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2021-2022 Tallgrass Prairie Center Highlights, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Annual Reports

From our director:

The roots of the Tallgrass Prairie Center go back to the 1980s, when UNI Biology Professor Daryl Smith began to collaborate with the Black Hawk County Secondary Roads Department. It was passion for prairie, combined with practicality, that drove this unusual partnership. Then in 1988, the Iowa Legislature wrote a powerful idea into the Iowa code: that it is in the public interest to manage Iowa’s roadsides for multiple purposes using ecological principles.

The Native Roadside Vegetation Center at UNI was formed to meet the practical challenges of that idea. Subsequently renamed the Tallgrass Prairie Center, we …

Native Seed Scoop, 2022 End Of Year Edition, University Of Northern Iowa. Tallgrass Prairie Center.

Native Seed Scoop

In this Issue:

--- ‘Tis (still) the season for seed cleaning at the Tallgrass Prairie Center
--- Iowa Prairie Network Winter Seminar
--- Native Seed Stakeholder Meeting
--- National Native Seed Conference
--- North American Prairie Conference
--- Iowa Source-Identified stock seed for native seed growers
--- New Ecotypes Available
--- Progress in Refreshing Existing Ecotypes
--- Iowa Native Seed Stakeholders in the News
--- A Scoop of Science

Native Seed Scoop, 2022 Harvest Edition, University Of Northern Iowa. Tallgrass Prairie Center.

Native Seed Scoop

In this Issue:

--- Native Seed Stakeholder Meeting
--- Seed Plot Fauna and Pathogens
--- Reviving "lost" ecotypes
--- First harvest from 2021 accessions
--- Trials with hemiparasites
--- Phenological differences among Iowa Ecotype zones
--- Seed Database Moves to SER Website
--- Research on the Native Plant Materials Supply
--- Our Pick of Podcasts

Assessing Methods For Enhancing Monarch Habitat In Re-Enrolling Crp Sites, Eva Van De Mortel, Tristan Murphy, Laura L. Jackson Ph.D.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Over the last 30 years, monarch butterflies and their habitats have been in dramatic decline. Land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is one of the greatest resources available to increase monarch population as it has the largest amount of space available for monarch habitat. However, some fields have lost the nectar plants and milkweeds necessary for monarch habitat. This study, asked how to best suppress vegetation in re-enrolling CRP land so that overseeded forbs have a better chance of survival? Vegetation surveys from 6 different sites in northeastern Iowa and results from 2021 to 2022 were compared. We …

Using Environmental Dna (Edna) To Assess Pollinator Communities In Cedar Valley, Mila Haynes, Brody Jack, Ai Wen Ph.D.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Tracking biological activity in Iowa prairies can prove difficult with such high levels of biodiversity. However, using environmental DNA (eDNA) collected from prairie flowers can provide integral information about the insects that pollinate various plants.

When bees land on flowers, they shed cells and leave trace amounts of their DNA behind. After extracting the DNA from these flowers using the Qiagen DNeasy Extraction method, the samples are then mixed with B10 primer. This primer allows only the bee DNA to be targeted once the samples are put through a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).

The purpose of this study is to …

Comparison Of Plant Richness And Density In Crp-42 Fields Between 2018 And 2022, Liz Wilgenbusch, Ai Wen Ph.D.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Recently, the number of pollinators have decreased dramatically throughout the United States. Pollinators play an important role in food production with around ⅓ of the world’s food crops being dependent on pollinators. Providing a high-forage habitat for pollinators is a proposed solution to combat their decline. In the upper Midwest United States, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) helps protect pollinator habitats by providing farmers with annual payments to retire their old farmland. The purpose of this study was to compare plant density and richness in CRP fields between year 3 and year 7 post planting to find trends in the …

Curating A Global Collection Of Grapsoid Crabs For The American Natural History Museum, Nyc, Taylor Pruisman, Amber Finke, Carl Thurman Ph.D.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Curation is a powerful tool when accessing information about specialized collections. Many researchers that use specimens borrowed from other institutions often find the supporting information insufficient. Over the last two years, a large collection of preserved grapsoid crabs was received from Frank H. Barnwell, Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.The collection of land crabs has undergone an extensive curation process done by University of Northern Iowa undergraduates. The curation process included identifying species, locating pin points, counting of sexes, rehousing and producing new labels. The specimens were sorted by their species, counted by gender, and their collection locations …

Developing Methods To Assess The Role Of Lumbricus Terrestris On Seed Predation In Prairie Restoration [Poster], Jacey Meier, Laura L. Jackson Ph.D.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Much of Iowa and the midwest used to be covered in tallgrass prairie– now only a small percentage of it remains. Many prairie restoration efforts to revitalize prairie lands are in place, but native prairie seed prices are extremely high. In addition, seedling establishment rates of native prairie seed are low. There are many events that can occur to prevent a seed from germinating into a seedling. One of those events is seed predation (or granivory). Seed predation is when seeds are used as a primary food source for animals. Granivores that commonly come to most minds include mice, squirrels, …

Evaluation Of Methods To Extract Genetic Material From Wild Bees, Brody Jack, Mila Haynes, Ai Wen Ph.D.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Genetic studies on bees are essential to the understanding of the genetic and species diversity of bees, as well as general prairie health. Diversification of species and genetics are in decline, this means a decline in overall prairie health is inevitable. The University of Northern Iowa has ongoing studies looking into the health of prairies as well as the bee population, with a need for an understanding of how to properly store and extract genetic material from wild bees. We examined the concentration of DNA and fragment size shown in a gel from the bees that were killed using two …

Exploring Microbes At Wind Cave As An Analog For Exobiological Environments Off Earth, Abby K. Sliwiniski, Emma W. Pellegrino, Nicole Geerdes, Marek K. Sliwinski

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Subterranean environments on Earth serve as an analog for the study of microbes on other planets. This has become an active area of research with the discovery of exoplanets. To learn about the microbial species living in Wind Cave, we are comparing methods to sample environmental DNA because most microbes cannot be cultivated using standard laboratory methods. We are then probing the environmental DNA with broad primers that are designed to amplify most life and narrower primers such as those specific to the domain Archaea. Of the methods compared, the Qiagen DNeasy Powerbiofilm kit produced the purest template as measured …

Native Seed Scoop, 2022 Post-Planting Edition, University Of Northern Iowa. Tallgrass Prairie Center.

Native Seed Scoop

Inside this Issue:

--- Events
--- In case you missed it
--- Collaboration on seed production issues
--- New species at the TPC
--- Conservation Program news
--- AOSCA updates certification booklet
--- Research scoop
--- Outreach, education, and marketing
--- In other news . . .

Irvine Prairie Outreach Update, Justin Meissen, Laura Jackson, C. Irvine, B. Pippert, Laura Walter, Anne Phillips, C. Teator

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

No abstract provided.

Irvine Prairie Science Update, C. Irvine, B. Pippert, Laura Jackson, Laura Walter, Anne Phillips, C. Teator, Justin Meissen

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

No abstract provided.

Irvine Prairie Planned Work, C. Irvine, B. Pippert, Laura Jackson, Laura Walter, Anne Phillips, C. Teator, Justin Meissen

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

No abstract provided.

Optimizing Graminoid Composition In Cost-Effective Seed Mixes For Prairie Strips, Justin Meissen

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

No abstract provided.

Prairie Strips: The Roadman Farm, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

No abstract provided.

Association Between Habitat And The Genetic Diversity Of The Brown-Belted Bumblebee (Bombus Griseocollis) In The Agricultural Landscape Across Northeast Iowa, Clarissa Elizabeth Bruns

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Wild bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are key pollinators in natural ecosystems and major contributors to pollination in agriculture. Despite this, numerous bee species are in decline from introduced pathogens, pesticides, and habitat fragmentation. In the Midwestern United States, the land is dominated by agricultural landscape, and farming practices result in limited floral resources and frequently disturbed nesting grounds for bee species. In this thesis, I examine the genetic diversity between and within populations of brown-belted bumblebee (Bombus griseocollis) across northeast Iowa and test for population genetic structure between reconstructed prairies within 3 years of establishment and prairies >10 years …

Biology News 2022, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Biology.

Biology News

Table of Contents

Letter from the Department Head ---- 2
Preparing Science Teachers ---- 2
Learning Biology at UNI ---- 3
In Case You Missed it ---- 4
Ch-ch-ch Changes ---- 4
Support the Programs that Mean the Most to You ---- 5
Connect with Us ---- 5

Native Seed Scoop, Winter 2022, University Of Northern Iowa. Tallgrass Prairie Center.

Native Seed Scoop

The Native Seed Scoop newsletter provides native seed producers, service providers, and consumers with practical information. The goal of this newsletter is to improve information sharing among native seed stakeholders and help sustain a diverse, thriving native seed market.

Inside this Issue:

--- Events
--- What's Your Scoop?
--- New TPC Seed Collections
--- Conservation Program News
--- Three Iowa Native Seed Growers
--- Research Scoop
--- Native Plant Awareness, Outreach, and Marketing
--- Tallgrass Prairie Center 2021 Highlights
--- In Memorium

Quantifying Genomic Diversity And Growth In Iowa Bluegill, Jeremy Raymond Abels

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) is one of the most fished species in Iowa. However, after an initial stocking event, lakes rarely receive additional stockings owing to a high rate of natural reproduction. For this reason, the genetic diversity of Bluegill populations remains understudied in the context of fisheries and natural resource management. Additionally, the extent to which genetics influences the growth rate of Bluegill on a population level has not yet been extensively examined. The goal of this study was to understand the diversity of Iowa’s Bluegill population and to determine if there is a genetic association with growth …

Soil Organic Carbon Accumulation In Restored Native Prairies Over Time, Samrin Shahnaz

Honors Program Theses

With the recent focus on the causes and effects of climate change, the relationship between agriculture and climate change has become an important concern. Conventional farming maximizes crop production at the expense of ecosystem services like soil carbon storage. As the human population grows, it is vital to develop practices that balance crop production and ecosystem services.

We investigated organic carbon accumulation in restored prairie soil over the course of a decade. Our goal was to determine how organic carbon levels and soil bulk density changed over time, and how that change was influenced by species diversity and soil depth. …

The Development Of A Photographic Atlas Of Plant Adaptations For Pollination, Bethany Van Dusseldorp

Honors Program Theses

Plants have biotic, abiotic, or both biotic and abiotic adaptations for pollination, depending on how they are structured and the attraction between the plant and pollinator. The main focus for this project was biotic adaptations for pollination, and how various plants are specifically structured for the insect, bird, or mammal to pick up the pollen and carry it to the next plant. Documentation, using image/focus stacking and macro photography, was done of the structures of various plants from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Botanical Center to support the reason for why plants are structured the way they are. While …

Developing Methods To Assess The Role Of Lumbricus Terrestris On Seed Predation In Prairie Restoration, Jacey R. Meier

Honors Program Theses

Tallgrass prairie used to cover Iowa and much of the midwest, but now only a small percentage of it remains. Many prairie restoration efforts are in place to revitalize Iowa’s former prairie landscape. Native prairie seed that is genetically diverse and regionally appropriate is expensive, and only 5-10% of the seeds planted germinate into seedlings. Ungerminated seed loss can occur many ways, one being due to seed predation. The common earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris, is a seed predator that has been observed to be present at prairie restoration sites by its numerous middens. The goal was to develop methods that would …

All About The Prairie: Coloring Book Of Plants, Animals, And Insects Native To Iowa Prairies, Brianna Hull

Faculty Book Gallery

A coloring book with drawings of plants, animals, and insects that are native to Iowa. Includes the common and Latin names of the species as well as the Meskwaki names for some. -- Provided by the publisher

Understanding Morphological Responses Of Typha (Cattail) Species To Nutrient Pollution, Anna Marie Shapiro

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the Midwestern United States, Typha x glauca is a hybrid of the native Typha latifolia and the non-native Typha angustifolia. Typha x glauca is considered invasive, and it is dominating Typha latifolia when they co-occur. Wetlands in the Midwest face nutrient pollution, due to fertilization used within the agricultural industry. Wetlands are nutrient sinks, which store the increased levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients are known to increase Typha growth. Within this thesis, it was hypothesized that an increase of nitrogen in the wetland may increase the width of Typha leaves, making it difficult to distinguish the …

Changes In The Barley Stem Proteome In Response To Drought During Grain Filling, Mohammed Al Slamh

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Drought is the major environmental factor that limits crop yield worldwide. Crops are particularly vulnerable to drought at the reproductive stage. In cereals, grain filling during drought depends on the contribution of current photosynthesis products from the leaf and spike and carbohydrates stored mainly in the stem and remobilized to the grain. Even though stem reserve is an important source for grain filling, changes in the proteome of barley stem under drought have not been studied. Also, the molecular events associated with differential stem reserve remobilization under drought are not well understood. In this study, barley plants were exposed to …

How Exercise Affects The Musculoskeletal System In The Biological Sexes: A Literature Review, Lauren Connolly

Honors Program Theses

Exercise has countless benefits for the human body. Physical activity increases overall health and reduces the risk of developing many chronic diseases. While the entire body is impacted by exercise, the musculoskeletal system is perhaps targeted most directly. Muscle contraction is required to complete any form of exercise, which helps build muscle mass and consequently strengthens bones. The physiology of musculoskeletal growth after exercise is the same for all individuals. However, the magnitude of this growth is not the same for men and women. Men have a profound ability to gain muscle mass that most women are not capable of …