Botany Commons^™

Variability In The Selection Patterns Of Pronghorn: Are They Really Native Prairie Obligates?, Paul F. Jones, Mike Grue, Mike Suitor, Darren J. Bender, Cormack Gates, Dale Eslinger, Julie Landry-Deboer

The Prairie Naturalist

In Canada, pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) are primarily considered a native prairie obligate because of their reliance on open grassland vegetation communities, although an assessment of local ecological knowledge suggests that pronghorn in Alberta select a variety of habitat from native prairie to cultivated lands. The primary objective of our study was to assess whether pronghorn in Alberta and Saskatchewan are native prairie obligates. Specifically, we addressed the following questions: 1) do individual pronghorn show similar selection patterns for native prairie and, therefore, support the notion that they are prairie obligates; 2) do pronghorn show consistent resource selection patterns …

Remembering The Days Of Old: Data Exploration And Simple Statistics, Christopher N. Jacques

The Prairie Naturalist

Greetings GPNSS members! By the time you read this editorial, most of you will probably be enjoying spectacular seasonal changes in the outdoors this autumn and a hint of winter in the air (for those of us in the northern Great Plains region). I write this editorial during my favorite time of year, deer hunting in the Midwest. Temperatures are finally start- ing to resemble the fall and the Christmas Holiday season is just around the corner. Much like my children have images of Santa dancing in their heads on Christmas Eve, each fall I replay images of a trophy …

Notes: Woodpecker Forage Availability In Habi- Tat Disturbances Of The Black Hills, Brian E. Dickerson, Angie K. Ambourn, Mark A. Rumble, Kurt K. Allen, Chad P. Lehman

The Prairie Naturalist

Habitat disturbance events are critical to ecological systems in which some bird species have become specialized. The vegetation community, reduced competition, ability to avoid predators, nest-site characteristics, and forage opportunities within a disturbed ecosystem are all aspects that make it desirable for selection by particular species (Svärdson 1949, Cody 1981, Martin 1998). Specifically, avian species rely on the forest conditions created by fire, insects, and disease (Brawn et al. 2001, Hunter et al. 2001, Devictor et al. 2008). In the Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) of South Dakota,two major types of natural disturbances include wildfires and mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus …

Estimating Herbaceous Biomass Of Grassland Vegetation Using The Reference Unit Method, Eric D. Boyda, Jack L. Bulter, Lan Xu

The Prairie Naturalist

Aboveground net primary production provides valuable information on wildlife habitat, fire fuel loads, and forage availability. Aboveground net primary production in herbaceous plant communities is typically measured by clipping aboveground biomass. However, the high costs associated with physically harvesting plant biomass may prevent collecting sufficient data to account for natural spatial and temporal variability of vegetation at a landscape scale. Various double-sampling techniques have been developed to increase sample size while reducing cost. We applied a biomass estimation technique previously developed for estimating shrub biomass using representative samples or “reference units” to estimate herbaceous grassland biomass. Our reference units consisted …

Sage-Grouse Nests In An Active Conifer Mastication Site, Charles P. Sandford, David K. Dahlgren, Terry A. Messmer

The Prairie Naturalist

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) have experienced long-term range-wide population declines and now may occupy less than 50% of their historic range (Schroeder et al. 2004). Conifer encroachment into sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitat was identified as a major conservation threat by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as the agency reviewed the listing status of the species for possible protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (USFWS 2013).

Conifer encroachment into sagebrush habitats negatively impacts sage-grouse at landscape scales (Doherty et al. 2008, Casazza et al. 2011, Baruch-Mordo et al. 2013). Sage-grouse will utilize …

North Shore: A Natural History Of Minnesota’S Superior Coast, Janet R. Keough

The Prairie Naturalist

Many readers of The Prairie Naturalist have lived along or visited Lake Superior’s coast. Like me, you have probably wondered about the geology and history of this beautiful and dramatic feature of northeastern Minnesota. Chel Anderson and Adelheid Fischer have written an accessible book that comprehensively describes the history and geology of the coast, surrounding highlands, and Lake Superior itself. In addition, the authors have provided fascinating subchapters on some of the most interesting species that are key elements of the region.

This rather large but beautiful book is arranged in five major chapters that cover the dominant geological units …

Distribution And Occurrence Of Bat Species In North Dakota, Josiah J. Nelson, Paul R. Barnhart, Erin H. Gillam

The Prairie Naturalist

Prior to 2009, a detailed survey of occurrence and distribution of bats in North Dakota had not been conducted. Localized surveys, occurrence reports, and museum specimens provided the only records of bats in the state. Ongoing habitat loss, exploitation of natural resources, and the impending spread of white-nose syndrome to the western United States are major threats to bat populations of the region. The objective of this study was to document presence and distributions of bat species resident in North Dakota. From 2009 to 2012, multiple mist-netting and acoustic surveys were conducted to document species presence across North Dakota. A …

Distribution Of Herbicide-Resistant Shattercane And Johnsongrass Populations In Sorghum Production Areas Of Nebraska And Northern Kansas, Rodrigo Werle, Amit J. Jhala, Melinda K. Yerka, J. Anita Dille, John L. Lindquist

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Overreliance on acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides for weed control during the 1990s resulted in selection of ALS-resistant shattercane [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench ssp. drummondii (Nees ex Steud.) de Wet ex Davidse] biotypes in Nebraska. The objective of this study was to assess the baseline presence of ALS-resistance in 190 shattercane and 59 johnsongrass [Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.] populations collected across northern Kansas, northwestern Missouri, and southern Nebraska in 2013. In 2014, a preliminary field experiment was conducted to evaluate the presence of herbicide resistance in the aforementioned populations. Treatments consisted of four herbicides (clethodim {2-[1-[[(E)-3-chloroprop-2-enoxy]amino] propylidene]-5-(2-ethylsulfanylpropyl)cyclohexane-1,3-dione}, glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl) …

Genetic Control Of Morphometric Diversity In The Maize Shoot Apical Meristem, Samuel Leiboff, Xianran Li, Heng-Cheng Hu, Natalie Todt, Jinliang Yang, Xiao Li, Xiaoqing Yu, Gary J. Muehlbauer, Marja C.P. Timmermans, Jianming Yu, Patrick S. Schnable, Michael J. Scanlon

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The maize shoot apical meristem (SAM) comprises a small pool of stem cells that generate all above-ground organs. Although mutational studies have identified genetic networks regulating SAM function, little is known about SAM morphological variation in natural populations. Here we report the use of high-throughput image processing to capture rich SAM size variation within a diverse maize inbred panel. We demonstrate correlations between seedling SAM size and agronomically important adult traits such as flowering time, stem size and leaf node number. Combining SAM phenotypes with 1.2 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) via genome-wide association study reveals unexpected SAM morphology candidate …

Residue Harvest Effects On Irrigated, No-Till Corn Yield And Nitrogen Response, Charles S. Wortmann, Charles A. Shapiro, Marty R. Schmer

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Crop residue harvest occurs on about 40% of Nebraska’s 3,700,000 ha of corn (Zea mays L.) land, primarily for feeding of beef cattle. Immobilization of applied N is expected to be less with residue harvest due to reduced microbial activity for digestion of high C/N ratio organic material. Residue reduction may affect subsequent crop yield and response to applied N. Field research was conducted at three locations over 2 yr in eastern Nebraska for irrigated, no-till corn following corn to determine residue harvest effects on yield and the economically optimal nitrogen rate (EONR). Study sites had deep silt loam …

Herbicides Applied At Or Shortly After Seeding Are Effective For Weed Control In Seedling Buffalograss, Luqi Li, Matthew D. Sousek, Zachary Reicher

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Herbicides applied shortly after seeding of buffalograss [Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm.] can help reduce weed pressure and maximize establishment of buffalograss. This study evaluated 12 relatively recently developed herbicides for turf safety and weed control when applied at seeding or 0 or 2 weeks after emergence (WAE) of ‘Bowie’ or ‘Sundancer’ buffalograss. Primary weed species on the site were common purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.), redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.), and/or yellow foxtail [Setaria lutescens (Weigel ex Stuntz) F.T. Hubb.]. Regardless of cultivar, untreated checks had53% weed cover by 6 WAE, whereas most of the herbicide treatments resulted …

Synfind: Compiling Syntenic Regions Across Any Set Of Genomes On Demand, Haibao Tang, Matthew D. Bomhoff, Evan Briones, Liangsheng Zhang, James C. Schnable, Eric Lyons

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The identification of conserved syntenic regions enables discovery of predicted locations for orthologous and homeologous genes, evenwhennosuchgeneispresent.Thiscapabilitymeansthatsynteny-basedmethodsarefarmoreeffectivethansequencesimilaritybased methods in identifying true-negatives, a necessity forstudying gene loss and gene transposition. However, the identification of syntenicregionsrequirescomplexanalyseswhichmustberepeatedforpairwisecomparisonsbetweenanytwospecies.Therefore,as the number of published genomes increases, there is a growing demand for scalable, simple-to-use applications to perform comparative genomic analyses that cater to both gene family studies and genome-scale studies. We implemented SynFind, a web-based tool that addresses this need. Given one query genome, SynFind is capable of identifying conserved syntenic regions in any set of targetgenomes.SynFindiscapableofreportingper-geneinformation,usefulforresearchersstudyingspecificgenefamilies,aswellas genome-wide data sets of syntenic gene and predicted gene …

A Population Structure And Genome-Wide Association Analysis On The Usda Soybean Germplasm Collection, Nonoy Bandillo, Diego Jarquin, Qijian Song, Randall L. Nelson, Perry Cregan, James Specht, Aaron Lorenz

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Population structure analyses and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted on crop germplasm collections provide valuable information on the frequency and distribution of alleles governing economically important traits. The value of these analyses is substantially enhanced when the accession numbers can be increased from ~1,000 to ~10,000 or more. In this research, we conducted the first comprehensive analysis of population structure on the collection of 14,000 soybean accessions [Glycine max (L.) Merr. and G. soja Siebold & Zucc.] using a 50KSNP chip. Accessions originating from Japan were relatively homogenous and distinct from the Korean accessions. As a whole, both Japanese and …

Community Seed Banks: Origins, Evolution, And Prospects, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

As a survey of contemporary community-level seed banks, this is an excellent compilation and instructive guide. The first section provides an overview of how seed banks originated, their varied goals and activities, several contrasting forms of management, and how they organize and perform to meet these goals. An intriguing claim in the book is that the concept of “seed banks is only some three decades old,” while in fact the practice of saving, preserving, and exchanging seed within a community is probably as old as human communities themselves.

Organized seed banks often serve specific functions: preserving seeds, providing seed access …

Adding Genetically Distant Individuals To Training Populations Reduces Genomic Prediction Accuracy In Barley, Aaron Lorenz, Kevin P. Smith

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

One of the most important factors affecting genomic prediction accuracy appears to be training population (TP) composition. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of genomic relationship on genomic prediction accuracy and determine if adding increasingly unrelated individuals to a TP can reduce prediction accuracy. To accomplish this, a population of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) lines from the University of Minnesota (lines denoted as MN) and North Dakota State University (lines denoted as ND) breeding programs were used for model training. Predictions were validated using two independent sets of progenies derived from MN  MN crosses …

Switchgrass Germplasm Resources, Michael D. Casler, Kenneth P. Vogel, Melanie Harrison

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is an important native grass and dominant member of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. It is used for conservation, restoration, livestock feed production, and bioenergy feedstock production. The purpose of this review is to describe the biological and geographical basis for switchgrass germplasm diversity and to provide a resource for scientists and outreach personnel to find switchgrass germplasm to meet their needs. Upland and lowland ecotypes represent the most important polymorphism in switchgrass, with distinct but overlapping geographic distributions. Variation in ploidy exists within both ecotypes, with 2n = 4x = 36 the dominant ploidy …

Evaluation Of Concrete Grinding Residue (Cgr) Slurry Application On Vegetation And Soil Responses Along Nebraska State Highway 31, Martha Mamo, Dennis L. Mccallister, Walter H. Schacht

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Occurrence Of An Herbicide-Resistant Plant Trait In Agricultural Field Margins, Karla L. Gag, David J. Gibson, Bryan G. Young, Julie M. Young, Joseph L. Matthews, Stephen C. Weller, Robert G. Wilson

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Agricultural environments allow study of evolutionary change in plants. An example of evolution within agroecological systems is the selection for resistance to the herbicide glyphosate within the weed, Conyza canadensis. Changes in survivorship and reproduction associated with the development of glyphosate resistance (GR) may impact fitness and influence the frequency of occurrence of the GR trait. We hypothesized that site characteristics and history would affect the occurrence of GR C. canadensis in field margins. We surveyed GR occurrence in field margins and asked whether there were correlations between GR occurrence and location, crop rotation, GR crop trait rotation, crop type, …

Vascular Plants Of The Forest River Bi- Ology Station, North Dakota, Alexey Shipunov, Kathryn A. Yurkonis, John C. La Duke, Vera L. Facey

The Prairie Naturalist

During summer 2013 we completed a listing of the plant species of the joint University of North Dakota (UND) Forest River Biology Station and North Dakota Game and Fish Department Wildlife Management Area (FRBS).The FRBS is a 65 ha tract of land that encompasses the south half of the SW 1⁄4 of section 11 (acquired by UND in 1952) and the north half of the NW 1⁄4 of section 14 (acquired by UND in 1954) in Inkster Township (T154N, R55W). The two parcels are bisected by the Forest River, a tributary of the Red River of the North. The area …

Food Habits Of Fall-Collected Age-0 Walleyes In Eastern South Dakota Gla- Cial Lakes, Benjamin J. Schall, Matthew J. Phayvanh, Jeffrey D. Grote, Daniel J. Dembkowski, Melissa R. Wuellner

The Prairie Naturalist

Food habits of age-0 fishes can influence their growth and survival prior to the first winter (Hoxmeier et al. 2006, Shoup and Wahl 2011). Ontogenetic diet shifts in juvenile piscivorous fishes result in a transition in consumption from zooplankton to macroinvertebrates and eventually fish throughout development (Mittelbach and Persson 1998). Certain food items may be more energetically beneficial to fishes than others as consumption of prey fishes may lead to faster growth rates of predators, decreased overwinter starvation, avoidance of competition, and reduced predation risk (Werner and Gilliam 1984). By the time age-0 walleyes (Sander vitreus) have reached lengths of …

Improving Communication Through Writing, Christopher N. Jacques

The Prairie Naturalist

Greetings GPNSS members! By the time you read this editorial, most of us will be enjoying the summer vacation and all that the Great Plains has to offer. Warmer temperatures, increasing day length, and time in the field are a welcomed change from the seemingly endless grip of “old man” winter (for those of us in the northern Great Plains). Of course, believing that anyone could truly enjoy the clouds of tormenting, biting insects and high humidity across the Great Plains is hard to imagine, in my opinion. There are plenty of summer activities for the outdoor enthusiasts among us, …

Bot Fly Infestation Of Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrels In Colorado Shortgrass Steppe, Kim Conway, Paul Stapp

The Prairie Naturalist

We studied prevalence of bot fly infestation of thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) trapped during 13 years of population monitoring in shrub and grassland habitats in northern Colorado. We also investigated effects of prescribed burning, a common habitat management practice in grasslands, on bot fly prevalence. Infested squirrels were rarely located on shrub sites and during spring (May–Jun) trapping. Across all summers, mean prevalence in grasslands was 7.9% (range: 2.1–23.8%), with years of highest prevalence corresponding to years when the fewest hosts were captured in spring. Infested squirrels had from one to seven warbles, with 46.7% having only one warble. …

Habitat-Related Differences In Necroph- Ilous Species Composition: Implications For Resource Competition, Adrienne L. Conley, Elisabeth K. Jorde, Rachel E. Jorde, Lauren K. Yares, Kenzie K. Lee, Carrie L. Hall, Daniel R. Howard

The Prairie Naturalist

Competition for resources is one of the most important selective factors influencing the expression of life history traits in both plants and animals (Darwin 1859). In grasslands, competition for resources such as nutrients, water, and space often is constrained by stochastic processes (Axelrod 1985). Disturbance factors such as fire, grazing by large herbivores, and fluctuating climatic conditions tend to alter the structure and magnitude of competition for limited resources among grassland communities more frequently than in other ecosystems (Snaydon 1987, van der Maarel 1993). Vertebrate carrion is one important resource used by both plants and animals in grasslands, providing a …

Comparison Of Two Trap Net Designs For Sampling Muskellunge, Brian G. Blackwell, Todd M. Kaufman, Tyrel S. Moos, David O. Lucchesi

The Prairie Naturalist

Sampling adequate numbers of muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) is necessary to evaluate stocking success and to collect information on various population metrics (e.g., growth, condition, relative abundance). However, muskellunge are often difficult to sample with standard fish sampling gears. We collected muskellunge in trap nets of two different designs (large trap nets [1.5-m × 1.8-m frames, 1.5-m diameter hoops, double throated, single 1.5-m × 30.5-m lead and 19-mm knotless mesh] and small trap nets [0.9-m × 1.5-m frames, 0.9-m diameter hoops, single throat, single 0.9-m × 15.2-m lead and 19-mm knotted mesh]. We also estimated abundance of muskellunge (>600 mm …

Comparing Yield Monitors With Weigh Wagons For On-Farm Corn Hybrid Evaluation, Bjorn P. Nelson, Roger Wesley Elmore, Andrew W. Lenssen

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

For many years, on-farm yield evaluations of corn (Zea mays L.) hybrids were done with weigh wagons, handheld moisture testers, and measuring wheels. Today, most combines have continuous flow yield and moisture sensors. Published research results comparing the accuracy of combine-mounted sensor systems with that of weigh wagons are limited for on-farm corn hybrid evaluation. This study examined the accuracy of combine-mounted yield sensors with traditional weigh wagon methodology in on-farm corn hybrid strip trials. Data from combine-mounted sensors for plot weight, moisture percentage, and yield were compared with weigh wagon weight, handheld moisture testers, and calculated yield …

Genetic Engineering Online Lessons Improve Teaching And Increase Knowledge And Accepting Attitudes Among Students, Grace Troupe

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Genetic engineering has been used in the production of food in the U.S. for nearly three decades, however, science literacy in genetic engineering among consumers is still low. To address this problem, an online resource called The Journey of a Gene (passel.unl.edu/ge) was created to help incorporate genetic engineering education in high school and college curriculums. Here we report two studies conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of The Journey of a Gene in 1) improving student knowledge and attitudes about genetic engineering and 2) helping teachers increase their knowledge as well as quantity and quality of genetic engineering instruction. In …

Notes: Are Land-Use Changes Reflected In Diets Of Mourning Doves (Zenaida Macroura) In Eastern South Dakota, Joshua B. Smith, Troy W. Grovenburg, Matthew A. Perrion, Jason M. Augspurger, Trevor W. Bultje, Anna M. Robinson, Brandi L. Crider, Datta Shubham, Jonathan A. Jenks

The Prairie Naturalist

Food habits of the mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) have been extensively studied in the southern United States (McClure 1943, Korschgen 1958, Carpenter 1971) and consist primarily of vegetable matter throughout their range (Beckwith 1959). Diet studies in several states have indicated agricultural crops, specifically corn and wheat, were the most readily consumed plant seeds (Korshgen 1958, Carpenter 1971). Similarities observed in diets of doves were dependent on the agricultural crops available within the area. For example, in Missouri, some seasonal variability was documented suggesting doves forage based on food availability as much as by food preference (Korschgen 1958). However, in …

Inter- And Intra-Specific Interactions In Germination And Seedling Establishment Of Cheatgrass And Russian Wildrye, Erin K. Espeland

The Prairie Naturalist

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is an invasive species in the arid and semi-arid west of the USA, and is weedy in disturbed prairie landscapes. Perennial Russian wildrye (Psathyrostachys juncea) limits population growth of cheatgrass, but the mechanism is unclear. I conducted glasshouse and greenhouse experiments to test if intra- and interspecific competitive interactions of seeds and seedlings of cheatgrass and Russian wildrye were different across a geographic soil gradient with different cultivation legacies in eastern Montana, USA. Seed-seed interactions occurred in both species. Cheatgrass and Russian wildrye inhibited one another’s emergence in one edaphic condition in one experiment. Cheatgrass growth was …

West Nile Virus And Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo Regalis) In The Northern Great Plains, Shubham Datta, Jonathan A. Jenks, David E. Knudsen, Kent C. Jensen, Will M. Inselman, Christopher C. Swanson, Troy W. Grovenburg

The Prairie Naturalist

Emerging infectious diseases (EID) present significant threats to the conservation of global biodiversity (Daszak et al. 2000). Evaluating impacts (spatial, temporal and demographic) of EIDs on sensitive and declining wildlife populations is challenging because quantitative information is usually dependent on estimates rather than counts (Wobeser 2007) and mortality rates are seldom quantified with conventional monitoring (Naugle et al. 2005).

West Nile virus (WNv), a mosquito-borne Flavivirus (family Flaviviridae; Komar 2001), was discovered in northwest Uganda in 1937 (Smithburn et al. 1940). First encountered in the western hemisphere in New York in 1999 (Nash et al. 2001), WNv has become enzootic …

Using Otolith Microchemistry To Classify Yellow Perch As Stocked Or Naturally Produced, Andrew K. Carlson, Matthew J. Ward, Brian D.S Graeb

The Prairie Naturalist

Fisheries managers routinely use stocking to supplement fish populations (Schramm and Piper 1995, Fisher 1996). Stocking eyed-eggs offers substantial cost savings compared to stocking fry and fingerlings (PFBC 2011); however, traditional stocking evaluation using oxytetracycline (OTC) marking of otoliths is ineffective for eyed-eggs of some species (e.g., yellow perch, [Perca fla- vescens]). Thus, there is a need for additional approaches to be able to classify fish as stocked or naturally produced. Fish otoliths are paired calcified structures in the inner ear that permanently deposit trace elements in proportion to water column concentrations (Campana 1999, Campana et al. 2000). Coupled with …