Anthropology Commons^™

Mechanical Properties Of Plant Underground Storage Organs And Implications For Dietary Models Of Early Hominins, Nathaniel J. Dominy, Erin R. Vogel, Justin D. Yeakel, Paul J. Constantino, Peter W. Lucas

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

The diet of early human ancestors has received renewed theoretical interest since the discovery of elevated d13C values in the enamel of Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus. As a result, the hominin diet is hypothesized to have included C4 grass or the tissues of animals which themselves consumed C4 grass. On mechanical grounds, such a diet is incompatible with the dental morphology and dental microwear of early hominins. Most inferences, particularly for Paranthropus, favor a diet of hard or mechanically resistant foods. This discrepancy has invigorated the longstanding hypothesis that hominins consumed plant underground storage organs (USOs). Plant USOs are …

Iowa Academy Of Science: The New Bulletin, V04n2, Summer 2008, Iowa Academy Of Science

New Bulletin

Inside This Issue:

--Message from the Executive Director

--REAP-CEP Funds Iowa Project WET

--Invitation to the 2008 Iowa Science Teachers’ Section Fall Conference

--Kaitlynn Hood Awarded ESTA for Elementary Science Education

--Scrapbook 2007-2008

Fighting Nuclear Waste At Skull Valley, Margene Bullcreek

Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues

Abstract:

-Reasons We Oppose Nuclear Waste

-Sovereignty

-Traditional values must be protected

-Protect sacredness of our culture, plants,

animals, air, and water

-Affects on community health

-Protect reservation and homeland

-To protect the air and water

-To protect future generations

-Environmental Justice

Iowa Academy Of Science: The New Bulletin, V04n1, Spring 2008, Iowa Academy Of Science

New Bulletin

Inside This Issue:

--Message from the Executive Director

--NWR Audio Series Update

--Special Workshop at IAS Annual Meeting

--Teacher Seminar at IAS Annual Meeting

--Bringing Environmental Education and Practical Applications into Preservice Educator Programs

--2008 Iowa Academy of Science Speakers Series Visitor Center, Saylorville Reservoir

--Candidates for President-Elect

--Candidates for Board of Directors

--Election 2008 Ballot

--Iowa Science Teachers’ Section Election Candidates

--Candidate for ISTS Secretary

--Iowa Academy of Science Grant Awards for 2007

--2007 Donations & Grants

Volume 01, Jessica Fields, Stephanie Neeley, Derek W. Hambright, Mary E. Lehman, Andrew R. Grzankowski, Zachary Johnson, Boone M. Prentice, Ashley M. Swandby, Victoria Morgan, Katie Williamson, Kristine G. Bender, Katelyn N. Romaine, D. Nicole Swann, Jessica Fox, Mike Mcateer, Alex Grabiec, Laura Nodtvedt, Nick Costa, Rachel Wolfe, Zack Dalton

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction from Dean Dr. Charles Ross

Three Decades of Digging: Undergraduate Archeology at Longwood by Jessica Fields and Stephanie Neeley

Interactions of Allelopathy and Heat Stress in Plants by Derek W. Hambright and Mary E. Lehman

Inertial Electrostatic Confinement D-D Fusion Device: Construction and Simulation by Andrew R. Grzankowski

Shackled Nim by Zachary Johnson

Development of GC-MS and Chemometric Methods for the Analysis of Accelerants in Arson Cases by Boone M. Prentice

A Comparison of Image Analysis Methods in cDNA Microarrays by Ashley M. Swandby

Perceived Sexual Activity of Short and Long-Term Relationships by Victoria Morgan and Katie Williamson

Elderly …

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.

Using Landscape History And Baseline Data In The Restoration Of A Midwestern Savanna, Andrew P. Rayburn, Annabel L. Major

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Over one hundred and fifty years of Euro-American settlement has dramatically altered Midwestern landscapes, resulting in the widespread conversion of native habitat. Numerous opportunities to conduct ecological restoration exist within the Midwest, with the potential to increase habitat and landscape heterogeneity, secure critical ecosystem services, and provide opportunities for research and education. Site history is an important consideration for most restoration projects, and multiple sources of historical data may be required to unravel the complicated history of intensively used Midwestern landscapes. The collection of baseline data is another significant component of most restoration projects, allowing for an evaluation of community …

Observations On The Distribution And Status Of Western Sand Darter, Spotted Gar, And Skipjack Herring In Iowa Rivers, Travis E. Neebling, Michael C. Quist

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

This paper describes new records of western sand darter (Ammocrypta clara), spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus), and skipjack herring (Alosa chrysochloris) in Iowa's interior rivers. A western sand darter was collected from the Cedar River, Benton County, in 2007. Western sand darters are occasionally collected from the upper Mississippi River (UMR), but have not been sampled in interior rivers since 1958. Two spotted gar were collected from the Des Moines River, Polk and Wapello counties, in 2007. Two spotted gar were sampled from the UMR in 2000, but no spotted gar have been previously recorded from Iowa's interior rivers. A skipjack …

Cover - Table Of Contents

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Pre-Settlement Vegetation At Casey's Paha State Preserve, Iowa, Reid J. Leichty, Steven H. Emerman, Lyndon R. Hawkins, Michael J. Tiano

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Paha are loess-capped ridges standing 10-30 m above the surrounding plain of the Iowan Surface. Although Iowa was almost entirely covered with prairie and wetlands just prior to Euro-American settlement, the paha are believed to have been forested based on soil types and on early vegetation maps. The objective of this study was to find evidence that paha were forested by measuring the δ13C value of humin, the fraction of soil organic matter that is insoluble in acid and base. Previous work has shown that humin retains the δ13C signature of vegetation on a 1000-year time scale, as opposed to …

Assessment Of Smallmouth Bass Populations In Iowa Interior Rivers, Andrew C. Jansen, Michael C. Quist, Jeff Kopaska

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu are a popular sport fish throughout North America and occupy an important ecological role as top predators in aquatic systems. Despite the importance of smallmouth bass, knowledge of their population structure and dynamics in Iowa interior rivers is limited. The objective of this study was to describe population dynamics (e.g., relative abundance, size and age structure, growth, mortality) of smallmouth bass in six Iowa rivers. Smallmouth bass were sampled from the Upper Iowa, Maquoketa, and Wapsipinicon rivers in northeast Iowa and the Des Moines, Iowa, and South Skunk rivers in central Iowa using electrofishing during the …

Ant Diversity In Two Southern Minnesota Tallgrass Prairie Restoration Sites, Pamela M. Kittelson, Monica Paulson Priebe, Phillip J. Graeve

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

There is little basic information about ant species richness and abundance in tall grass prairie restorations despite the importance of ants to plant community structure and function. We compared ant abundance and richness, vascular plant cover and richness, and soil compaction at two southern Minnesota grassland restoration sites, a prairie reconstruction and a prairie remnant undergoing rehabilitation. We collected a total of 3,523 ants from 12 different species. Plant species richness ranged from 45 in the prairie reconstruction to 95 in the remnant prairie. We found five more species of ants and significantly higher mean ant species richness per plot …

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Dwelling, Walking, Serving: Organic Preservation Along The Camino De Santiago Pilgrimage Landscape, Mercedes Chamberlain Quesada-Embid

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study is an exploration of the people and the landscape of the well-known Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. Although there are many routes that make up the entirety of the pilgrimage, this research is specifically focused on the landscape of the Camino Francés, or French Route, in northern Spain. The path has been written about in many ways and for a myriad of reasons since it became affiliated with the Christian tradition in the early ninth century. This research, however, is different. By way of an environmental history and hermeneutic approach, an investigation of the interrelated and overlapping human …

Iowa Academy Of Science: The New Bulletin, V04n4, Winter 2008, Iowa Academy Of Science

New Bulletin

Inside This Issue:

--Message from the Executive Director

--IAS NWR Website

--Science: Our Past and Future

--Iowa Academy of Science Fellows

--IAS Board Retreat

--Announcements, Events & Deadlines

--Spotlight on Des Moines University

--Iowa Academy of Science Membership Overview

--ISTJ—Practical Science Education Applications from Iowans to the World

Iowa Academy Of Science: The New Bulletin, V03n3, Autumn 2007, Iowa Academy Of Science

New Bulletin

Inside This Issue:

--Message from the Executive Director

--Iowa Science Teachers Section Fall Conference

--Myrle Burk Scholarship Winners

--Project WET Update

--Academy Awards

--Opportunities for Learning

--ISTS Fall Conference Workshops

--Increasing Academy Membership and Recognition Across the State

--Financial Statement

Gis Aided Archaeological Research Of El Camino Real De Los Tejas With Focus On The Landscape And River Crossings Along El Camino Carretera., Jeffrey M. Williams

Faculty Publications

Many generations of indigenous pathways through the forests of eastern Texas have their origins obscured in antiquity. Utilized by early European explorers, these pathways became modified through heavy use and the expansions and improvements needed to accommodate easy passage of European horses and carts and finally the heavy wagons of Anglo-American settlers. The first road through Texas, El Camino Real de Los Tejas, utilized portions of these early trails.

El Camino Carretera (known as the cart road) is an early segment of El Camino Real de los Tejas that crossed the Sabine River at the boundary between Texas and Louisiana. …

Iowa Academy Of Science: The New Bulletin, V03n2, Spring 2007, Iowa Academy Of Science

New Bulletin

Inside This Issue:

--Message from the Executive Director

--Election Information

--Financial Statement

--IJAS Represented at American Junior Academy of Science

--Expedition Iowa Update

--Gifts Received 2006

--Schutte Receives National Biology Teaching Award

The Evolution Of Zinjanthropus Boisei, Paul J. Constantino, Bernard A. Wood

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Many people assume that OH 5, the type specimen of Paranthropus boisei, collected in 1959, was the first evidence of that taxon to be found, but OH 3, recovered in 1955, predated the discovery of OH 5 by four years. Thus, Paranthropus boisei recently celebrated the equivalent of its fiftieth birthday. This review marks that milestone by examining the way our understanding of this taxon has changed during its fifty, or so, year history.

An Inventory Of The Vascular Flora Of Hamilton County, Iowa (2001-2004), Jimmie D. Thompson

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

A botanical survey of the vascular flora of Hamilton County, Iowa was conducted from 2001 to 2004. During this survey 973 taxa (761 native) were encountered. A search of the literature and a survey of Iowa State University's Ada Hayden Herbarium for additional documented specimens added 28 taxa to the flora. This total of 1001 taxa places Hamilton County fourth in vascular plant richness among inventories conducted in Iowa since 1950. A checklist including common names of most taxa, habitat and abundance data for all taxa encountered during the current survey is presented. Information on earlier collections includes source and …

Front Matter

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Narrow Sense Heritability And Additive Genetic Correlations In Alfalfa Subsp. Falcata, Heathcliffe Riday, E. Charles Brummer

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The complex genetics of autotetraploid alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) make additive genetic variance component estimation difficult. Halfsib family variances often are used to estimate additive genetic variances and, by extension, narrow sense heritabilities and additive genetic correlations. These estimates contain a portion of the dominance variance. Using such calculations, in conjunction with parent-offspring covariance estimates, the dominance component can be separated from the additive genetic component. This is rarely done. This study reports average estimates across 30 populations, of both additive and dominance variance component estimates based on between halfsib family variance and parent-offspring covariance for biomass yield, plant height, …

Fall And Winter Food Habits Of Bobcats (Lynx Rufus) In Iowa, Kelcey J. Brockmeyer, William R. Clark

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a widely distributed native felid of North America but nearly disappeared from Iowa due to habitat loss and unregulated harvest that occurred during the century after European settlement. Bobcats are repopulating the state and are now relatively common in southern Iowa. This study was part of a research project to understand the ecology of the species in Iowa's landscape so that conservation plans could be established. We determined food habits by the examination of stomach contents from 100 bobcat carcasses that were accidentally killed in traps, killed by automobiles, or radio-marked individuals found dead during …

Maya Eclipses: Modern Data, The Triple Tritos And The Double Tzolkin, William Earl Beck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Eclipse Table, on pages 51-58, of the Dresden Codex has long fascinated Maya scholars. Researchers use the mean-value method of 173.3 days to determine nodal passage that is the place where eclipses can occur. These studies rely on Oppolzer's Eclipse Canon and Schram's Moon Phase Tables to verify eclipse occurrences. The newer canons of Jean Meeus and Bao-Lin Liu use decimal accuracy. What would be the effect of modern astronomical data on the previous studies and the Maya Eclipse Table? The study utilizes a general view of eclipses that includes eclipses not visible to the Maya. Lunar eclipses are …

Laboratory Abrasion Of Crinoid Columnals And The Provenance Of The Chariton Conglomerate, South-Central Iowa, Justin C. Kraber, Steven H. Emerman, Matt R. Bennett, Lyndon R. Hawkins, Jewell E. Moore, Rebekah Ellenwood, Kristine L. Robson, Adam Finken

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The Chariton Conglomerate is a quartz limestone conglomerate of Pennsylvanian age found in six exposures in southern Iowa and three exposures in northern Missouri. Distinctive features of the exposures in Iowa include quartz granules and rounded crinoid columnals. The objective of this study was to determine whether the quartz clasts could have originated in the crystalline rocks of Minnesota or Wisconsin. The average paleocurrent direction measured in interbedded sandstones was 178° (S.D. = 35 °). The average roundness of 75 crinoid columnals extracted from four exposures in Iowa was 30% (S.D. = 14%), defined as

roundness(%) = (D-d)/D x 100, …

Iowa Academy Of Science: The New Bulletin, V03n4, Winter 2007, Iowa Academy Of Science

New Bulletin

Inside This Issue:

--Message from the Executive Director

--Focus on an Institutional Member

--120th Annual Meeting of the Iowa Academy of Science

--GLOBE Activities for You and YOUR Students

--Committee on Committees and Elections Report to the Iowa Academy of Science Membership

--Financial Statement

--New Member Referral Program Report

Cover - Table Of Contents

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Weather Factors Influencing Winter Roosts Of American Crows In Central Iowa, Joshua D. Obrecht, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

We investigated the effects of season and weather on the winter roosting behavior of American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) in central Iowa from January through March 2006. The peak number of birds recorded at a roost in Ames, Story County was 9,000+ in early February, and the number of individuals entering the roost decreased through February and March. Crows tended to enter the roost later in the day as winter neared completion. High wind speed and low light intensity caused individual to enter the roost earlier in the day. Temperature did not affect arrival time of crows. Wind speed, light intensity, …

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.