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A Literature Review And Survey Of The Status Of Iowa's Terrestrial Flora, Deborah Q. Lewis

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

A survey of Iowa's floristic literature and herbarium resources indicates that while there is not uniform coverage of plant groups and regions, a great deal is known about the Iowa flora. Taxonomic and floristic studies are ongoing, despite evidence of a decreased number of researchers with expertise and interest in Iowa's flora and changing emphases in academic research. Current knowledge is sufficient for the production of an Iowa Flora, and an Iowa Flora committee to initiate this project is proposed.

Iowa's Declining Flora And Fauna: A Review Of Changes Since 1980 And An Outlook For The Future, Neil P. Bernstein

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The status of Iowa's biodiversity was first summarized at a 1980 Iowa Academy of Science (IAS) symposium that was published in The Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science (Vol. 88, No. 1) in 1981. The 1980 symposium was updated in a recent IAS symposium, and the proceedings from this symposium are published, for the most part, in volume 105 of this journal. Most of the authors noted some positive trends, but, overall, species declines and habitat destruction remained a concern.

Cover - Table Of Contents

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Safety Issues And Iowa Science Teachers, Jack A. Gerlovich, Ed Wilson, Rahul Parsa

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The National Science Education Standards are providing an excellent blue print for improving science teaching for all students. However, the Standards are placing serious demands on teachers attempts to make science activities inquiry-based, real-life, open-ended, and directly applicable to today's students. This situation is further aggravated when teachers do not know essential science safety information from both federal and state governing agencies, as well as professional organizations. With proper training and tools, however, this problem can be positively addressed.

Lack Of Genetic Variation In Cytochrome Bin A Population Of Smooth Softshell Turtles, David W. Weisrock, Tamara S. Haselkorn, Fredric J. Janzen

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

An important issue in intraspecific molecular phylogenetic studies concerns distribution of genetic variation within and among populations and, hence, within-population sample sizes used in analyses. To address this sampling issue, we sequenced a 795 base pair (bp) segment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene from 19 unrelated individuals from a Louisiana population of the smooth softshell turtle (Apalone mutica LeSueur). We found a complete lack of within-population variation in this large segment of mtDNA. This result supports the use of minimal within-population sample sizes in intraspecific molecular phylogenetic studies of Apalone using cytochrome b.

Tragopan: Newsletter Of The Wpa/Species Survival Commission/Birdlife Pheasant Specialist Group 8-13/14 (1998-2001), World Pheasant Association, Iucn Species Survival Commission, Birdlife International Pheasant Specialist Group

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

Issue 8 (March 1998)

Editorial

From the Chairman

Project news

International Symposium

Vietnamese Seminar

Edwards"s pheasant workshop

Studies on Elliot's pheasant

Neating of Blyth 's tragopan

Annamese silver pheasant

Siamese firebacks in Vietnam

Peoples' participation in Vietnam

Funding agencies

PSO core committee

Issue 9 (August 1998)

Editorial

From the Chairman

Project news

lnternational Galliformes Symposium

The New Pheasant Action Plan

Brown eared pheasant distribution

Imperial pheasant - a hybrid?

Probable new pheasant taxon

Dolan's eared pheasant

Pheasunts in Great Himalayan National Park

Reeves's pheasant nature reserve

Pipar pheasant survey, Nepal

Obituaries

Issue 10 (March 1999)

Editorial

From the Chairman

Project …

Cover - Table Of Contents

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia Esula L.) Spread In Iowa, S. C. Huerd, S. E. Taylor

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.), a noxious perennial weed spreading south from the northern Great Plains into Iowa, is considered a threat to Iowa's Prairie preserves because it is an aggressive non-native plant that dominates the landscape through rapid sexual and asexual reproduction. Methods to control leafy spurge include cultural and chemical controls, and biological controls are currently being developed. In 1992 and 1993 we surveyed the extent of leafy spurge spread in Iowa and found 26 of 99 Iowa counties with leafy spurge populations. Iowa's leafy spurge populations are rapidly expanding on untilled lands such as roadsides, especially in …

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Cover - Perspectives On The Declining Flora And Fauna Of Iowa: A Symposium, Part 2

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Perspectives On Iowa's Declining Amphibians And Reptiles, James L. Christiansen

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Changes in range and abundance of Iowa's amphibians and reptiles can be deduced by comparing records from recent studies with excellent collections from Iowa by Professor R. M. Bailey made from 1938-1943 in addition to museum records accumulated before 1950. Additional recent data make necessary this updating of a similar study conducted in 1980. The current study finds many of our frogs to be in decline, some in a pattern from north to south, but most as a diffused loss of populations, probably as a result of habitat destruction. The crawfish frog, one of the two frogs considered threatened in …

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Carrion Beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) Of Northeastern Iowa: A Comparison Of Baits For Sampling, David R. Coyle, Kirk J. Larsen

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Carrion beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) were inventoried over a 8-week period from June into August of 1996 at 10 sites in 4 counties of extreme northeastern Iowa. Carrion preference and relative abundance of carrion beetles were studied by use of non-lethal pitfall traps constructed from large plastic plant pots and baited with aged fish, beef liver, chicken, or piglets. A total of 3,183 carrion beetles were collected, representing 11 different species. The most commonly encountered species of carrion beetles in northeastern Iowa included Necrophila americana (71.5%) and Oiceoptoma novaboracense (18.5%). When comparing baits, chicken and fish attracted the greatest number of …

Awards And Recognition, Iowa Academy Of Science, 1998

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Distribution And Ecology Of The Morels And False Morels Of Iowa, L. H. Tiffany, G. Knaphus, D. M. Huffman

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The distribution, time of fruiting and habitats of morels and false morels in Iowa were documented during a 10 year survey (1984-1993). Distribution maps for each species also include information from published reports and from herbarium records. The true morel genus, Morchella, is represented in Iowa by five species. Three of these species, M. deliciosa, M. esculenta and M. crassipes, are sometimes interpreted as segments of one large, extremely variable species. M. semilibera and M. angusticeps also occur. M. angusticeps, a black morel, has not been previously reported from Iowa. Four false morels, two species in each of two genera, …

Decline Of Iowa Populations Of The Regal Fritillary (Speyeria Idalia) Drury, Diane M. Debinskl, Liesl Kelly

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The Regal Fritillary butterfly, Speyeria idalia Drury (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Argynninae), is a prairie endemic species which has exhibited a dramatic decline in Iowa during the last few decades. Tallgrass prairie is the primary habitat of S. idalia and the butterfly's presence is correlated with the presence of violets (Violaceae). Due to the extensive habitat fragmentation of Iowa prairies, both the butterfly and its host plant populations are limited primarily to unplowed, relatively pristine prairies. Thus, S. idalia is an excellent case study of a prairie endemic species. Here, we report on the results of a two-year survey of the insect …

Book Review - The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas, Louis B. Best

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas is the first comprehensive statewide survey of Iowa's breeding birds. Through the efforts of over 500 people, every county in the state was sampled to provide a record of the composition and distribution of the bird life in Iowa. The project entailed dividing the state into 861 atlas blocks; 83% received at least some coverage and 71 % were completed. Information known through 1995 is included in the text, although the atlas project ended in 1990.

Back Cover

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

The Fungi, Lichens, And Myxomycetes Of Iowa: A Literature Review And Evaluation, Lois H. Tiffany, George Knaphus

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The fungi have been, and continue to be, a poorly documented portion of Iowa’s biological inheritance. Although many are perennially present in soil and plant debris and are crucially involved in the release and recycling of materials from organic residues or are partners with plant roots as mycorrhizae, they are not obvious until they produce fruiting structures such as mushrooms, boletes, brackets, puffballs, etc. The fungi causing plant disease are more obvious because of the reactions of their host plants; thus the earliest records of Iowa fungi are of ones causing plant diseases commonly referred to as mildews, rusts, and …

Status Of Aquatic Vascular Plants 1n Iowa's Natural Lakes, G. S. Phillips

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Conversion of wetlands to agricultural land during the settlement of Iowa has resulted in a significant decline in the total area of lake habitat in the state. This reduction in area, combined with the degradation of remaining sites, resulted in dramatic reductions in aquatic vascular plant populations associated with Iowa's natural lakes. While declines in plant species inhabiting fen, bog, seepage, prairie pothole, and marsh type wetlands have been extensively documented, few quantitative data exist for lake type wetlands. During the summer of 1996, a total of 86 natural lakes in Iowa were surveyed for aquatic vascular plants. Many of …

Iowa's Changing Forest Resources, Steven E. Jungst, Donald R. Farrar, Michael Brandrup

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

After a period of decline in area extending from the 1850s to 1974, Iowa's forest area increased between 1974 and 1990. Although the area increase is encouraging, it may be fleeting. In addition, changes in forest stand structure and forest ownership patterns along with other pressures may make it difficult to maintain healthy forest ecosystems in the future. Notes from the original land survey in Iowa coupled with information from U.S. Forest Service forest inventories make it possible to look at changes in forest area and forest tree types. Unfortunately, similar long-term data do not exist to make possible a …

The Status Of Iowa's Lepidoptera, Dennis W. Schlicht, Timothy T. Orwig

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Including strays, 122 species of butterflies have been confirmed in Iowa. However, since European settlement the populations of taxa of Iowa Lepidoptera have declined. While certain generalist species have experienced declines, species with life cycles that include native habitats, especially prairies and wetlands, have been particularly vulnerable. In a 1994 revision of the Iowa endangered and threatened species list, the Natural Resource Commission (NRC) listed two species of butterflies as endangered, five as threatened, and 25 as special concern, using general legal definitions of those rankings (NRC 1994). But after examining recent records, we have revised that list, using numbers …

Back Cover

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Mammals Of Iowa: Holocene To The End Of The 20th Century, John B. Bowles, Daryl L. Howell, Richard P. Lampe, Howard P. Whidden

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

This review of Iowa's mammal fauna at the close of the 20th century summarizes changes in distributional patterns following Euroamerican settlement in the early 1800s. Data from historical records, museum specimens, and presettlement late Holocene fossils indicate presence of 69 resident mammals at that time. Hunting pressures and the conversion of prairie and forest to agricultural fields reduced the populations and ranges of many state mammals, and 14 species were extirpated by 1900. An additional 15 species are either uncommon or rare today, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources lists four species as endangered, three as threatened and one …

Back Cover

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

3 | Villages, Terraces, And Stone Mounds: Excavations At Manḥat Jerusalem, 1987–1989, Gershon Edelstein, Ianir Milevski, Sara Aurant

IAA Reports—Monograph Series of the Israel Antiquities Authority

Following surveys and excavations in the area of the Rephaim Valley, within the framework of the Rephaim Valley Project, the valley was revealed to have been densely settled throughout the ages. The aims of the project were to document neglected archaeological remains such as villages, terraces and stone mounds––their chronology, ancient handicrafts and industries––and to attempt to view the overall settlement patterns in the area. This volume presents the excavations at Manaḥat.

Excavations in the stone mounds revealed that small farmsteads from MB I were later built upon by MB IIB village dwellings. Scarce remains of a LB II phase …

Iowa Prairie: Original Extent And Loss, Preservation And Recovery Attempts, Daryl D. Smith

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Iowa's prairie has to be assessed in the context of the pre- and post-agriculturally dominated ecosystem in which it now exists. This requires an understanding of prairies and of society's perspective of prairies. Therefore, the attitudes of people through time have to be considered; (1) those who were involved in the demise of the prairie, (2) those who helped saved the pieces of the prairie and (3) those who may be called upon to recover the prairie ecosystem.