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Iowa's Sand Prairie State Preserves: Anomalous Grain-Size Distributions And Optically Stimulated Luminescence (Osl) Dates, Steven H. Emerman, Brian R. Depew, Lisa K. Anderson

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Grain-size distributions and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates were obtained for the sand from Iowa's five sand prairie state preserves, which are Behren's Ponds and Woodland, Cedar Hills Sand Prairie, Kish-Ke-Kosh Prairie, Marietta Sand Prairie and Rock Island. OSL dates ranged from the late Pleistocene (15,560 years B.P.) to the very late Holocene (as recent as 590 years B.P.), indicating that the late Pleistocene and Holocene Epochs in Iowa have seen multiple episodes of aridity, which is consistent with results from the Nebraska Sand Hills and eolian sand stringers in southeastern Minnesota. The grain-size distributions were anomalous in that, compared …

Letter To The Editor - Conservation Of Freshwater Mussels In Iowa, K. Elizabeth Poole

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Freshwater mussels occur in a variety of aquatic ecosystems worldwide but nowhere is mussel species richness as high as is reported in North America. With nearly 300 recorded species in the U.S., mussels are key components of freshwater biodiversity playing a vital role in benthic communities. Ecologically important in biological processing and nutrient cycling, mussels are also an important food item for a variety of mammals including mink, otter, and raccoon. In addition to ecological importance, freshwater mussels have been economically important in the production of cultured pearls.

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Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

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Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Aspects Of An Interior Stream Clam Midden From 1915 At Quasqueton, Buchanan County Iowa, Dennis W. Schlicht

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

During clam surveys on the Wapsipinicon River in 1991 buried clams were observed in a bank of the river at Quasqueton, Buchanan County, Iowa. An interview with the landowner revealed that the clams were from a 1915 local clamming operation. Excavation and examination of many of the clams reveal interesting differences in species composition and size, when compared to more recent specimens from the river. Observations on the midden were recorded, species determinations were made and measurements were taken. Comparisons are made to two other modern surface surveys on the river. Differences were observed in both species composition and shell …

The Unionid Mussels (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae) Of Missouri River Floodplain Ditches In Fremont County Southwestern Iowa And Atchison And Holt Counties Northwestern Missouri, Ellet Hoke

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

A survey of ditches in the Missouri River floodplain in southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri resulted in the recovery of nine unionid mollusk species. The floodplain ditches may provide valuable habitat for mussels in a region that has suffered a tremendous decrease in productive aquatic habitats over the past sixty-eight years. Additional survey activity is needed to determine the complete inventory of unionid mollusks in the area.

Summer Soil Temperatures On Algific Talus Slopes In Northeast Iowa, Tom R. Cottrell, Kyle S. Strode

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Soil temperatures at 15 cm depth were recorded on a single occasion at multiple grid points on two algific talus slopes during the summer of 1999. To represent and compare soil temperatures over a wider area, soil temperatures were measured (less intensively) at five other algific slopes and three non-algific forested slopes. Algific slopes appear to have greater variation in soil temperatures than non-algific sites. Spatial variation in algific slope soil temperatures ranged from 4-25°C. During the 10 day sample period temporal variation in air temperature at a nearby weather station had a similar range. Isotherm plots reveal a heterogeneous …

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Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

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Front Matter

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Index For The Journal Of The Iowa Academy Of Science Volume 112

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Discordant Harmonies In Fingernail Clam Populations (Musculium Transversum) Of Mississippi River Backwater Lakes, Jim Eckblad

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The populations of Musculium transversum from 8 backwater lakes have been studied over a 29-year period based upon over 440 grab samples. These lakes in Navigation Pool 9 of the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) range in size from 2 to 255 hectare surface area, mean depths from 0.2 to 0.9 meters, with mean water exchange times from 0.5 to almost 57 hours. Samples from the 1989-91 period suggested summer Muscu!ium populations had declined to about 9 percent of their mid-1970 levels. Deterministic models have attempted to explain this decline. More recent sampling suggests a substantial recovery of Musculium populations (mid-summer …

Threatened By Industry, Saved By Science: Mussel Propagation At The Fairport Biological Laboratory, James Pritchard

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

During the 1890s, people on the Mississippi River exploited mussel populations to support a thriving button industry. Within a brief time, they noticed significant declines in mussel populations, and called on the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries to save the resource. This paper discusses mussel propagation studies, techniques, and activities carried on in association with the Fairport Biological Laboratory (Iowa) from about 1908 to 1932. While scientists developed sophisticated techniques and had success in mussel propagation, changing habitat conditions in the river (caused mainly by pollution and dam construction) meant limited success in rescuing mussel stocks, while the introduction of plastic …

Hydrogeology Of Hanging Bog State Preserve: The Role Of Hillside Seeps In Draining The Iowan Surface, William L. Niemann

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Along the margin of the Cedar River Valley, groundwater discharges from eroded and weathered glacial materials of the Iowan Surface to modern alluvial deposits of the valley floor. Hanging Bog State Preserve, located along this topographic, geologic, and hydrologic boundary, represents one such groundwater discharge location, in the form of a perennial hillside seep. Based on detailed monitoring of surface water and groundwater levels within the preserve for a one-year period, it is shown that a significant quantity of groundwater, collected from a disproportionately large recharge area, is funneled to the valley wall at this site and subsequently carried to …

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

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Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Index For The Journal Of The Iowa Academy Of Science Volume 111

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Plant Parasitic Fungi Of Ten Tallgrass Prairies Of Iowa: Distribution And Prevalence, Lois H. Tiffany, George Knaphus

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

During the 1980s and 1990s, collections of fungal parasites on above ground parts of prairie plants in Iowa were made throughout the growing seasons. This report presents the fungi recorded from three groups of Iowa tallgrass prairies. The western group was composed of Dinesen, Steele and Stinson Prairie State Preserves, a Loess Hills group of collecting sites in Five Ridge and Runkel Prairie State Preserves and prairies at Waubonsie State Park. 180 species of fungi were collected on 116 hosts from these prairies. A central Iowa group of prairies associated with the Des Moines Lobe landform, Anderson, Doolittle, Kalsow and …

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Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

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A Comparison Of Drinking Water Contamination In Buried Slab Wells, Other Large-Diameter Wells, And Drilled Wells, Rita M. Gergely

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

This study presents the results of a statewide water well survey conducted by the Iowa Department of Public Health from 1993 to 1995 to determine whether there were statistically significant differences between well water contamination in buried slab wells, other large-diameter wells, and drilled wells. Wells were sampled for total coliform bacteria, fecal coliform bacteria, nitrate, and atrazine. Staff collected water samples and completed a site survey at each well, which included an interview with the occupant or owner and actual observations of the wellhead and surrounding area.

The study included 293 buried slab wells, 287 other large-diameter wells, and …

Biomass Yield Stability In Alfalfa, Joseph G. Robins, Heathcliffe Riday, Sara J. Helland, E. Charles Brummer

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

In addition to biomass production, alfalfa (Medicago sativa) cultivars also need to express yield stability across diverse environments. The objective of this experiment was to analyze the nature of biomass yield stability in ten commercial alfalfa cultivars by evaluating performance of individual genotypes. Biomass yield was measured in each of five environments across two years, and the yield stability computed for the overall cultivar mean performance and the mean performance of each of the genotypes comprising the cultivars using the genotype x environment variance statistic of Shukla and the superiority statistic of Lin and Binns'. The GxE variance of the …

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Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

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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 Freshwater Mussels (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae) Of The Boone River, North Central Iowa, Ellet Hoke

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

A survey of the freshwater mussels of the Boone River conducted in September 1982 documented a fauna consisting of seventeen then extant or relict species. Analysis of museum records yielded one additional species unrecovered since 1937. Subsequent to the 1982 study, additional surveys were conducted in the region in 1984-1985 and 1998-1999 as a part of two statewide surveys. A comparison of the results of the three studies suggests a significant decline in the unionid fauna in the Boone River since 1982. While it is almost certain that a real decline in the fauna has occurred, the extent of this …

Cover - Table Of Contents

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of White Pine (Pinus Strobus) On A Mollisol After Seven Decades Of Soil Development, Irina Kovda, Eric C. Brevik, Thomas E. Fenton, Maria Gerasimova

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Selected chemical, physical, and macro and micromorphological properties in two pedons of a Clarion soil (Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Hapludolls) formed in till parent material, one planted to white pines (Pinus strobus) for the past 75 years and the other to grass, were compared. The most obvious difference between the two was the increased biological activity under pines; the variety and quantity of excrements suggested the activity of soil microfauna and variability of species resulted in finer and better aggregation of biological origin (crumbs and granules), numerous excrements in voids, and higher total porosity under pines. The matrix was …

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Flow Cytometry Used To Assess Genetic Damage In Frogs From Farm Ponds, Bartholomew L. Bly, Melinda G. Knutson, Mark B. Sandheinrich, Brian R. Gray, Dean A. Jobe

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Flow cytometry (FC) is a laboratory method used to detect genetic damage induced by environmental contaminants and other stressors in animals, including amphibians. We tested FC methods on three species of ranid frogs collected from farm ponds and natural wetlands in southeastern Minnesota. We compared FC metrics for Rana clamitans between ponds with direct exposure to agricultural contaminants and reference (unexposed) ponds. Concentrations of atrazine in water from our farm ponds ranged from 0.04 to 0.55 ppb. We found that R. clamitans from exposed ponds had DNA content similar to frogs from unexposed ponds. Pond-averaged C-values (a measure of DNA …