Botany Commons^™

Spatial Ecology Of Urban Raccoons In Northeastern Ohio: Implications For Oral Rabies Vaccination, Are R. Berentsen, Mike R. Dunbar, Chadd E. Fitzpatrick, W. David Walter

The Prairie Naturalist

In 1977, rabies was detected in a raccoon (Procyon lotor) in West Virginia, and since the mid-1980s raccoon variant rabies has spread throughout the eastern United States and moved west as far as the eastern edge of Cleveland, Ohio. The primary tool to combat this spread is the distribution of oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits. A thorough knowledge of raccoon space use is critical in determining bait placement, particularly in urban areas. We monitored nine raccoons in urban areas of Cleveland, Ohio, calculated home range sizes, monitored raccoon movement with respect to potential movement barriers, and used resource selection functions …

Botanist In Death Valley, Stanley L. Welsh

Books by Faculty of the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum

Abstract

This book details the author’s trips to Death Valley, along with general ecological information about the region. Explorations by other natural historians are also recounted. Death Valley and its surrounding mountain ranges are stark and appear to lack vegetative cover, but that appearance is deceiving. The ranges and valley support a great diversity of living things, both plants and animals. Pages 10–17 contain photographs of various landscapes. Pages 18–20 list the plant species collected in Death Valley, 1970–1983. Voucher specimens are available for study at Stanley L. Welsh Herbarium, Brigham Young University.

The Effect Of Historical Legacy On Adaptation: Do Closely Related Species Respond To The Environment In The Same Way?, Rachel Prunier, Kent E. Holsinger, Jane E. Carlson

EEB Articles

The many documented examples of parallel and convergent evolution in similar environments are strong evidence for the role of natural selection in the evolution of trait variation. However, species may respond to selection in different ways; idiosyncrasies of their evolutionary history may affect how different species respond to the same selective pressure. To determine whether evolutionary history affects trait-environment associations in a recently diverged lineage, we investigated within-species trait-environment associations in the white proteas, a closely related monophyletic group. We first used MANOVAs to determine the relative importance of shared response to selection, evolutionary history, and unique responses to selection …

Comparative Study Of Constituents Of Essential Oils Of Ocimum Basilicum L. Cultivated In The Mongolian Gobi, Shataryn Altantsetseg, Sandui Shatar, N. Javzmaa

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The essential oils of the herb Ocimum basilicum L., cultivated in the Mongolian Gobi, have been examined. Oils were isolated by hydro-distillation and analyzed by GC-MS. The principle components of Common Basil were methyl chavicol (52.1 %), linalool (23.9 %). In the oils of the different varieties of Basil were the following compounds found: Sweet Basil: linalool (24.5–27.4 %), methyl chavicol (19.8–20.0 %), bergamotene (10.0 %), 1.8-cineole (8.5 %); Purple Basil: linalool (52.8 %), 1.8-cineole (8.7 %); Cinnamon Basil: methyl chavicol (60.4 %), 1.8-cine-ole (6.3 %), linalool (3.3 %) and cadinol (3.2 %); Italian large leaf Basil …

Diploid Allium Ramosum From East Mongolia: A Missing Link For The Origin Of The Crop Species A. Tuberosum?, Batlai Oyuntsetseg, Frank R. Blattner, Nikolai Friesen

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

In eastern Mongolia, a diploid close relative of the tetraploid (4x) crop species Allium tuberosum and its closest wild relative A. ramosum (4x) was found and characterized by karyotype analysis and with molecular marker techniques. An earlier analyses revealed A. ramosum to be sister of the crop but excluded it as its progenitor. At that time a putative diploid cytotype of A. ramosum was hypothesized as a potential progenitor taxon of the tetraploids. New phylogenetic analyses of chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequences including the recently found cytotype (A. aff. tuberosum) together with A. tuberosum and A. ramosum accessions …

Indicators Of Pasture Digression In Steppe Ecosystems Of Mongolia, Elena V. Danzhalova, S. N. Bazha, P. D. Gunin, Yu. I. Drobyshev, T. I. Kazantseva, A. V. Prischepa, N. N. Slemnev, E. Ariunbold

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The research shows that widely used key measures of vegetation structure (species diversity, projected cover and above-ground phytomass) are not always suitable as indicators of pasture degradation. Based on an analysis above-ground phytomass composition, new quantitative indices are offered that give a more realistic picture of rangeland condition in Mongolia.

Structure And Productivity Of Haloxylon Ammodendron Communities In The Mongolian Gobi, Tamara I. Kazantseva, Nikolay N. Slemnev, Pjotr D. Gunin, Sh. Tsooj

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Communities of Haloxylon ammodendron are widespread in the Mongolian Gobi where they play a significant role in biodiversity preservation. They occupy several main types of habitats, showing differences in density, projective cover, and productivity. Haloxylon ammodendron plays a similar, if not even more important role in the arid zone of Mongolia as the principal forest-making trees in the Northern part of the country. The complex set of quantitative parameters of Haloxylon ammodendron stands studied here in respect to temporal dynamics can serve as an indicator of both the vitality of desert ecosystems, and of environmental change.

Experimental And Molecular Studies Of Bryophyte Dispersal On Alpine Summits, Sean Charles Robinson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

A review of bryophyte dispersal studies over the last sixty years revealed that the role of gametophytic fragments in bryophyte population dynamics has not been adequately addressed. In this dissertation, I investigate the dispersal potential of wind blown bryophyte fragments on Adirondack alpine summits using a combination of field and laboratory methods.

Cover Page

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

No abstract provided.

A New Variety Of Lomatium Ravenii (Apiaceae) From The Northern Great Basin And Adjacent Owyhee Region, Kimberly M. Carlson, Donald H. Mansfield, James F. Smith

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Variability in the group of Lomatium species comprising L. nevadense, L. ravenii, and L. foeniculaceum has led to conflicting classification schemes. While some taxonomists have treated L. ravenii as a distinct species made up of all the populations from California, Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon, others considered L. ravenii to be nothing more than a morphological extreme of L. nevadense. We examined morphological and phylogenetic data from across the range of L. ravenii, concluding that variation in the species warrants varietal distinction. Non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis of 29 populations shows two distinct groups—one from the vicinity of …

Index

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

No abstract provided.

Review Of Teaching Children Science: Hands-On Nature Study In North America, 1890-1930 By Sally Kohlstedt, Meena M. Balgopal

The Prairie Naturalist

Many scientists and educators agree that the goal of science education is to prepare students "to know, use and interpret scientific explanations of the natural world," as cited in the National Research Council publication, Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8 (DuschI et al. 2007). Yet, many science instructors of K-12 and post-secondary students often rely on teacher-telling modes of pedagogy and neglect to engage their students in natural inquiry and scientific study that model the research methods used by scientists. As a result, many young people are not aware of how scientists make discoveries about …

Genetic Structure Of Grass Carp Populations In The Missouri And Mississippi River Basins, Usa, Bobbi M. Adams, Katie N. Bertrand, Michael L. Brown, Donald Auger

The Prairie Naturalist

We provided an early characterization of the genetic structure of the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) population as it expands its distribution in both the Missouri and Mississippi River basins. Further, we provided initial comparisons of allelic richness at 17 polymorphic microsatellite markers between 56 grass carp from the USA, and six from the Yangtze River in China. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to eight and size ranges of alleles for fish collected from the invaded and native ranges were similar (P ≤ 0.001; 107–226 bp) to those previously reported in the literature. Distance-based clustering …

Massasauga Repatriation On A Restored Wet Prairie, Francis E. Durbian, Brian N. Lomas, Jeff Briggler, Paul Mckenzie, Tom Nagel

The Prairie Naturalist

The massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) is a small rattlesnake that occurs from Texas to New York (Schmidt and Davis 1941, Conant and Collins 1991, Szymanski 1998). In Missouri, the Eastern massasauga rattlesnake (EMR; S. c. catenatus), a subspecies of the massasauga, occurs north and east of the Missouri River, is a former candidate for listing under the United States Endangered Species Act (Code of Federal Regulations 64 FR 57534; Szymanski 1998), and is listed as a state endangered species (Missouri Natural Heritage Program 2011). Missouri currently harbors five extant EMR populations (Johnson 2000, Durbian et al., unpublished report, …

Book Review Of Encyclopedia Of Biological Invasions, Edited By Daniel Simberloff And Marcel Rejmanek, Qinfeng Guo

The Prairie Naturalist

Book review of Encyclopedia of Biological Invasions, edited by Daniel Simberloff and Marcel Rejmanek.

Species introductions and consequent biotic invasions and homogenization are major components of global change that are drawing increasing concern and various levels of actions and reactions around the world. Invasion ecology has advanced rapidly during the last few decades, and the discipline is now increasingly integrated with the social and economic sciences. A better understanding of the invasion process and its effects is thus clearly needed. For basic research, invasion biology offers fascinating and sometimes unique opportunities for testing certain ecological or evolutionary theories and …

Notes On The Distribution Of Eastern Woodrats And Hispid Cotton Rats In South-Central Nebraska, Heather D. Wills, Keith Geluso, Eric J. Smits, Joseph T. Springer, Wesley E. Newton

The Prairie Naturalist

The eastern woodrat (Neotoma floridana) and hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) reach distributional limits in southern Nebraska (Jones 1964, Farney 1975). In the last half-century, both species have expanded their distributional ranges in the region (Kugler and Geluso 2009, Wright et al. 2010). Herein, we report new localities of occurrence for both species that extend known distributional boundaries in south-central Nebraska beyond those reported by Kugler and Geluso (2009) and Wright et al. (2010).

Associated with other studies, we captured small mammals in Sherman live-traps in south-central Nebraska. Voucher specimens were deposited in collections at the …

Comparison Of Fish Communities In Recently Constructed Side-Channel Chutes With The Main Stem Missouri River, Kasey Whiteman, Vincent H. Travnichek, Darrick L. Garner, Brandon Eder, Kirk Steffensen

The Prairie Naturalist

Two United States Army Corp of Engineers- (USACE) funded projects were conducted from 2006 to 2008 along the Missouri River to monitor fish communities in recently constructed side-channel chutes and to monitor pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) and the associated fish assemblage in the main stem Missouri River. Data from both monitoring projects were compared to evaluate fish assemblages among four mitigated habitats (e.g., constructed side-channel chutes) and the main-stem Missouri River. Chutes had a greater overall number of species (n = 59) and higher species richness (Margalef’s index = 5.81), but richness was not different (F1, 4 = …

Patterns Of Age-0 Gizzard Shad Abundance And Food Habits In A Nebraska Irrigation Reservoir, Christopher L. Sullivan, Casey W. Schoenebeck, Keith D. Koupal, W. Wyatt Hoback, Brian C. Peterson

The Prairie Naturalist

Gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) are prolific spawners that can influence reservoir communities. Larval gizzard shad may compete with larval recreational fish for zooplankton resources. Therefore, it is necessary to determine larval gizzard shad dynamics and food habits to better understand their potential for competition with larval recreational fish. Our study examined age-0 gizzard shad abundance in Harlan County Reservoir during late spring/summer from 2002–2010 and food habits and prey electivity of age-0 gizzard shad during late spring/summer 2008 and 2009. The annual peak age-0 gizzard shad density 3 from 2002–2010 ranged from 50 to 380/100 m , which …

Northern Harrier Hatches Mallard Nest, Jeffery W. Stackhouse, Benjamin A. Geaumont

The Prairie Naturalist

The northern harrier (Circus cyaneus) is a widespread raptor commonly found nesting throughout the Northern Great Plains. Northern harriers forage primarily on small mammals and passerines with the males providing the majority of prey to nestlings until 14–28 days of age (Redpath et al. 2006, Vukovich and Ritchison 2006). Although the genus Circus is known to predate eggs from nest of many nesting birds (Hiraldo et al. 1975, Donaszar et al. 1996, Opermanis et al. 2000), few have been recorded commandeering nests of different species (Laine 1928, Fleskes 1992). In June 2010, we observed a northern harrier that …

Late Seasonal Captures Of The Plains Pocket Mouse (Perognathus Flavescens) In Iowa, Hans W. Otto, Jeremy A. White

The Prairie Naturalist

The plains pocket mouse, Perognathus flavescens, is a nocturnal granivore that inhabits friable soils in sparsely vegetated areas (Monk and Jones 1996). In the United States, the distribution of the plains pocket mouse extends from Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas through the Great Plains to North Dakota and Minnesota (Hall 1981). This species reaches its easternmost limits in Iowa, where it has been documented from a limited number of grassland sites in eastern, central, and western parts of the state (Bowles 1975, Wilson et al. 1996). Due to loss of grassland habitat, the plains pocket mouse is currently listed …

Review Of Sandhill And Whooping Cranes: Ancient Voices Over America's Wetlands By Paul Johnsgard, Jane E. Austin

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul Johnsgard has long been captivated by wild cranes and their unique vocalizations, courtship dances, and wide-ranging migrations. As a scientist and an admirer, Johnsgard has watched their migrations and behaviors for decades as hundreds of thousands of cranes staged each spring by the central Platte River, not far from his home in Lincoln, Nebraska. As an artist, he has skillfully captured their courtship dances and other behaviors in his exceptional line drawings. And, as an author, he has written extensively on their ecology in three earlier books: Cranes of the World (1983), Those of the Gray Wind: The Sandhill …

Depth And Littoral Habitat Association Of Age-0 Yellow Perch In Two South Dakota Glacial Lakes, Daniel J. Dembkowski, Melissa R. Wuellner, David W. Willis

The Prairie Naturalist

Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) are a recreationally important species and represent a key ecological component of glacial lake littoral fish assemblages (Stone 1996, Blackwell et al. 1999). Research has shown a generalized pattern of juvenile (age-0) yellow perch spatial distribution wherein larvae hatch in near-shore areas, migrate to limnetic areas where they remain for approximately 40 d, and then return to demersal behaviors and within near-shore littoral habitats (Noble 1975, Whiteside et al. 1985). However, anomalous distribution and habitat use by age-0 yellow perch has been observed in South Dakota glacial lakes (Fisher and Willis 1997) and the …

Book Review: Effects Of Climate Change On Birds, Edited By Anders Pape Meller, Wolfgang Fiedler, And Peter Berthold, Brian J. Olsen

The Prairie Naturalist

Book review of Effects of Climate Change on Birds, edited by Anders Pape Meller, Wolfgang Fiedler, and Peter Berthold.

Climate scientists from across the globe predict vast changes during the next century in the planet's temperatures, precipitation, storm intensities, fire regimes, hydrologic cycles, and atmospheric, water, and soil chemistries. The changes will be global, but their effects will be felt locally everywhere. To find a scientifically and socially engaging bellwether of these events, we need to look only through the lens of avian biology. Birds are found from pole to pole; their movements connect continents. They are loud, colorful …

Modeling Parental Provisioning By Red-Winged Blackbirds In North Dakota, George M. Linz, Richard S. Sawin, Mark W. Lutman, William J. Bleier

The Prairie Naturalist

Male red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) exhibit a difference in nest provisioning rates along an east-west gradient in North America. North Dakota is located in the center of North America and harbors a large population of breeding red-winged blackbirds (RWBL). This location provided an opportunity to compare provisioning rates in the central U.S. with those reported for the eastern and western populations. We placed video cameras at RWBL nests to record male and female feeding trips. Thirty-four nests were located on territories with original males and 30 were on territories where a replacement (floater) male had taken over a …

Manuscript Content: Where Does It Belong?, Christopher N. Jacques

The Prairie Naturalist

One of the most common issues we address during content editing of papers for The Prairie Naturalist (journal) is the appropriate placement of content in the text body. Based on my experience with the editorial process, content placement also is one of the issues that authors are most resistant to suggestions or do not fully understand why we are so persistent about it (Thompson 2010). One of the primary objectives of scientific writing is to concisely and accurately disseminate information. Scientific papers are structured to help both the author and reader accomplish this objective. The material that belongs in each …

Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 4: Contributions To The Garden, 1875-1912, Charles H. Smith

DLPS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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 (through 2013)

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 …

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes Fall 2011, E. Cayenne Engel, Scott R. Abella, Kathryn A. Prengaman, Jason Whited, Peter Michel

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes

Paper on impacts of Mojave wildfires through time published, possibilities of catastrophic Mt. Charleston forest fires, vegetation mapping at three national parks, UNLV library’s special collections, and the benefits of scientific publications to managers and stakeholders

Classifying And Mapping Diversity In A Species-Poor System: The Mangrove Meta-Community Of Laguna Chacahua National Park, Oaxaca, Mexico, Elizabeth Kay Weisgerber

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Classifying and Mapping Diversity in a Species-Poor System: the mangrove meta-community of Laguna Chacahua National Park, Oaxaca, Mexico

by

Elizabeth Kay Weisgerber

Both field transects and imagery grid plots were analyzed with the goal of creating a community classification map for the mangrove forest of Parque Nacional Lagunas de Chacahua. In total, data was collected in 49 sites throughout the park, recording measures such as DBH, basal area, estimated dominance, frequency, cover and relative dominance. Field locations were marked and georeferenced with a GPS and grid plots overlaid on satellite imagery of the park were generated via a random …

Aronia Mitschurinii: Solving A Horticultural Enigma, Peter J. Leonard

Master's Theses

Aronia (Medik.), commonly known as chokeberry, is a taxonomically misunderstood genus currently experiencing a renaissance in North America as both an ornamental and fruit crop. Three species of chokeberry are commonly accepted as native in North America: A. arbutifolia (L.) Pers. red chokeberry; A. melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliot, black chokeberry; and A. prunifolia (Marshall) Rehder, or purple chokeberry. In Europe a fourth species of human origin is recognized as Aronia mitschurinii (A.K.Skvortsov & Maitul.), or cultivated, black-fruited Aronia. It is widely speculated that this genotype originated in the early 20^th century with Russian pomologist Ivan Michurin, as the product …