Balsam woolly adelgids are small wingless insects that infest and kill firs, especially Balsam Fir and Fraser Fir. They are an invasive species from Europe introduced to the United States around 1900. Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anenomes) Placozoa (trichoplax) Subregnum Bilateria (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - Trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - Spiders, Scorpions, etc. ... Classes & Orders Subclass: Apterygota Orders Archaeognatha (Bristletails) Thysanura (Silverfish) Monura - extinct Subclass: Pterygota Infraclass: Paleoptera (paraphyletic) Orders Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Diaphanopterodea - extinct Protodonata - extinct Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass: Neoptera Orders Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Protorthoptera - extinct Orthoptera (grasshoppers... Suborders Heteroptera Homoptera Hemiptera is an order of insects, comprising some 67,500 known species in two suborders, Heteroptera and Homoptera. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Classes & Orders Subclass: Apterygota Orders Archaeognatha (Bristletails) Thysanura (Silverfish) Monura - extinct Subclass: Pterygota Infraclass: Paleoptera (paraphyletic) Orders Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Diaphanopterodea - extinct Protodonata - extinct Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass: Neoptera Orders Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Protorthoptera - extinct Orthoptera (grasshoppers... FIR may stand for: finite impulse response (a property of some digital filters) far infrared, i. ... Binomial name Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. ... Binomial name Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir. ... World map showing Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ... 1900 (MCM) is a common year starting on Monday. ...

Because they are not native, the Fraser fir has not evolved any type of defense against this predator. These insects typically lay about one hundred eggs and have three generations per year. The adelgid attacks the tree by feeding in fissures within the bark of trees larger than about four centimeters in diameter at breast height. As it feeds, it releases toxins contained within its saliva. These toxins reduce the sapwood conductance, which causes water stress and kills the trees. Fissure (Latin fissura, Plural fissurae) is a groove, natural division, deep furrow, or cleft found in the brain, spinal cord, and liver; or a tear in the anus. ... cm redirects here, alternate uses: cm (disambiguation) A centimetre (symbol cm; American spelling: centimeter) is an SI unit of length. ... The venom of the black widow spider is a potent latrotoxin. ... Contents of Saliva In animals, saliva is produced in and secreted from the salivary glands. ... A tree trunk as found at the Veluwe, The Netherlands Wood is an organic material found as the primary content of the stems of woody plants, especially trees, but also shrubs. ...

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in Tennessee contains about 75% of all spruce-fir ecosystems. These ecosystems covered vast portions of the Southeast during the last ice age, when the climate was cool and moist. Since the retreat of the glaciers, this ecosystem has been confined to the higher elevations in the mountains of the Southeastern United States. The spruce-fir forest has evolved as an island, away from any other ecosystems of its type. This has presented valuable research and a unique habitat. These forests have a very dense canopy and a moist understory. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park that straddles the ridgeline of the Appalachian Mountains. ... State nickname: Volunteer State Official languages English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Governor Phil Bredesen (D) Senators Bill Frist (R) Lamar Alexander (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 36th 109,247 km² 2. ... In ecology, the word ecosystem is an abbreviation of the term, ecological system. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... Aletsch glacier, Switzerland A glacier is a large, long-lasting river of ice that is formed on land and moves in response to gravity. ... The Southeastern United States or simply the Southeast refers to a region in the southeastern part of the USA. It usually consists of the following southern states: Louisiana Mississippi Alabama Georgia Florida and sometimes: Arkansas Oklahoma Texas These states are more often referred to as simply the South, although that... The canopy of a tree A canopy is an overhead roof or structure that provides shade or other shelter. ... Understory (or understorey) is the term for the area of a forest which grows in the shade of the overstory or canopy. ...

Since the invasion of the balsam woolly adelgid, discovered in 1957, Fraser fir mortality rates have been 90-99%. Although some areas are being regenerated by young firs, there is much change in understory composition, including invasion by both woody and herbaceous species. Red Spruce, the spruce component of the spruce fir ecosystem, has also been suffering declines. Some researchers attribute these declines to damage from wind, which is usually blocked by the firs. Balsam woolly adelgids have destroyed about 95% of the Fraser firs in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, creating "ghost forests". One concern is that acid rain and the deterioration of the ozone, among other pollutants are contributing to a weak immune system for the Fraser firs and making them more susceptible to the balsam wooly adelgids. 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the plants used in cooking and medicine. ... Binomial name Picea rubensSarg. ... Acid rain is defined as any type of precipitation with a pH of below 5. ... For the Moldavian pop group see O-Zone Ozone (O3) is an allotrope of oxygen, the molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms instead of the more stable diatomic O2. ... Pollutants are substances which directly or indirectly damage us or the environment. ...