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Woody Plant Communities Of The Iowa Loess Hills: Expansion From 1855 To 2000, Extant Composition, And Ecological Succession., Melanie I. Trecek-King
Woody Plant Communities Of The Iowa Loess Hills: Expansion From 1855 To 2000, Extant Composition, And Ecological Succession., Melanie I. Trecek-King
Student Work
The Loess Hills of western Iowa are a unique geologic landform historically covered by scattered bur oaks in a matrix of mixed-grass prairie. Since European settlement, however, woody plant encroachment has altered the ecosystem and presently endangers the last substantial prairies remnants in Iowa. Aerial photographs from 2000 and General Land Office field survey notes from the 1850s documented an increase in woody Plant cover from 7% in 1855 to 25% in 2000 for three centuries in the Loess Hills region of western Iowa. Woody Plant species composition along a lowland-ridge-top coenocline on both north and south aspects in centrally …
Insect Communities Of Native And Restored Wet-Mesic Tallgrass Prairies In Central Nebraska: Leafhoppers, Planthoppers, Treehoppers, And Ants., Kristine Trinette Nemec
Insect Communities Of Native And Restored Wet-Mesic Tallgrass Prairies In Central Nebraska: Leafhoppers, Planthoppers, Treehoppers, And Ants., Kristine Trinette Nemec
Student Work
Insect diversity was compared between and among three native and three restored wet-mesic tallgrass prairies along the Platte River in central Nebraska in order to assess both the relative success of restorations and the relationship between insect and plant diversity. Insects were sampled using sweep nets from two transects within each prairie during early June, mid-July, and mid-August 2000. Plant species composition was assessed along each transect in early June and mid-August. A total of 71 leafhopper, 12 planthopper, 3 treehopper, and 11 ant taxa were identified, of which 20 were prairie endemic and 16 were highly remnant-dependent. Eighty-five plant …
The Effect Of Fire Season And Frequency On The Plant Community Of A Restored Tallgrass Prairie., Nathaniel David Birks
The Effect Of Fire Season And Frequency On The Plant Community Of A Restored Tallgrass Prairie., Nathaniel David Birks
Student Work
The effect fire season and frequency was evaluated in 2001 at a 65 ha restored tallgrass prairie in eastern Nebraska using permanent plots established in 1978 and first evaluated in 1979. Treatments included annual and quadrennial burning in spring, summer, and fall as well as unburned plots. Overall, the number of species increased from 28 in 1979 to 30 in 2001, with a shift from ruderal to native species. Shannon diversity (H’) increased significantly across all treatments during this time. Canopy cover of grasses (+19%) and forbs (+18%) increased significantly. However, only forbs showed a significant difference among treatments in …