Botany Commons^™

The Quintessential Companion For North American Birders: Review Of The Birdwatcher's Companion To North American Birdlife By Christopher W. Leahy, Lawrence Igl

The Prairie Naturalist

The Birdwatcher's Companion was revised in 2004 under a new title, The Birdwatcher's Companion to North American Birdlire, and by a new publisher, Princeton University Press. This substantial work builds on Leahy's previous edition published in 1982. Hailed by the publisher as the quintessential, alphabetically arranged guide to North American birdlife, the new edition of The Birdwatcher's Companion is over 100 pages longer than the first edition, but, overall, the style and format have not changed much between the two editions. The Companion begins with a brief chapter in which the author describes how to use the book, how it …

Factors Influencing Persistence Of White-Footed Mice, Brock R. Mcmillan, Glennis A. Kaufman, Donald W. Kaufman

The Prairie Naturalist

We examined factors that potentially influenced persistence of the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) during 1981 to 1988 at Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas. We predicted that both abiotic (e.g., precipitation and temperature) and biotic (e.g., availability of food and density of conspecifics) factors would influence persisten~e of individuals at the study site. Persistence of individual white-footed mice on the study site differed among years and seasons. White-footed mice that were first captured in summer or in autumn persisted longer than those first captured in spring. Young females (less than 20 g) had greater persistence than young males, whereas …

Lack Of Brown-Headed Cowbird Nest Parasitism In A Short Grass Region, Stephen L. Winter, Jack F. Cully Jr.

The Prairie Naturalist

While conducting field work in Morton County, southwestern Kansas and Baca County, southeastern Colorado, during the period 27 May to 2 July 1997, we found 36 nests of seven bird species. Nests were not searched for systematically, but were found coincidentally as data were collected along transects during research investigating the breeding bird and plant communities of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies and noncolonized shortgrass prairie (Winter 1999).

Low densities of the brown-headed cowbird in our study region, which is characterized by a semi-arid climate, might be a consequence of host populations that exhibit extreme temporal and …

Comparison Of Microclimate At Grassland Bird Nests With Different Substrates, Kimberly M. Suedkamp Wells, Samuel D. Fuhlendore

The Prairie Naturalist

We compared the effects of two different nest placement strategies (shrubs vs. bunchgrasses) on microclimate conditions for grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) and lark sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) in Oklahoma. We predicted that the intensity and duration of extreme temperatures (greater than 39° C) and their variability would be reduced at shrub nests compared to bunchgrass nests. A verage maximum temperatures were similar at nests of grasshopper sparrow and lark sparrow, but confidence intervals were more variable and included biologically detrimental temperatures at grasshopper sparrow nests compared to lark sparrow nests. The proportion of time greater than 39° …

The Sooner State Bird Atlas: Review Of Oklahoma Breeding Bird Atlas, Dan L. Reinking, Editor, Timothy J. O'Connell

The Prairie Naturalist

In Oklahoma, forest meets prairie, prairie meets mesa, and throughout, our native ecosystems are shaped by human land use. Across this shifting mosaic of habitats, animals find food, raise young, and disperse to find other members of their species. Management for these species is best informed when it springs from a common baseline of knowledge about distributions across the entire management area. For birds, that baseline can be effectively established with a breeding bird atlas. ... In sum, the Oklahoma Breeding Bird Atlas presents timely information on a fascinating statewide avifauna in a clear and attractive package. The text is …

Daphnia Lumholtzi, An Exotic Zooplankton, Invading A Nebraska Reservoir, Brian C. Peterson, Nicolas J. Fryda, Keith D. Koupal, Wyatt Hoback

The Prairie Naturalist

A limnological assessment project by the University of Nebraska at Kearney and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission collected weekly vertical zooplankton tows during May through September 2002 at Harlan County Reservoir in Nebraska. Beginning on 5 August 2002, the exotic Daphnia lumholtzi (Cladocera: Daphniidae) appeared at a density of 0.04 1.1 in one of fifteen standardized sampling stations. By 6 September 2002, D. lumholtzi was found in all fifteen stations at an average density of 2.17 ± 3.10 1.1 with a site maximum density of 11.43 1.1 • Length measurements of D. lumholtzi ranged from 0.80 mm to 5.66 …

Electrocution Of An Adult White-Tailed Deer, Christopher S. Deperno, Benjamin J. Bigalke, Jonathan A. Jenks, Brian S. Haroldson, Robert G. Osborn

The Prairie Naturalist

On 16 May 2002, an adult female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) died after becoming entangled in an electric fence in southeast Minnesota. The deer (#393) was captured 30 January 2000 as part of a cooperative, long-term deer mortality study being conducted in southern Minnesota (Bigalke et al. 2002, Brinkman 2003, Brinkman et al. 2002). Although fence entanglements occur, they do not account for significant losses in white-tailed deer populations (Matschke et al. 1984). Nixon et al. (1991) documented mortality of two fawns with broken cervical vertebrae that had collided with fences, but did not distinguish the type of …

Continued Range Expansion Ny The Cave Myotis, Shauna R. Marquardt, Jerry R. Choate, Stanley D. Roth Jr.

The Prairie Naturalist

The cave myotis (Myotis velifer) is a cavernicolous bat that ranges northward from Honduras to the southern Great Plains and southwestern United States. Its known range in the United States includes the states of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and small, southern portions of Nevada and California (Fitch et al. 1981, Hayward 1970). The cave Myotis inhabits caves, mines, and buildings, depending on time of year and specific roost requirements (Fitch et al. 1981, Hayward 1970, Kunz 1973, Sparks and Choate 2000). Before European settlement of areas within the range of the cave Myotis, it likely …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 37, No. 1, March 2005

The Prairie Naturalist

LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN USE OF HARVESTED CORN FIELDS DURING FALL AND WINTER IN SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS, G. C. Salter, R. J. Robel, and K. E. Kemp 1

DAPHNIA LUMHOLTZI, AN EXOTIC ZOOPLANKTON, INVADING A NEBRASKA RESERVOIR B. C. Peterson, N. J. Fryda, K. D. Koupal, and W. W. Hoback 11

COMPARISON OF MICROCLIMATE AT GRASSLAND BIRD NESTS WITH DIFFERENT SUBSTRATES, K. M. Suedkamp Wells and S. D. Fuhlendorf 21

FACTORS INFLUENCING PERSISTENCE OF WHITEFOOTED MICE, B. R. McMillan, G. A. Kaufman, and D. W. Kaufman 29

NOTES

RECORDS OF THE EASTERN RED BAT ON THE NORTHERN FRONT RANGE OF COLORADO, …

Records Of The Eastern Red Bat On The Northern Front Range Of Colorado, Daniel J. Neubaum

The Prairie Naturalist

Although common in deciduous forest throughout the Midwest and east-central states, the eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) is rare in Colorado (Armstrong et al. 1994, Fitzgerald et al. 1994). However, this species has the potential to extend its range because belts of eastern deciduous forest habitat have expanded across western prairies and reached the Front Range of Colorado over the last 100 years (Knopf 1986). The eastern red bat ranges from Canada southward across the United States to northeastern New Mexico with most records occurring east of the Continental Divide (Hall 1981, Shump and Shump 1982, Cryan 2003). …

Lesser Prairie-Chicken Use Of Harvested Corn Fields During Fall And Winter In Southwestern Kansas, Gregory C. Salter, Robert J. Robel, Kenneth E. Kemp

The Prairie Naturalist

The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) has declined in numbers in Kansas primarily due to the conversion of sand sagebrush (Artemisia .filifolia) prairie to cropland. The lesser prairie-chicken in Finney County, Kansas exists primarily in large fragments of sand sagebrush prairie, and it forages during fall and winter on waste grain in harvested com (Zea mays) fields adjacent to prairie fragments. We used radio-telemetry to monitor lesser prairie chicken locations and found no significant relationship between numbers of bird locations and amounts of waste grain on the ground in harvested com fields. Even the harvested …

2004 Plant Community Field Surveys In Western Nebraska (Final Report), Robert F. Steinauer

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

These surveys were undertaken to update information on native plant communities and wildlife habitats in western Nebraska to facilitate the development of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s (NGPC) Comprehensive Wildlife Plan. The specific intent of the project was to identify, map, and give quality rankings to large blocks of privately-owned native plant communities within the survey area. In 2004, the surveys focused on Chase, Dundy, Hayes, Hitchcock, and Perkins counties in southwestern Nebraska, and Sioux, Dawes, Box Butte, Morrill and eastern Banner and Scotts Bluff counties in the Panhandle.

Reproductive Ecology Of Two Common Woody Species, Juniperus Sabina And Artemisia Santolinifolia, In Mountain Steppes Of Southern Mongolia, Katrin Ronnenberg

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

The present study describes the reproductive ecology of the prostrate shrub Juniperus sabina and the dwarf shrub Artemisia santolinifolia in dry mountain steppes of southern Mongolia. Whereas stands of the juniper are located at the drought limit of the genus’ distributional range, the genus Artemisia is typical of central Asian drylands. Both species produce large numbers of reproductive organs. For Juniperus sabina, however, only 2.5% of the morphologically intact seeds were found to be viable. Correspondingly, neither seedlings nor saplings were found in the field, and recruitment by reseeding happens at most rarely under the present climatic conditions.

Instead, …

Environmental Adaptations Of The Gobi Desert Plants In Mongolia: An Example Of C4-Plants, Ts. Tsendeekhuu, Clanton Candler Black

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

This paper presents the results of our studies on the ecological adaptations and geographical distribution of plants with C4-photosynthesis in Mongolia using ¹³C isotope discrimination.

Previous studies identified about 80 C4-species in 8 families in the Mongolian flora. Our investigations lead to the identification of four additional species, which can be regarded as C4-plants. Orostachys spinosa (-16.26‰ ¹³C), O. thyrsiflora (-16.86‰ ¹³C), O. fimbriata (-16.15‰ ¹³C), and Euphorbia humifusa (-23.29‰ ¹³C). However, as the discrimination level for Euphorbia humifusa is very similar to that of C3-plants it may be switching between C3 and C4 types …

Flora Of The Gurvan Saykhan Mountains, Tseden Jamsran, Batlai Oyuntsetseg, Radnaakhand Tungalag

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

Although two major books have been published on the Mongolian flora regional data are often still lacking due to the vast expanses of the country. Therefore we used published information and data from our own fieldwork to compile a relatively comprehensive inventory of the flora of the Gobi Gurvan Saykhan mountains in southern Mongolia.

First Record Of An Adult Male Evening Bat From Kansas, Clay R. Davis, Justin G. Boyles

The Prairie Naturalist

The evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis) occurs throughout the eastern and southeastern United States and into extreme northeastern Mexico, approximately 42° to 18° N latitude (Watkins and Shump 1981). Although records of females are common, records of adult male evening bats are rare in the northern portion of the species range (Watkins 1969, Watkins 1972). Jones et al. (1967) suggested that adult males might not accompany females to at least some parts of the parturient range. As part of a larger study (Davis 2003) we surveyed bats on Fort Leavenworth Military Reservation (FLMR), Leavenworth County, Kansas in July 2002 …

Plant Community Field Surveys In Eastern Nebraska Project Final Report, Alicia Admiraal

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

This project was completed as part of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s (NGPC) State Wildlife Comprehensive Conservation Plan. As part of this project, inventory and assessment of native plant communities and at-risk habitats throughout the state of Nebraska is necessary. This report describes the field inventories of native grasslands and other plant communities conducted during the 2004 field season for the Elkhorn River valley in Madison, Stanton and Dodge counties, and the Platte River valley between the towns of Columbus and Schuyler, in Platte and Colfax counties. Funding for the project was provided by the US Fish and Wildlife …

2005 Plant Community Field Surveys In Western Nebraska, Robert F. Steinauer

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

These surveys were undertaken to provide biological data for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s (NGPC) Nebraska Natural Legacy Action Plan. The specific intent was to identify, map, and give quality rankings to large blocks of privately-owned native plant communities within the survey area. In 2005, the surveys focused on Keith, Deuel, Cheyenne, Kimball, Banner, and Scotts Bluff counties, Sioux, Dawes and Sheridan counties north of the Pine Ridge, and Garden County south of the North Platte River.

Effect Of Control Plot Density, Control Plot Arrangement, And Assumption Of Random Or Fixed Effects On Nonreplicated Experiments For Germplasm Screening Using Spatial Models, Boi Sebolai, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, D. B. Marx, D. L. Boykin

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Early generation selection experiments typically involve several hundred to thousands of lines. Various systematic and statistical techniques have been developed to increase effectiveness and efficiencies in such experiments, including the development and application of spatial statistical models. In this study, mixed model equations were used to provide least squares means (LSMEANs) and best linear unbiased predictors (BLUPs) and compare selection effectiveness and efficiencies to observed (Y) and true values in simulated experiments varying in size (10 X 10, 20 X 20 and 30 X 30 grids), control plots densities (0, 5, 10, 20, and 50%), control plot arrangements (high, medium, …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 36, No.4 December 2004

The Prairie Naturalist

ROADSIDE BIAS IN POINT COUNT SURVEYS AT ARROWWOOD NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, NORTH DAKOTA ▪ J. S. Dieni and P. Scherr

HISTORY OF GREATER SAGE-GROUSE IN THE DAKOTAS: DISTRIBUTION AND POPULATION TRENDS ▪ . J. T. Smith, L. D. Flake, K. F. Higgins, and G. D. Kobriger

PATCH USE BY A MONOPHAGOUS HERBIVORE IN FRAGMENTED PRAIRIE LANDSCAPES ▪ . M. J. St. Pierre and S. D. Hendrix

SNOWSHOE HARE OCCURRENCE AND WINTER HABITAT ON THE MISSOURI COTEAU IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ R. K. Murphy 243

HIGH ABUNDANCE OF NESTING LONG-EARED OWLS IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ R. K. Murphy, L. J. Rosenfield, …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 36, No.3 September 2004

The Prairie Naturalist

OVERLAND MOVEMENTS AND HABITAT USE OF MALLARD BROODS DEPARTING OVERWATER NESTING STRUCTURES ▪ J. D. Stafford, L. D. Flake, and P. W. Mammenga

NEST SITE CHARACTERISTICS OF EASTERN WILD TURKEY IN NORTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ R. D. Shields and L. D. Flake

WHITE-TAILED DEER INFECTEUWITH STAPHYLOCOCCUS HYICUS IN SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ T. J. Zimmerman, J. A. Jenks, and A. E. Pillatzki

CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS TYPE A IN A FREE-RANGING FAWN? ▪ T. J. Brinkman, J. A. Jenks, C. S. DePerno, and B. S. Haroldson

BUFFLEHEAD BREEDING ACTIVITY IN SOUTH-CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA ▪ G. A. Knutsen and J. C. King

POTENTIAL MULTIPLE …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 36, No.2 June 2004

The Prairie Naturalist

PREDICTING NEONATAL AGE OF WHITE-TAILED DEER IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS . . T. J. Brinkman, K. L. Monteith, J. A. Jenks, and C. S. DePemo

DUCK NESTING ON ROTATIONAL AND CONTINUOUS GRAZED PASTURES IN NORTH DAKOTA . R. K. Murphy, D. J. Schindler, and R. D. Crawford

MORPHOLOGY OF LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS IN KANSAS ▪ C. A. Hagen, J. C. Pitman, R. J. Robel, and R. D. Applegate

DAILY AND SEASONAL BEHAVIOR OF BISON ON AN OKLAHOMA TALLGRASS PRAIRIE . E. J. Maichak, K. L. Schuler, and M. E. Payton

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA 2003 ▪ R. N. …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 36, No.1 March 2004

The Prairie Naturalist

DUCK NESTING SUCCESS IN NORTH DAKOTA ROAD RIGHT-OF-WAYS ▪ J. Walker, S. S. Stephens, M. S. Lindberg, and J. 1. Rotella

DID TALLGRASS PRAIRIE EXTEND INTO PENNSYLVANIA? ▪ D. C. Laughlin

INFLUENCE OF PREY ABUNDANCE ON RAPTORS IN TALLGRASS PRAIRIE ▪ A. W. Reed, G. A. Kaufman, D. A. Rintoul, and D. W. Kaufman

AMERICAN BITTERN NESTING IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA ▪ L. C. Carroll and F. A. de Szalay

THE FLORA OF THE COTTONWOOD LAKE STUDY AREA, STUTSMAN COUNTY, NORTH DAKOTA ▪ . D. M. Mushet, N. H. Euliss Jr., S. P. Lane, and C. M. Goldade …

Establishing Effects Of Application Of Swine Manure On Crop Leaf Damage To Growing Crops, Charles Shapiro, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Swine manure from a below barn storage facility was applied to growing corn and soybeans to determine phytotoxic effects. The manure had an electrical conductivity of around 20 mmhos/cm and was diluted for treatment at full, half, quarter and none. The manure mixtures were applied at a rate of 0.5 in/acre using a procedure that wet the foliage three times in a 15-minute time span. Manure mixtures were applied at V7 and V14 for corn and V3 and R1 for soybeans. Phytotoxic effects were shown at the high rate for both crops, but soybeans were killed at the early application …

Seed Quality Qtl In A Prominent Soybean Population, D. L. Hyten Jr., V. R. Pantalone, C. E. Sams, A. M. Saxon, D. Landau-Ellis, T. R. Stefaniak, M. E. Schmidt

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is a versatile crop due to its multitude of uses as a high protein meal and vegetable oil. Soybean seed traits such as seed protein and oil concentration and seed size are important quantitative traits. The objective of this study was to identify representative protein, oil, and seed size quantitative trait loci (QTL) in soybean. A recombinant inbred line (RIL) population consisting of 131 F6-derived lines was created from two prominent ancestors of North American soy-beans (‘Essex’ and ‘Williams’) and the RILs were grown in six environments. One hundred simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers …

Using Multi-Spectral Imagery To Evaluate Corn Grown Under Nitrogen And Drought Stressed Conditions, Shannon L. Osborne, James S. Schepers, Mike R. Schlemmer

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The in-season estimation of crop stresses which have the potential of adversely affecting crop yield and/or quality could allow producers to make in-season management decisions to correct for the particular stress. A field study was conducted to evaluate the use of multispectral imagery for estimating corn (Zea mays L.) grain yield, in-season biomass and nitrogen (N) concentration under varying N and drought stresses. The experiment was a split-plot design with three replications using a factorial arrangement of treatments. Three irrigation (whole-plot) treatments included dry land, irrigation based on 0.5, and full evapotranspiration (ET). Sub-plot treatments included five N …

Expression Of A Putative Flavonoid 3'-Hydroxylase In Sorghum Mesocotyls Synthesizing 3-Deoxyanthocyanidin Phytoalexins, Jayanand Boddu, Catherine Svabek, Rajandeep Sekhon, Amanda Gevens, Ralph L. Nicholson, A. Daniel Jones, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, David L. Gustine, Surinder Chopra

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In sorghum, ingress of Cochliobolus heterostrophus stimulates the synthesis of 3-deoxyanthocyanidins that act as phytoalexins. Apigeninidin and luteolinidin are two major phytoalexins induced in the first 24 h after infection. In an attempt to understand genetic regulation of the biosynthesis of sorghum phytoalexins, we isolated a differentially expressed partial cDNA. Characterization and comparison showed that this cDNA sequence corresponds to a putative flavonoid 3’-hydroxylase. Full length sequence characterization allowed us to establish that the sorghum putative f3’h cDNA encodes a peptide of 517 amino acids that has domains conserved among cytochrome P450 proteins functioning in …

Molecular Mapping And Identification Of Soybean Fatty Acid Modifier Quantitative Trait Loci, D. L. Hyten Jr., Vincent R. Pantalone, Arnold M. Saxton, Michael E. Schmidt, Carl E. Sams

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Altering FA content in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] oil for improved functionality is a research goal of many soybean breeders. Several of the genes that alter palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids are modifier genes with small effects, causing these FA traits to act as quantitative traits. The objective of this study was to identify modifier FA quantitative trait loci (QTL) in soybean. A recombinant inbred line population was created from two prominent ancestors of currently avail-able U.S. cultivars (Essex and Williams) and grown in five environments. One hundred simple se-quence repeat markers spaced throughout the genome …

Implementation Of A Mitochondrial Mutator, Sally Mackenzie, Ricardo Vilela Abdelnoor

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Plant MSH1 polynucleotides and polypeptides are described. Also described are methods for the use and modulation of such MSH1 polynucleotides and polypeptides.

Predicting Phenological Development In Winter Wheat, Qingwu Xue, Albert Weiss, P. Stephen Baenziger

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Accurate prediction of phenological development is important in the winter wheat Triticum aestivum agroecosystem. From a practical perspective, applications of pesticides and fertilizers are carried out at specific phenological stages. In crop-simulation modeling, the prediction of yield components (kernel number and kernel weight) and wheat-grain yield relies on accurate prediction of phenology. In this study, a nonlinear multiplicative model by Wang & Engel (WE) for predicting phenological development in differing winter wheat cultivars was evaluated using data from a 3 yr field experiment. In the vegetative phase (emergence to anthesis) the daily development rate (r) was simulated based on the …