Henry S. Fitch,1 Pennie Von Achen2 and Alice F. Echelle.3
Ten study plots on the Fitch Natural History Reservation were checked for invading arborescent vegetation in 1999 after 50 years of protection as a natural area. These plots were treeless or nearly so in 1948. Plots were one hectare (8), 0.52 hectare (1), and 1.30 hectare (1). All trees of 6 cm or more in diameter breast high were counted, and totaled 6,350 of 25 species with American elm, Osage orange, white ash, black walnut, common hackberry, honey locust, red cedar, Plains cottonwood, black oak, black cherry, redbud, and red mulberry as the most important species, and with 13 other species each less than one percent. The climax oaks and hickory constituted 3.5% of the total. Trees reached maximum abundance on two bottomland plots that earlier had been cultivated. Upland areas, including prairie, old-fields and former pasture were somewhat less productive in terms of tree numbers, but some were more diverse or were characterized by a larger average basal area per tree than the old-field bottomlands.
William Langley. 2425 Gentry Lane, El Dorado, Kansas 67042. E-mail: blangley@butler.buccc.cc.ks.us.
During the winter, large birds such as crows and hawks
may compete at animal carcasses for food. Carcasses were
placed along county roads to measure competition. American
crows in a flock of 20-30 were more likely to out-compete
red-tailed hawks at road kills than were crows in flocks of
4-6 birds.
R. Jones. Physics Department, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS 66801. E-mail: jonesrob@esumail.emporia.edu.
The theory of operation of a Langmuir probe in a
magnetic field is incomplete. To overcome this limitation a
neural network software model is developed for the automated
real-time analysis of probe current-voltage characteristics
taken in magnetized plasmas. The results of the network
analysis are calibrated against energy analyzers and tested
with a large set of experimental data.
Ching Wen Tseng, Rodney J. Sobieski and Scott S. Crupper.* Department of Biological Sciences, Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas, 66801. * Corresponding author, e-mail: cruppers@emporia.edu.
Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) polymerase
chain reaction (PCR) was performed on DNA templates prepared
from thirty veterinary Salmonella tuphimurium isolates. The
templates were isolated by four different methods, each
differing in their level of purity as determined by 260
nm/280 nm ratios. Dendrogram analysis of RAPD-PCR
amplification patterns resulted in the organisms being
placed into a range of 26-12 discrete groupings dependent on
the DNA template isolation method used. Thus, DNA purity
plays an important role in amplification patterns obtained
by RAPD-PCR and investigators must consider this variable
before making judgments on the genetic relatedness of a
group of organisms.
John Charlton. Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, 66047. E-mail: charlton@kgs.ukans.edu.
Since the Mushroom Rocks first were reported in the
scientific and popular literature of the 1860s, they have
captured the curiosity and imagination of geologists,
travelers, and illustrators. It was a likely landmark of
interest as well to indigenous peoples of the region for
centuries before. Alexander Gardner made the first
photographs there the fall of 1867 in the commission of the Kansas Pacific Railway. Through the years, other photographs and reports record and illustrate changes since the time. These changes
are not geologic, although the rocks have clearly been
impacted by the many years of visitors. But the landscapes
around these outcrops, natural and domestic, flora and
fauna, as well as the human inhabitants, have been
completely transformed. The reports and photographs of this
location provide a record of the changes and the processes,
natural and human, which have brought about this
transformation.
Michael J. Everhart. Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas 67601.
E-mail: meverhar@fhsu.edu.
The Smoky Hill Chalk Member of the Niobrara Chalk was
deposited in the Western Interior Sea during a span of about
five million years extending from the upper Coniacian
through the lower Campanian. Coincidentally, this period
also encompasses much of the early evolution and radiation
of the family Mosasauridae. Thousands of mosasaur specimens
have been collected from the Smoky Hill Chalk Member of
western Kansas since their first Yale College Scientific
Expedition in 1870. Early workers viewed the entire Smoky Hill
Chalk Member as the "Pteranodon beds" and were not able to
provide accurate stratigraphic information. Even though
mosasaurs are represented by numerous complete and well-preserved specimens, the ranges of the various species could not be defined further without better stratigraphic data.
In 1898, S.W. Williston first described the general
distribution of mosasaurs within the Rudistes and
Hesperornis beds of the Smoky Hill Chalk Member. Seventy
year later, D.A. Russell grouped mosasaur species into upper
and lower zones in the chalk and in 1990, J.D. Stewart
incorporated D.E. Hattin's stratigraphic data into his
biostratigraphic zones and refined the occurrences of
mosasaur species to a higher degree than had been done
previously. B.A. Schumacher in 1993, and M.A. Sheldon in
1996, reviewed existing collections and provided further
definition to mosasaur biostratigraphy. New specimens of
Tylosaurus proriger, and Clidasters liodontus with accurate
stratigraphic information reported by M.J. Everhart and co-workers in 1997 further expanded and refined the temporal distribution of these species within the Smoky Hill Chalk Member.
Daniel E. Wujek. Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan 48859.
E-mail: Daniel.E.Wujek@cmich.edu.
A revision of the chrysophyte genus Synuropsis Schiller
is proposed and its taxonomic status is validated. The
closely related genera Volvochrysis Schiller, Synochromonas
Korshikov, Pseudosynurs Kisselew, Pseudosyncrupta Kisselew,
and Chrysomoron Skuja are reexamined and placed in synonymy
with Synuropsis. A key to the six species now recognized of
Synuropsis is given.
Alan B. Anderson and James A. Zeidler. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Champaign, Illinois.
The Department of Defense (DoD) is responsible for
administering more that 25 million acres of federally owned
land in the United States. As a land manager, the DoD must
comply with the intent and directives of a number of
cultural resources related statutes, regulations, and policy
memoranda. Because of these statutes, regulations, and
policy memoranda, the potential impacts of land-use proposals on elements of Native American people's culture have become part of the social impact assessment studies used to evaluate the
social soundness of proposed projects. These statutes,
regulations, and policy memoranda requiring consultation
with Native American groups and preservation of traditional
cultural properties require comprehensive surveys that may
include ethnobotanical surveys. Ethnobotanical survey of
Fort Riley, Kansas was conducted. Results of this survey
are reported and the approach used defines methodology and
data sources applicable to many DoD installations.
Tobin W. Roop. Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506.
A detailed paleocurrent study of Cretaceous Dakota
Formation sandstones in Washington County, Kansas was
undertaken to determine directions of sand movement and
depositional environments along the eastern margin of the
Western Interior Seaway. Azimuth measurements of cross-stratified units were plotted in "rose diagrams" and
examined with respect to their geographic and approximate
stratigraphic position. A general southwestward direction
of sediment transport is indicated (244° mean aximuth).
Although mean paleocurrent directions can differ markedly from outcrop to outcrop, most sandstones in the lower part of the Dakota Formation generally have unimodal paleocurrent directions. Some of these
sandstones have channel-like geometry and are situated in
paleovalleys, with their mean paleocurrent direction
oriented subparallel to the channel axis. Fluvial
deposition is indicated. Higher in the Dakota Formation
unimodal and bipolar paleocurrent azimuths are oriented
nearly perpendicular to the axis of the sand body,
suggesting tidally influenced deposition. Unimodal
paleocurrents again dominate the highest part of the Dakota
formation, but with overall less directional variability
that in the lower part of the unit. Sheet-like sandbody
geometry is suspected and more open-marine deposition could
be inferred, but fluvial depositional conditions also may be
possible.
David J. Cicimurri. Bob Cambell Geology Museum, Clemson University,
Clemson, South Carolina 29634-5210.
e-mail: dcheech@clemson.edu.
A nearly complete skeleton of an elasmosaurid plesiosaur (NJSM 15435) from the Sharon Springs Member (Middle Campanian) of the Pierre Shale, Logan County, Kansas, is associated intimately with fragmentary fish remains and numerous gastroliths. The fish bones and gastroliths were located just behind the pectoral girdle in the abdominal region. Identifiable prey includes Enchodus and other small clupeomorph fishes. An isolated tooth of the anacoacid shark Squalicorax cf. S. pristodontus also was recovered in this area. Ninety-five gastroliths (6.8 kg) were present, with the largest stone measuring 15.1 x 8.5 x 5.7 cm (5.0 x 3.3 x 2.2 in.) and weighing 1.06 kg (2.3 lb.). Many of the gastroliths are composed of pink or gray Sioux Quartzite, which suggest that the source of these stones was about 600 km (475 mi) to the northeast of where the elasmosaur remains were discovered. The association of fragmentary fish remains and gastroliths within the abdomen of NJSM 15435 supports the contention that the stones aided in the breakdown of food in plesiosaurs.
Craig C. Freeman. R.L. McGregor Herbarium, Division of Botany, Natural History Museum & Biodiversity Research Center, University of Kansas, 2045 Constant Avenue, Lawrence, Kansas 66047-3729, U.S.A. E-mail: c-freeman@ukans.edu.
A recent herbarium study of the genus Aristida (Poaceae) revealed that 11 species and four varieties are represented in Kansas. Specimen evidence is presented for two species, A. desmantha Trin. & Rupr. and A. ramosissima Engelm ex A. Gray, reported by earlier Kansas botanists but subsequently excluded from the flora because no vouchers could be located. Keys, habitat and state rarity information, and distribution maps are presented for all Kansas taxa.
Michael C. Quist,1 Christopher S. Guy,1 and James L. Stephen.2
Daniel J. Vanleeuwen. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701.
Most unionid mussel surveys in the Neosho River watershed have been conducted in the river and not its tributaries. In the spring and fall of 1996, unionid mussels were surveyed in six tributaries of the lower Neosho River in southeastern Kansas. The streams were: Canville, Hickory, Flatrock, Cherry, Lightning, and Labette creeks. A 100-m baseline was established along the stream bank with 11 perpendicular transacts at 10-m intervals. Live mussels were collected from consecutive square meter quadrants along each transect. Fifteen species were present from 28 of the 40 sites that had live mussels. Pyganodon grandis (giant floater) was the most abundant species, comprising 33% of the total collection, occurring in all six streams and at half the sites. Lasmigona complanata (white heelsplitter) and Ligumia subrostrata (common pond mussel) were second most abundant, each comprising 11.4% of the collection. Lampsilis teres (yellow sandshell) is a species in need of conservation (SINC) in Kansas, occurs at eight sites in five streams and comprised 7.4% of the collection. Cherry Creek had the highest density of mussels (0.185/m²) and P. grandis had the highest density of all species (0.073/m²). Cherry and Labette creeks had the greatest number of species (12 and nine, respectively), whereas Hickory Creek had the fewest (three species). General observations at the streams are consistent with a role for both habitat and water quality in controlling the distribution and abundance of mussels in these tributaries.
Richard T. Kazmaier and Robert J. Robel. Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506-4901. E-mail: rjrobel@ksu.edu.
Deviations from the normal scute formulae of turtles are thought to result from embryonic mutations, the specific causes of which are unknown. We examined the shells of 127 ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornate) from central and eastern Kansas; 14 (11%) of which had scute anomalies. The frequency of anomalies was greater in central Kansas than in eastern Kansas. The greater number of scute anomalies in central Kansas may be the result of temperature or moisture stress during egg development or incubation, or the mutagenic effects of excess salinity during those periods.
W.A. Geyer. Kansas State University, Forestry Division, Manhattan, Kansas 66506. E-mail: wgeyer@oznet.kse.edu.
Black walnut and Scotch pine seedlings were planted alternately on a cultivated site and weeds were controlled with one of two thicknesses of a polypropylene fabric weed barrier or herbicide. In the third year, walnut trees were about 60% taller and had 15% greater survival when grown with the woven plastic fabrics. Pine showed no difference in height between treatments, but survival was about 25% less with herbicides. Both barriers seem to be practical for use in tree establishment under environmental conditions of the Great Plains.
James R. Underwood, Jr. Department of Geology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506-3201. E-mail: jrujr@flash.net.
Harold Jones' 4-H Geology Project was unique in the history of geologic education in Kansas. Not only did this grass-roots program introduce the young participants, their leaders, and their parents to the basic principles and materials of geology, the program also provided an appreciation of the state's natural resources and the fragility of its natural environment.
Jones undertook the revitalization of the Geology Project in the 4-H program in Kansas in 1968. In short order, he established a three-tier activity program for participants and prepared materials, both written and display, for instruction both of 4-H members and their adult leaders. Between 1968 and his retirement from Kansas State University in 1977, the 4-H Geology Project in Kansas introduced hundreds of young Kansans, their 4-H sponsors and leaders, and their parents to the basic concepts and material of geology. Although difficult to measure, the insights provided undoubtedly have had a positive influence as the young people have matured and, as citizens of the State of Kansas, have faced such issues as water quality, waste disposal, pollution and contamination, soil erosion, and other environmental and energy problems of a technologically advanced society.
David E. Hoover,1,4 Philip S. Gipson,1 Jeffrey S. Pontius,2 and Alan E. Hynek.3
Pieter Berendsen and Thomas Weis. Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047. E-mail: pieterb@kgs.ukans.edu.
A total of 13 kimberlites have been located in a two-county area in northeastern Kansas along the NNE-trending trace of the Proterozoic Midcontinent Rift System, an aborted rift extending from the Lake Superior region southwestward into Oklahoma.
The Kansas Geological Survey drilled three new kimberlites in 1999. They are the Baldwin Creek and Tuttle kimberlites located in Riley County and the Antioch kimberlite in Marshall County. They were discovered as part of a systematic ground follow-up of private aeromagnetic data (200-400-m line spacing) collected by Cominco American Inc. in the early 1980's and donated to the Kansas Geological Survey in 1999. Six exposed kimberlites were discovered prior to 1970 and another four in the early 1980's, one of which is exposed at the surface.
Cross-cutting major tectonic elements in NE Kansas are ideal for accommodating the intrusion of kimberlites. The major structural elements are regional NNE-trending, high-angle normal and reverse faults associated with the 1.10 Ga Midcontinent Rift System, and regional, older, high-angle normal and reverse, NW-SE striking, cross-cutting faults which offset portions of the rift. The presence of the rift is identified in regional gravity and magnetic data sets and evidenced in core and cuttings recovered from drill holes that penetrate Precambrian basement. Sedimentary rocks up to about 800 m (3,040 ft) thick and ranging in age from Ordovician to Permian overlie the Proterozoic basement.
Ground magnetic surveys were conducted to model the kimberlites and to define targets for drilling and core recovery. These detailed ground magnetic data show that final emplacement of the kimberlite bodies is controlled by N40°W-striking structures, rather than the NNE-trending structures. Modeling of the magnetic anomalies shows that the contracts between the kimberlite bodies and the country rock are steeply dipping.
The kimberlites are believed to be Late Cretaceous in age (about 90 my) and range in character from crater and diatreme facies in Riley County to possible hypabyssal facies in Marshall County. The three new kimberlites are buried under a shallow soil cover ranging in thickness up to 8 m (26 ft).
Rufus H. Thompson.* Department of Botany, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045. * Deceased 3 June 1980.
John H. Dendy. Directorate of Environment and Safety, Fort Riley, Kansas.
Daniel E. Moerman. University of Michigan, Dearborn, Michigan.
K. David Newell. Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047.
Michael J. Everhart. Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University,
Hays, Kansas 67601.
E-mail: meverhar@fhsu.edu.
Understanding the causes of mortality associated with stocking walleye (Stizostedian vitreum) fry is important for the evaluation and improvement of stocking techniques. Walleye fry (2-3 d old) were exposed to three light intensities (high, 2015.0-2042.0 µmol/m²/s; intermediate, 142.0-186.8 µmol/m²/s; control, 0.0-0.07 µmol/m²/s) for two durations (15 min and 30 min) and mortality was assessed at 15 min, and 120 min post-shock. Survival of walleyes from the high intensity, 30-min duration treatment also was examined at 720 min post-shock. Survival ranged from 99.8% to 100% and was not affected by light intensity of exposure time (P=0.22). Results of this study suggest that light shock is not an important mechanism influencing the short-term survival of walleye fry.
Joseph A. Arruda. Department of Biology, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas 66762. E-mail: jarruda@pittstate.edu.
Effects of cattle exclusion on the structure and composition of riparian vegetation were observed in a 2-yr study in southeastern Kansas. The study was conducted within riparian habitats on the 5,263-ha Kansas Army Ammunition Plant in north-central Labette County, Kansas. Three grazed and three ungrazed riparian areas were sampled in 1996 and 1997 to monitor vegetation changes in response to livestock exclusion. Total understory, grass, and litter cover were significantly different between the grazed and the ungrazed study sites with mean cover estimates being higher (16.3%, 14%, and 12.1% greater respectively) in the ungrazed sites. A significant difference in the percentage of bare ground was observed between the grazed (24.6%) and ungrazed (12.5%) study sites. No difference in herbaceous vegetation height was detected between study sites in 1996. In 1997, mean herbaceous vegetation height differed significantly from 1996 (study sites combined) and was greater (95.6 cm vs. 65.6 cm) in the ungrazed study sites. Excluding cattle from closed canopy riparian woodlands in southeastern Kansas resulted in a positive short-term response of understory herbaceous vegetation. Our results suggest that riparian fencing may be an effective management tool for restoring understory vegetation in riparian communities grazed by cattle in the eastern Great Plains.