Päivi Lyytikäinen-Saarenmaa

Using UAV-Based Photogrammetry and Hyperspectral Imaging for Mapping Bark Beetle Damage at Tree-Level

Low-cost, miniaturized hyperspectral imaging technology is becoming available for small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms. This technology can be efficient in carrying out small-area inspections of anomalous reflectance characteristics of trees at a very high level of detail. Increased frequency and intensity of insect induced forest disturbance has established a new demand for effective methods suitable in mapping and monitoring tasks. In this investigation, a novel miniaturized hyperspectral frame imaging sensor operating in the wavelength range of 500–900 nm was used to identify mature Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) trees suffering from infestation, representing a different outbreak phase, by the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus L.). We developed a new processing method for analyzing spectral characteristic for high spatial resolution photogrammetric and hyperspectral images in forested environments, as well as for identifying individual anomalous trees. The dense point clouds, measured using image matching, enabled detection of single trees with an accuracy of 74.7%. We classified the trees into classes of healthy, infested and dead, and the results were promising. The best results for the overall accuracy were 76% (Cohen’s kappa 0.60), when using three color classes (healthy, infested, dead). For two color classes (healthy, dead), the best overall accuracy was 90% (kappa 0.80). The survey methodology based on high-resolution hyperspectral imaging will be of a high practical value for forest health management, indicating a status of bark beetle outbreak in time.

Field performance of chitinase transgenic silver birch (Betula pendula Roth): growth and adaptive traits

Fifteen transgenic birch lines carrying a chitinase IV gene from sugar beet and non-transgenic control plants were grown in a field trial, and traits connected to growth, quality and adaptation were monitored. Significant variation among the transgenic lines was observed in the growth parameters as well as parameters linked to stress status and leaf phenology of the trees. It was hypothesized that the differences among the lines could be explained by the differences in the level of transgene expression measured as sugar beet chitinase IV transcript accumulation. The level of the transgene expression was not detected to have influence on growth or leaf phenology, but instead it had influence on the parameters related to stress status of a tree. The increased levels of red colour and decreased general condition of the transgenic plants compared to the control plants may indicate physiological stress among the transgenic plants. The proportion of trees infested by Phytobia, larvae of which cause an easthetic defect to birch wood, was lower among many transgenic lines than in controls but the variation in Phytobia occurrence was explained by the differences in plant size only. Three lines out of fifteen were frequently different from the control plants in growth and leaf phenology, and these differences are suggested to be due to the position effect of the transgene. The observed changes in individual transgenic lines were not correlated with the sugar beet chitinase IV expression, and were more likely to impair than improve the traits that are usually considered important in adaptation and birch breeding.

Needle Removal by Pine Sawfly Larvae Increases Branch-Level VOC Emissions and Reduces Below-Ground Emissions of Scots Pine

Climate warming is expected to increase the frequency of insect outbreaks in Boreal conifer forests. We evaluated how needle removal by the larvae of two diprionid sawfly species affects the composition and quantity of VOC emissions from Pinus sylvestris L. saplings. Feeding damage significantly increased the rate of localized VOC emissions from the damaged branch. The emissions of total monoterpenes (MTs) were dominating (96-98% of total VOCs) and increased by14-fold in Neodiprion sertifer-damaged branches and by 16-fold in Diprion pini-damaged branches compared to intact branches. Emissions of δ-3-carene, α-pinene, sabinene, and β-phellandrene were most responsive. Feeding damage by N. sertifer larvae increased the emission rates of total sesquiterpenes by 7-fold (4% of total VOCs) and total green leaf volatiles by 13-fold (<1% of total VOCs). The VOC emissions from N. sertifer larvae constituted nearly 25% of the total branch emissions. N. sertifer feeding in the lower branches induced 4-fold increase in MT emissions in the top crown. Defoliation of Scots pine by D. pini significantly reduced the below-ground emissions of total MTs by approximately 80%. We conclude that defoliators could significantly increase total VOC emissions from the Scots pine canopy including MT emissions from resin storing sawfly larvae.

Density and composition of an insect population in a field trial of chitinase transgenic and wild-type silver birch (Betula pendula) clones.

Abstract Fifteen silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) lines carrying a sugar beet chitinase IV gene and eight wild-type birch clones were grown in a field trial. The composition and density of the insect population and the leaf damage caused by insects were monitored and compared between transgenic and wild-type trees. The most abundant insect group in all trees was aphids, and the variation in total insect densities was mainly explained by the variation in aphid densities. Insect densities were generally higher in the transgenic than in the control trees, indicating that the expression of the sugar beet chitinase IV gene had an influence on the suitability of birch leaves to aphids. The level of leaf damage was higher among transgenic than among control trees. Chewing damage was the most common type of leaf damage in all trees. The number of different damage types was higher among the wild-type clones than among the transgenic lines or their controls. The results indicate that the chitinase transgenic trees are more susceptible to aphids and suffer higher levels of leaf damage than the control trees. In the composition of the damage types, the control trees were more similar to the transgenic than to other wild-type trees, indicating that the composition was mostly linked to the genotype of the tree and not to the expression of the transgene. This study provides important information on the ecological interactions of chitinase transgenic trees in the field trial. No clear harmful effects of transgenic chitinase on the biodiversity of insect population were detected.

Stand edge effects on distribution and condition of Diprionid sawflies

1 We investigated stand edge effects on Diprion pini cocoon condition and distribution after an outbreak of unprecedented magnitude in Finland. We hypothesized that forest fragmentation and the resulting proportional increase in stand edge habitats may have led to the increase in outbreak area: D. pini may profit from edge habitats and so escape its control mechanisms more easily. This hypothesis was based on the observation that no outbreak occurred in neighbouring Russian Karelia, where the proportion of edge habitats between different stand types and/or successional stages is significantly less than in Finland.

BioVeL: a virtual laboratory for data analysis and modelling in biodiversity science and ecology

BackgroundMaking forecasts about biodiversity and giving support to policy relies increasingly on large collections of data held electronically, and on substantial computational capability and capacity to analyse, model, simulate and predict using such data. However, the physically distributed nature of data resources and of expertise in advanced analytical tools creates many challenges for the modern scientist. Across the wider biological sciences, presenting such capabilities on the Internet (as “Web services”) and using scientific workflow systems to compose them for particular tasks is a practical way to carry out robust “in silico” science. However, use of this approach in biodiversity science and ecology has thus far been quite limited.ResultsBioVeL is a virtual laboratory for data analysis and modelling in biodiversity science and ecology, freely accessible via the Internet. BioVeL includes functions for accessing and analysing data through curated Web services; for performing complex in silico analysis through exposure of R programs, workflows, and batch processing functions; for on-line collaboration through sharing of workflows and workflow runs; for experiment documentation through reproducibility and repeatability; and for computational support via seamless connections to supporting computing infrastructures. We developed and improved more than 60 Web services with significant potential in many different kinds of data analysis and modelling tasks. We composed reusable workflows using these Web services, also incorporating R programs. Deploying these tools into an easy-to-use and accessible ‘virtual laboratory’, free via the Internet, we applied the workflows in several diverse case studies. We opened the virtual laboratory for public use and through a programme of external engagement we actively encouraged scientists and third party application and tool developers to try out the services and contribute to the activity.ConclusionsOur work shows we can deliver an operational, scalable and flexible Internet-based virtual laboratory to meet new demands for data processing and analysis in biodiversity science and ecology. In particular, we have successfully integrated existing and popular tools and practices from different scientific disciplines to be used in biodiversity and ecological research.

Monitoring the European pine sawfly with pheromone traps in maturing Scots pine stands

Abstract  1 During 1989–93, field studies were conducted in Finland to develop a method based on pheromone traps to monitor and forecast population levels of the European pine sawfly (Neodiprion sertifer Geoffr.) and tree defoliation. 2 Three traps per site were baited with 100 µg of the N. sertifer sex pheromone, the acetate ester of (2S,3S,7S)‐3,7‐dimethyl‐2‐pentadecanol (diprionol), in maturing pine stands in southern and central Finland. In addition, three different dosages (1, 10 and 100 µg) of the pheromone were tested in 1991–92. 3 The highest number of males was observed in traps baited with the highest dose. On average, there was a 10‐fold increase in trap catch between lure doses. 4 Density of overwintering eggs was used to evaluate the effectiveness of pheromone traps in predicting sawfly populations. The proportion of healthy overwintering eggs was determined each year. A model based on the number of current shoots on sample trees, diameter at breast height and tree height was formulated to estimate eggs per hectare. 5 Linear regression analysis produced high coefficients of determination between number of males in traps and density of total eggs in the subsequent generation, when populations were at peak densities. The relationships were not significant for low population densities. The results indicate a risk of moderate defoliation when the seasonal trap catch is 800–1000 males per trap or higher.

Automation Aspects for the Georeferencing of Photogrammetric Aerial Image Archives in Forested Scenes

Photogrammetric aerial film image archives are scanned into digital form in many countries. These data sets offer an interesting source of information for scientists from different disciplines. The objective of this investigation was to contribute to the automation of a generation of 3D environmental model time series when using small-scale airborne image archives, especially in forested scenes. Furthermore, we investigated the usability of dense digital surface models (DSMs) generated using these data sets as well as the uncertainty propagation of the DSMs. A key element in the automation is georeferencing. It is obvious that for images captured years apart, it is essential to find ground reference locations that have changed as little as possible. We studied a 68-year-long aerial image time series in a Finnish Karelian forestland. The quality of candidate ground locations was evaluated by comparing digital DSMs created from the images to an airborne laser scanning (ALS)-originated reference DSM. The quality statistics of DSMs were consistent with the expectations; the estimated median root mean squared error for height varied between 0.3 and 2 m, indicating a photogrammetric modelling error of 0.1‰ with respect to flying height for data sets collected since the 1980s, and 0.2‰ for older data sets. The results show that of the studied land cover classes, “peatland without trees” changed the least over time and is one of the most promising candidates to serve as a location for automatic ground control measurement. Our results also highlight some potential challenges in the process as well as possible solutions. Our results indicate that using modern photogrammetric techniques, it is possible to reconstruct 3D environmental model time series using photogrammetric image archives in a highly automated way.

Palatability of transgenic birch and aspen to roe deer and mountain hare

Abstract Genetic engineering of plant resistance characteristics against fungi may unintentionally influence traits that are important for plant–herbivore interactions. We studied the palatability of transgenic birch (Betula pendula), aspen (Populus tremula) and hybrid aspen (P. tremula x tremuloides) genetically modified with the aim to improve fungal disease resistance, to selective mammalian herbivores in cafeteria tests. Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) were fed with transgenic birch carrying a sugar beet chitinase IV gene. In the experiment with roe deer, none of the six transgenic birch lines differed significantly from the wild-type control in the proportion of consumed plant biomass. Correlation analyses suggested that sugar content did not guide the feeding preferences of roe deer but revealed a positive correlation between starch content and proportion of mass consumed. However, the variation in starch content could not be related to the level of transgene expression. Mountain hares (Lepus timidus) were fed with plant material from chitinase transgenic birch and aspen and hybrid aspen that carried a pinosylvin synthase gene from Scots pine. One transgenic birch line was significantly less palatable to hares than the wild-type control. The results of this study suggest that plant genotype may be related to the palatability of plant material when transgenic and wild-type woody plant material is used as winter food for hares. The results of this case study did not reveal changes in the palatability of the studied transgenic lines that could be readily related to the functioning of the used transgenes.