Life Sciences Commons^™

Impact Analysis On The Invasive Oriental Weather Loach (Misgurnus Anguillicaudatus) In The Grant Creek And Prairie Creek Watersheds At Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Adam Vanhaitsma

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Presentation Location: Weber Center, Room 101

Abstract

In 2014, the invasive Oriental weather loach was found in the Prairie Creek wetland at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. While little is known about the Oriental weather loach and its impact on freshwater ecosystems it has become a widespread invasive species. Being the first to investigate the impact of the Oriental weather loach on the Grant Creek and Prairie Creek watersheds at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, we set traps for specimens from early June till late July in both watersheds. Each loach that was caught was euthanized and dissected in order to understand …

Surveys Of Bees At Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie With Special Focus On The Possible Presence Of A Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Populations, Nicole Dede

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Native bees are one of the most diverse and important groups of pollinators in many ecosystems. However, pollinators are declining around the world and bumble bees (Bombus sp.) have been significantly affected. Prairie grasslands like those at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (Wilmington, IL) are likely prime locations for many species of bees due to rich and consistent floral resources. An important example is the rusty patched bumble bee, B. affinis, which was found at Midewin in 2018. B. affinis is federally listed as a critically endangered species that has experienced a 90% range reduction since 2000. This study is meant …

Changes To The Elevational Distribution Of Craugastor Podiciferus In A Costa Rican Cloud Forest, Tanner Senti, Dakotah Henn, Derek W. Rosenberger

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Presentation Location: Warming House, Olivet Nazarene University

Abstract

While a warming climate is responsible for many animal ranges shifting to higher latitudes and elevations, species will be affected in different ways. High elevation species in the tropics are particularly at risk due to shrinking habitat on mountain tops. Craugastor podiciferus is a cryptic species of flesh-bellied frog native to the Talamanca mountain ranges of Costa Rica and Panama. These frogs inhabit montane cloud forests at an elevational range of 1,090 - 2650 meters. However, they are poorly understood and little is known about the natural history of this species. …