in anthropogenic savanna in central Africa,
US AID $3,000
Publications
Giardina, C.P., J.S.
King, W.F.J. Parsons, W.M. Loya, K.S. Pregitzer, R.L. Lindroth, L. Liu, E.P.
McDonald, M.E. Kubiske, A.L. Friend, and D.F. Karnosky. Aboveground litter production
in pure aspen and mixed birch-aspen communities growing under elevated CO2
and O3. New Phytologist, in review.
Holmes,
W.E., D.R. Zak, K.S.Pregitzer, J.S. King, D.S. Ellsworth, and M.E.
Kubiske. 200X. Elevated CO2 and O3 alter competition for nitrogen among
temperate forest trees. New Phytologist, in review.
Holmes, W.E., D.R. Zak, K.S.Pregitzer, and J.S. King. 200X. Elevated
CO2 and O3 alter soil nitrogen transformations beneath trembling aspen,
paper birch, and sugar maple. Ecosystems, in press.
Pregitzer, K.S.,
D.R. Zak, W.M. Loya, J.S. King, and A.J. Burton. 200X. The contribution
of root
systems to biogeochemical cycles in a changing world.
Chapter X in Z. Cardon and J. Whitbeck (eds)
The rhizosphere-an ecological perspective. Elsevier, in press.
King, J.S., C. P.
Giardina, K.S. Pregtizer, and A.L. Friend. 200X. Biomass partitioning
in red
pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) along a chronosequence
in the Upper Peninsula
of Michigan. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, in press.
King, J.S., K.S.
Pregitzer, M.E. Kubiske, G.R. Hendrey, C.P. Giardina, E.P. McDonald,
and D.F.
Karnosky. 2005. Tropospheric O3 compromises net
primary production
in young stands of trembling aspen, paper birch, and sugar
maple in response to
elevated atmospheric CO2. New
Phytologist 168:623-636.
King, J.S., K.S.
Pregitzer, D.R. Zak, W.E. Holmes, and K. Schmidt. 2005. Fine root
chemistry and
decomposition in model communities of north-temperate tree species show
little
response to elevated CO2 and varying soil
resource availability.
Oecologia
146:318-328.
Norby, R.J., E.H.
DeLucia, B. Gelen, C. Calfapietra, C.P. Giardina, J.S. King, J.
Ledford, H.R.
McCarthy, D.J.P. Moore, R. Ceulemans, P. DeAngelis, A.C. Finzi, D.F.
Karnosky,
M.E. Kubiske, M. Lukac, K.S. Pregitzer, G.E.
Scarascia-Mugnozza, W.H.
Schlesinger, and R. Oren. 2005. Forest
response to
elevated CO2 is conserved across a broad range
of productivity.
Proceedings of
the National
Academy
of Sciences
102:18052-18056.
Liu, L., J.S.
King, and C.P. Giardina. 2005. Effects of elevated atmospheric CO2
and tropospheric O3 on leaf litter production
and chemistry in
trembling aspen and paper birch communities. Tree Physiology 25:1511-1522.
Pregitzer, K.S.,
and J.S. King. 2005. Effects of soil temperature on nutrient uptake. In
Bassirirad, H. (ed.) Nutrient acquisition by plants: An ecological
perspective.
Ecological Studies Series, Vol. 181, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg,
pp. 277-310.
Chapman, J.A.,
J.S. King, K.S. Pregitzer, and D.R. Zak. 2005. Effects of elevated
concentrations
of atmospheric CO2 and tropospheric O3
on decomposition
of tree fine roots. Tree
Physiology 25:1501-1510.
Giardina, C., M.
Coleman, D. Binkley, J. Hancock, J. King, E. Lilleskov, W. Loya, K.
Pregitzer,
M. Ryan, and C. Trettin. 2005. The effects of
global change on belowground
carbon allocation in forests. In D.
Binkley and O. Menyailo (eds) The
impacts of global climate change on plant-soil interactions. NATO
Science
Series, Kluwer Academic Press, Dordrecht, Netherlands,
pp. 119-154.
Karberg,
N.J.,
K.S. Pregitzer, J.S. King, A.L. Friend, and J.R. Wood. 2005. Soil
carbon
dioxide partial pressure and dissolved organic carbonate chemistry
under
elevated carbon dioxide and ozone. Oecologia
142:296-306.
King, J.S., P.J.
Hanson, E. Bernhardt, P. DeAngelis, R.J. Norby, and K.S. Pregitzer.
2004. A
multi-year synthesis of soil respiration responses to elevated
atmospheric CO2
from four forest FACE experiments. Global Change Biology
10:1027-1042.
Loranger, G.I.,
K.S. Pregitzer, and J.S. King. 2004. Elevated CO2
and O3t
concentrations differentially affect selected groups of the fauna in
temperate
forest soils. Soil
Biology and Biochemistry
36:1521-1524.
Karnosky, D.F.,
P. Sharma, R.C. Thakur, M. Kinouchi, J. King, M.E. Kubiske, and R.A.
Birdsey.
2003. Changing atmospheric carbon dioxide: A threat or benefit? In
D.F.
Karnosky, K.E. Percy, A.H. Chappelka, C. Simpson, and J.
Pikkarainen (eds) Air
pollution, global change and forests in the new millennium. Elsevier, Amsterdam,
pp. 57-84.
Karnosky, D.F.,
D.R. Zak, K.S. Pregitzer, C.S. Awmack, J.G. Bockheim, R.E. Dickson,
G.R.
Hendrey, G.E. Host, J.S. King, B.J. Kopper, E.L. Kruger, M.E. Kubiske,
R.L.
Lindroth, W.J. Mattson, E.P. McDonald, A. Noormets, E.
Oksanen, W.F.J. Parsons,
K.E. Percy, G.K. Podila, D.E. Riemenschneider, P. Sharma, R. Thakur, A.
Sôber,
J. Sôber, W.S. Jones, S. Anttonen, E. Vapaavuori, B. Mankovska, W. Heilman, and
J.G. Isebrands. 2003. Tropospheric O3 moderates
responses of
temperate hardwood forests to elevated CO2: a
synthesis of molecular
to ecosystem results from the Aspen FACE project. Functional Ecology
17:289-304.
Pataki, D.E.,
D.S. Ellsworth, R.D. Evans, M. Gonzalez-Meler, J. King, S.W. Leavitt,
G. Lin,
R. Matamala, E. Pendall, R. Siegolf, C. Van Kessel, J.R. Ehleringer.
2003.
Tracing changes in ecosystem function under elevated carbon dioxide
conditions.
BioScience 53:805-817.
Loya, W.M., K.S. Pregitzer, N.J.
Karberg, J.S. King, and C.P.Giardina. 2003.
Reduction of soil carbon formation by tropospheric ozone
under increased
carbon dioxide levels. Nature
425:705-707.
Holmes, W.E.,
D.R. Zak, K.S. Pregitzer, and J.S. King. 2003. Soil nitrogen
transformations
under Populus tremuloides, Betula
papyrifera, and Acer
saccharum2
and O3.
Global Change
Biology 9:1743-1750.
King, J.S., T.J.
Albaugh, H.L. Allen, M. Buford, B.R. Strain, and P.M. Dougherty. 2002.
Below-ground carbon input to soil is controlled by nutrient
availability and
fine root dynamics in loblolly pine. New Phytologist,
154:389-398.
King, J.S., K.S.
Pregitzer, D.R. Zak, J. Ashby and W. Holmes. 2001. Chemistry and
decomposition
of litter from Populus tremuloides
Michaux grown at elevated atmospheric CO2 and
varying N availability. Global Change Biology 7: 65-74.
King, J.S., K.S.
Pregitzer, D.R. Zak, J. Sober, J.G. Isebrands, R.E. Dickson, G.R.
Hendrey, and
D.F. Karnosky. 2001. Fine root biomass and fluxes of soil carbon in
young
stands of paper birch and trembling aspen as affected by elevated
atmospheric
CO2 and tropospheric O3.
Oecologia 128: 237-250.
King, J.S., K.S.
Pregitzer, D.R. Zak, M.E.
Kubiske, and W.E. Holmes. 2001.
Correlation of foliage and litter chemistry of sugar maple, Acer saccharum, as affected by elevated
CO2and
N availability, and effects on decomposition.
Oikos 94:
403-416.
Pregitzer, K.S.,
J.S. King, A.J. Burton, and S.S. Brown. 2000. Responses of tree fine
roots to
temperature. The New Phytologist 147:105-115.
Zak D.R., K.S.
Pregitzer, J.S. King, and W.E. Holmes. 2000. Elevated atmospheric CO2,
fine roots, and the response of soil microorganisms: A review and
hypothesis.
The New Phytologist 147:201-222.
King, J.S., T.J.
Albaugh, H.L. Allen and L.W. Kress. 1999. Stand-level allometry in Pinus taeda as affected by irrigation
and fertilization. Tree Physiology 19: 769-778.
King, J.S., K.S. Pregitzer and D.R. Zak. 1999. Clonal
variation in above- and belowground
growth responses of Populus tremuloides
Michaux: Influence of soil warming
and
nutrient availability. Plant and Soil 217: 119-130.
Albaugh, T.J., H.L. Allen, P.M. Dougherty, L.W. Kress and
J.S. King. 1998. Leaf area and
above- and belowground growth responses of loblolly pine to nutrient
and water
additions. Forest Science 44: 317-328.
King, J.S., J-B. Moutsinga and G. Doufoulon. 1997.
Conversion of anthropogenic savanna
to production forest through fire protection of the forest-savanna edge
in Gabon,
Central Africa.Forest
Ecology and Management 94: 233-247.
King, J.S., H.L. Allen, P. Dougherty and B.R. Strain. 1997.
Decomposition of roots in loblolly
pine:
Effects of nutrient and water availability and root size class on
mass loss and
nutrient dynamics. Plant and Soil
195: 171-184.
King, J.S., R.B. Thomas and B.R. Strain. 1997. Morphology
and tissue quality of seedling
root systems of Pinus taeda and Pinus ponderosa as affected by
varying CO2,
temperature, and nitrogen. Plant and Soil 195: 107-119.
King, J.S., R.B. Thomas and B.R. Strain. 1996. Growth and
carbon accumulation in root systems
of Pinus taeda and Pinus
ponderosa seedlings as affected by
varying CO2,
temperature and nitrogen. Tree Physiology 16: 635-642.
Presentations
King, J.S. Net primary production at AspenFACE: 1997-2003.
38th Air Pollution Workshop and International Symposium, Charlottesville, VA,
USA, April
11-13, 2006. Invited.
King, J.S.
Forest physiology and
growth modulate the biosphere response to human-caused environmental change.
Department of Horticulture Seminar Series, North
Carolina State University, Raleigh,
NC, April 10, 2006. Invited.
King, J.S., K.S.
Pregitzer, and D.R. Zak. Responses
of fine root biomass and biochemistry to elevated atmospheric CO2
and tropospheric O3: Implications for soil
carbon cycling and
storage. National Science Foundation Critical Zone Workshop, University
of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, October 24-26, 2005.
King, J.S., K.S.
Pregitzer, and D.R. Zak.
Responses
of fine root biomass and biochemistry to elevated atmospheric CO2
and tropospheric O3: Implications for soil
carbon cycling and
storage. USDA NRICGP Soils Program Annual Investigators Meeting, University of Delaware,
Newark,
Delaware,
October
27-28, 2005.
King, J.S. The
effects of elevated CO2 and O3
on root production, soil
respiration, and litter decomposition. 37th Air
Pollution Workshop
and International Symposium, Banff, Alberta,
Canada,
April 25-28, 2005.
Invited.
Liu, L., J.S.
King, and C. Giardina. Effects of elevated CO2
and tropospheric O3
on litter production and chemistry in trembling aspen and paper birch
ecosystems. 37th Air Pollution Workshop and
International Symposium,
Banff,
Alberta, Canada,
April 25-28, 2005.
King, J.S., P.J.
Hanson, E. Bernhardt, P. DeAngelis, R.J. Norby, and K.S. Pregitzer. A
multi-year synthesis of soil respiration responses to elevated
atmospheric CO2
from four forest FACE experiments. 18th North
American Forest
Biology Workshop, Houghton, MI,
July 12-15, 2004.
Chapman, J.A.,
J.S. King, K.S. Pregitzer, and D.R. Zak. Decomposition of fine roots
grown in
an enriched CO2 and O3 environment: Relationships of soil microbial
respiration
and fine root biochemistry. 18th North
American Forest
Biology Workshop, Houghton, MI,
July 12-15, 2004.
Liu, L., J.S.
King, and C. Giardina. Fluxes, decay rates, and mean residence times of
carbon
and nutrients in leaf litter of northern forests under elevated
atmospheric CO2
ad tropospheric O3. 18th North
American Forest
Biology Workshop, Houghton, MI,
July 12-15, 2004.
King, J.S.
Ecosystem science in the management of forest resources. Research
Seminar, School
of Forest
Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI,
May 13, 2002.
King, J.S.
Effects of elevated CO2 on root biomass and
contemporaneous
responses of soil pCO2 and soil respiration.
Tracing Carbon in
Elevated CO2, Experiments, GCTE-Focus I Isotope
Tracer Workshop, Duke
University,
Durham,
NC,
October 18-21, 2001.
Invited.
King, J.S., K.S.
Pregitzer, D.R. Zak, J. Sober, J.G. Isebrands, R.E. Dickson, G.R.
Hendrey, and
D.F. Karnosky. Root biomass and fluxes of soil carbon in young stands
of paper
birch and trembling aspen as affected by elevated atmospheric CO2
and tropospheric O3. 86th
Annual Meeting of the
Ecological Society of America,
Madison,
WI,
August 5-10, 2001.
King, J.S., K.S.
Pregitzer, D.R. Zak, M.E.
Kubiske, and W.E. Holmes. Correlation
between foliage and litter chemistry in sugar maple (Acer
saccharum Marsh.) as affected by elevated CO2
and varying N
availability, and effects on decomposition. Advances in Terrestrial
Ecosystem Carbon Inventory, Measurements, and Monitoring, Raleigh,
NC,
October 3-5, 2000.
King, J.S., K.S.
Pregitzer, and D.R. Zak. Effects
of elevated atmospheric CO2 and tropospheric O3
on the
chemistry of fine roots of young field-grown trembling aspen and paper
birch.
The 19th International Meeting for Specialists
in Air Pollution
Effects on Forest Ecosystems, Houghton, MI,
May 28-31, 2000.
King, J.S. The FACTS 2 FACE project as a platform
for studying changes in the belowground carbon cycle in aggrading
stands of
trembling aspen and paper birch. USDA ARS Air Quality-Plant Growth and
Development Research Unit, Raleigh, NC,
May 2, 2000. Invited.
King, J.S., K.S.
Pregitzer, D.R. Zak, J. Ashby and W. Holmes. Tissue quality and
decomposition
of foliage from Populus tremuloides
Michaux grown under elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide and varying
nutrient
availability. 84th Annual Meeting of the
Ecological Society of America. Spokane, Washington,
August 8-12, 1999.
King, J.S.
Belowground responses of temperate forests to a changing environment.
Research
Seminar. Michigan
Technological University, Houghton, MI,
May 13, 1999.
King, J.S., K.S. Pregitzer and D.R. Zak. Clonal variation in
above- and belowground
growth responses
of Populus tremuloides Michaux:
Influence of soil warming and nutrient
availability. International Conference, “The Supporting
Roots: Structure and
Function”. Bordeaux, France,
July 20-24, 1998.
King, J.S. Carbon
and nutrient cycling in loblolly pine as affected by the belowground
response
to altered environmental conditions. Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant
Research. Ithaca,
New York,
November 24, 1997. Invited.
King, J.S. Carbon and nutrient cycling in loblolly pine as
affected by the belowground response
to
altered environmental conditions. Final Student Seminar, Department of Botany, Duke University,
February 7, 1997.
King, J.S., R.B.
Thomas and B.R. Strain. Morphology and tissue quality of seedling root
systems
of Pinus taeda and Pinus
ponderosa as affected by varying
CO2, temperature, and nitrogen. 82nd
Annual Meeting of
the Ecological Society of America.
Albuquerque,
New Mexico,
August 10-14, 1997.
King, J.S., P. M.
Dougherty, H.L. Allen and B.R. Strain. Effects of irrigation and
fertilization
on the decomposition of different size classes of roots in loblolly
pine (Pinus taeda L.). 81st
Annual
Meeting of the Ecological Society of America.
Providence,
Rhode Island,
August 10-14, 1996.
King, J.S. and K.H. Ludovici. Two-years of monitoring an
ectomycorrhizal symbiosis on loblolly
pine (Pinus taeda L.) in the field:
A
case study. Fifth Symposium, International
Society of Root Research. Clemson, South
Carolina, July 14-18,1996.
King, J.S., R.B.
Thomas and B.R. Strain. Belowground carbon allocation in two species of
the
genus Pinus under varying
atmospheric
CO2, temperature, and soil nitrogen. 80th
Annual Meeting
of the Ecological Society of America.
Snowbird, Utah,
July 30-August 3, 1995.
King, J.S., R.B. Thomas and B.R. Strain. Belowground carbon
allocation in two species of
the genus Pinus under varying
atmospheric CO2, temperature, and soil nitrogen. International Symposium,
“Dynamics of
Physiological Processes in
Woody
Roots”. Ithaca, New
York, October 8-11,
1995.
King, J.S. Measurement of fine root phenology and demography
in a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantation under
irrigation
and fertilization treatments using minirhizotrons.
North
American Forest
Biology Workshop. Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
June 14-16, 1994.
King, J.S. Tree regeneration
and herbaceous community response to fire exclusion in a forest-savanna
mosaic
in Gabon,
central Africa. 45th
Annual Meeting of the American Institute of Biological
Sciences. Knoxville,
Tennessee,
August 7-11, 1994.
Proceedings
King, J.S., C.P.
Giardina, C. Richards, A.J. Storer, C-J. Tsai, and C.R. Webster.
Managing
Forest Resources in the 21st Century: An
Intergrated Approach, 18thNorth American
Forest
Biology Workshop, Michigan
Technological University, Houghton, MI,
July 12-15, 2004
.
Academic Advisors
MS
Dr. Daniel D. Richter, Duke University
PhD
Dr. Boyd R. Strain, Duke University
Postdoctoral
Dr. Kurt S. Pregitzer, Michigan
Technological University
References
Dr. Kurt S. Pregitzer
Dr.
Richard J. Norby
School
of Forest
Resources and Environmental Sciences
Division
Environmental Science
Oak Ridge
National
Laboratory
Michigan
Technological University One Bethel Valley Road,
Bldg. 1062
Houghton, MI
49931 Oak
Ridge, TN
37831-6422
906-487-2396
865-576-5261
kspregit@mtu.edu
norbyrj@ornl.gov
Dr. Boyd R. Strain Dr.
David F. Karnosky
Department of
Botany School
of Forest
Resources and
Duke
University
Environmental
Science
Durham, NC 27708
Michigan
Technological
University
Houghton,
MI 49931
karnosky@mtu.edu
Dr. Donald R. Zak Dr.
Daniel R. Richter
School of Natural Resources Nicholas
School
of the Environment
and Environment
Duke University
The University
of Michigan
Durham,
NC 27708
Ann
Arbor, MI
919-613-8031
734-763-4991
drichter@duke.edu
drzak@umich.edu
Teaching | Home
FOR 303 Silvics and Forest Tree Physiology
Credits: 3, Taught: Every Fall Semester, Time: MWF 12:25-1:15PM, Room:
3018 Biltmore Hall
Ecological and physiological processes influencing
establishment, growth, and development of forest stands with particular
emphasis on forest types of Southeastern United States; influence of
resource availability on forest stand productivity; physical and
biochemical processes associated with tree function, including water
relations, mineral nutrition, transport and translocation,
photosynthesis, respiration; internal and environmental factors
regulating tree growth and development.
FOR 503 Tree Physiology
Credits: 1, Taught: Every Fall Semester, Time: MWF 3:00-3:50 PM, Room:
2006 Biltmore Hall
One-third semester mini-course. Fundamental principles of
physiological processes in forest trees affecting tree and stand growth
and development in natural forests and managed plantations. Concepts of
whole plant physiological processes including photosynthesis,
respiration, water relations, nutrition, periodic growth, sexual and
vegetative reproduction, and seedling quality with forestry examples of
each process.
FOR 773 Ecophysiology of Forest Production
Credits: 3, Taught: Spring Semester-Odd Years, Time: T 6:00-8:30 PM,
Room: TBA
Advanced ecophysiological consideration of forest stand
productivity and how influenced by resource availability, genetics and
their interactions. This knowledge used as a foundation to discuss the
influence of natural stresses, silvicultural treatments, and other
anthropogenic disturbances on forest productivity.
Folks
in the Lab | Home
Current
John S. King
Assistant Professor
Lingli Liu (2002- )
PhD Candidate
Josh Reed (2003-2006)
MS Candidate (Co-advised with Marty Jurgensen, Michigan
Tech)
Mike Aspinwall (2006 - )
PhD Candidate
Lee Rhea (2006- )
PhD Candidate
Jill Zalesny (2006- )
Research Assistant
Jason Roberts (2006 - )
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Nuri Steinhauer (2006 - )
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Katie Trozzo (2006 - )
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Gone
But Not Forgotten!
Jack Chapman (2002-2004)
MS, Michigan Tech, May 2004
Anthony Rumsey and Eric Lorenzen (Summer 2005)
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Paul Hagan (2003-2004)
No Pic Available. Sorry Paul!
Jim Servi (2002-2004)
Pictured above with Jack setting up an incubation experiment.
Projects
| Home
Title: Response of fine
root chemistry to elevated CO2 and O3:
Implications for soil carbon cycling and storage
Funding Agency: USDA NRICGP Soil Processes Program (25.0)
Co-investigators: Kurt S. Pregitzer, Michigan Tech University; Donald R. Zak, University of Michigan
Synopsis: The rising concentrations of atmospheric CO2 and tropospheric O3
may influence the actvity of soil microbial communities by changing the
quantity and biochemical quality of litter inputs to soil.
Biochemical changes in litter could alter the net
mineralization or immobilization of soil nutrients, especially
nitrogen, thereby affecting future net primary production through
effects on plant nutrition. The objectives of this project were
to detemine how atmospheric conditions predicted for the year 2050
affect the seasonal production of fine root biomass and to assess
any changes in its biochemical quality. We also sought to
determine if growth under elevated CO2 and tropospheric O3 would
affect specific rates of fine root decomposition. The work was
performed at the AspenFACE Project in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, where
aggrading communities of trembling aspen, paper birch, and sugar maple
have been exposed to atmospheric conditions predicted for the year 2050
(~550 ppm CO2, ~60 ppb O3) for their entire life
histories. After four years of exposure to the treatments, we
sampled all forest communities for fine root biomass using soil cores
(10 cm dia. x 20 cm deep) in spring, summer and fall. Roots were
analyzed for C, N, cellulose, hemi-cellulose, lignin, phenolics,
condensed tannins, and non-structural carbohydrates. We also
performed a 240 d lab incubation and a 750 d field incubation to see if
the treatments altered specific rates of decomposition. Fine root
biomass was lowest in the fall (after sensence) and greatest in
mid-summer, and was stimulated by elevated CO2 and decreased by elevated tropospheric O3.
The treatments had minor effects on biochemical composition,
manifested mainly by small decreases in N concentration under elevated
CO2, and increased lignin due to tropospheric O3.
These effects were insufficient to alter specific rates of
decomposition as indicated by both the lab and field incubations.
We conclude that if changes to soil N cycling occur under
atmospheric conditions of the near future, it will likely be due to
changes in the quantity of litter inputs to soil, rather than changes
in biochemistry.
Title: Fluxes
and decay rates of carbon and nutrients in leaf litter under
elevated carbon dioxide and tropospheric ozone
Funding Agency: USDA Forest Service, North Central Research
Station
Co-investigators: Christian Giardina, US Forest Service NCRS; Lingli Liu, North Carolina State University
Synopsis: The annual input of leaf
litter to the forest floor provides a periodic pulse of energy and
nutrients to soil microbial communities that helps
regulate long-term net primary production by "conditioning" the
soil for plant growth. The balance between the mineralizaton and
immobilizaton of nutrients contained in decomposing plant litter
determines their availability to plants, which can be influenced by
both the quantity of litter produced and its biochemical quality.
Both of these important parameters are expected to change as a
result of human-caused changes in the composition of Earth's
atmosphere. We are currently doing a series of experiments
designed to look at the interactive effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 and tropospheric O3 on
the production, biochemistry and decomposition of leaf litter in
trembling aspen and paper birch ecosystems of the Upper Midwest. The work is being
performed at the AspenFACE Project in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, where
aggrading communities of trembling aspen, paper birch, and sugar maple
have been exposed to atmospheric conditions predicted for the year 2050
(~550 ppm CO2, ~60 ppb O3)
for their entire life
histories. After six years exposure to the treatments, leaf
litter production was estimated using litter traps and analyzed
for C, N, cellulose, hemi-cellulose, lignin, phenolics,
condensed tannins, non-structural carbohydrates, macro-
and micro-nutrients. Litter samples were incubated in the field
for two years to estimate ecosystem level fluxes of C and nutrients as
affected by the atmospheric treatments. We are currently
performing a four-month laboratory incubation designed to separate
the effects of changes in leaf litter biochemistry vs. changes in the
amount of litter produced on microbial metabolism. Results from
this set of experiments will add to our understanding of the effects of
elevated CO2 on litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics.
Importantly, this work will contribute greatly to our
understanding of the effects of rising tropospheric O3 on forest nutrient cycling, for which there is little information.
Title: Carbon
allocation
to coarse woody roots in red pine
Funding Agency: USDA Forest Service, Northern Global Change Program;
NCASI
Co-investigators: Christian Giardina, US Forest Service NCRS; Kurt
Pregitzer, Michigan Tech University; Alexander Friend, US Forest Service
NCRS
Synopsis: The
allocation and accumulation of carbon belowground is one of the most
important aspects of the global carbon (C) cycle because soil contains
the largest and longest-lived pool of C in most terrestrial ecosystems.
"Accounting" of this C has been an especially difficult challenge
in forest ecology because of high spatial heterogeneity and
difficulty making observations within the soil matrix. Ideally,
methodology will be developped that will allow for accounting of
belowground C while employing traditional forest inventory methods
for aboveground growing stock. To this end, we performed a
carbon accounting study along a chronosequence in red pine stands
located on common soils and subject to common industry practice in the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Red pine is a species of major
commerical and ecological importance across its range in the Upper
Midwest to Northeast US. Complete above- and belowground harvests
were performed in large plots (15 m x 15 m x 3 m deep) in nine
red pine stands ranging in age from 2 to 55 years old. The
large plots ensured that a representative range of tree sizes was
sampled and that complete root systems were recovered. Tractors
and a portable mechanized soil screen developed espcially for this
project by the the US Forest Service NCRS (RWU 4159) were used to
excavate and sieve the entire soil volume
contained within the plots and recover virtually all root biomass!
This work showed that biomass partitioning (e.g. root to shoot
ratio) peaks early in stand development in red pine, at around age 8
for this set of sites, and declines asymptotically to about
0.28 thereafter. This finding agrees with recent syntheses of the
literature, and will aid in parameterizing global C cycle models,
many of which assume belowground C is simply a fixed fraction of that
aboveground.
Title: Forest
ecophysiological responses will influence regional water
supplies in response to changing atmospheric conditions in the
near future
Funding Agency: USDA NRICGP Water Resources Program (26.0)
Co-investigators: Mark Kubiske, USDA Forest Service NCRS; Nicanor
Saliendra, USDA Forest Service NCRS; Lee Rhea, North Carolina State
University
Synopsis: It has long been observed from small scale
studies of leaf physiology that elevated atmospheric CO2 increases plant water use efficiency (biomass produced
per unit water transpired), however extrapolating such results to the
ecosystem level has been problematic because of concurrent changes in
leaf area display, root growth, and micro-meteorological
variables. In addition, virtually no information exists on
how elevated CO2 and tropospheric O3 will interact to affect plant
water relations. On a regional scale, the net effect of these
changes in forest physiology and growth in response to future atmospheric
conditions will greatly influence the amount of water that is lost to
the atmosphere as evaportanspiration or is available to recharge soil
water and for human use. To improve our understanding of these
important changes in the water cycle, we are engaged in a series of
experiments that will quantify all biotic and abiotic aspects of the
forest hydrologic cycle under atmospheric conditions predicted for the
year 2050 in important north-temperate forest types. The work is being
performed at the AspenFACE Project in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, where
aggrading communities of trembling aspen, paper birch, and sugar maple
have been exposed to atmospheric conditions predicted for the year 2050
(~550 ppm CO2, ~60 ppb O3)
for their entire life
histories. Traditional water balance methodology is being used to
quantify precipitation, stem flow, throughfall, interception, and soil
surface evaporation. Leaf and canopy water flux
(transpiration) is being characterized through a combination of gas
exchange, sap flow, and leaf area production measurements. Above-
and belowground micrometeorological data are continuously logged,
including: soil termperature and volumetric water content to 1 m depth,
air temperature and net radiation, humidity, wind speed and direction, all
above and below the canopy. These data will be combined with
detailed measurements of above- and belowground plant growth and
hydraulic conductivity to help us to paint a complete picture of how
forest stands will acuire,utilize, and store water in the future. The
resulting data will be important for validation and parameterization of
ecosystem models within the nested hydrologic modeling
strategy of the US Global Change Research Program.
Title: Effects of genetic improvement on tree physiology, stand-level productivity, and the cycling of carbon and nutrients
Funding Agency: NCSU, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources
Co-investigators: Bronson Bullock, North Carolina State University;
Steve McKeand, North Carolina State University; Bailian Li, North
Carolina State University; Mike Aspinwall, North Carolina State University
Synopsis: Growth rates and stem form of loblolly pine have
been greatly improved through selective
breeding programs in the US Southeast for the past 50 years.
Virtually all of the 1.6 billion seedlings planted every
year have undergone at least some degree of genetic improvement, and
this trend will intensify as we move towards varietal forestry in the
US Southeast. Although, great gains have been made in
understanding the ecophysiological drivers of forest productivity in
loblolly pine, the implications of genetic improvement for stand level
resource aquisition, productivity, and the cycling of carbon and
nutrients are still unclear. We are addressing this knowledge gap
using a mulit-scale approach that will combine detailed
phyiological and growth measurements from seedlings and small trees
with stand-level studies of productivity, and carbon and nutrient
dynamics. The small scale studies will be conducted as common
garden experiments at the Horticultural Field Lab on NC State's main
campus in Raleigh, NC. The stand-level assessments are being
conducted at NC State's Hofmann Forest, an 80,000 acre school forest
located on the coastal plain in Onslow County, NC that is managed for
fiber production using common industry practices. The main
effect treatment in these experiments is genotype, with 3 half-sib
families, 3 full-sib families, and 3 more genetically uniform
varieties. Split-plot treatments include planting density and a
thinning regime. Results will enhance silivculture of genetically
improved pines, and provide information on the implications for
important ecoystem processes, including nutrient dynamics, carbon
cycling and storage, and water use.
