Life Sciences Commons^™

Circadian Rhythms In Blood And Self-Measured Physiologic Variables In Young People Ages 9-14, Joseph Rabatin

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

In order to investigate circadian (about 24 hour) rhythms in young people 9-14 years of age in several physiologic variables, self-measurements of oral temperature, pulse, blood pressure and selected performance tests were conducted by ten subjects. Each subject was also 'hospitalized for a twenty-four hour span in order to have blood sampled to detect a circadian rhythm in several blood constituents and indices.

The Effects Of Dieldrin On Chickens, Sondra Severson

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

In this study, insecticide residues in chicken eggs, livers, and fats were monitored in a flock of chickens for seventy-nine days. The test group was fed dieldrin in their drinking water for eighteen days and then was returned to normal water for forty-two more days. The sacrificed birds of the test group showed a 0.39 ppm average increase in dieldrin residue in the eggs, 0 .14 ppm in the livers and 9.54ppm in the fats when compared with the control eggs. livers and fats respectively. The I-test calculations showed these results to be significant.

Observations of the embryos from the …

Nest Architecture Of Polistine Wasps, James M. Poff

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

Wasps of the genus Polistes build two basic types of unenclosed paper nests. The mesocaulus type nest has fewer peripheral cells and comes closer to having the minimum number of total cell walls than the acrocaulus type nest. It is suggested that natural selection has favored this more economical nest form in regions with short growing seasons.

Some Effects Of Prescribed Fire At Cedar Creek Natural History Area, A. N. Axelrod, F. D. Irving

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

On four oak savanna restoration compartments with a total area of 100 acres, annual burns (1965-1972) reduced the percent of milacre plots stocked with hazel to 39 compared with 65 on unburned areas. Four growing seasons after one and three fires the hazel distribution was not significantly different from the control. Annual burns increased the density of hazel stems in clones to 19.5 per .0001 acre compared to 11.0 on controls. Stem density four years after 1 and 3 burns averaged 10.0 and 8.0 per .0001 acre. The o.d. weight of live hazel stems per .0001 on annual burn areas …

Energy Potential Of Cattails (Typha Spp.) And Productivity In Managed Stands, N. J. Andrews, D. C. Pratt

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

Because of their high productivity in both natural and managed stands, cattails are being considered as a potential "energy crop". Yields of 40 tons per hectare, including above and below ground biomass, have been reported (Moss et al., 1977). Yields from plants grown in managed paddies on peat are generally 20-30 percent lower. The maximum shoot weight occurs in August while maximum below ground biomass is reached in October. Total biomass increased with increasing rates of fertilizer application but differences were not significant. Differences between the initial nutrient contents of the two peat types used were more important than fertilizer …

Unialgal Growth Of Anabaena And Dictyosphaerium In Lake Itasca, Charles P. Mason

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

A relatively new field technique was employed to determine the growth of algae in natural waters. Anabaena sp. (Cyanophyta) and Dictyosphaerium sp. (Chlorophyta) were grown in separate membrane filter chambers situated in Lake Itasca and LaSalle Lagoon, a sewage effluent pond. Physical and chemical determinations before and after each two-week experiment were correlated with changes in algal biomass. Wet weight determinations of Anabaena were twice as great in the lake as in the sewage lagoon, while Dictyosphaerium growth was the same in both habitats. Nitrogen (nitrate and nitrite) was 0.09 • 0.2 mg/1 in the lagoon and from less than …

Attempts To Enrich The Parasite Fauna Of The European Corn Borer In Minnesota, H. C. Chiang, D. F. Palmer

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

Four parasitic insect species were tested in laboratory experimentation for adaptability to the European corn borer (ECB). Apanreles sesamiae, Apanteles flavipes and Chelonus knabi did not adapt to the ECB, Lixophaga diatraeae was able to survive on ECB. Three other species. Macrocentrus grandii, Eriborus terebrans and Lydella rhompsoni, all known parasites of ECB, were obtained and reared in the laboratory on ECB for propagation, release and ecological studies. Methodology for experimentation and propagation of parasites was described.

Vasectomization & Colloidal Particle Uptake By Cells Of The Caput Epididymis, Gaylan Smith, Wayne A. Becker

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

India ink was injected into the rete testes of 15 male mice and 15 male rats. The progress of the particulate matter through the epididymis was examined by histological methods at intervals from 4 to 24 hours. Preliminary observations suggest that vasectomization does not alter the ability of the proximal caput epididymis to absorb particulate matter.

Fish Species, Some Uncommon, Collected From The Lower Minnesota River, Daniel B. Wilcox, Bruce D. Lorenz, Vincent Kranz

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

Fish collections were made in the lower Minnesota River in the vicinity of the Black Dog Generating Plant and at the intake structure of the plant from April, 1976, to April, 1977 as part of a section 316(b) demonstration study. Composition of the fish community of the area is reported along with notes on several species whose occurrence was considered unusual . New information on the occurrence of river carpsucker (Carpiodes carpio Rafinesque) and river darter (Percina shumardi, Girard) to the Minnesota River is also presented.

Occurrence Of Corbicula Manilensis Phillipi In The Lower Minnesota River, Steven E. Cummings, James A. Jones

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

On March 2, 1978, several empty shells of the fresh water clam, Corbicula manilensis Phillipi, were collected in the Minnesota River near the Blackdog electric generating plant in Burnsville, Minnesota. Since this Asiatic species was first observed in America in 1935, it has spread into all major river systems of North America. Its northernly extension in the Mississippi River system was, however, thought to end in northeast Iowa and to exclude Minnesota. Occurrence of this species is a potential liability because it often exerts a disruptive influence in the community that it invades.

The Elongation Of The Leaf Of Cyclamen Persicum Mill. (Cultivars), Marshall D. Sundberg

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

The leaves of three cultivars of Cyclamen persicum were examined at several stages of development in order to determine the pattern of elongation in both the lamina and petiole. Although there is a considerable literature on lamina elongation, relatively little is known about the growth of the petiole. In the latter structure it is usually assumed that an intercalary meristem is involved. Elongation of the young leaf is initially due to activity distributed throughout the deve1opint organ. Maturation of the leaf progresses acropetally from the base of the petiole and basipetally from the tip of the lamina. As the leaf …

Effects Of Nutrients On Productivity And Morphology Of Typha Angustifolia X Latifolia, V. Bonnewell, D. C. Pratt

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

The productivity of natural stands of cattails (Typha latifolia) has been correlated with the amounts of nutrients in the soil and water by Boyd and Hess (Ecology, 51: 296, 1970). The direct effects of varying levels of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) on productivity were examined in our study by growing cattails in Hoagland's nutrient solution. Concentrations of ¼, 1/16, and 1/64 the amount of N present in complete Hoagland's solution (0.01Ml resulted in 63 percent, 48 percent and 26 percent of the dry weight of plants grown in complete solution. Rhizomes used to start plants contained considerable …

Dictyostelium Discoideum's 35-Year Contribution To Growth Of Biology: A Bibliometric Analysis, Joann Hilmas, Walter Fluegel

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

Biological Abstracts is a sufficiently adequate bibliometric tool for the analysis of the accumulated literature of certain organisms. Dictyostelium discoideum (Cellular slime mold) titles are scarce, yet literature growth parallels some of the same growth patterns as the whole of science. Relatively few (5 percent) biologists produce most (55 percent) of the literature on this organism. American authors predominate. The literature is grouped into various categories such as aggregation, cytology, growth, and genetics with the molecular-physiological works surpassing all other categories combined in the last 5 years (66 percent). Although the literature is scattered worldwide, most articles are found in …

Thermal Shock Effects On Larvae Of Caddis Fly Brachycentrus Americanus, Jack A. Salmela, Richard L. Anderson

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

Wild-collected Brachycentrus americanus larvae were subjected to thermal shocks of 30-minute and 60-minute duration in June, September, and December of 1976. Temperatures at collection were 14.7 , 10.4 , and 1.2 C, respectively. The TL50's for both 30-minute and 60-minute shock durations ranged from 33.3 C to 34.0 C for each month, except for a 30-minute exposure in September, which had a TL 50 of 34.6 C. Larvae from a December exposure were held for 16 days to observe postexposure behavior. Feeding was reduced 50 percent among specimens exposed to temperatures 1.2 C below the 30-minute TL 50 and 3.6 …