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Human land use of forested regions has intensified worldwide in recent decades, threatening long-term sustainability. Primary effects include conversion of land cover or reversion to an earlier stage of successional development. Both types of change can have cascading effects through ecosystems; however, the longterm effects where forests are allowed to regrow are poorly understood. We quantify the regionalscale consequences of a century of Euro-American land use in the northern U.S. Great Lakes region using a combination of historical Public Land Survey records and current forest inventory and land cover data. Our analysis shows a distinct and rapid trajectory of vegetation change toward historically unprecedented and simplified conditions. In addition to overall loss of forestland, current forests are marked by lower species diversity, functional diversity, and structural complexity compared to pre-Euro-American forests. Today's forest is marked by dominance of broadleaf deciduous species-all 55 ecoregions that comprise the region exhibit a lower relative dominance of conifers in comparison to the pre-Euro-American period. Aspen (Populus grandidentata and P. tremuloides) and maple (Acer saccharum and A. rubrum) species comprise the primary deciduous species that have replaced conifers. These changes reflect the cumulative effects of local forest alterations over the region and they affect future ecosystem conditions as well as the ecosystem services they provide. Abstract Human land use of forested regions has intensified worldwide in recent decades, threatening long-term sustainability. Primary effects include conversion of land cover or reversion to an earlier stage of successional development. Both types of change can have cascading effects through ecosystems; however, the longterm effects where forests are allowed to regrow are poorly understood. We quantify the regionalscale consequences of a century of Euro-American land use in the northern U.S. Great Lakes region using a combination of historical PublicLand Survey records and current forest inventory and land cover data. Our analysis shows a distinct and rapid trajectory of vegetation change toward historically unprecedented and simplified conditions. In addition to overall loss of forestland, current forests are marked by lower species diversity, functional diversity, and structural complexity compared to pre-Euro-American forests. Today's forest is marked by dominance of broadleaf deciduous species-all 55 ecoregions that comprise the region exhibit a lower relative dominance of conifers in comparison to the preEuro-American period. Aspen (Populus grandidentata and P. tremuloides) and maple (Acer saccharum and A. rubrum) species comprise the primary deciduous species that have replaced conifers. These changes reflect the cumulative effects of local forest alterations over the region and they affect future ecosystem conditions as well as the ecosystem services they provide.

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2018). Sulfate and acid resistance of lithomarge-based geopolymer mortars. Construction and Building Materials, 166,[537][538][539][540][541][542][543][544][545][546][547][548][549][550][551][552][553] ABSTRACTThe resistance of room temperature cured geopolymer mortars (GPM) against chemical attacks, i.e. sodium and magnesium sulfate solutions, and sulfuric and hydrochloric acid solutions, was evaluated. GPMs were formulated using a lithomarge precursor (low-purity kaolin) to achieve 28-day characteristic compressive strengths of 37.5 and 60 MPa. Their performance was compared with those of equivalent Portland cement mortars (PCMs) having the same paste volume and strength grade. GPMs with both strength grades showed superior performance against sulfate attack when compared to PCMs. No visual deterioration was observed in GPMs, the mass and length changes were relatively small, and no changes to the microstructure were detected -in contrast to severely deteriorated PCMs.As confirmed by visual observations and lower mass loss, GPMs showed better resistance to attack by both acids than PCMs. GPMs provided a better quality (lower permeability) of an acid-degraded layer, lowering the degree of further deterioration. The main mechanisms of the matrix deterioration of GPMs in both acids was dealumination of the hardened binder, with a higher degree of changes detected for sulfuric acid.

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