Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Center For Grassland Studies, March 2022

Center for Grassland Studies: Newsletters

Contents

New Course: Research Experiences in Grasslands by Dan Uden

Center for Grassland Studies Policy Advisory Committee

Director’s Column by Jerry Volesky (Interim Director)

Educational Trunk to Focus on Grasslands by Cheryl Dunn

Form a Team and Grab Your Clubs by Scott Holly

Collaborative Adaptive Management for the Barta Brothers Ranch by Craig Allen

Nebraska Range Short Course, June 20-23

Registration Opens for 2022 Nebraska Ranch Practicum by Troy Walz

Nebraska Sandhills Rates as World’s Most Intact Prairie by Scott Schrage

Nebraska Youth Range Camp, June 6-9, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, Curtis, Nebraska

The Role Of Leaf Decomposition In Macroinvertebrate Colonization, Bethany Mabel Lian Schorr, Kevin Geedey

Independent Research Projects

Decomposition plays an important ecological role in carbon and nutrient cycling that supply food and energy resources to food webs. This study investigates the potential role that leaf decomposition of different leaf species may play in macroinvertebrate assemblages in upper Midwest streams. We hypothesized that the different decomposition rates experienced with different leaf species and in different streams would have an effect on invertebrate colonization due to the variance in nutrient availability. Due to altered fire regimes and other influences, forests are experiencing declines in fire-adapted, heliophytic species such as oaks and compositional shifts toward shade-tolerant, mesophytic species such as …

First Record Of The Genus Compsobuthus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From Maharashtra, India, With Description Of A New Species, Vivek Waghe, Satpal Gangalmale, Akshay Khandekar

Euscorpius

A new species of the genus Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 (Buthidae) belonging to the werneri group is described from two localities in Jalgaon District, Maharashtra, India. The new species can be easily distinguished from all four members of the werneri group known from India and Pakistan by combination of nonoverlapping morphological characters. Compsobuthus satpuraensis sp. n. is the first species of this genus to be reported from the state of Maharashtra and fourth to be reported from India.

Phylogenomic Discordance Suggests Polytomies Along The Backbone Of The Large Genus Solanum, Edeline Gagnon, Rebeccca Hilgenhof, Andrés Orejuela, Angela J. Mcdonnell, Gaurav Sablok, Xavier Aubriot, Leandro Giacomin, Yuri Gouvêa, Thamyris Bragionis, João Renato Stehmann, Lynn Bohs, Steven Dodsworth, Christopher T. Martine, Péter Poczai, Sandra Knapp, Tiina Särkinen

Faculty Journal Articles

Premise of the study

Evolutionary studies require solid phylogenetic frameworks, but increased volumes of phylogenomic data have revealed incongruent topologies among gene trees in many organisms both between and within genomes. Some of these incongruences indicate polytomies that may remain impossible to resolve. Here we investigate the degree of gene-tree discordance in Solanum, one of the largest flowering plant genera that includes the cultivated potato, tomato, and eggplant, as well as 24 minor crop plants.

Methods

A densely sampled species-level phylogeny of Solanum is built using unpublished and publicly available Sanger sequences comprising 60% of all accepted species (742 spp.) …

Mark-Recapture Study And Habitat Assessment For The Northern Metalmark Butterfly, Calephelis Borealis (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae), Weston J. Henry, Kristian S. Omland, Henry Frye, Wagner L. David

EEB Articles

Background: The northern metalmark (Calephelis borealis), is an exceedingly local, globally rare butterfly that is declining across the Midwestern and Northeastern USA. The principal stressors driving colony losses include afforestation and invasive plants that crowd out its larval hostplant (Packera ovata) and nectar resources.

Aims/Methods: To better understand its declines and guide restoration efforts, we 1) performed a mark-recapture study in Connecticut to document population trends where we were actively managing vegetation; 2) conducted a range-wide survey for evidence of phylogeographic structure, using cytochrome oxidase (CO1); 3) investigated abundance determinants of its larval foodplant, Packera ovata …

Preliminary Survey And Diet Analysis Of Anurans In The Riparian Zone Of Calayagon Watershed, Agusan Del Norte, Philippines, Jenessa Verna B. Salo, Chennie L. Solania

Journal of Bioresource Management

Watersheds are critical habitats for a diverse array of organisms. Among all the fauna, anurans are excellent biological indicators of environmental health. The community structure is often associated with a relationship between species diversity and diet. An anuran survey was conducted along riparian zones of three selected barangays of Calayagon Watershed (Guinabsan, Rizal, and Malpoc), Philippines. Extensive opportunistic methods for a total of 480 man-hours were spent traversing the area. A total of 195 individuals, consisting of seven species from four families, were recorded. Seventy-two percent of the individual species were regarded as Least concern, and 14 % were Near-threatened. …

2022 Gray Wolf Questions And Answers, United States Fish And Wildlife Service

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

2022 Gray Wolf Questions and Answers

What does the February 10, 2022, ruling mean?

How does this ruling affect wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains?

When does the court decision to vacate the delisting rule go into effect?

What is the legal status of gray wolves as of this ruling?

Is the Service continuing its status review of wolves in the western United States?

Is emergency listing an option for the Northern Rocky Mountain population?

Are wolf hunts going to stop as a result of the court decision?

How does this ruling affect wolves in Yellowstone National Park?

Where can …

Global And Regional Sea Level Rise Scenarios For The United States: Updated Mean Projections And Extreme Weather Level Probabilities Along U.S. Coastlines, William V. Sweet, Benjamin D. Hamlington, Robert E. Kopp, Christopher P. Weaver, Patrick L. Barnard, David Bekaert, William Brooks, Michael Craghan, Gregory Dusek, Thomas Frederikse, Gregory Garner, Ayesha S. Genz, John P. Krasting, Eric Larour, Doug Marcy, John J. Marra, Jayantha Obeysekera, Mark Osler, Matthew Pendleton, Daniel Roman, Lauren Schmied, Will Veatch, Kathleen D. White, Casey Zuzak

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration: Technical Reports and Related Materials

This report and accompanying datasets from the U.S. Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flood Hazard Scenarios and Tools Interagency Task Force provide 1) sea level rise scenarios to 2150 by decade that include estimates of vertical land motion and 2) a set of extreme water level probabilities for various heights along the U.S. coastline. These data are available at 1-degree grids along the U.S. coastline and downscaled specifically at NOAA tide-gauge locations. Estimates of flood exposure are assessed using contemporary U.S. coastal flood-severity thresholds for current conditions (e.g., sea levels and infrastructure footprint) and for the next 30 years (out …

Observations On Regeneration Of The Pedipalp And Legs Of Scorpions, Martin Watz, Jason A. Dunlop

Euscorpius

An Opisthacanthus asper (Peters, 1861) (Hormuridae) shows a relatively rare example of pedipalp regeneration in which the lost tibia and tarsus was replaced by a smaller, curved element of uncertain homology to either the fixed or free finger. A comparable abnormal palp described in the literature hints that pedipalps can only regenerate a structure of this form, regardless of the site of amputation. An Olivierus caucasicus (Nordmann, 1840) (Buthidae) is described in which claws (pretarsus) of leg III regenerated directly at the distal end of the tibia, while in leg IV the claws regenerated at the end of a truncated …

Invasive Plants Watch List: 2022, Allison Zach

Nebraska Invasive Species Program

The purpose of the weed watch list is to collect data on the distribution of invasive plants found in various Nebraska counties. Counties were divided up into ‘ecoregions’ based on the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission’s Legacy Plan (map of regions below). The plants in the watch list have been identified based on their invasiveness in surrounding states and their increasing range in Nebraska. Data collected on watch list plant species distribution has been used to support the listing or delisting of noxious weeds. Plant species in the weed watch list are categorized based on early detection and rapid response …

Morphological Variation And Community Science In Orthoptera, Amy Byerly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Patterns of morphological divergence across species’ ranges provide insight into local adaptation and speciation. Here, we compare phenotypic divergence among 4,221 crickets from 337 populations of two related species of field cricket, Gryllus firmus and G. pennsylvanicus and their hybrids. We find that these species differ across their geographic range in key morphological traits, such as body size and ovipositor length, and we directly compare phenotype with genotype for a subset of crickets demonstrating nuclear genetic introgression, phenotypic intermediacy of hybrids, and essentially unidirectional mitochondrial introgression. We discuss how these morphological traits relate to life history differences between the species. …

Ms Environmental Biology Capstone Project, Catherine Shapiro

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Chapter 1: Artificial light at night disrupts the biology of fishes. Chapter 2: Grant proposal to determine how artificial light at night affects Pumpkinseed fish. Chapter 3: Management of pinyon-juniper woodland impacts the occupancy of Pinyon Jays. Chapter 4: Stakeholder analysis of horseshoe crab fishing and its impacts on the Red Knot and biomedical industry.

Mississippi Sandhill Crane Conservation Update 2017–2019, Scott G. Hereford, Angela J. Dedrickson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

To manage crane habitat on the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge during 2017-2019, 5,822 ha were treated with prescribed burns, 648 ha of woody vegetation were removed, 97 ha of invasive plants were chemically treated, and 1.2 ha of crops were planted. Mississippi sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pulla) use responded to habitat treatment; 348 of 349 VHF radio locations were in treated areas. There were 316 target predators removed. Eighteen captive-reared juveniles were acclimated and released. We detected an average of 38 nests per year, including a record 40 nests in 2019. Fifteen chicks fledged in 2019, …

Twenty-Year Status Of The Eastern Migratory Whooping Crane Reintroduction, Hillary L. Thompson, Nicole M. Gordon, Darby P. Bolt, Jadine R. Lee, Eva K. Szyszkoski

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Since the 10-year status update in 2011, the first parent-reared whooping cranes (Grus americana) were released in the Eastern Migratory Population, the ultralight program (UL) ended, and cranes were released at new sites in eastern Wisconsin. During 2011-2020, 117 captive-reared whooping cranes were released; 75 costume-reared (35 in UL and 40 in the Direct Autumn Release program) and 42 parent-reared. There were no significant differences in 1- or 3-year survival rates based on rearing technique or release site. The population size remained at about 100 cranes during 2010-2018 but then decreased during 2018-2020 due to a reduced number …

Drivers Of Annual Fledging In The Mississippi Sandhill Crane Population 1991–2018, Henry W. Woolley, Scott G. Hereford, Jerome J. Howard

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We studied trends in nesting, number of chicks fledged annually, and their environmental and biotic drivers in the wild population of Mississippi sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis pulla) on Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge during 1991-2018. Population size, number of nests, and number of chicks fledged annually increased slowly but significantly over the course of the study. Increases in population size were related to both number of wild-reared chicks fledged annually and number of captive-reared chicks released each year, but wild-reared chicks had significantly higher survivorship than captive-reared chicks. Hurricanes transiently raised mortality rates but only Hurricane Katrina …

The Impact Of Marking On Cranes: An Issue Paper, Anne E. Lacy, Barry K. Hartup, David A. Brandt

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

As crane researchers and conservationists, our overarching objective is to learn and gather information about our study subjects while doing as little harm as possible. New technologies may be emerging too rapidly for researchers to assess the effectiveness or potential adverse effects of the devices, despite the ease and increasing accuracy of the information they provide. Researchers need to be able to gather information to answer various questions in a way that balances ethics and expense. With marking of cranes as a focal point, we discuss issues surrounding crane research based on various techniques, some health issues that are a …

Ecological Risk Assessment For The Western Rock Lobster Resource : Workshop Procedure And Outcomes, R Stoklosa

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Black Fly Survey Of A Whooping Crane Reintroduction Area In Eastern Wisconsin, Richard P. Urbanek, Peter H. Adler

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Nest desertion due to harassment by black flies (Simulium annulus and S. johannseni) during incubation has been a major factor inhibiting success of the reintroduced Eastern Migratory Population of whooping cranes (Grus americana). To avoid this problem, which was prevalent in the core reintroduction area in central Wisconsin, the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership changed the primary reintroduction area to eastern Wisconsin in 2011. However, a 2010 assessment of black flies in that area had concentrated predominantly on the southern portion of the new area. In 2017-2018, we collected the first samples of black flies in …

Effects Of Release Techniques On Parent-Reared Whooping Cranes In The Eastern Migratory Population, Hillary L. Thompson, M. Susanna Glass, Marianne M. Wellington, Kim H. Boardman, Glenn H. Olsen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Reintroduction of an Eastern Migratory Population (EMP) of whooping cranes (Grus americana) in the United States by release of captive-reared individuals began in 2001. As of 2020, the EMP has approximately 21 breeding pairs and has had limited recruitment of wild-hatched individuals, thus captive-reared juveniles continue to be released into breeding areas in Wisconsin to maintain the population. We investigated the effects of release techniques on survival, behavior, site fidelity, and conspecific associations of 42 captive-parent-reared whooping cranes released during 2013-2019 into the EMP. Individuals were monitored intensively post-release, then as a part of a long-term monitoring program, …

Vigilance Of Nesting Whooping Cranes In Juneau County, Wisconsin, Nicole M. Gordon, Darby P. Bolt, Hillary L. Thompson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Vigilance plays an important role in the detection of possible threats and reducing the risk of predation, including during the incubation period. We examined the visual vigilance of incubating whooping cranes (Grus americana) in Juneau County, Wisconsin, during the 2019 nesting season. We deployed 9 trail cameras and tagged crane presence and behavior in 32,801 photos which were used in our analysis. We assessed individual nest and environmental variables and their effects on vigilant behavior of incubating cranes using linear mixed-models. Vigilant behavior was defined by a posture in which the crane’s head was up, neck was erect, …

Whooping Crane Stay Length In Relation To Stopover Site Characteristics, Andrew J. Caven, Aaron T. Pearse, David A. Brandt, Mary J. Harner, Greg D. Wright, David M. Baasch, Emma M. Brinley Buckley, Kristine L. Metzger, Matthew R. Rabbe, Anne E. Lacy

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Whooping crane (Grus americana) migratory stopovers can vary in length from hours to more than a month. Stopover sites provide food resources and safety essential for the completion of migration. Factors such as weather, climate, demographics of migrating groups, and physiological condition of migrants influence migratory movements of cranes (Gruidae) to varying degrees. However, little research has examined the relationship between habitat characteristics and stopover stay length in cranes. Site quality may relate to stay length with longer stays that allow individuals to improve body condition, or with shorter stays because of increased foraging efficiency. We examined this …

Distribution And Breeding Of The Black-Bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna Autumnalis) In Arkansas, With A Brief Chronology Of Distribution And Breeding In Southeastern United States, C. Renn Tumlison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Black-Bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) was a rare bird first reported from Arkansas in 1982, when it was seen in Hempstead Co. in southwestern Arkansas. Observations surged in parts of the state about 2005, then again about 2016, and the bird is now fairly common seasonally in many parts of the state. By use of online sources for citizen science, we elucidate the history of occurrence and present analysis of seasonal distribution of this bird in Arkansas. Individuals occur in Arkansas throughout the year, but observations are most common and widely distributed from March-September, after which most individuals …

Review Of Spiders Of North America, By Sarah Rose, Michael L. Draney

The Prairie Naturalist

A field guide to spiders, the dominant terrestrial predator group, has long been a desire for North American naturalists, biologists, and spider fans, but not surprisingly, the first “real” field guide has been a long time coming. The diversity of spiders, with over 50,000 known species globally (World Spider Catalog 2022) and around 4,000 in North America north of Mexico (Rose 2022), is well beyond the diversity of more traditional field guide targets such as birds (about 1,000 species north of Mexico; American Birding Association 2022) or butterflies (about 725 species north of Mexico; North American Butterfly Association 2022). Also, …

Review Of Methods For Ecological Research On Terrestrial Small Mammals, By Robert Mccleery, Lynda R. Lafond

The Prairie Naturalist

Small mammals are used in ecological studies throughout the world, yet the subject has lacked a clear reference that included upto- date methods pertaining to passive detection, molecular, and statistical approaches. In Methods for Ecological Research on Terrestrial Small Mammals, McCleery and his coauthors build on previous research references (Braun 2005, Sutherland 2006, Krebs 2014, Silvy 2020) and present methodologies specific to the study of small mammals that are applicable globally. Written as an asset for novice and experienced small mammal researchers alike, Methods for Ecological Research on Terrestrial Small Mammals is organized in a logical format, providing readers …

Final Report Floating Upwelling System Harvest Road Oceans, Robert Michael, Scott Bennett

Fisheries Occasional Publications

A Floating Upwelling System or FLUPSY is a mechanical system for the culture of seed stock during the nursery stage of commercial bivalve production.

Modeling Jadera Haematoloma’S Phenotypic Variation In The Context Of Its Developmental Plasticity, Michael C. Yorsz

Honors Theses

Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of an organism to integrate information from environmental cues to inform the development of its phenotype and remains understudied in biology. Models of plasticity are needed because evolution in the presence of plasticity is poorly understood. Jadera haematoloma, a hemimetabolous true bug, is an excellent animal model of plasticity, exhibiting a non-linear plastic response to juvenile nutrition that biases adult development into groups with differences in flight capability, wing shape, and fecundity. However, there is a lack of literature consensus regarding the range of developmental outcomes in the species. Some publications report the presence …

Artificial Intelligence System For Automatic Imaging, Quantification, And Identification Of Arthropods In Leaf Litter And Pitfall Samples, Pierce Helton, Khoa Luu, Ashley Dowling

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

It is well known that arthropods are the most diverse and abundant eukaryotic organisms on the planet. Museum and research collections have huge insect accumulations from expeditions conducted over history that contain specimens of both temporal and spatial value, including hundreds of thousands of species. This biodiversity data is inaccessible to the research community, resulting in a vast amount of “dark data”. The primary objective of this study is to develop an artificial intelligence-driven system for specimen identification that greatly minimizes the time and expertise required to identify specimens in atypical environments. Successful development will have profound impacts on both …

Understanding Caribou Population Cycles, Jack R. St. John

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The complex population dynamics of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) were studied to determine the patterns of their population cycles and the processes driving them. It is well established, via previous archaeological research and Indigenous knowledge, that large migrating caribou herds found in and around the tundra at northern latitudes experience population boom and busts roughly every several decades. However, the processes driving the dynamics of these cycles are relatively unknown, which makes managing caribou herds for recreational and subsistence harvests difficult. It has been hypothesized that a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors shape these cycles, with density-dependence, predation, …

Observations Of Whooping Crane Parental Provisioning Of Chicks, Glenn H. Olsen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Crane chicks are dependent on parent birds for provisioning during the first few months of life, but no study has examined this provisioning in detail. In 2014 research staff at the U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center (formerly Patuxent Wildlife Research Center), in Laurel, Maryland, made multiple observations of parent whooping cranes (Grus americana) feeding or interacting with their chick during the 3 months from hatching to fledging. Both parents participated in the feeding of the chick and only 1 chick was raised by each pair of parent whooping cranes. Initially feeding frequency was low (0-20 times …

Surveys And Population Estimates Of A Distinctive Subpopulation Of Sandhill Cranes In The Fraser River Lowlands Of British Columbia, Myles M. Lamont

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

A poorly understood subpopulation of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) breeds at scattered locations in the lower Fraser River Valley on the south coast of British Columbia. The area also harbors the northernmost population of overwintering sandhill cranes anywhere in its range. While sporadic monitoring has been carried out since the mid-1960s, no formal survey efforts have been attempted for the entire Fraser River lowland subpopulation. During 2014-2019 we collected groundbased survey data on presence and occupation of territories within the study area; this effort was supported by citizen science contributions. On 20 June 2019, we flew a fixed-width, …