Systems Biology Commons^™

Essential Elements Of A Defense-Review Of Dna Testing Results, Dan E. Krane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

First Record Of Corisella Inscripta (Uhler) (Heteroptera: Corixidae) From North Dakota, Bruce A. Hanson, David M. Mushet, Ned A. Euliss Jr., Stephen Chordas Iii

The Prairie Naturalist

Corisella inscripta is a water boatman species that was reported in H. B. Hungerford's (1948) seminal monograph as occurring throughout Mexico and nine western states of the United States. Subsequently, additional records of C. inscripta have been reported for British Columbia in Canada (Maw et al. 2000) and for Montana (Roemhild 1976), Arkansas (Cochran and Harp 1990), Missouri (Polhemus et al. 1988), Ohio (Chordas and Armitage 1998), and Michigan (Chordas et al. 2002) in the United States. There have been no published records of C. inscripta from North Dakota (Fig. I). We collected one male C. inscripta at the Cottonwood …

Review Of Some Scarce Birds Of The Upper Midwest By Dana Gardner And Nancy Overcott, Stephen J. Dinsmore

The Prairie Naturalist

Fifty Uncommon Birds of the Upper Midwest. Watercolors by Dana Gardner; text by Nancy Overcott. 2007. University of Iowa Press, Iowa City, Iowa. 112 pages. $34.95 (cloth).

Nancy Overcott has written series of short essays of birds found in the Upper Midwest and assembled them in an easy-to-read book. As an ornithologist and avid birder in this region, I'll admit that I didn't know what to expect when I opened the cover-would the focus be on rarities, would there be an identification component, are there tips for finding each species, and at what audience was the book aimed? Ultimately, I …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Analysis: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending March 31, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

Executive Summary

• Weed Sentry staff surveyed for exotic species on 208 miles of roads on NPS land and on 61 miles of BLM land. Due to sparse precipitation this winter, exotic species are much less abundant this year compared to last year at this time.
• Other exotic species projects initiated this quarter included an assessment of invasion patterns below native shrubs for early detection of potential invasion “hotspots,” and a community invasibility experiment established near the NPS nursery with substantial involvement from NPS ATR Ms. Alice Newton.
• A manuscript detailing several experiments with the invasive species Sahara mustard was submitted …

Some Of The Problems Associated With Lcn (Low Copy Number) Testing, Dan E. Krane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Time Invariance Principle, Ecological (Non)Chaos, And A Fundamental Pitfall Of Discrete Modeling, Bo Deng

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

This paper is to show that most discrete models used for population dynamics in ecology are inherently pathological that their predications cannot be independently verified by experiments because they violate a fundamental principle of physics. The result is used to tackle an on-going controversy regarding ecological chaos. Another implication of the result is that all continuous dynamical systems must be modeled by differential equations. As a result it suggests that researches based on discrete modeling must be closely scrutinized and the teaching of calculus and differential equations must be emphasized for students of biology.

Woodland Bird Use Of In-Channel Islands In The Central Platte River, Nebraska, William C. Scharf

The Prairie Naturalist

Recapture data showed woodland obligate birds from riparian habitats made substantial use of thinly vegetated, adjacent small islands in the Platte River. During the bird nesting and spring migration seasons of 200 I through 2004, there were 4,360 individuals of 90 species captured on both mainland and in: hannel island sites. Island locafion captures totaled 595 individuals of 47 species )etween 2002 and 2004. Islands formerly were considered inconsequential for coraging and nesting of passerines. My study substantiated passerine use of Islands and provided a rationale for additional consideration of islands for migration and nesting management. Assemblages of bird species …

Vegetative Characteristics Of Pronghorn Bed Sites In Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, Christopher N. Jacques, Jonathan A. Jenks, Jaret D. Sievers, Daniel E. Roddy

The Prairie Naturalist

Much of the previous literature on pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) fawns has focused on fawn mortality (Beale 1978, Barrett 1984, Gregg et al. 2001) and social behavior (Kitchen 1974, Autenrieth and Fichter 1975, Bromley 1977). Selection of bed sites by pronghorn fawns is a major factor affecting fawn survival (Bromley 1978, Barrett 1981, O'Gara et al. 1986, VanSchmus 1990) because adequate cover is a crucial component of fawn bed site selection (Autenrieth 1984). Alldredge et al. (1991) reported that fawns selected dense shrub cover but avoided the most-dense cover in sagebrush-steppe communities in southcentral Wyoming while Tucker and Gamer …

Intraspecific And Interspecific Territoriality In Microtus Ochrogaster And M. Pennsylvanicus, David J. Tazik, Lowell L. Getz

The Prairie Naturalist

Adult female Microtus ochrogaster and M. pennsylvanicus displayed interspecific territorial behavior in a bluegrass site in Illinois. We concluded that within a site, interspecific territorial behavior might be a factor in non-synchronous population fluctuations characteristic of the two species.

Mallard Brood Movements In The Canadian Prairie Parklands, Garnet H. Raven, Todd W. Arnold, David W. Howerter, Llwellyn M. Armstrong

The Prairie Naturalist

We radiotracked 308 mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) broods from hatching until 30 days of age Oij 15 study areas located throughout the Canadian Prairie Parklands to examine patterns of variation in movement frequency and distance. Broods moved an average of 350 m from nests to first wetlands (SO = 390), with 94% of broods moving less than I km. After leaving the nest, broods had a 23% probability of moving to a new wetland each day, but movement probability was a complex function of study area, hatch date, and ducking age, with younger and earlier-hatched broods exhibiting greater movement …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 39, No.1, March 2007

The Prairie Naturalist

CONTENTS

MALLARD BROOD MOVEMENTS IN THE CANADIAN PRAIRIE PARKLANDS G. H. Raven, T. W. Arnold, D. W. Howerter, and L. M. Armstrong

WOODLAND BIRD USE OF IN-CHANNEL ISLANDS IN THE CENTRAL PLATTE RIVER, NEBRASKA, W. C. Scharf

PARTIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TWO MODERATELY HALOPHILIC BACTERIA FROM A KANSAS SALT MARSH, A. M. Johnson, L. R. Thurlow, S. R. Zwenger, and E. T. Gillock

INTRASPECIFIC AND INTERSPECIFIC TERRITORIALITY IN MICROTUS OCHROGASTER AND M. PENNSYLVANICUS, D. J. Tazik and L. L. Getz

VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF PRONGHORN BED SITES IN WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH DAKOTA, C. N. Jacques, J. A. Jenks, J. D. …

Partial Characterization Of Two Moderately Halophilic Bacteria From A Kansas Salt Marsh, Aileen M. Johnson, Lance R. Thurlow, Sam R. Zwenger, Eric T. Gillock

The Prairie Naturalist

Two bacterial species were isolated from a salt marsh located on privately owned land in Russell County, Kansas. Water samples from the saIt marsh were streaked for isolation on tryptic soy agar supplemented with 12 % NaCI. Visual scanning of the plates revealed two prominent colony types. The two colony types were subcultured repeatedly until axenic cultures were obtained. 80th of these organisms were shown to be moderately halophilic. The organisms were characterized partially by fatty acid methyl ester analysis, 16S rRNA sequencing, and scanning electron microscopy. These studies revealed that the bacteria previously were unreported members of genera Marinococcus …

Run-Specific Limits Of Quantitation And Detection (An Alternative To Minimum Peak Height Thresholds), Dan E. Krane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Empirical Analysis Of The Str Profiles Resulting From Conceptual Mixtures, Dan E. Krane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Implications For Close Relatives In The Event Of Similar But Non-Matching Dna Profiles, Dan E. Krane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Mayfly Newsletter, Peter M. Grant

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

Preliminary Notes On Tachinidae Reared From Lepidoptera In The Ecuadorian Andes, John O. Stireman Iii

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Current estimates of the species richness of Tachinidae among geographical provinces suggest that the Neotropical Region harbors the largest number of species and represents a geographic epicenter of tachinid diversification (O’Hara 2006). The Neotropics boasts an impressive fauna consisting of 2864 described species belonging to 822 genera at the time of the Neotropical catalog (Guimarães 1971), making it almost twice as species rich as any other geographic realm (O’Hara 2006; Stireman et al. 2006). This diversity is most apparent at middle elevations (1000– 2000m) along the mountain chains of tropical Central and South America, where tachinids are an abundant and …

Chronic Acetaminophen Treatment Influences Indices Of Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulation In The Aging Fisher 344 X Brown Norway Rat Aorta, Sarath Meduru

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

We have previously reported that aging in the Fisher 344 X Brown Norway (FBN) rat aorta is characterized by increased levels of ROS and alterations in cell signaling. Acetaminophen was found to scavenge free radicals in recent ischemia-reperfusion studies. Here we examined if chronic treatment with a therapeutic dose of acetaminophen attenuates age-associated increase in aortic ROS accumulation and signaling. FBN rats (27 month old; n=8) were subjected to 6 months of treatment with a therapeutic dose of acetaminophen (30mg/kg/day), with age-matched untreated FBN rats as controls. Protein oxidation levels were altered in control and treated aortae compared to aortae …

Using Geographic Information Systems To Organize And Coordinate Holistic Watershed Resource Management, John M.S. King

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Thesis research explores the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), such as ESRI’s ArcGIS and Google Earth, to organize and coordinate statewide, regional, and locally led watershed initiatives in West Virginia. Holistic Watershed Resource Management (HWRM) is an innovative collaborative approach to environmental protection designed to synchronize regional and local environmental assessment and restoration efforts. HWRM success is often attributed to an inclusive decision-making process, which seeks to build and coordinate cooperative partnerships among government agencies, private businesses, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations. A case study of the Morris Creek Watershed Association and detailed surveys of over 100 West Virginia …

Autoregulation Of Gld-2 Cytoplasmic Poly(A) Polymerase, Labib Rouhana, Marvin Wickens

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Cytoplasmic polyadenylation regulates mRNA stability and translation and is required for early development and synaptic plasticity. The GLD-2 poly(A) polymerase catalyzes cytoplasmic polyadenylation in the germline of metazoa. Among vertebrates, the enzyme is encoded by two isoforms of mRNA that differ only in the length of their 3′-UTRs. Here we focus on regulation of vertebrateGLD-2 mRNA. We show that the 3′-UTR of GLD-2 mRNA elicits its own polyadenylation and translational activation during frog oocyte maturation. We identify the sequence elements responsible for repression and activation, and demonstrate that CPEB and PUF proteins likely mediate repression in the resting oocyte. …

Species Richness And Soil Properties In Pinus Ponderosa Forests: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis, Daniel C. Laughlin, Scott R. Abella, W. Wallace Covington, James B. Grace

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Question: How are the effects of mineral soil properties on understory plant species richness propagated through a network of processes involving the forest overstory, soil organic matter, soil nitrogen, and understory plant abundance? Location: North-central Arizona, USA. Methods: We sampled 75 0.05-ha plots across a broad soil gradient in a Pinus ponderosa (ponderosa pine) forest ecosystem. We evaluated multivariate models of plant species richness using structural equation modeling. Results: Richness was highest at intermediate levels of understory plant cover, suggesting that both colonization success and competitive exclusion can limit richness in this system. We did not detect a reciprocal positive …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Management: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

Executive Summary

• Two new Weed Sentry research assistants were hired.
• Weed Sentry staff surveyed for exotic species on 89 miles of roads on NPS and BLM land and treated more than 21,000 exotic plants in incipient populations.
• A grid-based rare plant monitoring method was tested this quarter.
• A manuscript detailing vegetation succession on a water pipeline at Lake Mead NRA was submitted for review to the journal Crossosoma.
• New integrative projects undertaken this quarter included establishing a competition study between a native grass and the exotic Sahara mustard, salvaging plants for research purposes from private sites with permission from landowners, …

Caenorhabditis Briggsae Methods, Scott Everet Baird, Helen M. Chamberlin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Caenorhabditis briggsae is being developed in parallel to C. elegans as a model system, primarily for the study of evolution. Like C. elegans, C. briggsae is a protandrous hermaphrodite and like C. elegans, its genome has been sequenced. From this point, these two model systems diverge. The development, behavior, and physiology of C. elegans have been characterized through tens of thousands of genetic and molecular studies. Genetic and molecular characterizations of C. briggsae are relatively few. Experimental resources in C. elegans include a high density recombination map that is well integrated with the genome sequence. The C. briggsae …

Amphibians And Reptiles In A Mixed-Grass Prairie In Northwestern North Dakota, Robert K. Murphy, Robert F. Danley, Patricia K. Moore

The Prairie Naturalist

There have been almost no surveys of herpetofauna at 109 km² Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge (LNWR) or surrounding counties in northwestern North Dakota, an area possibly undergoing significant environmental change from fossil fuel extraction and use. We used 30 m drift fences to survey amphibian and reptile species in prairie-wetland transition zones at LNWR during mid-May to early-July in 1985 to 1987, and again in 1999 and 2000. We captured only four amphibian and two reptilian species and noted one other reptilian species incidental to our survey. Several species expected to occur in the area were not detected.

Essential Elements Of A Defense-Review Of Dna Testing Results, Dan E. Krane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Management: Final Close-Out Report, Time Period: October 1, 2005 To September 30, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

The National Park Service (NPS) at Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAME) entered into a cooperative agreement with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) to accomplish vegetation monitoring and management activities. This report summarizes activities that took place by UNLV under this task agreement between October 1, 2005, and September 30, 2006. The activities included:

• Weed Sentry mapping and treating incipient populations of exotic invasive plants throughout Clark County, including along shorelines of Lakes Mead and Mohave;
• Monitoring of targeted rare native plant species;
• Sahara mustard research; and
• Providing technical assistance upon request to the NPS vegetation manager.

In …

First Record Of The Least Shrew In Wyoming; And Clostridium Perfingens Type A Enterotoxemia In A Captive Adult White-Tailed Deer, Shauna R. Marquardt, Brian C. Bartels, Cheryl A. Schmidt, Joshua A. Delger, Kevin L. Monteith, Jonathan A. Jenks

The Prairie Naturalist

First Record of the Leaast Shrew in Wyoming by Shauna R. Marquardt, Brian C. Bartels, and Cheryl A. Schmidt; and Clostridium perfingens Type A Enterotoxemia in a Captive Adult White-tailed Deer by Joshua A. Delger , Kevin L. Monteith, and Jonathan A. Jenks.

Reviews: Natural History Of Javelinas; And Three Dvds On Bats, Louis A. Harveson, Jean Legge

The Prairie Naturalist

Reviews of Javelinas: Collared Peccaries of the Southwest (2006) by Jane Manaster, Texas Tech University Press, Lubbock, Texas, 85 pages (review by Louis A. Harveson) and of The Secret World of Bats (DVD), Building Homes for Bats (DVD), and Kids Discover Bats (DVD) (2005) published by Bat Conservation International (review by Jean Legge).

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 38, Number 3, September 2006, Elmer J. Finck, Hilary Gillock

The Prairie Naturalist

The Prairie Naturalist (September 2006) 38(3)

Editor: Elmer J. Finck

Assistant editor: Hilary Gillock

Great Plains Natural Science Society

Artificial Burrows and the Deer Mouse: Do Number of Entrances Influence Use? GLENNIS A. KAUFMAN1 and DONALD W. KAUFMAN, pages 145-154

Evaluating Genetic Viability of Pronghorn in Wind Cave National Park JONATHAN A. JENKSi , CHRISTOPHER N. JACQUES, JARET D. SIEVERS, ROBERT W. KLAVER, R. TERRY BOWYER, and DANIEL E. RODDY, pages 155-165

Age Structure and Reproductive Activity of the Blue Sucker in the Milk River, Missouri River Drainage, Montana JULIE BEDNARSKl1 and DENNIS L. SCARNECCHIA, pages 167-182

Habitat Characteristics of …

Population Biology Of Pumpkinseed In Enemy Swim Lake, South Dakota, Eric J. Weimer, Michael L. Brown

The Prairie Naturalist

Little information is available regarding the biology and population characteristics of pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus), especially in South Dakota, a state at the western edge of the species native range. South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks summer trap net survey data, collected 1998 to 2003, suggests the Enemy Swim Lake population has low abundance (0.4-2.9 per trap net night) and moderately high size structure (proportional stock density [PSD] ranges between 71 and 91). To further examine the biological characteristics of the Enemy Swim Lake population, pumpkinseed was collected from Indian Bay with trap nets during May 2003. …