Life Sciences Commons^™

Germination Rates Of Carex Spp. Seed After Long-Term Storage, Jonathan N. Nzombo, Kate Sinnott, Laura E. Fischer Walter

Undergraduate Student Work

This study explores the germination rates of Carex spp. seed that has been in storage for five to ten years. The genus Carex is a group of ecologically important grass-like species that constitute up to 25% of the aboveground biomass in tallgrass prairies. In the early 2000s, seed production plots of 18 Carex species were established from remnant prairie seed at the Tallgrass Prairie Center in Cedar Falls, IA. Seed harvested from the Carex plots from 2009 to 2014 was made available for release to the native seed industry for commercial production, with the remainder stored in an onsite seed …

The Effects Of Varying Nitrogen Amounts On The Growth And Leaf Morphology Of Cattail Species, Anissa Forero, Kenneth J. Elgersma

Undergraduate Student Work

In Iowa, there are three types of cattails (Typha spp.): Typha latifolia (broadleaf), Typha angustifolia (narrow leaf), and Typha x glauca. T. latifolia is native to Iowa, while T. angustifolia and T. x glauca are not native. Cattails are found in wetlands, highly productive ecosystems that provide many services such as water filtration and flood control.

However, Typha are opportunistic and invasive: if left uncontrolled, Typha grows rapidly by clonal reproduction, quickly dominating the ecosystem, lowering overall diversity and hurting the wetland’s conservation value. Being able to easily identify these taxa will improve the pace of future research.

The purpose …

Sown Forb Performance In Cp42 Fields, Nathan Theel, Mark Sherrard

Undergraduate Student Work

 CP42 is a general conservation practice that attempts to establish pollinator-friendly habitat

 In total, >500,000 acres have been converted to CP42 (>40% of which is in Iowa) [1]

 To date, there has been no formal assessment of practice success (i.e., post-seeding forb establishment)

 In this study, we assess forb establishment in randomly selected CP42 fields near Cedar Falls, Iowa

 We identify forbs with high/low establishment and relate this to seed cost in an effort to improve seed mix design

Soil Characteristics Affecting Weed Invasion On Conservation Reserve Program Pollinator Habitats, Jennifer Pauley

Undergraduate Student Work

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a land conservation program administered by the US Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (FSA) to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and create wildlife habitat.

• The CP-42 program provides cost share and an annual rental payment to farmers in order to establish native prairie species for pollinator habitat.

County NRCS technical staff make recommendations for seed mix to match the dominant soil moisture class in a parcel (e.g. dry, mesic, wet) with the appropriate plant species.

• There has been little to no research prior to the Biology SURP initiative to monitor …

Floral Resource Dynamics For Pollinators In A Central Iowa Tallgrass Prairie Restoration, Lily Conrad, Ben Hoksch, Mark C. Myers

Undergraduate Student Work

Recently, native and managed colonies of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and other insects, have experienced a largescale declines. In an effort to restore habitat for pollinators, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) created the CP-42 Pollinator Habitat conservation practice under the Conservation Reserve Program. This program pays private landowners to restore habitat for pollinator species with ecological and economic importance. To qualify for the program, CP-42 seed mixes must include:

• A minimum of 9 pollinator-friendly flowering plants,

• A minimum of three species in bloom during each of three seasonal periods (April-June 15, June 15-July, …

Floral Resource Availability And Butterfly Community Characteristics In Cp-42 Pollinator Habitat Plantings, Ethan Marburger, Corinne Myers, Mark Myers

Undergraduate Student Work

Prairies once covered approximately 85% of Iowa, but due to extensive habitat loss less than 0.1% of native prairies remain (Smith 1998). Habitat loss in Iowa has been driven by agricultural expansion and intensification, and has resulted in the decline of many native insect pollinators. To curb habitat loss and restore habitat for pollinators, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) provides private landowners incentives to enroll agricultural land into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Pollinator Habitat (CP-42) practice. The CP-42 conservation practice requires landowners to seed at least 9 species of pollinator friendly wildflowers, legumes, or shrubs on enrolled lands. CP-42 …

Correlation Between Wild Bee Populations And Vegetative Resources In The Conservation Reserve Program’S Pollinator Enhancement Plantings, Olivia Willoughby, Alyssa Burgert, Nathan Theel, Ai Wen

Undergraduate Student Work

 Wild bee populations are in decline; and one of the main factors that caused this is habitat loss, which diminishes floral resources that bees utilize for nectar and pollen (Watanabe 2013)

 The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) aims to combat habitat loss by implementing ecological restorations that provide resources for a variety of different wildlife

 In 2011, the CRP established a Pollinator Habitat Initiative called CP-42, which encompasses forbs and grasses to create adequate habitat for pollinators

 A primary goal of this program is to enhance pollinator abundance and diversity