Life Sciences Commons^™

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 15, No. 3. September 1983

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WINTER DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT USE BY MULE DEER AND WHITE-TAILED DEER IN SOUTHEASTERN MONTANA ▪ J. E. Swenson, S. J. Knapp and H. J. Wentland

HISTORY AND STATUS OF EUROPEAN FALLOW DEER (Dama dama dama) AT ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY, ILLINOIS ▪ G. G. Gray

REPRODUCTIVE CHRONOLOGY OF GREATER PRAIRIE CHICKENS IN MINNESOTA AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CENSUSING AND NEST SEARCHING ▪ W. D. Svedarsky

SUMMER BIRD USE OF A STATE-OWNED HUNTING AREA IN NORTHWESTERN ILLINOIS ▪ M. W. Brown

EVALUATION OF INTRODUCED RUFFED GROUSE IN WESTERN …

Biosynthesis And Degradation Of Storage Protein In Spores Of The Fungus Botryodiplodia Theobromae, Gary Petersen, Kurt Dahlberg, James L. Van Etten

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Muiridin, a spore-specific protein of the fungus Botryodiplodia theobromae, comprises about 25% of the mature pycnidiospore protein. It has an apparent molecular weight of 16,000 to 17,000 and is rich in glutamine, asparagine, and arginink. Muiridin is synthesized in developing spores via a precursor with an apparent molecular welght of 24,000. Two other polypeptides present in young developing spores with apparent molecular weights of 18,000 and 15,000 are immunologically related to muiridin. We propose a pathway for muiridin synthesis. Muiridin is actively degraded during the germination of spores from 30-day old cultures. This degradation is independent of exogenous amino …

Factors Influencing Adult Emergence From Diapausing Sorghum Midge, Contarinia Sorghicola (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae, Frederick P. Baxendale, G. L. Teetes

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Sorghum midge, Contarinia sorghicola (Coquillett) diapause was terminated in the laboratory, and factors affecting adult emergence from diapausing larvae were investigated. Temperatures in the range from 20 to 30°C were optimum for diapause termination and adult emergence. Diapausing larvae exposed to moist conditions at 30°C began to emerge as adults after 12 days of incubation. Based on adult emergence rates per day, an emergence threshold temperature was estimated to be 14.8°C. Exposure to 12 to 13 days of continuous moisture at 30°C was essential for diapause termination and adult emergence. Moisture acted to initiate diapause termination, but diapausing larvae were …

Thermal Requirements For Emergence Of Overwintered Sorghum Midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), Frederick P. Baxendale, G. L. Teetes

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Emergence of overwintered sorghum midges, Contarinia sorghicola (Coquillett), was monitored during 1979, 1980, and 1981. Differences in emergence times and distributions among years was a function of soil temperature and rainfall. A heat unit accumulation model incorporating a rainfall adjustment factor was developed which described adult emergence in the spring. Adult midges initiated emergence after accumulating 431 centigrade heat units (based on mean daily to-cm soil temperatures starting 1 April) above a threshold temperature of 14.8°C, whereas, 679 and 977 heat units were required for 50 and 95% emergence, respectively. Sorghum midges that overwintered in johnsongrass spikelets emerged after similar …

Agricultural Experiment Station News August 1983

Agricultural Research Division: News and Annual Reports

CONTENTS:
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT LEAVES
STATION NAME CHANGE PROPOSED
FIELD LABORATORY TASK FORCE
NAME THE NEW EVENT
NATIONAL RESEARCH PRIORITIES
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT LEAVE REPORT
PROJECT REVIEWS
GOVERNOR SUPPORTS AG RESEARCH
AGRONOMY DEPARTMENT HEAD SEARCH
BUDGET REALLOCATION
GRANTS & CONTRACTS
NEW OR REVISED PROJECTS
PROJECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
PANHANDLE STATION DIRECTOR POSITION

Dispersal, Flight, And Diurnal Activity Patterns Of Adult Southern Corn Billbugs (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Robert J. Wright, J. W. Van Duyn, J. R. Bradley Jr.

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Dispersal into cornfields, flight, and diurnal activity patterns of the adult southern com billbug (SCB), Sphenophorus callosus (Olivier), were studied in eastern North Carolina during 1979 and 1980. Com plant damage (an index of SCB density) in fields with different cropping histories was initially concentrated either on the field edge next to last year's corn in rotated fields, or the edge next to the overwintering site in nonrotated fields. Although damage patterns and trapping studies suggested that SCB dispersal into fields was primarily by walking, SCB are capable of strong flight. Weevils of both the overwintered and summer generations were …

Animal Science Newsletter, Summer 1983

Department of Animal Science: Departmental News

Contents:

Aberle Heads Animal Science Department
The Completion of Animal Science Complex Moves Forward With Planning and Design Funds
Impact of Budget Cuts
Block and Bridle Club Honors to Sorensen
New Animal Science Faculty
Staff Members Receive Recognition
Animal Science Department Head Becomes Dean and Director of Agricultural Experiment Station
Animal Science Reunion
Animal Science Employee Honored
Graduate Students Receive Awards
Arthaud Memorial Fund
Loveday Accepts Position at University of Tennessee

Rhizonema Sequoiae N. Gen. N. Sp. From Coast Redwood Sequoia Sempervirens (D. Don) Endl., I. Cid Del Prado Vera, B. F. Lownsbery, Armand R. Maggenti

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Rhizonema sequoiae n. gen. n. sp. is described from the roots of Coast Redwood, Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl., growing near Lake Lagunitas, Marin County, California. Rhizonema females are annulated over their entire bodies, are wholly embedded in host tissue, and secrete an abundant amount of gel material. Mature females do not form a cyst. The vulva is located on a large posterior terminal cone, and the anus is on the dorsal vulval lip. Esophageal glands of the second-stage larvae fill more than half of the body cavity. Tails of the vermiform males are blunt, and a cloacal tubus is …

Results Of The Twelfth International Winter Wheat Performance Nursery Grown In 1980, S. L. Kuhr, C. J. Peterson, V. A. Johnson, P. J. Mattern, J. W. Schmidt

Historical Research Bulletins of the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station

This is the twelfth report of results from an International Winter Wheat Performance Nursery (IWWPN) organized in 1968 by the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station in cooperation with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Department of Agriculture, under contract number AID/ta-C-1093 with the U.S. International Development Corporation, Agency for International Development. The Nursery was designed to (1) test the adaptation and stability of winter wheat cultivars in a range of latitudes, daylengths, fertility conditions, water management regimes, and disease complexes; (2) identify superior winter cultivars to serve as recipient genotypes for high protein and high lysine genes; (3) test the degree …

Agricultural Experiment Station News July 1983

Agricultural Research Division: News and Annual Reports

CONTENTS:
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR POSITION
COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM REVIEWS
FIELD LABORATORY TASK FORCE
BUDGET SITUATION
FIELD DAY STEERING COMMITTEE
INDIRECT COST RATES CHANGE
NEW OR REVISED PROJECTS
GRANTS AND CONTRACTS
PROJECT FUNDING
Experiment Station Personnel

Paper Replication Method For Isolation Of Radiation-Sensitive Mutants, S. T. Tan, R. B. Maxcy, T. L. Thompson

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

A filter paper replication system particularly useful for isolation of radiation-sensitive mutants of pigmented bacteria was devised. The fidelity of replication was high. Adhesion between a paper disk and a properly dried master plate provided adequate contact pressure. The replicas arising from this technique constitute a convenient apparatus for general application in isolation of clones sensitive to a discriminating treatment.

Day-Degree Methods For Pest Management, Kenneth P. Pruess

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Recommendations are made for reporting day-degree methods which may have practical applications. Standardized thresholds (40, 50, and 60°F, or 5, 10, and 15°C) should be used. Day-degrees may be either sine wave approximations or exact units determined by instrumentation. Methods are proposed for converting current day-degree models to standardized thresholds and, ultimately, to actual day-degrees.

Biology And Seasonal Abundance Of Hymenopterous Parasitoids Of Sorghum Midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), Frederick P. Baxendale, C. L. Lippincott, G. L. Teetes

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Four hymenopterous parasitoids of the sorghum midge, Contarinia sorghicola (Coquillet), were found in Burleson County, Texas: Eupelmus popa Girault, Tetrastichus near venustus Gahan, Tetrastichus near blastophagi (Ashmead), and Aprostocetus diplosidis Crawford. E. popa and A. diplosidis were ectoparasitic on the midge host in sorghum spikelets, while T. near venustus fed both externally and internally. Members of the parasitoid complex oviposited and developed to adults in spikelets containing 1- to 18-day-old immature midges, which corresponded to larval and pupal stages of midges. Most parasitoids developed from midges parasitized as mid-stage larvae. Developmental time from egg to adult emergence ranged from 7 …

Reciprocal Recurrent Selection For 21-Day Litter Weight Of Crossbred Gilts. Ii. Reproductive Performance Of Purebred Females Producing Purebred And Two-Way Cross Litters And Performance Of Purebred And Crossbred Pigs, L. D. Young, I. T. Omtvedt, J. A. Whatley Jr., R. K. Johnson

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

This paper reports estimates of correlated genetic change in reproductive performance of purebred gilts producing two-way cross litters and purebred sows producing purebred litters as well as postweaning performance of two-way cross and purebred pigs produced during reciprocal recurrent selection (RRS) between Line 8 (Duroc) and Line 9 (Beltsville No. 1) for 21-d litter weight production of crossbred gilts. A randomly mated control line developed from a crossbred foundation was maintained to monitor environmental change. Data were adjusted for age of dam, inbreeding of dam, inbreeding of litter (or pig) and linear and quadratic effects of day born within season. …

Reciprocal Recurrent Selection For 21-Day Litter Weight Of Crossbred Gilts. I. Selection Applied And Genetic Change In Reproduction Of Crossbred Gilts, L. D. Young, I. T. Omtvedt, J. A. Whatley Jr., R. K. Johnson

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Six cycles of reciprocal recurrent selection (RRS) between Line 8 (Duroc) and Line 9 (Beltsville No. 1) were completed at the Fort Reno Livestock Research Center, E1 Reno, Oklahoma. A randomly mated control line was maintained. Each cycle of selection required three seasons. Selection of purebred pigs (born in the second season) was based on the mean 21-d litter weight of their maternal and paternal half-sib crossbred gilts that were born in the first season and farrowed in the third season (XB21DLWT). On the average, 5.8 maternal and paternal half-sib gilts contributed to the mean XB21DLWT for each purebred individual. …

Aspects Of The Biology Of The Red Drum, Sciaenops Ocellatus, In Mississippi, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Several hundred specimens of the red drum from Mississippi were critically assessed. Regression equations for standard-length (SL) versus total-length differed between males and females and between small and large members of the same sex. Asingle regression line represented the weight-SL relationship for males with females. For condition coefficients to be helpful, fish had to be grouped at least by sex, season, and length or stage of maturity. By 12 months of age, most fish were about 30 to 32 cm SL and their distribution ranged throughout Mississippi Sound rather than being restricted to inshore bayou and marsh habitats like younger …

Additions To 1982 Occurrence Reports

Nebraska Bird Review

ADDITIONS TO 1982 OCCURRENCE REPORTS

Information on sightings at the North Platte NWR in 1982 provide some additions to the species reported in the Scotts Bluff column, and some expansion of the dates, for both spring and fall reports, and some additions to the state list for the fall report. The North Platte NWR information has been included in the Scotts Bluff column for the last few years. Sherry McCoy was the reporter, and Kevin Brenner, Dan Walsworth, Jim McCole and Mike McCoy were the additional observers.

Spring 1982. The additional species reported were: Common Loon, Ap 16; American White …

1982 Nebraska Nesting Survey, Esther V. Bennett

Nebraska Bird Review

Data on the 1982 nesting season in Nebraska were received from 24 observers, reporting on 106 species from 40 counties. Counties in the tabulation are listed in a west to east order, with the northernmost of approximately equal locations given first. Numbers represent Nest Record Cards; C represents Cowbird eggs found in other nests; E represents eggs observed; F represents carrying food; M represents carrying nesting material; N represents nests observed for which no Nest Record Card was submitted; and Y represents young observed.

Fifty-three species were reported on 335 North American Nest Record Cards; in addition, out-of-state nests were …

Spring And Summer Birds Of The Niobrara Valley Preserve Area, Nebraska: An Annotated Checklist, Mark A. Brogie, Michael J. Mossman

Nebraska Bird Review

The Niobrara Valley Preserve occupies an area of approximately 22,000 ha in north-central Nebraska and includes parts of Brown, Cherry, and Keya Paha counties. This area was purchased in 1980 by the Nature Conservancy because of the unique co-occurrence of habitat types such as ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest, eastern deciduous forest, northern forest (represented by white birch, Betula papyrifera), mixed grass prairie, sandhills prairie, and tallgrass prairie all existing within a proximity of 1.5-3 km.

This confluence of habitat types, in conjunction with the area's central geographic setting, creates a significant zone of sympatry among eastern, …

"Notes," From Nebraska Bird Review (June 1983) 51(2).

Nebraska Bird Review

SANDHILL CRANE TRIP. About 30 or so went out to the blind on the Mormon Island Crane Meadows before dawn on 2 April. But not enough before dawn to allow the last of the party to see the Sandhill Cranes before they took off from their roost in the river. But all could see in the sky the huge flocks that took off from other sections of the river. Some went back to the blind before the Cranes came in to roost that night and got to see them settle in for the night. Many other birds were seen from …

"The Eighty-Second Annual Meeting," From Nebraska Bird Review (June 1983) 51(2).

Nebraska Bird Review

The official registration for the eighty-second Annual Meeting, held in Lincoln 20-22 May 1983, was 55. There was the usual slide show and get-together on Friday night, field trips Saturday morning (with demonstrations of bird banding), Saturday afternoon after the meeting, and Sunday morning. The practice of having talks was revived: Mark A. Brogie, Wayne, gave an illustrated talk on "Distribution of Birds of the Niobrara" and James Ducey, Omaha, did the same for "Breeding Status of the Interior Least Tern in Nebraska" before the business meeting. All officers were re-elected: Mrs. Ruth C. Green, Bellevue, President; Gary Lingle, Grand …

Whole Issue Nebraska Bird Review (June 1983) 51(2)

Nebraska Bird Review

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Eighty-second Annual Meeting ................................................ 26

1982 Nebraska Nesting Survey ................................................... 26

Select Birding Areas of the Niobrara River Region .................................. 33

A 1903 Birding Expedition in Cherry County, Nebraska ............................. 35

Notes on the Birds of the Lower Niobrara Valley in 1902 ............................ 37

as Recorded by Myron H. Swenk Spring and Summer Birds of the Niobrara Valley Preserve Area, ...................... 44

Nebraska: An Annotated Checklist Breeding Status of Selected Bird Species in the Niobrara Valley ...................... 51

Preserve Area, Nebraska Some Birds of Anderson Bridge Wildlife Management Area in ........................ 62

Cherry County, Nebraska Additions …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review (June 1983) 51(2)

Nebraska Bird Review

Published quarterly in March, June, September, and December by the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union, Inc., as its official journal and sent free to all members who are not in arrears for dues. Subscriptions (on calendar year basis only) are $7.00 per year in the United States and $9.00 per year in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $2.25 each, postpaid.

Memberships (on a calendar year basis only): Student, $3.00; Active, $7.00; Sustaining, $15.00); Family Active, $10.00; Family Sustaining, $20.00; Life, $100.00.

All dues and subscriptions should be remitted to the Treasurer, Mrs. Jack Shafer, RR2, Box 61, Wood …

Quality Traits In Forage Sorghum Harvested At Early Head Emergence And At Physiological Maturity, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, Francis A. Haskins, H. J. Gorz

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Information about the extent of variation in quality traits among plants sampled at the same developmental stage but on different dates would be useful to forage researchers. The primary purpose of this study was to obtain such information for five forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] cultivars. Percent dry matter, crude protein, and in vitro dry matter disappearance of leaf, stem, and whole plant samples were determined for field-grown samples harvested on three different days during early head emergence (EHE) and once during physiological maturity (PM) for each cultivar. Orthogonal comparisons between EHE and PM sampling stages and among …

Breeding Status Of Selected Bird Species In The Niobrara Valley Preserve Area, Nebraska, Michael J. Mossman, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

INTRODUCTION

The Niobrara Valley Preserve is located in north-central Nebraska and includes a variety of relatively undisturbed grassland, woodland, and wetland habitats. The diversity of habitats, in conjunction with the area's central geographic location near the 100th meridian, results in a diverse avifauna with many species and subspecies occurring at or near the western, eastern, southern, or northern edge of their breeding ranges. Several pairs of sibling species and subspecies are found here within their narrow band of sympatry. The breeding list of the Preserve and environs includes at least 105 species (Brogie and Mossman 1983), several of which are …

Notes On The Birds Of The Lower Niobrara Valley In 1902 As Recorded By Myron H. Swenk

Nebraska Bird Review

An expedition consisting of Messrs. J.C. Crawford, Jr., W.D. Pierce, and myself, was sent out by the Department of Entomology and Ornithology of the University of Nebraska during the summer of 1902, into the lower Niobrara valley in order to examine and collect specimens of the fauna of that region After August 1, Professor Bruner also worked with us. Although essentially an entomological expedition, considerable attention was paid by different members of the party to the birds, and some fairly interesting and valuable ornithological notes were secured.

The party started from Long Pine on June 14, and proceeded down the …

Agricultural Experiment Station News June 1983

Agricultural Research Division: News and Annual Reports

CONTENTS:
PROJECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR POSITION
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA FOUNDATION GRANT REQUESTS
TWELVE HIGHEST AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH PRIORITIES FOR SPECIAL, ADDED EMPHASIS IN THE NORTH CENTRAL REGION - 1983
ADVISORY COUNCIL ELECTION RESULTS
AES BUDGET REDUCTIONS
DEPARTMENT HEADS APPOINTED
CONGRESSIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FAIR
GRANTS AND CONTRACTS
RESEARCH "ALIVE AND WELL" AT GUDMUNDSEN CENTER
EXPERIMENT STATION PROJECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Aspects Of The Biology Of The Spotted Seatrout, Cynoscion Nebulosus, In Mississippi, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

About 3,000 specimens of the spotted seatrout from Mississippi Sound and adjacent water grouped by males and females had a nearly identical standard Iength (SL) versus total length (TL) relationship, although the equation for males in winter differed from that for those in other seasons. When investigating the SL-weight relationship, some differences occurred both among seasons and between sexes. Therefore, condition coefficients (K) were calculated to compare male and female groups according to their length and state of maturation on a seasonal basis. The hepatosomatic index (HSI) tended to increase with fish length, with relatively high values occurring in winter …

Organization Of Sporulated Oocysts Of Eimeria Funduli In The Gulf Killifish, Fundulus Grandis, William E. Hawkins, John W. Fournie, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Oocysts of Eimeria funduli were studied by transmission electron microscopy in naturally-infected livers of the Gulf killifish, Fundulus grandis. Tissues were cryo-processed because membranous structures in the oocyst appear to hinder routine fixation and embedment. The oocyst wall (about 25 nm thick) was adjacent to the host cell and consisted of an outer membrane that limited the host cell cytoplasm and an inner membrane separated from the outer membrane by a narrow space. In some specimens, dense material was applied to the inner face of the inner membrane. Individual sporocysts were surrounded by a membranous "veil" (about 25 nm …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 15, No. 2. June 1983

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EFFECTS OF FIRE ON RODENTS IN TALLGRASS PRAIRIE OF THE FLINT HILLS REGION OF EASTERN KANSAS. D. W. Kaufman, G. A. Kaufman, and E. J. Finck

FECAL pH AND FOOD HABITS OF SYMPATRIC LAGOMORPHS IN TEXAS R. J. Warren

UNUSUAL PLANT ASSEMBLAGE IN WALSH COUNTY, NORTH DAKOTA ▪ B. Heidel

ADDITIONAL RECORDS OF PASSERINES FEEDING ON POPLAR GALLS, AND A POSSIBLE MECHANISM FOR SUMMER NOMADISM IN BOREAL FINCHES ▪ P. J. DuBowy

UPDATE ON THE AMERICAN BALD EAGLE, Haliaeetus leucocephalus L., IN NEBRASKA ▪ S. J. Rothenberger …