The ectomycorrhizal fungal community associated with Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine) in a Mongolian forest was investigated in this study. The fungal strain was isolated from roots of Scots pine and identified as Phialocephala fortinii. Inoculation experiments showed that Phi. fortinii could form ectomycorrhizae with Scots pine seedlings. Hartig nets, external hyphae, and mantle structures of ectomycorrhizae were observed in pine seedlings roots. The morphology and ultra-structure of the fungal-host plant association and characteristics of Phi. fortinii colonies developed on MEA, MMN, and PDA media are described. Phialocephala fortinii inoculation significantly increased the growth, biomass accumulation, and P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, and N concentrations in roots, stems, and needles of pine seedlings. These results demonstrated that Phi. fortinii could effectively form ectomycorrhizae with Scots pine and improve its growth, presumably through enhanced nutrition acquisition.

Pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner and Buhrer 1986), has caused serious pine disease in Taiwan since 1985. Soil injection with 75% fosthiazate to control pine wilt disease was conducted at 3 locations in northern Taiwan. Twenty healthy pine trees with diameter breast height (DBH) ranging 20~40 cm were selected by oleoresin exudation for the inoculation test. Ten trees were treated with 75% fosthiazate by soil-injection application in May 2004 according to the manufacturer's protocol and a DBH table; another 10 pine trees were used as controls. One month after the soil injection, all trees at 3 locations were artificially inoculated with 30,000 pinewood nematodes (B. xylophilus). Symptoms of pine wilt disease were first observed 3 mo after inoculation; the disease progressed rapidly from September 2004. Chemical protection efficacy was evaluated 9 mo after inoculation. For chemical-treated trees, disease incidences at Zhongli, Daxi, and Zhudong were 40, 30, and 20%, and values of the disease severity index were 2, 1.1, and 1, respectively. However, for the non-treated group, disease incidences were 80, 80, and 70%, and values of the disease severity index were 4.0, 4.0, and 3.5, respectively. Our results demonstrated that fosthiazate not only decreased the incidence of pine wilt, but also retarded the disease progression.

In this study, we report how to select the best timing of diurnal bird surveys when using an acoustic monitoring system. Although the system has been operating since March 2009 in the Shan-Ping Forest Ecological Garden, we transcribed only 2 morning recordings in the breeding season of 2009 due to the difficulty in transcribing recorded data. We found that the species accumulation curve reached a plateau (80%) in 30 min of the first hour and was higher than those in the latter 4 h on both days, which implied that the dawn chorus is the best period for recording bird sounds. A further analysis was used to locate the timing of the dawn chorus. The highest accumulation curve in a 10-min period appeared when the starting point was set at 5 min and 20 or 15 min before sunrise on March 31 and May 4, respectively. The difference revealed that the peak of singing activities occurred at different times over the breeding season. We suggest recording bird sounds for 1 h from dawn and selecting a sampling period of 10~20 min, which would cover most of the dawn chorus, to reach the highest species richness at the study site.

According to guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the carbon conversion factor (CCF) is a key parameter for estimating the amount of carbon sequestered in a forest stand. The guidelines suggest that CCF can be calculated by converting the total biomass or bulk density (BD) of plants, and multiplying by the estimated percent carbon content (PCC). There are many relevant studies on the CCF of trees, but little research has been done on the CCF of bamboo. This study focused on the analysis of different CCFs among 4 major bamboo species found in Taiwan: Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys heterocycla: Ph), Makino bamboo (P. makinoi: Pm), ma bamboo (Dendrocalamus latiflorus: Dl), and thorny bamboo (Bambusa stenostachya: Bs). Various sites, ages, and positions in the culm were examined, and the resulting BD and PCC were simultaneously analyzed. The results show that the CCF significantly varied among species, sites, and positions in the culm, but showed no significant differences between age for Ph and Bs, and only partly significant differences for Pm and Dl. Variations in the CCF with the position in culm in all 4 bamboo species had the same trend: upper section ＞ middle section ＞ lower section. Average CCFs for a single culm of Pm, Ph, Bs, and Dl were 0.357, 0.318, 0.281, and 0.234, respectively. The results will be useful in increasing the estimation accuracy of carbon sequestration of local bamboo stands in Taiwan.

Under an international collaborative program between the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute (TFRI) and Pacific RIM undergraduate experience (PRIME) of San Diego University, San Diego, CA, USA in 2010, we extended an image analysis package and applied it to honey bee observations. In this article, we describe the results of this collaboration. A tool suitable for routine measurements and counting tasks was developed to perform an automatic process. We applied blob-detecting of a computer vision technique to develop this package. We then tested the tool using images with different numbers of bees present collected from the Shanping wireless sensor network of TFRI. We compared the times consumed between the automatic and manual processes. Results showed that analysis of images with a low number of bees present (with an average bee number of ＜30 individuals per image) between the automatic process and manual process respectively required 9 and 315 min. A similar results showed that analysis of images with a high number of bees present (with an average bee number of ＞30 individuals per image) between the automatic process and manual process respectively require 23 and 409 min. Although the automatic process overestimated bee counts by 2~21%, the tool shows significant reductions in processing times. We concluded that the program provides a convenient way to determine the target and thus facilitate the examination of a large volume of honey bee images from a wireless sensor network in the field.

This study focused on the effects of resins and adhesives on the preservation of a series of dyed handmade papers, called ”multi-colored, gold-embossed papers”. The substrates included filter paper, lab-prepared handmade papers, and commercial water-patterned handmade papers. The resins or adhesives were impregnated into the papers and then 105℃ dry heat was applied for accelerated aging treatment. Changes in the paper strengths and colors were determined afterward. The results indicated that the paper substrates exerted significant influences. Although the commercial paper upon impregnating with various gelatins could markedly increase its folding endurance, after 12 d of 105℃ dry-heat, however, the folding endurance was almost reduced to 0; tearing strength retention was merely 20%. Thus it was not durable and would not be suitable for use as a medium for artistic creations. Individual resins and adhesives exhibited differing effects; they affected the original strengths of the substrate papers, but also the aging responses and changes in coloration. For tearing strength retention, the 2 wet-strength resins, sodium alginate, alum-added gelatin, and starch showed poorer strengths after the 105℃ dry-heat treatment. Resins or adhesives added with an insolubilizer, AZC, were superior to alum, and the effects were more distinctive in filter paper than in handmade papers, mainly because there was no calcium carbonate in the filter paper to neutralize the acidity of the alum.

Territory mapping is considered one of the most accurate methods for estimating forest bird densities and studying the subtle relationships between birds and their habitats. Nevertheless, the territory mapping method has rarely been applied to estimate entire bird communities in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia. We conducted territory mappings in an area of around 40 ha at a mid-elevation site in Taiwan for a period of 20 consecutive weeks (40 census days in total) from early March to late July 2005 to establish field protocols of territory mapping and examine the effectiveness of this method in detecting the avian community composition. Fifty-seven bird species from 5719 registrations were recorded during the 40 field censuses. The results suggested that the optimal period for territory mapping at the study site was during 10~12 wk from early April to late June, because during this period, the prevalences of most breeding species were highest. Within this period of time, we registered 88% of the breeding species recorded historically. Repeatedly playing 2 repetitions of the territorial songs of the 14 commonest species did not significantly affect the total number of breeding species or registrations recorded on each census. These results indicate that with a good trail system, the territory mapping method is suitable for censusing bird communities in forests of Taiwan and similar habitats in Asia. However, due to the non-territorial behavior, asynchronous breeding season, and multiple broodings of birds in tropical and subtropical regions, the efficiency of territory mapping method is not as good as that in temperate regions.

Formosan rhododendron (Rhododendron formosanum Hemsl.) is an indigenous species of the Ericales in Taiwan. The Rf32 fungal strain was isolated from the roots of wild Formosan rhododendron and identified as an endophytic species of Cryptosporiopsis based on its morphological characteristics. This identification was further confirmed by an internal transcribed spacer sequence analysis. This species is a new addition to the fungal flora of Taiwan. In an ericoid-mycorrhizal resynthesis experiment, Rf32-inoculated Formosan rhododendron seedlings exhibited vigorous growth, and the root association showed hyphal complexes in cortical cells. The results demonstrated that Formosan rhododendron can form ericoid mycorrhizae in vitro with Cryptosporiopsis sp. Rf32.

Metal plate connectors (MPCs) were developed and applied to truss assemblies to evaluate the structural performance of Japanese cedar roof trusses in the study. An MPC with a tooth length of 9 mm, a plate thickness of 0.9 mm, and a tooth density of 1 tooth cm^(-2) was designed and produced using SS33 structural steel sheets. The loading capacities of the designed MPC were 216~265 N per tooth, and the derived allowable lateral resistance was 68.3~86.4 N per tooth for Japanese cedar lumber joints in tension. Ultimate bending capacities and stiffness of the 38×140-mm wood roof truss system were 82.6 and 48.9% higher than those of 38×89-mm wood roof truss, respectively. No significant difference was found between Howe and Fink trusses. The critical failures in Japanese cedar roof trusses were located at the heel joint, and these accounted for 75% due to a combination of tooth withdrawal and plate failure in the 38×140-mm truss, and 87.5% due to the tooth withdrawal in the 38×89-mm truss. Flexural deflections of Japanese cedar roof trusses measured at the design load level were within 5.0~20.5% of the design deflection limitation. Furthermore, the designed roof load was only 9.9~18.9% of the ultimate equivalent distributed loads measured at truss rupture, which assures the safety of Japanese cedar roof trusses in service.

Taiwania cryptomerioides is a quite important endemic species in Taiwan, and is the most abundant species in plantations in the Liouguei Experimental Forest, southern Taiwan. Using the concept of compatibility and numeric equivalence among stand-level attributes, this study established a growth and yield stand simulator for Taiwania plantations in the Liouguei area. Based on data from permanent plots of Taiwania plantations in the experiment forest, the components of a growth and yield model such as diameter, tree height, stand density, and stand structure modules were separately fitted in sequence and then integrated, and finally computer software (TCSIM) was coded to implement the integrated growth and yield simulator. As an adjunct to the stand-level equations, compatible stand/stock tables were derived by solving for the parameters of the Weibull distribution from attributes predicted with the stand-level equations. The results indicated that the goodness of fit for all equations were good (R^2＞0.82) except for the tree density equation and basal removal function. By inputting the current stand age, tree density, basal area, projection length, and management options into TCSIM, dynamic changes for a given stand can effectively be evaluated.