Life Sciences Commons^™

Taxonomic Notes On Velvet Ants Of The Genus Timulla Ashmead, 1899 (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) In The United States Of America And Canada, George C. Waldren

Insecta Mundi

The exclusively New World velvet ant genus Timulla Ashmead, 1899 (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae: Mutillinae: Trogaspidiini) contains 180 species and ten subspecies. Most of these species are known from a single sex, and the validity of the subspecies has not been evaluated since their original description in 1937 and 1938. The Timulla fauna of the United States of America includes thirty species and eight subspecies, and the fauna of Canada includes three species. The faunas of these two countries were critically studied with the following results. Out of the eight total subspecies, seven were found to be structurally identical to and sympatric …

Internet-Based Data Platforms Re-Define The Distributions Of Some Large Crabronid Wasps In Arkansas (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), David E. Bowles

Insecta Mundi

The geographic distributions of three large wasps, Sphecius speciosus (Drury), Stictia carolina Fabricius, and Stizus brevipennis Walsh (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), occurring in Arkansas are defined using museum specimens and three internet-based data platforms. The internet-based data platforms generally provided more county location records than museum records. Using data from internet sources for easily identified species can better serve to illustrate the known distributions for some species thus making for a powerful tool elucidating distributional patterns and conservation planning.

ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DCAE9192-1765-40CD-952B-0A094F413991

Plas 439: Organic Farming And Food Systems Faculty-Led Inquiry Into Reflective Scholarly Teaching Benchmark Portfolio, Christian Stephenson

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Organic Farming and Food Systems is a senior and graduate level course for students in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture. This course was previously offered but has been significantly modified as I have taken on responsibility for the course. Goals for the course include student comprehension of the methods of organic and regenerative farming and the impacts of those methods on economic, environmental, and social sustainability. An additional goal is to build student competency in the evaluation of primary, secondary, and tertiary information resources and critical thinking surrounding issues in food production. Assessment for the course was through diverse …

Long Time No See: New Reports Of Legua Rosea Amédégnato And Poulain, 1986 (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Romaleidae: Romaleinae: Leguini), A Rare Arboreal Grasshopper From Brazil, Daniela Santos Martins Silva, Renan Da Silva Olivier, Larissa Lima De Queiroz, Marcelo Ribeiro Pereira, Jardel Boscardin, Guilherme Rabelo D’Angelis

Insecta Mundi

The genus Legua Walker, 1870 comprises only two known species from Central America and Brazil, with a notable scarcity of collected specimens. Herein, we provide a new contribution to our knowledge of the distribution of Legua rosea Amédégnato and Poulain, 1986 (Romaleinae: Leguini), that has a restricted distribution in Brazil, based on entomological collection data and social media information. Our records emphasize the importance of natural history collections and new tools for biodiversity studies.

ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:17E0802B-A389-4983-AC74-21B51197F557

Morphometric Analysis And Taxonomic Re-Evaluation Of Pepsis Cerberus Lucas And P. Elegans Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pepsinae: Pepsini), Frank E. Kurczewski, Akira Shimizu, Diane H. Kiernan

Insecta Mundi

Hurd (1952) separated Pepsis cerberus Lucas from P. elegans Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pepsinae: Pepsini) based on external morphology and biogeography. Vardy (2005) synonymized the familiar and historically well-documented P. cerberus and P. elegans, combining these Nearctic taxa with several Neotropical variants in an extremely broad definition of P. menechma Lepeletier. In doing so, Vardy (2005) breached the principle of nomenclatural stability. He ignored the prevailing usage and clearly violated articles 23.2, 23.3 and 23.9.1.2 of the ICZN (1999). Morphological differences, ecological divergence, and narrow sympatric geographic distribution of P. cerberus and P. elegans …

Adaptation To Tolerate High Doses Of Arabinoxylan Is Associated With Fecal Levels Of Bifidobacterium Longum, Edward C. Deehan, Zhengxiao Zhang, Nguyen K. Nguyen, Maria Elisa Perez-Muñoz, Janis Cole, Alessandra Riva, David Berry, Carla M. Prado, Jens Walter

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Dietary fiber supplements are a strategy to close the ‘fiber gap’ and induce targeted modulations of the gut microbiota. However, higher doses of fiber supplements cause gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms that differ among individuals. What determines these inter-individual differences is insufficiently understood. Here we analyzed findings from a six-week randomized controlled trial that evaluated GI symptoms to corn bran arabinoxylan (AX; n = 15) relative to non-fermentable microcrystalline cellulose (MCC; n = 16) at efficacious supplement doses of 25 g/day (females) or 35 g/day (males) in adults with excess weight. Self-reported flatulence, bloating, and stomach aches were evaluated weekly. Bacterial taxa …

Identification Of Carbohydrate Gene Clusters Obtained From In Vitro Fermentations As Predictive Biomarkers Of Prebiotic Responses, Car Reen Kok, Devin J. Rose, Juan Cui, Lisa Whisenhunt, Robert Hutkins

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Background Prebiotic fibers are non-digestible substrates that modulate the gut microbiome by promoting expansion of microbes having the genetic and physiological potential to utilize those molecules. Although several prebiotic substrates have been consistently shown to provide health benefits in human clinical trials, responder and non-responder phenotypes are often reported. These observations had led to interest in identifying, a priori, prebiotic responders and non-responders as a basis for personalized nutrition. In this study, we conducted in vitro fecal enrichments and applied shotgun metagenomics and machine learning tools to identify microbial gene signatures from adult subjects that could be used to predict …

Descspim: An Affordable And Easy-To-Build Light-Sheet Microscope Optimized For Tissue Clearing Techniques, Kohei Otomo, Takaki Omura, Yuki Nozawa, Steven J. Edwards, Yukihiko Sato, Yuri Saito, Shigehiro Yagishita, Hitoshi Uchida, Yuki Watakabe, Kiyotada Naitou, Rin Yanai, Naruhiko Sahara, Satoshi Takagi, Ryohei Katayama, Yusuke Iwata, Toshiro Shiokawa, Yoku Hayakawa, Kensuke Otsuka, Haruko Watanabe-Takano, Yuka Haneda, Shigetomo Fukuhara, Miku Fujiwara, Takenobu Nii, Chikara Meno, Naoki Takeshita, Kenta Yashiro, Juan Marcelo Rosales Rocabado, Masaru Kaku, Tatsuya Yamada, Yumiko Oishi, Hiroyuki Koike, Yinglan Cheng, Keisuke Sekine, Jun-Ichiro Koga, Kaori Sugiyama, Kenichi Kimura, Fuyuki Karube, Hyeree Kim, Ichiro Manabe, Tomomi Nemoto, Kazuki Tainaka, Akinobu Hamada, Hjalmar Brismar, Etsuo A. Susaki

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Despite widespread adoption of tissue clearing techniques in recent years, poor access to suitable light-sheet fluorescence microscopes remains a major obstacle for biomedical end-users. Here, we present descSPIM (desktopequipped SPIM for cleared specimens), a low-cost ($20,000–50,000), lowexpertise (one-day installation by a non-expert), yet practical do-it-yourself light-sheet microscope as a solution for this bottleneck. Even the most fundamental configuration of descSPIM enables multi-color imaging of whole mouse brains and a cancer cell line-derived xenograft tumor mass for the visualization of neurocircuitry, assessment of drug distribution, and pathological examination by false-colored hematoxylin and eosin staining in a threedimensional manner. Academically open-sourced (https://github.com/dbsbjuntendo/ …

The North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center, Part Iii: Outcomes And Impacts, Bradley D. Lubben, Christine Lockert, Sheila Aikanathan Johnson, Milan Chauhan

Cornhusker Economics

The North Central Extension Risk Management Education (ERME) Center has existed since 2001 to help support producer-focused agricultural risk management education across the twelve-state North Central Region. The Center works together with centers in other regions of the country to implement a comprehensive program of needs assessment, regional grantmaking, capacity building, and evaluation and reporting to support projects that help producers manage risk and document the outcomes and impacts of those projects.

The last two Cornhusker Economics articles have described the Center and its activities and have highlighted the successes of some recently funded projects. This article concludes the discussion …

Impact Of The Department Of Defense Maternity Leave Policy Change On Retention And Postpartum Depression And The Air Force Postpartum Physical Fitness Policy Change On Physical Readiness Outcomes, Minette S. R. Herrick

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Understanding the implications of health policy is paramount to support continued execution and further wide-spread distribution. The Department of Defense has made many recent family friendly policy changes in effort to improve the health and morale of the force. Two such policies were analyzed in this study. The first was the change in maternity leave, in 2016, from allotting women six weeks time off to twelve weeks time off in the postpartum period. The second was executed by the Air Force to permit postpartum women a longer duration for their required physical fitness assessment (an increase from six months to …

Reassignment Of Some Caryospora Species (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) To Eumonospora (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae) And A Summary, Donald W. Duszynski

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

This review was crafted to clear up some of the current confusion regarding the correct taxonomic placement of those apicomplexan coccidians that produce unique monosporocystic octosporozoic (1 sporocyst with 8 sporozoites) oocysts during the sexual phase of their life history in vertebrate hosts. Currently, such oocysts have been placed in 1 of 4 genera, Avispora, Caryospora, Karyospora, or Eumonospora, 2 of which are no longer accepted or useful (Avispora and Karyospora). My review suggests that to present (2023) there are 62 valid Caryospora and 26 valid Eumonospora species. Caryospora species are recorded from a bird …

Unraveling The Role Of Lipid Droplets And Perilipin 2 In Bovine Luteal Cells, Michele R. Plewes, Heather A. Talbott, Micah B. Schott, Jennifer R. Wood, Andrea S. Cupp, John S. Davis

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Steroidogenic tissues contain cytosolic lipid droplets that are important for steroidogenesis. Perilipin 2 (PLIN2), a structural coat protein located on the surface of lipid droplets in mammalian cells, plays a crucial role in regulating lipid droplet formation and contributing to various cellular processes such as lipid storage and energy homeostasis. Herein, we examine the role that PLIN2 plays in regulating progesterone synthesis in the bovine corpus luteum. Utilizing gene array databases and Western blotting, we have delineated the expression pattern of PLIN2 throughout the follicular to luteal transition. Our findings reveal the presence of PLIN2 in both ovarian follicular and …

The North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center, Part Ii: Activities And Success Stories, Sheila Aikanathan Johnson, Christine Lockert, Bradley D. Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

The North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center is committed to educating American farmers and ranchers on effectively managing the distinct risks associated with producing food for global consumption. So far, we've funded 523 projects totaling over $18.7 million, benefiting more than 168,000 participants.

Part I provided an overview of the North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center, including its operations, priorities, service areas, and how the grant program functions. Part II details the center's activities and highlight some of the numerous projects that have been supported over 23 years since the awarding process started. In the forthcoming segment, Part …

Cereal Rye Cover Crop Termination At Or Before Soybean Planting Has Minimal Effect On Soybean Yield Across The Midwestern Us, Tatiane Severo Silva, Spyridon Mourtzinis, Anthony Justin Mcmechan, Gabriela Inveninato Carmona, Bruce D. Potter, Kelley J. Tilmon, Louis S. Hesler, Nicholas J. Seiter, Robert Wright, Shannon L. Osborne, Thomas E. Hunt, Shawn P. Conley

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Context: Interest is growing among farmers in the Midwestern US region in the potential benefits of establishing cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) as a cover crop. However, they are concerned about the implications and potential trade-offs due to this practice. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the effects of cereal rye cover crop termination at or before soybean planting on soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) seed yield. Methods: Field experiments were conducted from 2019 to 2021 across 28 location-years in the Midwestern US. Treatments consisted of no cereal rye, cereal rye termination before soybean planting, and termination at planting. …

Adopting Yield-Improving Practices To Meet Maize Demand In Sub-Saharan Africa Without Cropland Expansion, Fernando Aramburu-Merlos, Fatima A. M. Tenorio, Nester Mashingaidze, Alex Sananka, Stephen Aston, Jonathan J. Ojeda, Patricio Grassini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Maize demand in Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to increase 2.3 times during the next 30 years driven by demographic and dietary changes. Over the past two decades, the area croppedwithmaize has expanded by 17million hectares in the region, with limited yield increase. Following this trend could potentially result in further maize cropland expansion and the need for imports to satisfy domestic demand. Here, we use data collected from 14,773 smallholder fields in the region to identify agronomic practices that can improve farm yield gains. We find that agronomic practices related to cultivar selection, and nutrient, pest, and crop management can …

Evaluating The Yield Of Surviving Plants From Early-Season Hail Damage In Corn: A Field Survey, I. P. Lisboa, Christopher A. Proctor, R W. Elmore, A. J. Mcmechan, N. D. Mueller, J. Wilson, G. Zobeck, Aaron Nygren, A. Bastidas, Osler Ortez

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Economic losses due to hailstorms acrossUS corn fields occur every year.Hailstorms result in leaf defoliation, decreasing photosynthetic area and impairing carbon assimilation and crop yield for all corn (Zea mays L.) development stages. However, more attention is often given to stand reductions rather than damage to stems or leaf defoliation. During the 2014 growing season, a natural hail event affected many areas of eastern Nebraska. Twelve affected corn fields were surveyed and included in this study. An injury score scale (1–5) was developed based on various injury and severity levels before the V6 (6-leaf corn growth stage) (six-collared leaves). …

Multifaceted Roles Of Meg3 In Cellular Senescence And Atherosclerosis, Xiao Cheng, Mohamed Sham Shihabudeen Haider Ali, Vijaya Bhaskar Baki, Matthew Moran, Huabo Su, Xinghui Sun

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Background and aims: Long noncoding RNAs are involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. As long non-coding RNAs maternally expressed gene 3 (Meg3) prevents cellular senescence of hepatic vascular endothelium and obesity-induced insulin resistance, we decided to examine its role in cellular senescence and atherosclerosis.

Methods and Results: By analyzing our data and human and mouse data from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, we found that Meg3 expression was reduced in humans and mice with cardiovascular disease, indicating its potential role in atherosclerosis. In Ldlr^−/− mice fed a Western diet for 12 weeks, Meg3 silencing by chemically modified …

Natural Variation In Lonely Guy-Like 1 Regulates Rice Grain Weight Under Warmer Night Conditions, Jaspreet Sandhu, Larissa Irvin, Anil Kumar Chandaran, Shohei Oguro, Puneet Paul, Balpreet Dhatt, Waseem Hussain, Shannon S. Cunningham, Cherryl O. Quinones, Argelia Lorence, Maria Arlene Adviento-Borbe, Paul E. Staswick, Gota Morota, Harkamal Walia

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Global nighttime temperatures are rising at twice the rate of daytime temperatures and pose a challenge for rice (Oryza sativa) production. High nighttime temperature (HNT) stress affects rice yield by reducing grain weight, size, and fertility. Although the genes associated with these yield parameters have been identified and characterized under normal temperatures, the genetic basis of grain weight regulation under HNT stress remains less explored. We examined the natural variation for rice single grain weight (SGW) under HNT stress imposed during grain development. A genome-wide association analysis identified several loci associated with grain weight under HNT stress. A …

The North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center, Part I: Helps Producers Manage Risks, Christine Lockert, Sheila Aikanathan Johnson, Bradley D. Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

Established in 2001, the North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center (NCERMEC) has a long history of supporting risk management education programs serving producers in the region. Located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Agricultural Economics Department, the Center is one of four regional Extension Risk Management Education (ERME) Centers located throughout the country. ERME is funded through USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and was authorized by the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000. The fundamental purpose of the ERME program is to educate producers to manage risk and position their farm or ranch for future growth and …

Open Resources For Biology Education (Orbe): A Resource Collection, Sanah Ahmed, Tiffany Adjei-Opong, Ashley B. Heim, Keenan Noyes, Kelly Schmid, Brian A. Couch, Mackenzie R. Stetzer, Lillian G. Senn, Erin Vinson, Michelle K. Smith, Kira Treibergs

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

In undergraduate life sciences education, open educational resources (OERs) increase accessibility and retention for students, reduce costs, and save instructors time and effort. Despite increasing awareness and utilization of these resources, OERs are not centrally located, and many undergraduate instructors describe challenges in locating relevant materials for use in their classes. To address this challenge, we have designed a resource collection (referred to as Open Resources for Biology Education, ORBE) with 89 unique resources that are primarily relevant to undergraduate life sciences education. To identify the resources in ORBE, we asked undergraduate life sciences instructors to list what OERs they …

First Record Of The Invasive Chenopodium Aphid, Hayhurstia Atriplicis (Linnaeus, 1761) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), In Colombia, Takumasa Kondo, Roberto Rosero, Jackeline Gaviria

Insecta Mundi

The chenopodium aphid, Hayhurstia atriplicis (Linnaeus, 1761) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is reported for the first time in Colombia. The aphid was found on the aerial parts of the quinoa plant, Chenopodium quinoa Willd. (Amaranthaceae), especially on the leaves, in five municipalities in the department of Cauca, Colombia. Brief information on its natural enemies, distribution and biology is provided. This is the only aphid in Colombia known to cause malformations on the leaves of quinoa plants. In South America, this aphid has been found previously only in Ecuador, where it was reported for the first time in 2023 based on specimens collected …

Three Additions To The False Click Beetle (Coleoptera: Elateroidea: Eucnemidae) Fauna In The Nearctic Region, Robert L. Otto

Insecta Mundi

Three species of false click beetles (Coleoptera: Eucnemidae) are added to the Nearctic fauna. One new species, Isorhipis bicolor, is described from a small series collected in Florida, U.S.A. Eighteen specimens collected from Georgia were identified as Dyscharachthis amplicollis (Fleutiaux), new U.S.A. records for a species previously taken from Japan and Southeast Asia. Examination of a series of eucnemids collected by Kyle Schnepp in Florida allowed me to revisit the Deltometopus fauna in eastern North America. Antennal structures present in a series of male specimens in the loan and past examined specimens are definitive enough to resurrect Deltometopus …

First Record Of The Beekeeping Pest Aethina Tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) For Honduras, Jesus Orozco

Insecta Mundi

Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) (also known as the small hive beetle), an important pest in apiaries, is reported from Honduras for the first time, new country record. The precise distribution in the country is unknown, and no damage related to it has been observed. Photographs are provided to aid in its identification. Differentiation of A. tumida from Aethina villosa Reitter and Aethina quadrata Sharp, which also occur in Honduras, is provided.

ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DAF12C6A-0F8C-4151-9C4D-F191CCC4032F

The Casnr L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter: Learning Innovation Network For K-12 Schools, Volume 3, Edition 5, May 2024, Bailey Feit, Tammy Mittelstet

CASNR L.I.N.K.S. Newsletter

The purpose of this L.I.N.K.S. newsletter is to provide a monthly update of opportunities and resources for K-12 schools to connect with the University of Nebraska's CASNR Food, Energy, Water, and Societal Systems (FEWS²) programs and partners.

Included in this edition:

Upcoming events

2024 Discovery Days + Farmers Market

Summer Discovery Day camp, Morrill Hall

June 9-14 Big Red Camps-East Campus

June 13-Wheat Variety Field Day-High Plains Lab-Sydney, NE

July 8-12 NAYI Conference-East Campus

July 16-18-SSI-Lincoln/North Platte

August 6-Forage Field Day-Haskell Ag Lab- Concord, NE

August 7-Family Field Day-Haskell Ab Lab- Concord, NE

August 13 - Building Connections Among Nitrogen …

Sunsetting Tax Provisions: Is Your Estate Plan Affected?, Anastasia Meyer, Glennis Mcclure

Cornhusker Economics

It is never too early to begin thinking about estate planning, how you want to transfer your assets to the next generation, and how your decisions may be taxed to the next generation. Those decisions may need to be adjusted as some provisions are set to expire at the end of 2025.

Nebline, May 2024

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Weed Control in Pastures and Hayfields by John Nelson

Navigating Nutrition Information: Separating Fact from Fiction by Alyssa Havlovic

Recipe of the Month: Pepper Steak Sandwich by Alyssa Havlovic

Care for New Bedding Plants by Sarah Browning

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

Cash Rent Survey

No Matter Where You Live, Submit a Request Before You Dig! by Becky Schuerman

4-H Achievement Celebration

8 Lancaster County 4-H’ers Modeled Their Sewn Garments at Omaha Fashion Week

4-H Events Open to All Youth

Support 4-H by Eating Out, May 1 & 2

Support 4-H During “Give to Lincoln Day,” May 30 …

Design Of Small-Scale Milk Processing Facility, Luke Bond, Robert Stenzel, Ry Steffen, John Van Nieuwenhuyse, Rossana Villa-Rojas, Terry Howell Jr., Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Forrest Kievit

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Masters Project Reports

This project was intended to investigate the feasibility of a proposed modular dairy processing facility collocated with a small dairy on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Innovation Campus. Priority was placed upon cost savings for equipment to be used in processing. Process flow diagrams, floor plans, production schedules, risk assessments, and plans for wastewater treatment were all developed to address the needs of the plant should it be built. A Monte Carlo simulation was conducted to evaluate the timeline for breaking even financially, resulting in the potential for a payback period of 4.5 years. The 4.5-year payback period was based on …

On-Farm Nitrogen And Irrigation Management Strategies To Protect Groundwater Quality In The Bazile Groundwater Management Area, Arshdeep Singh

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Increasing groundwater nitrate (NO₃-N) contamination has raised significant environmental and health concerns in the irrigated sandy soils of Nebraska. Four studies were conducted to evaluate the impact the impact of 1) static (NE Yield Goal) vs. dynamic nitrogen (N) recommendations tools (Maize-N, Canopy Reflectance Sensing, Granular, and Adapt-N), 2) three N (optimum, suboptimum, and low) and irrigation rates (farmer’s full irrigation (FIT), 80% FIT, and 60% FIT), 3) conventional N sources vs. enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs), and 4) multiple N splits (2, 3, 4, and 5-N splits) on agronomic (maize yield), environmental (NO3-N leaching), and economic returns (return …

In-Field Optimization Of Soil Water Parameters For Irrigation Scheduling, Ishani Lal

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Several precision technologies are being developed to assist farmers in informed irrigation decision-making. These technologies aim to enhance irrigation water efficiency, check overirrigation, boost crop water productivity, and promote the sustainable utilization of water resources. We hypothesize that soil moisture parameters used in irrigation decision tools need to be validated to best represent the correct state of soil moisture in the field. This is an important factor that affects the accuracy of the irrigation recommendations forecasted by the decision support tools. In this research, we evaluated different methods of estimating field capacity (FC) and wilting point (WP) to optimize soil …

Establishment Of Wildflower Islands To Enhance Roadside Health, Ecological Value, And Aesthetics, Jackson Ebbers

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Roadsides provide an abundant opportunity to increase connectivity of fragmented landscapes with diminishing floral resources for pollinating insects. The ecological value of these sites is often overlooked as quality habitat for pollinators, particularly monarch butterflies, which have been experiencing severe declines due to loss of habitat and loss of milkweeds that provide food for their larvae. Land managers across the nation are realizing the potential of roadsides to provide high quality floral resources for the benefit of insects and other wildlife. Current wildflower seed mixes used by state transportation departments are often low diversity and may only be implemented following …