Botany Commons^™

Walleye Trophic Position Before And After A Gizzard Shad Extirpation, Bethany J. Bethke, Justin A. Vandehey, Mark J. Fincel, Brian D.S. Graeb, Mark T. Porath

The Prairie Naturalist

Walleye (Sander vitreus) are an ecologically and recreationally important sport fish species. Reduced growth and condition in walleye can occur when prey availability is limited. In two Nebraska reservoirs, walleye consumed gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) as their primary prey until a winterkill extirpated the gizzard shad in 2001. Because of the winterkill, walleye in the two reservoirs had to change to alternative prey items. Our objective was to determine if stable isotope analysis on archived walleye scales can be used to detect a known food web shift in two reservoir food webs. We quantified the changes …

Monitoring Standing Herbage Of Mid-Grass Prairie On The Fort Pierre National Grassland, South Dakota, Daniel W. Uresk

The Prairie Naturalist

Monitoring vegetation with a modified Robel pole on the Fort Pierre National Grassland was evaluated for combined shallow clay and loamy overflow ecological sites (dominated by warm-season grasses), and for clayey ecological sites (dominated by cool-season grasses). My objectives were to 1) develop a relationship between visual obstruction readings (VOR) and standing herbage, 2) provide guidelines for vegetation monitoring, and 3) evaluate vegetation monitoring during the growing season for clayey ecological sites. The relationship between visual obstruction readings and standing herbage was linear and regression coefficients were highly significant (P < 0.001) for both ecological types. Cluster analyses for shallow clay and loamy overflow ecological sites grouped the VOR and standing herbage (kg•ha-1) into 4 resource categories. Monitoring with 4 transects will provide adequate information to estimate standing herbage within 259 ha (1 section). Three resource categories (VOR + herbage) for clayey ecological sites were defined by cluster analyses. Monitoring with 4 transects was determined to provide reliable estimates of standing herbage. July validation of vegetation with the developed clayey ecological site model will provide reliable monitoring of standing herbage from July through November for this ecological site.

Germination Response Of Prairie Dropseed And Hairy Goldaster To Stratification And Temperature, Aurora R. Roemmich, Jack L. Bulter, Gary E. Larson, E. Brent Turnipseed

The Prairie Naturalist

The unique vegetation assemblage of the Black Hills in conjunction with the frequent occurrence of natural and anthropogenic disturbances emphasizes the need to use locally adapted native species in a wide variety of restoration efforts. However, a general lack of information regarding germination and propagation requirements for most native plant species has restricted their usage. A better understanding of dormancy and germination patterns for native species will increase their availability and affordability. We selected two common native species, hairy goldaster (Heterotheca villosa) and prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), to determine their optimum germination conditions. We hand-harvested seeds during 2007–2009 for use …

Review: Mammals Of Colorado. Second Edition. David M. Armstrong, James P. Fitzgerald, And Carron A. Meaney., Thomas J. O'Shea

The Prairie Naturalist

In my view, the second edition of Mammals of Colorado is among the finest state-level books on mammals available. The book is a major revision of the first edition (Fitzgerald et al. 1994) and is a reference worth having, even if the first edition is already at hand. In this review, T summarize aspects of the new volume and provide comparisons to the first edition in an effort to persuade the reader that this is indeed the case.

The first four chapters of the second edition include background information and updated material about Colorado environments, mammals in general, the history …

Five New Records Of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) For Nebraska, Kristine T. Nemec, James C. Trager, Elizabeth Manley, Craig R. Allen

The Prairie Naturalist

Ants are ubiquitous and influential organisms in terrestrial ecosystems. About 1,000 ant species occur in North America, where they are found in nearly every habitat (Fisher and Cover 2007). Ants are critical to ecological processes and structure. Ants affect soils via tunneling activity (Baxter and Hole 1967), disperse plant seeds (Lengyel et al. 2009), prey upon a variety of insects and other invertebrates (Way and Khoo 1992, Folgarait 1998), are often effective primary consumers through their prodigious consumption of floral and especially extrafloral nectar, and honeydew (Tobin 1994), and serve as prey for invertebrates (Gotelli 1996, Gastreich 1999) and vertebrates …

Microhabitat Selection By Bobcats In The Badlands And Black Hills Of South Dakota, Usa: A Comparison Of Prairie And Forested Habitats, Cory E. Mosby, Troy W. Grovenburg, Robert W. Klaver, Greg M. Schroeder, Lowell E. Schmitz, Jonathan A. Jenks

The Prairie Naturalist

An understanding of habitat selection is important for management of wildlife species. Although bobcat (Lynx rufus) resource selection has been addressed in many regions of the United States, little work has been conducted in the Northern Great Plains. From 2006–2008 we captured and radiocollared 20 bobcats in the Badlands (n = 10) and Black Hills (n = 10) regions of South Dakota. During the summers of 2008 and 2009 we collected habitat measurements at 349 (176 Badlands, 176 Black Hills) bobcat locations and 321 (148 Badlands, 173 Black Hills) random sites. Microhabitat characteristics at bobcat use sites varied with region …

Distribution And Diversity Of Ant Genera From Selected Ecoregions Across Nebraska, Jessica Jurzenski, Marc Albrecht, W. Wyatt Hoback

The Prairie Naturalist

We documented distribution and diversity of ant genera in four of the six-level III ecoregions across Nebraska. We sampled ants using bait cards, pitfall traps, and by opportunistic sampling, including direct collection and in carrion-baited pitfall traps. We identified 22 genera from five subfamilies, which were further classified into six functional groups. In common with other Great Plains states, Formica Linnaeus and Lasius Fabricius occurred most frequently in our samples, and overall ant genus-level richness was comparable to surrounding states. We compared genera similarity using Jaccard’s similarity index within and between the High Plains (western-most) and Western Corn Belt Plains …

My Manuscript Needs Revision: Now What?, Christopher N. Jacques

The Prairie Naturalist

Greetings GPNSS members! Hopefully by now you have read my previous editorial notes about the transformation of The Prairie Naturalist (Journal) during the past few years and the work the Editorial Staff continues to do to provide a quality publication venue for the Journal’s membership and prospective authors. During my tenure as Editor-in-Chief (Editor), I have had the good fortune of working with many authors and a truly dedicated Editorial Staff. Most topics for editorials come to me relatively easily, though admittedly I found myself scratching my head when thinking about a topic for this editorial. After much pensive thought, …

Book Reviews: Human Dimensions Of Ecological Restoration: Integrating Science, Nature, And Culture. Edited By Dave Egan, Evan E. Hjerpe, And Jesse Abrams., Chuck Harris

The Prairie Naturalist

The practice of ecological restoration has long been a key element in the management of ecosystems, but it has only been since the 1980s that research on resource management has specifically studied this practice and its foundations in restoration ecology. One major focus of this research has been the application of the theories and methods of the social sciences to ecological restoration activities.

Fairly recently, the application of the social sciences to resource management, in general, and to ecological restoration, in particular, has been couched in the broadest of terms. Beginning in the 1990s, this application was expressed in terms …

Comparison Of Piping Plover Foraging Habitat On Artificial And Natural Sandbars On The Missouri River, Daniel H. Catlin, Joy H. Felio, James D. Fraser

The Prairie Naturalist

The presence of food close to nesting habitat is essential for piping plover (Charadrius melodus) reproductive output. Since 2004, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been engineering artificial nesting and brood-rearing habitat for piping plovers on the Missouri River. We compared arthropod abundance indices from artificial and natural sandbars as part of an evaluation of foraging habitat. The artificial sandbars had fewer and different arthropods than natural sandbars. The arthropod indices, however, need to be considered in light of total area of foraging habitat. Although there were fewer arthropods on artificial sandbars, the abundance of foraging habitat and relatively …

Evidence Of American Martens Populating The Turtle Mountains Of North Dakota, Amber J. Bagherian, Dorothy M. Fecske, Maggie D. Triska, Joseph A. Bishop, Dean J. Berezanski, Sandra K. Johnson, Robert P. Brooks, Thomas L. Serfass

The Prairie Naturalist

American martens (Martes americana) were native to northeastern North Dakota but were considered extirpated by the early 1800s. Although there is no historic evidence of martens occurring beyond the northeast, forested habitat potentially suitable for martens exists in the Turtle Mountains region of northcentral North Dakota and southwestern Manitoba. From 1989– 1991, the Turtle Mountain Trappers Association translocated 59 martens into the Canadian portion of the Turtle Mountains. During summer 2007, we used covered track-plates and/or remotely-triggered cameras placed at 123 survey sites distributed among 41 1-km2 grid cells (a GIS-generated layer imposed on electronic maps of the study region) …

Topographic Home Range Of Large Mammals: Is Planimetric Home Range Still A Viable Method?, W. David Walter, Justin W. Fischer, Teresa J. Frink, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Jonathan A. Jenks, Kurt C. Vercauteren

The Prairie Naturalist

Topography influences movement trajectories, quality of forages used, and behavioral response of large herbivores to anthropogenic disturbances, but research is lacking on the influence of terrain complexity on size of home range. Size of home range usually is based on planimetric area and therefore rarely accounts for the true surface area traversed by an animal. We conducted radiotelemetry on bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and white-tailed deer (O. virginianus) equipped with VHF collars at three sites from 2002 to 2006 to document size of home range in areas that ranged from 400 …

Notes: Red-Tailed Hawk Predation Of A Striped Skunk, Steven G. Platt, Thomas R. Rainwater

The Prairie Naturalist

Skunks (Mephitidae) are capable of projecting pungent, oily musk from paired anal glands (Verts 1967), which acts as a central nervous system depressant (Wade- Smith and Verts 1982), and can incapacitate birds of prey if directed into the eyes (Garcelon 1981). Consequently, few raptors are known to prey on striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis). Great horned owls (Bubo virginianus) are the only raptor that regularly preys on skunks (Bent 1938b, Lowery 1974, Houston et al. 1998), although occasional instances of predation by golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos; Olendorff 1976, Palmer 1988a), bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalis; Broley 1952, Wade-Smith and Verts 1982), northern …

Least And Merriam’S Shrews From Banner County, Nebraska, Jennifer N. Merlino, Alexandra R. Frohberg, Jamie Harmon, Keith Geluso

The Prairie Naturalist

Four species of shrews occur in the panhandle of western Nebraska – the masked shrew (Sorex cinereus), Merriam’s shrew (S. merriami), dwarf shrew (S. nanus), and least shrew (Cryptotis parva; Genoways et al. 2008). Little information is known regarding the distribution and habitat of those species due to few captures of individuals throughout the region (e.g., Jones 1964, Freeman et al. 1993, Benedict et al. 1999, 2000, Geluso et al. 2004). To date, no shrew has been reported from the southwestern part of the panhandle in Banner, Kimball, or Cheyenne counties. Here we present distributional records for the least shrew …

Grass And Canada Goldenrod (Solidago Canadensis) Competition And Implications For Management In The Northern Tallgrass Prairie, Alexander J. Smart, Gary E. Larson, Peter J. Bauman

The Prairie Naturalist

Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis L.) is a native perennial forb that can form dense clonal patches and become weedy in pastures of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregion. Our objectives were to determine 1) the competitive effects between Canada goldenrod and grass, 2) the relationship between Canada goldenrod stem density and grass biomass, and 3) the distribution of Canada goldenrod stem density at the pasture scale. We used regression analysis to develop a relationship between Canada goldenrod stem density and grass biomass. Additionally, we estimated the frequency distribution of Canada goldenrod stem density categories using three evenly distributed 100 × 100-m …

Spatiotemporal Variation In Vegetation Structure Resulting From Pyric-Herbivory, Sherry Leis, Lloyd W. Morrison, Michael D. Debacker

The Prairie Naturalist

Pyric-herbivory is a process that is widely assumed to create greater habitat heterogeneity in grasslands at the landscape scale than could be achieved by either fire or grazing alone. Yet, few studies have actually quantified the effects of pyric- herbivory on vegetation structure within layers of the grass canopy. Here we quantify the effects of pyric-herbivory on a pasture at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas. We subdivided the pasture into three patches and burned one patch each year in a three-year rotation. We estimated visual obstruction for 25-cm strata and recorded maximum vegetation height. We found that recently burned …

Sickleweed On The Fort Pierre National Grassland: An Emerging Threat, Jack L. Bulter, Stefanie D. Wacker

The Prairie Naturalist

We report the first detailed field survey of sickleweed (Falcaria vulgaris L.) in the United States. Sickleweed is native to Europe, the Mediterranean, Asia Minor, and Iran and was first reported in the United States in 1922. It is listed by the Nebraska Invasive Species Council as a Category II invasive plant species. In recent years, abundance and distribution of sickle- weed has increased dramatically in and around the Fort Pierre National Grassland (FPNG), South Dakota. Management of such a rapidly expanding population is hampered by a general lack of baseline information on the biology and ecology of sickleweed. We …

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 …

2011 Deer Creek Ranch Wetland Vegetation Survey, Robert F. Steinauer

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

The approximately 75,000 acre Deer Creek Ranch (owned by Ted Turner) lies on the south side of the Niobrara River in northeastern Sheridan County, Nebraska (Figure 1). The majority of the ranch lies within the Sandhills, with Sandhill dune prairie being the predominant vegetation type. Two significant streams, Deer Creek and the Snake River, originate on the ranch. The primary purpose of the Deer Creek Ranch surveys was to document native wetland plant communities and rare plant species occurrences and to provide vegetation management recommendations for plant communities bordering these two stream. Also surveyed were Chokecherry and Hackberry Lakes in …

On The Importance Of Pollen Morphology In Classification Of Chenopodiaceae In Mongolia, Gaadan Punsalpaamuu, Frank Schluetz, Tserendorj Gegeensuvd, Davaadorj Saindovdon

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

The pollen morphology of 18 species from 12 genera of Chenopodiaceae native to Mongolia was studied. Plants were collected during field courses and research projects on useful plants and are deposited in the Herbarium of the Mongolian State University of Education. Chemical preparation was carried out in the Palynological Laboratories at the School of Natural Sciences of the Mongolian State University of Education and the Department of Palynology and Climate Dynamics of the University of Göttingen in Germany. The results show, that all investigated species are distinguishable in terms of pollen morphology bases on their pollen grain sizes, exine thickness …

Osnabrück Botanical Expeditions To Mongolia, Barbara Neuffer, Nikolai Friesen, Batlai Oyuntsetseg, Tseden Jamsran, Herbert Hurka

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

Three botanical expeditions to Mongolia have been undertaken by the Botany Department of the University of Osnabrück in cooperation with the Botany Department of the National Mongolian University of Ulaanbaatar. The first expedition in 2000 took us to the Mongolian Altay, the second in 2001 to the Gobi and Gobi Altay, and the third in 2010 to East Mongolia including the Khingan Mts. (Numrug). In 2000, we were the first botanists being allowed to enter the border area between China and Russia in the Mongolian Altay since a long time, because this had been a prohibited area for decades. We …

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 …

Biochemical Research On Mongolian Lichens, Bryophytes And Vascular Plants – In Memoriam, Dr. Siegfried Huneck (1928–2011), Hans D. Knapp

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

Dr. Siegfried Huneck, biochemist and lichenologist from the Institute for Biochemistry of Plants in Halle/Saale, died on September 9, 2011. He was a world wide leading expert on lichen substances. An obituary with curriculum vitae and a complete list of publications was published by Stordeur et al. (2011)

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.

Microelement Localization In Leaves Of Populus Spp. And Tolerance Mechanisms To Boron-Salt Toxicity, Daniel Arriaga

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Phytoremediation has been proposed as a low-cost, environmentally friendly alternative to clean highly contaminated sites. Phytoremediation using trees offer the advantage of metal immobilization (phytostabilization), high hydraulic pumping pressures, produce large plant biomass, absorption of total dissolved salts within their tissue, long life spans, less frequent irrigation and, a massive root system that helps soil attachment. Hybrid poplar varieties are long-lived, perennial, fast growing, and produce a large amount of foliage to harvest. Boron is an essential micronutrient for plants. Certain locations, such as California and Turkey, have suffered from high boron efflux from irrigation waters. It has been identified …

Biological Effects Of Copper On Prosopis Pubescens (Screw Bean Mesquite), Marian Nicte Zappala

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Phytoremediation is an emerging technology for cleaning industrial and urban contamination (Peuke and Rennenberg, 2005). Many factors including germination rate, biomass changes, biochemical changes, and nutrient changes must be determined in order to utilize a plant for phytoremediation. Our results showed that Prosopis pubescens (Screw bean mesquite) is a hyperaccumulator of copper from copper sulfate and a feasible option to remediate fields with up to 200 ppm of copper sulfate.

Screw bean mesquite seeds are viable even after 30 years of storage. Both copper sulfate and copper nitrate decreased the germination rate of screw bean mesquite seeds. In soil grown …

Cultivating A Movement: Excerpts From An Oral History Of Organic Farming And Sustainable Agriculture On California’S Central Coast [Book Review], Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Edited by I. Reti and S. Rabkin, 2011. University of California, Santa Cruz, Library, Santa Cruz, California, United States. 299 p., US$19.95, ISBN 9-780972-33431, paper.

Often the most compelling evidence for success of organic farming comes from the personal stories of farmers. Coupled with reports on the application of science in organics, the practical knowledge of people in the field provides a rich foundation for the ongoing growth of this intriguing sector of the food system. This collection of interviews by the staff of the Regional History Project is one unique activity of the University of California, Santa Cruz library, …

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 …