The Ohio Journal of Science

Southeastern Ohio Hemlock Stands Prior to Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Infestation: Baseline Conditions from 2 Surveys a Decade Apart

Jordan Knisely — 2024-10-31

The Hocking Hills of southeastern Ohio are situated at the western range boundary of eastern hemlock, where this foundation species occurs in isolated pockets in ravines and on steep slopes. The goal of this study is to characterize these hemlock stands prior to infestation by hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), which recently entered the state and is likely to cause high mortality if untreated. Individuals in 30 plots established from 2008 to 2011 were resurveyed in 2020, allowing determination of growth rates and mortality rates. Each plot was paired with an upslope transect in the resurvey to record non-hemlock species likely to seed in from above. Tree species diversity in the plots is low (Shannon H’ < 1), as eastern hemlock remained the dominant species in all plots; storm damage and competitive thinning appeared to account for most mortality across all species. Hemlock growth rates were comparable to deciduous species. Common co-occurring species are statistically associated with particular topographic and soil properties on the plots. Following future hemlock mortality, tulip-poplar, chestnut oak, white oak, sweet birch, and red maple may be among the first species to dominate the canopy; Japanese stiltgrass currently appears to be the invasive species of greatest concern. An understanding of pre-HWA composition, structure, and forest dynamics can inform restoration efforts, if in the future long-term, sustainable HWA control or host-tree resistance is developed; this understanding can also apprise management and conservation efforts in the unique hemlock stands of southeast Ohio.

Supplemental material: https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/105365

Long-Term Monitoring of Bat Activity and Species Richness Reveals Changes in Northwest Ohio Bat Communities

Kelly Russo-Petrick — 2025-02-07

Bat populations are declining worldwide because of threats such as white-nose syndrome and habitat loss. Multiple-year studies are advantageous for looking at population trends over time and determining the extent of declines. While numerous multiple-year studies have been conducted for bats, they are limited in regional and local coverage. This study compiled the results of 282 walking surveys across 10 years of acoustic bat recording data collected in 3 northwest Ohio parks from 2011 to 2021 to examine temporal trends in bat activity. Overall bat activity (all species combined, average per night) decreased from 2011 to 2018 but showed a slight positive trend from 2019 to 2021. Average activity per night for big brown (Eptesicus fuscus), northern long-eared (Myotis septentrionalis), and little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) decreased significantly (75%, 95%, and 33% decreases from 2011 to 2021, respectively). Average activity per night of hoary (Lasiurus cinereus) and silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans) increased significantly in activity until 2016 (169% and 163% increase from 2011 to 2016, respectively) before decreasing in activity to be closer to initial levels, although their general trend in activity was positive overall (92% and 32% increase from 2011 to 2021, respectively). These data show the advantages of monitoring bat activity over more years to make inferences about population trends. Significant decreases in activity for big brown, little brown, and northern long-eared bats from 2011 to 2021 suggest alterations in bat community structure. These results illustrate a decline in overall bat activity over the last decade. This study also provides an example of volunteer-collected long-term bat monitoring data.

A Record of Historical Temperature Change from 1893 to 2021, Southwest Ohio, United States of America

Abigale O'Connor — 2025-03-19

A local record of historical temperature change from 1893 to 2021 was established for a region centered in southwest Ohio, United States. Temperature records were examined from 8 weather stations located in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, all within a radius of 50 miles (approximately 80 km) from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Results indicate that annual minimum temperatures increased by approximately 0.11 °F (0.060 °C) per decade between 1893 to 2021, with a total increase of 1.4 °F (0.78 °C) over the 128-year study period ( p < 2 × 10-16, R2 = 0.74). Spring and summer minimum temperatures increased by 2.0 °F (1.1 °C) and 1.5 °F (0.83 °C) respectively, whereas fall and winter minimum temperatures increased by 1.1 °F (0.63 °C) and 0.77 °F (0.43 °C), respectively. Annual maximum temperatures increased by approximately 0.071 °F (0.039 °C) per decade, resulting in a total increase of 0.90 °F (0.50 °C) over the study period ( p < 2 × 10-16, R2 = 0.74). The largest observed increase in maximum temperatures occurred during the spring (1.7 °F; 0.94 °C), with fall (1.6 °F; 0.88 °C), and winter (1.6 °F; 0.88 °C) maximum temperatures increasing similarly. No change was observed in summer maximum temperatures. Historical temperature trends in the region studied broadly match state and regional temperature compilations for the lower Midwest, with greater warming occurring during spring and negligible warming in summer. This analysis indicates local datasets complement regional climate compilations and models, as well as help to identify geographic variation in temperature trends critical for assessing local vulnerabilities and informing regional mitigation strategies for climate change.

Letter to a Young Scientist: From Medicine to Politics

Anita Somani — 2025-04-23

Dr. Anita Somani is a practicing Obstetrician/Gynecologist and a second-term state representative for Ohio House District 8. Originally from India, Dr. Somani moved to the United States as a baby and attended elementary and secondary school in Wisconsin, Florida, and India. After college in Ohio, she completed her MD degree from the Medical College of Ohio in 1988 and then a residency in OB/GYN at Mt. Carmel in Columbus. She received her board certification in 1994, and now practices at Ohio Health in Columbus. On January 3, 2023, she was first sworn in as a state representative for the Ohio House District 11. Following redistricting and reelection, she now represents the people of Dublin and Worthington in Ohio House District 8.

A Theoretical Study of the Photoluminescence in the Eyes of Trilobites Under Natural Lighting and its Effect on Their Vision

Scott Lee — 2025-08-01

Trilobites had a unique visual system in which the focusing component of their compound eyes were calcite crystals. Biogenic calcite emits photoluminescence (PL) in the blue-green part of the visual spectrum in all directions when excited by long-wavelength ultraviolet (UV-A) radiation. This PL had no information about the image being formed by the incident light from objects (such as other animals and rocks) near the trilobite and would have acted as stray light, thereby obscuring its vision. The PL spectrum from biogenic calcite from extant red algae is used to model the PL emitted by the calcite in the eyes of trilobites. The visible range and the wavelength sensitivity of the extant marine crustacean Squilla empusa (a distant living relative of the trilobites) is used to model the vision of trilobites. In the first theoretical calculation, the magnitude of this PL is estimated using data from extant red algae (including the concentration of its PL centers) and is compared to the expected photon noise in the visible sunlight directly from the illuminated objects. Due to the differences in the transmission of visible and UV-A light by seawater, PL stray light obscuration is expected to lessen with depth. A second more general calculation determines the dependence of this obscuration effect on ocean depth, independent of the concentration of PL centers in the calcite, showing that the obscuring effect of PL diminishes with depth. This PL is insignificant at 10 meters deep and, possibly, at all depths.

Book Review - Isolated Wonder: A Scientist in the Robinson Crusoe Islands, 2024. Tod F. Stuessy

Barry Allred — 2025-06-02

No abstract available.