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Tallgrass Prairie Center News, Fall 2015, University Of Northern Iowa. Tallgrass Prairie Center.

Tallgrass Prairie Center Newsletter

Inside This Issue:

-- Black Soil and Gold Hues: 29th Roadside Conference
-- In-Field of Dreams: Prairie Strips Will Come
-- Putting TPC expertise to work on Monarch and Pollinator Conservation
-- Paddy Woodworth, Irish Author Visits UNI
-- 2015 Iowa Prairie Conference: Working Prairies
-- Controlling Invasive Cattails by Fire, Herbicide, and Mowing
-- Iowa IRVM Story Map Project
-- A Sand Mound Prairie Attracts Butterflies...and Admirers
-- New Publications Available from the Tallgrass Prairie Center
-- Student Profiles: Jordan Young, Graduate Student, Biology
-- Student Profiles: Wynton Karanja, Global Health: Health Disparities

Tallgrass Prairie Center News, Spring 2015, University Of Northern Iowa. Tallgrass Prairie Center.

Tallgrass Prairie Center Newsletter

Inside This Issue:

-- 2015 Iowa Prairie Conference: Working Prairies
-- High Diversity = High Performance
-- IRVM Updates
-- Prairie Power Project
-- Prairie on Farms
-- Prairie on Farms Demonstration Workshops
-- Milkweeds: Monarch Immigration Reform
-- New Student Employee
-- New Center Staff

Prairie Power Project: Determining Maximum Sustainable Production Of Biomass With A Mixture Of Prairie Species, Cynthia Cambardella, Kenneth Elgersma, Eric Giddens, Mark Myers, Mark Sherrard, Daryl Smith

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

No abstract provided.

Functional Analysis Of Drought-Resistant Genes In Barley Using Vigs, Natalie Catherine Martin

Honors Program Theses

The following study analyzed the role of the gamma-aminobutyric acid transaminase (GABAT) gene in the response of barley plants to drought stress. Expression of GABAT in barley was suppressed using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). In VIGS, an RNA virus is used to replicate a small portion of the target RNA. In this study, barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV), that carries a piece of the GABAT gene to infect barley, was used. As the virus replicates inside infected barley plants, it also makes RNA that is complementary to GABAT messenger RNA (mRNA) that is normally made by the host. The presence …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Burning, Haying And Mowing On Plants And Small Mammals In A Tallgrass Prairie Reconstruction, Ryan Allan Neuhaus

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Fire is an effective management tool for reconstructed prairies. However, due to safety concerns, road departments and other prairie managers are sometimes reluctant to use fire. Therefore, alternative techniques to manage reconstructed prairie, such as mowing or haying, need to be considered. The goal of this study is to determine if mowing and/or haying can be used to manage vegetation in lieu of fire for prairie reconstructions. This study examines the effects of four management techniques on plant and small mammal species in a tallgrass prairie reconstruction. No management, mowing, haying, and burning were replicated six times using a split …

Variation In Mineral Content Of Prairie Forb Species And Content Changes Over Winter Related To Slagging Potential, Jennifer Nyla Wahl Rupp

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Coal fired power plants are responsible for more than 75 percent of the energy produced in Iowa. Burning coal releases large amount of carbon dioxide and other chemical compounds into the atmosphere.

A variety of types of biomass, including prairie vegetation, are being proposed as biofuel alternatives for electrical generation. Tilman et al. (2006) determined that biofuels from mixtures of prairie vegetation of increasing diversity provide more usable energy, reduce greenhouse gases and produce less agriculture pollutants. The Prairie Power Project of the Tallgrass Prairie Center is testing four mixtures of prairie species for maximum production of biomass. A primary …

Biodiversity And Ecosystem Function And The Design Of Tallgrass Restorations For Biomass Production, Dustin Robert Jon Graham

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Biodiversity and ecosystem function research (BEF) suggests species richness may provide high levels of ecosystem functions. However, few studies have applied a BEF perspective of restoration, which utilizes biodiversity to achieve increases in ecosystem functions. In this study, we test the application of the BEF perspective of restoration in the design of tallgrass prairie plantings as a biomass crops. Specifically, we examine the effects of planted species richness on biomass production, resistance to disturbance, and resistance to invasion by weeds.

Four seed mixes which range in species richness (1, 5, 16 and 32 species) were established in four, field-scale (0.33-0.55 …

Analysis Of Ipomoea (Morning Glory) Leaf Mutants, Abigail Anne Lee

Honors Program Theses

Ipomoea (morning glory) is the largest genus in the family Convolvulaceae. Cultivation of morning glory plants began in the late Edo period in Japan, and this horticultural success resulted in thousands of plants with varying floral displays. In addition to the different flower morphologies, leaf shape is highly variable within this family making it an ideal group in which to study leaf development. We selected four mutants that vary in lobe number and lobe depth: 1) Tokyo Standard (TKS1065; wild-type; 3 lobes), yellow maple (ym1018; 5 lobes), delicate maple (dlm620; 5 deep lobes), and maple willow …

Butterfly And Floral Community Dynamics At A Native Prairie Agrofuel Research Site, Benjamin J. Hoksch

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Agrofuel production in the Midwest has historically relied upon monoculture food crops (Zea mays and Glycine max) that do little to support biodiversity or maintain soil and water quality. The University of Northern Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairie Center is investigating the feasibility of establishing and harvesting diverse mixes of native prairie vegetation for use as a sustainable agrofuel. In 2009 48 research plots were established on three soil types, on land with a >30 year history of row crop production in Black Hawk County, IA. Each plot was seeded with one of four native prairie agrofuel crops: (1) Switchgrass1, (2) Grasses5 …