Botany Commons^™

The Vascular Flora Of The Owens Peak Eastern Watershed, Southern Sierra Nevada, California, Naomi S. Fraga

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Owens Peak lies at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada within the Bureau of Land Management’s Owens Peak Wilderness Area in Kern County, California. The study site, ca. 50 square miles, encompasses Owens Peak’s eastern watershed, and ranges in elevation from 800–2600 m (2600–8400 ft). Granite rocks of the Sierra Nevada batholith underlie the study area. The eastern watershed of Owens Peak is botanically diverse, with 64 families, 230 genera, and 440 taxa currently documented. Floristic elements within the study area include the southern Sierra Nevada, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert. The flora previously was poorly documented, as discovered …

Cantua Dendritica (Polemoniaceae), A New Species From Peru, And Two New Cantua Names, J. Mark Porter, L. Alan Prather

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Cantua dendritica is described as new. This species is apparently restricted to the region around Paucartambo, Department of Cusco, Peru. Related to, and frequently identified as, Cantua flexuosa, this new species differs in its glandular calyx, highly branched trichomes on the margin of the corolla lobes, and its softly herbaceous, glandular pilose leaves. In addition, two new names are proposed in Cantua for the two species of Huthia that have been transferred to Cantua, C. volcanica (formerly Huthia caerulea), and C. mediamnis (formerly H. longiflora).

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes Spring 2008, Lesley Defalco, E. Cayenne Engel, Scott R. Abella, Jessica E. Spencer, Jill E. Craig

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes

Post-fire restoration, fire chronosequence study, Joint Fire Science update, Weed Sentry program and DNWR surveys

West Nile Virus Antibodies In Breeding North Dakota Icterids, Jennifer L. Newbrey, Wendy L. Reed

The Prairie Naturalist

Exotic infectious diseases can have devastating effects on the distribution and abundance ofnaYve wildlife species (Friend et al. 2001). West Nile Virus (WNV) is an exotic disease that was introduced into North America in 1999 and has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of birds (Marra et al. 2004). The natural cycle of WNV involves Culex spp. mosquitoes as principle vectors and birds as principle hosts, although humans, horses, and other mammals can become incidental hosts (Lanciotti et al. 2000). Because the virus can be fatal, outbreaks have become a national health concern for the human population, an …

Review Of Basic Texas Birds: A Field Guide By Mark W. Lockwood, Thomas M. Langschied

The Prairie Naturalist

Texas has an incredible diversity of birds. This diversity is a result of its geographic location, size, and diversity of habitats. Given this wealth of birds, there is a wonderful opportunity in Texas for both residents and visitors alike to learn and appreciate the birdlife found there. Basic Texas Birds has been written to provide a foundation for anyone who is either new to bird-watching or has been bird-watching casually for several years. The book covers 161 commonly occurring birds in Texas and includes an additional 23 species that are considered Texas specialty birds, those that occur regularly in Texas …

The Prairie Naturalist. Volume 40, No. 112 March/June 2008, The Great Plains Natural Science Society

The Prairie Naturalist

LOW REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS OF MALLARDS IN A GRASSLAND-DOMINATED LANDSCAPE IN THE SANDHILLS OF NEBRASKA. J. A. Walker, Z. J. Cunningham, M. P. Vrtiska, S. E. Stephens, and L. A. Powell

USE OF PASSIVE INTEGRATED TRANSPONDERS IN HATCHLING TEXAS HORNED LIZARDS. S. E. Henke

INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE AND DISCHARGE ON REPRODUCTIVE TIMING OF COMMON CARP IN A NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS RIVER. T. Resseguie and S. Kelsch

RAPTOR USE OF ARTIFICIAL PERCHES AT NATURAL AREAS, CITY OF FORT COLLINS, COLORADO. G. Witmer, M. Pipas, P. Burke, D. Rouse, D. Dees, and K. Manci

WEST NILE VIRUS ANTIBODIES IN BREEDING NORTH DAKOTA ICTERIDS. …

Review Of Oology And Ralph's Talking Eggs By Carrol L. Henderson, Kristin R. Johnson

The Prairie Naturalist

Ralph Handsaker was an Iowan farmer whose "ravenous curiosity" (page 4) about the natural world inspired him to become an oologist, or egg collector. This book tells the story of Handsaker's eggs, contained in two large cabinets that remained hidden in the living room of his boarded-up house after his death in 1969, until they were rediscovered in 2003 and shown to the author, wildlife conservationist, and photographer, Carrol Henderson. Ralph's eggs can "talk" by virtue of Henderson's chronicle-using the eggs as guides-of not only Ralph's own passion for natural history and egg collecting, but also the history of conservation …

Influence Of Temperature And Discharge On Reproductive Timing Of Common Carp In A Northern Great Plains River, Tim Resseguie, Steve Kelsch

The Prairie Naturalist

Reproductive timing of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) was examined in the Red River of the North and compared with environmental factors that might have triggered spawning during 1999 and 2000. We estimated spawn dates for individual common carp larvae collected in the drift by back-calculating from datc of capture and by accounting for developmental stage at capture and water temperature during the period of egg incubation. Reproductive timing was compared with discharge and water temperature to determine which of these likely might be a synchronizing cue for spawning of common carp in the Red River basin. In both years of …

Review Of Roger Tory Peterson: A Biography By Douglas Carlson, Laura Erickson

The Prairie Naturalist

August 28, 2008, marks the centennial of Roger Tory Peterson's birth, and books related to the most prominent naturalist of the twentieth century have been sprouting up everywhere. I was disappointed that Douglas Carlson shied away from examining Peterson's personal life to provide insights into the forces and relationships that shaped, and were shaped by, this man so consumed with birds. Instead, Carlson focuses almost entirely on Peterson's work, writing, "Because his death is so recent, there are many who have a personal investment in his story; beyond a request for an interview, no attempts have been made to invade …

Breeding By The Snowy Plover In North Dakota And South Dakota, Carol Aron, Paul Van Ningten, Michael Rabenberg, Cheryl Jacobs, Greg Pavelka, Ricky D. Olson

The Prairie Naturalist

The snowy plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) is a small shorebird that breeds on unvegetated beaches along coastlines, rivers, and alkaline lakes. In North America, its breeding distribution extends along the coasts of California, Oregon, and southern Washington, where the population is listed as federally threatened (USFWS 1993), and an interior population occurs on wetlands in western and central states and central Mexico (Page et al. 1995). There have been rare breeding reports in Montana, Wyoming, and Saskatchewan (Page et al. 1995), but no documented breeding records in North Dakota or South Dakota. However, the United States Army Corps of Engineers reported …

Raptor Use Of Artificial Perches At Natural Areas, City Of Fort Collins, Colorado, G. W. Witmer, Michael Pipas, Patrick Burke, David Rouse, Donna Dees, Karen Manci

The Prairie Naturalist

The black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) remains a critical element of the prairie ecosystem even though its numbers and occupied range have declined dramatically since the arrival of Europeans in North America (Antol in et al. 2002). Prairie dog colonies are used by many species of wildlife and help maintain high levels of biodiversity (Kotliar et al. 1999). In the urban-suburban setting, the occurrence of prairie dog colonies also provides opportunities for wildlife viewing and environmental education. Unfortunately, prairie dogs also can come into conflict with humans, especially in the urban-suburban setting, where they cause vegetation and property …

Low Reproductive Success Of Mallards In A Grassland-Dominated Landscape In The Sandhills Of Nebraska, Johann A. Walker, Zach J. Cunningham, Mark P. Vrtiska, Scott E. Stephens, Larkin Powell

The Prairie Naturalist

The Sandhills of Nebraska comprise approximately 5,000,000 ha of native grassland interspersed with numerous groundwater-fed wetlands. A substantial population of the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) nests in this region. Previous investigations of nest survival probability of ducks in the Sandhills have estimated surprisingly low rates of nest survival for a grassland-dominated landscape. These investigations were conducted on public lands and most nest searching took place near wetlands where activity of nest predators might be highest. We predicted that mallards would nest at varying distances from wetlands and that survival probability of a representative sample of duck nests would increase …

A Watershed Analysis Of Pattee Pond: Implications For Water Quality And Land Use Management, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Pattee Pond (2008, 1992)

The Colby Environmental Assessment Team (CEAT) investigated the impact of land use patterns on the water quality of Pattee Pond in Winslow, Maine, during the summer and fall of 2008. Physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water quality were analyzed to evaluate the current health of the lake. Data collected were compared with previous studies conducted by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and CEAT to examine changes in water quality and land use over time. Trends in Pattee Pond water quality suggest an improvement since the 1970s. However, the lake is still experiencing algal blooms resulting from phosphorus …

Use Of Passive Integrated Transponders In Hatchling Texas Horned Lizards, Scott E. Henke

The Prairie Naturalist

The Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) is a Texas state-threatened species and acquisition of data related to the species' ecology is essential. To accomplish this task individual animals need to be marked. Many marking techniques are available for lizards, however the majority of techniques have been tested on adults only. Studies involving hatchling and juvenile horned lizards are scarce due to problems associated with marking and relocating individuals in these age classes. I demonstrated that injection of passive integrated transponders (PIT's) can safely be used as a marking method in young Texas horned lizards. Thirty-two captive bred hatchling lizards were …

Mortality Of An American Marten From An Off-Highway Vehicle, Joshua B. Smith, Jonathan A. Jenks

The Prairie Naturalist

While there are several reviews of the effects of OHVs and recreational activity on wildlife populations (Knight and Gutzwiller 1995, Joslin and Youmans 1999), most studies have focused on physiological (Creel et al. 2002) or behavioral (Van Dyke et al. 1986, Riley et al. 2003) responses to disturbance; none have addressed the potential for direct mortality. In 2005, we documented the death from an OHV of a juvenile, female American marten (F299) that had been radiocollared during a study documenting the distribution and abundance of American marten in the Black Hills, South Dakota (Smith 2007); the Institutional Animal Care and …

Floristic Records In The Platte And Loup River Bottomlands Of Platte County, Nebraska, Michael P. Gutzmer, Robert B. Kaul

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

A recent inventory of vascular plants in the Loup and Platte riverbottoms in Platte County has greatly increased knowledge of the area's flora. Of the 542 species of vascular plants now known to grow in the county, 289 were discovered after 1977, with more than 100 of those after 1990. 425 native and 117 naturalized species are known so far. Nearly 700 native and naturalized alien species are expected to occur in the county, based upon totals from nearby counties. Thus, almost 150 years after European settlement, more than 20% of the species remain unverified; of those, many are undoubtedly …

Microspore Wall Morphogenesis And Orbicule Ultrastructure Of Isoetes, Khalid Alarid

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The microspore wall morphogenesis and orbicule ultrastructure of Isoetes were studied using electron microscopy. Microspore wall morphogenesis in five species of Isoetes (I. appalachiana, I. engelmannii, I. hyemalis, I. piedmontana, and an undescribed species from York Co., VA, USA) was studied using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Results show that they generally have the same developmental stages in terms of microspore wall morphogenesis. The mature microspore wall consisted of four layers: perispore, paraexospore, exospore and endospore. Paraexospore formation began during the tetrad stage. The exospore was then formed between the paraexospore and the plasma membrane. During the free spore …

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes Winter 2008, Scott R. Abella, E. Cayenne Engel, Jill E. Craig

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes

Mojave Desert collaborative projects, fire history in Spring Mountains, Northshore Road rehabilitation, wildfires and invasive plants in American deserts conference, weed sentry surveys

Reestablishing The Juneberry On The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation: Cultural, Horticultural, And Educational Connections, Kerry E. Hartman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tribal people of the Northern Great Plains have utilized plants for centuries. Amelanchier anifolia (Juneberries/Serviceberries) historically played an important part in the diet and culture of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara (MHA) Tribal Nations. Research conducted as part of this study into historical and contemporary uses of the Juneberry by MHA Tribal Members indicated extensive historical use and a high interest in Juneberry reestablishment for cultural, nutritional, and economic reasons. Previous research on Juneberries has investigated factors including state of dormancy, propagation method, transplant type, and mulch type. Another purpose of this study was to elucidate the impact of presence …

Sex-Specific Feeding Rates And Provisioning Of Fruit To Nestling Bell's Vireo, Greg H. Farley

The Prairie Naturalist

Provisioning of fruit to nestlings and possible sex-specific differences in feeding rate have not been reported for Bell's vireo (Vireo bellii; Brown 1993). While studying nesting ecology of Bell's vireo on Konza Prairie Biological Station, Geary and Riley counties, Kansas, I quantified feeding rate by sex and food type delivered to nestlings. Sex was determined by capturing adults with mist-nets and inspecting for a cloacal protuberance, as well as conducting behavioral observations of uniquely-marked individuals. Males sing regularly while moving around territories, as well as during incubation (Nolan 1960). I assigned "female" to the individual in these socially …

Joint Fire Science Program – Lake Mead National Recreation Area: Revegetating Burned Arid Lands: Identifying Successful Native Species Using Trait And Competition Analysis, Quarterly Progress Report, October 1, 2007 To December 31, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Fire Science

The task agreement was awarded to UNLV on October 1, 2007. This report covers the period October 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007. The following activities have been conducted toward meeting or exceeding deliverables in the statement of work: hiring and project start and experimental set-up

Phylogenetic Relationships In Tribe Cariceae (Cyperaceae) Based On Nested Analyses Of Four Molecular Data Sets, Marcia J. Waterway, Julian R. Starr

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Phylogenetic reconstruction for Carex and relatives in tribe Cariceae is complicated by species richness and nearly cosmopolitan distribution. In this investigation, our main objective was to estimate evolutionary relationships in tribe Cariceae using DNA sequence data from two spacer regions in nuclear ribosomal genes (ITS and ETS-1f) combined with noncoding chloroplast DNA (trnL intron, trnL–trnF intergenic spacer, and trnE–trnD intergenic spacers). Parsimony analyses of separate and combined data and Bayesian analysis of the combined data matrix revealed strong support for monophyly of tribe Cariceae and for monophyly of two major lineages, one …

An Electronic World Grass Flora, Steve Renvoize, Derek Clayton, Tom Cope, Helen Williamson

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The development of an electronic world grass flora database is described in which data for 1090 morphological characters gathered for 11,000 species in 700 genera organized according to accepted names. This descriptive information is linked to a synonym database of 60,000 names. Authors, literature references, and the status of each name are also recorded in the database along with geographical distribution and type information. The list of accepted species is linked to a global herbarium of 350,000 specimens at Kew arranged in a phylogenetic sequence at the generic and species levels and according to broad phytogeographic divisions. From the database, …

Classification And Biogeography Of New World Grasses: Anomochlooideae, Pharoideae, Ehrhartoideae, And Bambusoideae, Emmet J. Judziewicz, Lynn G. Clark

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Molecular data support Anomochlooideae and Pharoideae as the two most basal extant clades within Poaceae. Anomochlooideae are endemic to the New World and have two tribes and two genera including the widespread Streptochaeteae (3–4 spp.) and the critically endangered Anomochloeae (1 sp.) of coastal Bahia, Brazil. Pharoideae are pantropical with one tribe, three genera, and 14 species; all eight species of Pharus occur only in the New World. Bambusoideae and Ehrhartoideae are sister groups and together form a clade sister to Pooideae, although support for this set of relationships is low. Ehrhartoideae are a worldwide subfamily represented in the New …

Phylogenetic Relationships Of The Decumbentes Group Of Paspalum, Thrasya, And Thrasyopsis (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Paniceae), Silvia S. Denham, Fernando O. Zuloaga

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Paspalum (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Paniceae) includes 330 species distributed mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of America. Due to the large number of species and convergence in many characters, an adequate infrageneric classification is still needed. Studies on Paniceae based on molecular and morphological data have suggested that Paspalum is paraphyletic, including the genus Thrasya, but none of these analyses have included a representative sample of these two genera. In this study, phylogenetic relationships among the informal group Decumbentes of Paspalum, plus subgenera and other informal groups, and the genera Thrasya and Thrasyopsis were estimated. A cladistic analysis under …

The Jeweled Armor Of Tillandsia—Multifaceted Or Elongated Trichomes Provide Photoprotection, Simon Pierce

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Foliar trichomes of gray-leaved Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae) are highly reflective, suggesting a role in protecting the leaf against direct sunlight in exposed niches. The performance of photosystem II, as denoted by the chlorophyll fluorescence characteristic F_v /F_m , was determined for seven Tillandsia species and Vriesea barclayana that were exposed to excessive light, with trichomes either present or removed. Additionally, trichome structure and interaction with light was recorded using extended depth-of-field photomicrography, and reflectance quantified using a novel photographic technique. Trichomes of mesomorphic Type IV life forms (T. cryptantha, T. cyanea) and of the intermediate life …

Chromosome Evolution In Cyperales, Eric H. Roalson, Andrew G. Mccubbin, Richard Whitkus

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Karyotypic evolution is a prominent feature in the diversification of many plants and animals, yet the role that chromosomal changes play in the process of diversification is still debated. At the diploid level, chromosome fission and/or fusion are necessary components of chromosomal structural change associated with diversification. Yet the genomic features required for these events remain unknown. Here we present an overview of what is known about genomic structure in Cyperales, with particular focus on the current level of understanding of chromosome number and genome size and their impact in a phylogenetic context. We outline ongoing projects exploring genomic structure …

Phylogeny Of Cyperaceae Based On Dna Sequence Data–A New Rbcl Analysis, David A. Simpson, A. Muthama Muasya, Marccus V. Alves, Jeremy J. Bruhl, Sandra Dhooge, Mark W. Chase, Carol A. Furness, Kioumars Ghamkhar, Paul Goetghebeur, Trevor R. Hodkinson, Adam D. Marchant, Anton A. Reznicek, Roland Nieuwborg, Eric H. Roalson, Erik Smets, Julian R. Starr, William W. Thomas, Karen L. Wilson, Xiufu Zhang

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Since the Monocots II meeting in 1998, significant new data have been published that enhance our systematic knowledge of Cyperaceae. Phylogenetic studies in the family have also progressed steadily. For this study, a parsimony analysis was carried out using all rbcL sequences currently available for Cyperaceae, including data for two new genera. One of the four subfamilies (Caricoideae) and seven of the 14 tribes (Bisboeckelereae, Cariceae, Cryptangieae, Dulichieae, Eleocharideae, Sclerieae, Trilepideae) are monophyletic. Subfamily Mapanioideae and tribe Chrysitricheae are monophyletic if, as the evidence suggests, Hellmuthia is considered a member of Cypereae. Some other features of our analysis include: …

Phylogenetic Implications Of A Unique 5.8s Nrdna Insertion In Cyperaceae, Julian R. Starr, Geneviève Gravel, Anne Bruneau, A. Muthama Muasya

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The purpose of this study was to assess the phylogenetic utility of a large insertion (3 bp) in the 5.8S gene of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) in Cyperaceae and selected Juncaceae. This was done by reconstructing the character evolution of the insertion on a phylogeny derived from rbcL sequences. Results suggest that the insertion was gained once at the base of Cyperaceae followed by multiple losses in its most-derived taxa. Despite several homoplastic losses (CI = 0.20), the pattern of insertion loss (RI = 0.88), and base pair variation within the insertion were useful for defining sedge clades at …

Chromosome Number Changes Associated With Speciation In Sedges: A Phylogenetic Study In Carex Section Ovales (Cyperaceae) Using Aflp Data, Andrew L. Hipp, Paul E. Rothrock, Anton A. Reznicek, Paul E. Berry

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Phylogenetic analysis of amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) was used to infer patterns of morphologic and chromosomal evolution in an eastern North American group of sedges (ENA clade I of Carex sect. Ovales). Distance analyses of AFLP data recover a tree that is topologically congruent with previous phylogenetic estimates based on nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) sequences and provide support for four species groups within ENA clade I. A maximum likelihood method designed for analysis of restriction site data is used to evaluate the strength of support for alternative topologies. While there is little support for the precise placement of …