Life Sciences Commons^™

New Records Of Carrion Beetles In Nebraska Reveal Increased Presence Of The American Burying Beetle, Nicrophorus Americanus Olivier (Coleoptera: Silphidae), Jessica Jurzenski, Daniel G. Snethen, Mathew L. Brust, W. Wyatt Hoback

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Surveys for the American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus Olivier (Silphidae), between 2001 and 2010 in Nebraska resulted in 11 new county records for this endangered species and 465 new county records for 14 other silphid species. A total of 5,212 American burying beetles were captured in more than 1,500 different locations. Using mark-recapture data, we estimated the population size of the American burying beetle (ABB) for six counties in the Sandhills. Blaine County (2003) had the largest population, with an estimated 56 ABBs per km² (1,338 ± 272 ABBs). The remaining estimates were between 2 and 36 ABBs per …

Review Of Grass: In Search Of Human Habitat. By Joe C. Truett. Foreword By Harry W. Greene., Mary Ann Vinton

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Much of the book is devoted to discussing the heavy human dependence on grasslands and whether this relationship can be maintained in company with grassland conservation. Can humans continue to use grasslands for food, fiber, and newer uses like biofuels and carbon banking while still sustaining the ecosystem? Many of us in academic ecology struggle with resolving perceived conflicts between conservation and human grassland use. In many cases, a "win-win" scenario exists in which, for example, the proper use of livestock grazing is perfectly compatible with a healthy grassland ecosystem. In other cases, such as conserving prairie dog populations, tensions …

Review Of Damselflies Of Texas: A Field Guide. By John C. Abbott., Forrest L. Mitchell

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Well-produced field guides are always in demand, and Damselflies of Texas is one such. This compact, camera-bag-friendly compendium displays each of the 77 species known to occur, or that have been historically documented, in the state. The guide's first 50 pages are introductory and full of useful detail. There follows a large section devoted to species descriptions and a set of appendices.

Review Of Sandhill And Whooping Cranes: Ancient Voices Over America's Wetlands. By Paul A. Johnsgard., Janice M. Hughes

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

This charming, informative book has clearly been written by someone who truly understands and appreciates the magnificence of cranes. Indeed, Sandhill and Whooping Cranes: Ancient Voices over America's Wetlands is Paul Johnsgard's fourth book on the subject. The knowledge he imparts, presented from the heart, culminates almost five decades of personal observations and research on cranes. Moreover, the book features many attractive illustrations and detailed maps sketched by the author himself.

Sandhill and Whooping Cranes is a scholarly work with a much-welcomed personal touch. Whether its reader is contemplating a pilgrimage to observe these wonderful birds in the wild, or …

Review Of A Field Guide To The Amphibians And Reptiles Of Nebraska. By Daniel D. Fogell., Joseph T. Collins

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

A good field guide to any wildlife group includes an identification key, quality photographs, distribution maps, and a natural history summary. The recently published Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Nebraska does not fail the reader in this regard, having all of these features and more. Dan Fogell effectively presents all 62 species of amphibians, turtles, and reptiles native to Nebraska as well as four additional species of possible occurrence within the state, and all in a useful and compact guide that can be toted easily on a hike or any other field expedition.

This long-overdue updated field …

Surveillance Of Selected Diseases In Free-Ranging Elk (Cervus Elaphus Nelsoni) In Nebraska, 1995-2009, Michael A. Cover, Scott E. Hygnstrom, David W. Oates, Kit M. Hams, Kurt C. Vercauteren

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Sera samples were collected from 21 free-ranging, captured female elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) in 1995- 96, and tissue and sera samples were collected from 415 hunter-harvested elk from 1995 to 2006 and tested for selected diseases. Titers for Anaplasma marginale were detected in 81 of 436 (19%) elk. Occurrence of antibodies to anaplasmosis increased from 4 to 40 elk from 2002 to 2006. Titers for bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) were detected in 18 of 346 (5%) samples. Titers for Leptospira interrogans serovars were detected in 21 of 289 (7%) of samples from 1995 to 2004. Titers for …

Great Plains Research, Volume 21, Number 2, Fall 2011 (Complete Issue)

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

NATURAL SCIENCES

New Records of Carrion Beetles in Nebraska Reveal Increased Presence of the American Burying Beetle, Nicrophorus americanus Olivier (Coleoptera: Silphidae) • Jessica Jurzenski, Daniel G. Snethen, Mathew L. Brust, and W. Wyatt Hoback . . 131

Surveillance of Selected Diseases in Free-Ranging Elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) in Nebraska, 1995-2009 • Michael A. Cover, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Scott R. Groepper, David W. Oates, Kit M. Hams, and Kurt C. VerCauteren . . 145

Historical Biogeography of Nebraska Pronghorns (Antifocapra americana) • Justin D. Hoffman, Hugh H. Genoways, and Rachel R. Jones . 153

Native and European Haplotypes of Phragmites …

Effects Of Herbicides And Grazing On Floristic Quality Of Native Tallgrass Pastures In Eastern South Dakota And Southwestern Minnesota, Alexander J. Smart, Matthew J. Nelson, Peter J. Bauman, Gary E. Larson

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Historic herbicide use and grazing have influenced natural diversity and quality of native pasturelands in the Great Plains. Floristic quality assessments are useful to assist agencies in prioritizing conservation practices to enhance native grasslands. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of past land-use practices on the floristic quality of remnant native pastures in eastern South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota. Floristic quality assessments were conducted on 30 native pastures and categorized by past management practices (herbicide application and grazing intensity). Mean coefficient of conservatism (C) and floristic quality index (FQI) were calculated for each site~Results showed that …

Historical Biogeography Of Nebraska Pronghorns (Antilocapra Americana), Justin D. Hoffman, Hugh H. Genoways, Rachel R. Jones

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Archeological and paleontological records indicate that the pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) have a history of at least 20,000 years of occurrence within the current boundaries of Nebraska. Pronghorns occurred throughout the state for much of its history. With the evidence at hand we concluded that the eastern boundary of the geographic distribution of the pronghorn south of the Niobrara River in Nebraska at the beginning of the 19th century was along the western perimeter of the eastern deciduous forest and tallgrass prairie. This excluded most of the easternmost tier of counties in the state. This geographic arrangement persisted throughout …

Review Of Rare: Portraits Of America's Endangered Species. By Joel Sartore., Jim Mason

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Short of being in the presence of a creature, a really good photograph of one can also make a lasting impression. That is something RARE does compellingly, with exquisite portrait photos of 68 North American species that are dwindling dangerously in numbers or have recently recovered from the brink of extinction. Included are such Great Plains natives as the lesser prairie chicken, the interior least tern, and the black-footed ferret. All creatures were photographed with either a pure white or black background, but unconventional poses surprise the reader with each turn of the page, while creative framing and layout engage …

Native And European Haplotypes Of Phragmites Australis (Common Reed) In The Central Platte River, Nebraska, Diane L. Larson, Susan M. Galatowitsch, Jennifer L. Larson

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Phragmites australis (common reed) is known to have occurred along the Platte River historically, but recent rapid increases in both distribution and density have begun to impact habitat for migrating sandhill cranes and nesting piping plovers and least terns. Invasiveness in Phragmites has been associated with the incursion of a European genotype (haplotype M) in other areas; determining the genotype of Phragmites along the central Platte River has implications for proper management of the river system. In 2008 we sampled Phragmites patches along the central Platte River from Lexington to Chapman, NE, stratified by bridge segments, to determine the current …

Health And Fertility Implications Related To Seasonal Changes In Kidney Fat Index Of White-Tailed Jackrabbits In South Dakota, Dustin Schaible, Charles D. Dieter

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

White-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii) populations in the Northern Plains have been in a general decline for the past decade or longer. A suggested reason for this population decline was reduced body condition of individual jackrabbits due to habitat changes. In order to evaluate body condition, we determined the kidney fat index of 314 white-tailed jackrabbits harvested in 44 counties throughout South Dakota. We removed and weighed kidneys and all perirenal fat associated with the kidneys from collected jackrabbits. We measured kidney weight to determine times of high metabolic activity as indicated by an increase in mass. Body condition was …

Using Euro-American Hunting Data To Assess Western Great Plains Biogeography, 1806-35, Cody Newton

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Historic accounts from the 19th-century western Great Plains contain significant information on Plains ungulates and other animals, particularly as they relate to provisioning the Euro-American travelers. Using data derived from these accounts, a quantitative assessment of the hunting success of the Pike, Long, Glenn, and Dodge expeditions of the early 19th century is presented to ascertain the conditions of these species in the region. These data are then used to assess historiographic models of bison overhunting. This analysis indicates that the western Southern Plains and western Central Plains had differing trajectories of overhunting explained by temporally variable human and environmental …

Review Of The Tallgrass Prairie Center Guide To Prairie Restoration In The Upper Midwest. By Daryl Smith, Dave Williams, Greg Houseal, And Kirk Henderson., Gerry Steinauer

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Tallgrass prairie restoration in the Upper Midwest is the focus of this guide. Its geographic area of coverage includes the eastern fifth of South Dakota and Nebraska and northeast Kansas, a region some ascribe to the eastern Great Plains. Two types of prairie restoration are dealt with: prairie reconstruction, which the authors define as creating prairie from scratch on sites where prairie plants no longer exist; and prairie remnant restoration, defined as upgrading degraded existing prairies. The book comprises five sections: "Reconstruction Planning," "Implementing Reconstruction," "Prairie Restoration and Management," "Special Cases," and "Native Seed Production." There are 16 chapters, each …

Do Invasive Riparian Woody Plants Affect Hydrology And Ecosystem Processes?, Julie Huddle, Tala Awada, Derrel Martin, Xinhua Zhou, Sue Ellen Pegg, Scott Josiah

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

© 2011 Copyright by the Center for Greot Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Cottonwood Riparian Site Selection On The Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, Julie A. Thorstenson, Diane Rickerl, Janet H. Gritzner

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

The construction of the Oahe Dam on the Missouri River eliminated thousands of acres ofriparian and floodplain lands on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. Restoration is needed to replace wildlife habitat. This study focused on site selection for native cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartr. Ex Marsh. ssp. Monilifers (Ait.) Eckenwalde) restoration to help mitigate this loss. Geographic information systems technologies were used to develop a suitability model for cottonwood restoration. Tribal lands were extracted from a digital dataset oflandownership. Those touched by or included in a 46 m border of the Moreau River were candidate sites. Of …

Historic And Contemporary Trends Of The Conservation Reserve Program And Ring-Necked Pheasants In South Dakota, Christopher R. Laingen

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Over the past century, the interactions between agricultural land use and government cropland retirement programs have affected pheasant population change. Two government land retirement programs that returned croplands to grasslands, Soil Bank in the 1960s and the current Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), help to illustrate these connections. From 2007 to 2010, South Dakota lost 41% of its CRP lands and experienced an 18% decline in pheasants per mile. However, because of where CRP expirations have occurred and where pheasant populations are found, some regional variability is seen. Western South Dakota (Region 1) had an 80% increase in pheasants per mile …

Review Of Nature's Ghosts: Confronting Extinction From The Age Of Jefferson To The Age Of Ecology. By Mark V. Barrow, Jr., Peter A. Bednekoff

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

The saving of bison occupies a central place in Nature's Ghosts, but Mark Barrow's chronicle extends over a century both before and after. The story starts with Thomas Jefferson and fossils that came to be recognized as mastodons, mammoths, and giant ground sloths. "Jefferson and most of his contemporaries were certain that the natural world was orderly, static, and new." In such a worldview, extinction was unthinkable. Fossil evidence plus the historical extinctions of dodos, moas, and great auks forced reconsideration.

This book ranges across centuries and continents, and only a few parts of it are explicitly about the Great …

Review Of Raptors Of New Mexico. Edited By Jean-Luc E. Cartron., Brian Millsap

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

As a raptor specialist, I eagerly look forward to the publication of state and regional books on birds of prey, typically rich with hard-to-find locally flavored information on distribution and biology. With the publication of Raptors of New Mexico, my home state has joined the ranks of the handful of states blessed with such volumes, and in fine form. This is an impressive work both in size and content, but the first thing anyone will notice are the photographs-hundreds, most top-notch, many capturing moods, scenes, and places unique to New Mexican raptors. In many ways the book is a showcase …

Review Of The Ecology And Management Of Prairies In The Central United States. By Chris Helzer., David J. Gibson

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

This relatively short book is an informative and easyto- read account of the author's philosophy and advice on how to manage prairies in the Central U.S., an area corresponding to the eastern portion of the Great Plains where tall- and mixed-grass prairie occurred. With fragmentation and huge losses of this region's natural prairie habitat, there is a growing appreciation for active management of remnants and prairie restoration. This book provides an excellent introduction to this topic.

Review Of Pieces Of The Plains: Memories And Predictions From The Heart Of America. By John Janovy, Jr., Mark Hammer

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

John Janovy, Jr., author, parasitologist, and Varner Professor of Biological Sciences at the University ofNebraska- Lincoln, describes his book as "sort of a memoir, but one in which experience is the main character, instead of the writer." Janovy divides this experience into three sections describing his past, his present, and humanity's future.

Janovy the teacher is never far from each chapter's storyline. Describing his central theme as "education in the broadest sense, a constant learning derived from exploration of things and places," he sets out in the book's pages to engage in a discussion of big ideas just as he …

Review Of Cougar: Ecology And Conservation. Edited By Maurice Hornocker And Sharon Negri., Oranit Gilad

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Historically, cougars (mountain lions, pumas, or panthers) had an extensive distribution throughout the Americas, ranging from British Columbia in North America to Patagonia at South America's tip. As a native species and a large obligate carnivore, the cougar has a complex relationship with the human population in the Americas. This current book-the product of multiple authors, all with hands-on experience in cougar work, and written in a clear manner appropriate to most audiences-is an important addition to the scientific literature in the field of carnivore conservation in the New World. As a product of many authors, Cougar: Ecology and Conservation …

Review Of Whooping Crane: Images From The Wild. By Klaus Nigge., Paul Johnsgard

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

When asked to review this book I hadn't yet heard of it or its author, a wildlife photographer well known in his native Germany and the author of four photographic books published there, so I was eager to read it. The book is visually impressive, measuring 11" x 12", making it a true coffee-table production. Inside is a well-written 2S-page "primer" on whooping cranes by Krista Schlyer dealing with cranes in myth and legend, crane vocalizations and displays, and breeding biology. She also provides a brief survey of the whooping crane's population history, its near brush with extinction, and the …

Review Of 620 Wild Plants Of North America: Fully Illustrated. By Tom Reaume., Mark J. Leoschke

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Beautifully and profusely illustrated with the author's black-and-white drawings, the 12-year project that became this book shows his love for plants. Tom Reaume focuses on a representative selection of primarily native vascular plants of the Great Plains of Canada and the northern United States found in forests, lakes, prairies, rivers, and wetlands. The book appears to be designed as a supplement for an introductory course in plant taxonomy.

This book is a useful reference for those interested in the flora of the northern Great Plains and adjacent regions. I highly recommend it for college and university libraries where botany and …

Review Of The Tallgrass Prairie Center Guide To Seed And Seedling Identification In The Upper Midwest. By Dave Williams., H. L. Hillhouse

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

This book will please both practitioners of prairie restoration and more general prairie enthusiasts. It includes 72 grass and forb species, and the focus is clearly on species often found in tallgrass prairie plantings in the upper Midwest. The grasses and forbs are presented separately here, and for each group a morphological key is provided to divide the species into "Key Characteristic Groups." Because these groups are based on morphological similarity, species within a group are often-but not always-closely related.

Short and highly portable, the book covers the most common species in plantings. The only thing that would have delighted …