Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and affiliated societies最新文献

{"title":"Potential hybridization among two species of California Salvia","authors":"Ellie Morrison, Bryan Drew","doi":"10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.43.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.43.4","url":null,"abstract":"Hybridization among plants is fairly common, particularly in instances where closely related species are sympatric. One example of a group in which hybridization has been detected is the genus Salvia (Lamiaceae; mint family). Salvia is a diverse genus consisting of about 1,000 species and is defined primarily by having only two stamens, each with their anther sacs separated by elongated connective tissue. The genus has diversity centers around the world, including Southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region, Mexico/ Central America, northern and central South America, and temperate East Asia. The genus also has a smaller species radiation of 19 species in western North America, subgenus Audibertia centered in California, and there has been documented evidence of hybridization within the subgenus. For this study we investigated potential hybridization among Salvia columbariae and Salvia greatae, two species with a sympatric distribution in the Orocopia Mountains region of Southern California. These species are placed in different sections of subgenus Audibertia, and hybridization has not yet been documented between sections of this subgenus. To examine relationships between the species, we compared molecular phylogenies from nuclear ribosomal DNA and chloroplast DNA. The resulting phylogenies did not show evidence of hybridization between these species. Although no evidence of hybridization was found, it is possible that additional sampling could yield different results.","PeriodicalId":91981,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and affiliated societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139212350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pleistocene Bats (Late Irvingtonian and Late Rancholabrean) from Nuckolls and Sherman Counties, Nebraska","authors":"Nicholas Czaplewski, R. George Corner","doi":"10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.43.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.43.3","url":null,"abstract":"We documented rare finds of fossil bats from two localities representing the Pleistocene epoch in southern and central Nebraska, Albert Ahrens locality (No-104, late Irvingtonian age, Middle Pleistocene), Nuckolls County, and Litchfield (Sm-102, late Rancholabrean age, latest Pleistocene), Sherman County. The Albert Ahrens local fauna with strong boreal influence yielded two bats, Lasiurus cf. borealis and Cf. Myotis sp. The Litchfield local fauna, also with a strong boreal influence, yielded two bats, Eptesicus fuscus and Cf. Myotis, among a diverse Pleistocene fauna of small vertebrates and pollen record indicating a boreal mixed conifer and deciduous woodland that contrasts with mixed grass prairies of the area in historic times prior to anthropogenic conversion. Vertebrate fauna from the Litchfield site can be assigned to the Rancholabrean land mammal age based on the presence of Bison, on faunal correlation, and on several extralimital taxa of small mammals. The fossil bat taxa are widespread in North America and still extant in Nebraska today; their glacial stage occurrences in a nonkarstic (caveless) region is consistent with previous interpretations of the Albert Ahrens and Litchfield local faunas as indicating cool equable climates and wooded parkland environments. These are the first bats to be reported from each of the respective paleofaunas.","PeriodicalId":91981,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and affiliated societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136105091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Two New Absolute Gravity Base Stations Established in Lincoln, NE","authors":"Kris Guthrie, Irina Filina","doi":"10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.43.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.43.2","url":null,"abstract":"Two new absolute gravity base stations were established on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln City Campus in April 2022. The values were transferred with a relative gravity meter from four existing stations within 238 miles and were later validated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The final values at 22.5 cm above marker height are 980177.781 ± 0.010 mGal at the Lincoln Bell Tower Station and 980178.079 ± 0.010 mGal at the Lincoln Museum station with a gravity gradient of -3.105 μGal/cm. This paper describes the process of transferring gravity values and outlines recommendations for similar projects in the future.","PeriodicalId":91981,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and affiliated societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135151513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Westward expansion of the Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis) into Dawson and Lincoln counties of central Nebraska","authors":"Jamila Bajelan, Keith Geluso","doi":"10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.43.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.43.1","url":null,"abstract":"The Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis) is a small, migratory species of temperate woodlands in the eastern United States. Along its\u0000western distributional edge in the Great Plains, this species resides in wooded riverine corridors. In recent decades, the distribution\u0000of Evening Bats has expanded westward throughout the Great Plains. Herein, we report on two county records that further\u0000document the distributional expansion of Evening Bats into central Nebraska. In 2019 and 2022, Evening Bats were collected in\u0000Lincoln and Dawson counties, respectively, in woodlands adjacent to the Platte River. Increases in wooded habitats along prairie\u0000waterways likely has resulted in their westward movements in the Great Plains. With the continued westward expansion, this\u0000species should be looked for farther west beyond known distributional limits along prairie waterways throughout the Great Plains.","PeriodicalId":91981,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and affiliated societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43460788","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans) in Lincoln, Nebraska","authors":"Melissa J. Panella, Shaun Dunn, T. Labedz, H. Genoways","doi":"10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.42.5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.42.5","url":null,"abstract":"The southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) is considered a species of greatest conservation need in Nebraska and listed as\u0000threatened in the state. Historically, the geographic range of the southern flying squirrel in Nebraska has been restricted to five\u0000eastern counties from a northern suburb of Omaha, Douglas Co., southward in the four counties of Sarpy, Otoe, Nemaha, and\u0000Richardson, all bordering the Missouri River on the east. In late November of 2018, a resident of Lincoln, Lancaster Co., Nebraska,\u0000contacted the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission about an animal found dead in his yard. This animal proved to be a southern\u0000flying squirrel, which was 50 to 70 miles [80 to112 km] west of the known geographic range of the species. Two additional individuals\u0000were subsequently observed at the original residence as were individuals in at least a total of 10 neighborhoods throughout the\u0000city of Lincoln. Clearly, a population of the southern flying squirrels is established and reproducing in Lincoln, but their origin is\u0000unknown. The source of this city-dwelling population may be from released/escaped pets, a natural dispersal from the Missouri\u0000River via the Platte River and Salt Creek, or inadvertent translocation when moving timber or fire wood.","PeriodicalId":91981,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and affiliated societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43118930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic protocols for DNA extraction from white-tailed deer cast antlers to confirm individuality","authors":"Z. Carter, Brian Peterson, C. Schoenebeck, K. Carlson","doi":"10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.42.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.42.3","url":null,"abstract":"White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are the most sought-after deer species in America. The antlers of mammals, such as deer, are one of the fastest regenerative tissues in the world and are grown and naturally cast every year. Research on cast antlers have been used for a variety of purposes including population comparisons and impacts of deer health due to climatic stressors. When investigating cast antlers, it is important to confirm individuality of match sets in addition to antlers of the same individual between years. Therefore, individuality must be confirmed genetically, and protocols must be developed and established to do so. Our objectives were to 1) establish a genetic protocol to harvest DNA from cast antlers using connective tissue, and 2) determine individuality from subsequent years and match sets. When fresh antlers are cast, they leave behind a viable connective tissue from which DNA can be extracted. The DNA was successfully extracted from the skin rings harvested from naturally cast antlers. This study developed viable methods to confirm individuality, which aid researchers and wildlife biologists in a better understanding of the white-tailed deer herd as they set management goals and harvest regulations.","PeriodicalId":91981,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and affiliated societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45300355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using satellite imagery to compare land cover and water resources\u0000in two counties of the Nebraska Sandhills","authors":"Gabrielle Baker, M. Vinton","doi":"10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.42.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.42.4","url":null,"abstract":"The Nebraska Sandhills comprise the most intact grassland habitat in the world and 95% of land use consists of low intensity\u0000cattle grazing. Water is a key resource for cattle and for growing hay forage in this semi-arid grassland. Ranchers rely on either\u0000naturally occurring wet meadows or center pivot irrigation systems (CPIS) to produce hay. With the possibility of climate change\u0000creating more frequent extreme weather events, more flooding events or severe droughts could affect land and water resources in\u0000the Sandhills. With potentially more wet/dry extremes in the future, an understanding of the way water resources respond, and\u0000the different strategies of landowners, will be important in assessing the overall resilience of the Nebraska Sandhills in the face of\u0000a changing climate.\u0000We compared two adjacent, similarly sized, counties, Grant and Hooker, in the central Sandhills that differ in the amount of\u0000naturally occurring, ground water-fed meadows during the period 2002-2019, spanning wet and dry years. ArcGIS and the USDA’s\u0000Cropland Data Layer (known as “CropScape”), an annual, satellite imagery-derived, land cover map, were used to quantify overall\u0000landcover, especially the cover of wet meadows and the number of CPIS.\u0000In 2016, an average-to-moderate precipitation year, Grant County had approximately 10 times more open water area and 9\u0000times more wet meadow area than Hooker County. In contrast, Hooker County had 19 times more barren ground area and nearly\u0000twice as many CPIS as Grant County. Furthermore, in drought years, the amount of barren ground increased in both counties,\u0000nearly doubling in Hooker County in 2006, a year when annual precipitation was only 66% of normal precipitation rates. Drought\u0000also increased the acreage devoted to irrigated crops, particularly in 2006 in both counties, with nearly two times as many acres in\u0000Grant County and nearly five times as many acres in Hooker County. Additionally, open water acreage decreased by nearly 50%\u0000following the 2006 drought and wetland cover types increased.\u0000This analysis showed that different Sandhill counties have contrasting water resources, with an abundance of naturally occurring\u0000wet meadows in Grant County, whereas Hooker County has fewer wet meadows and more CPIS. Furthermore, our analysis suggests\u0000that the landscape changes during drought years, with a decline in wet meadows, an increase in barren ground and an increase in\u0000CPIS and other irrigated systems for crops. In a changing climate, with potentially more extremes in precipitation, the diversity of\u0000strategies exemplified by these two counties will be important to inform adaptative responses. Overall, this research will contribute\u0000to a better understanding of the sustainability of land use and the future of groundwater resources in the Nebraska Sandhills.","PeriodicalId":91981,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and affiliated societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47705643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"First reproductive evidence for the Slender Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus) in Nebraska","authors":"Keith Geluso","doi":"10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.42.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.42.2","url":null,"abstract":"The Slender Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus) reproduces across parts of northern and central Kansas, but its distribution extends\u0000into southern Nebraska. In Nebraska, not a single aspect of reproductive activity has been reported for this species in the state.\u0000Herein, we report on the first documentation of reproduction in Nebraska. On 22 September 2021, we captured two hatchling Slender\u0000Glass Lizards at the Ash Grove Wildlife Management Area in Franklin County, Nebraska. We calculated that those individuals\u0000likely hatched around the first week of September. Presence and reproduction of Slender Glass Lizards at the study site likely\u0000was associated with ungrazed grasslands. Although Slender Glass Lizards were listed as extinct in the state prior to 2009 due to a\u0000lack of sightings for decades, a few recent observations have been reported in southern counties bordering Kansas. In Nebraska,\u0000additional surveys and studies are required to better understand the distribution and requirements for this species of conservation\u0000need in the state.\u0000Keywords: Grassland, hatchling, Nebraska, Ophisaurus attenuatus, reproduction, Slender Glass Lizard","PeriodicalId":91981,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and affiliated societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41463545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Western Prairie Fringed Orchid Management, Ecology, and Decline\u0000at Mormon Island","authors":"Andrew J. Caven","doi":"10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.42.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32873/unl.dc.tnas.42.1","url":null,"abstract":"The western prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara Sheviak & M. L. Bowles; WPFO) was first detected in a vegetative state on\u0000Mormon Island in 1978 and identification was confirmed following a mass flowering event in 1982. From a high count of ~60 plants\u0000the WPFO slowly declined and has not been observed since 2000 despite flowering season surveys conducted in 15 of the last 20\u0000years. We explore the natural history of the WPFO in the contexts of Mormon Island to establish potential causes for its apparent\u0000disappearance and evaluate the possibility it persists in some capacity. Our investigation of secondary data suggests the Mormon\u0000Island vegetation community remains relatively intact, including species associated with WPFO occurrence. Examination of the\u0000ranges of known and potential WPFO pollinators suggests that Sphinx drupiferarum, Eumorpha achemon, and Hyles lineata were the\u0000most likely pollinators at Mormon Island, and recent observations of these species indicate pollinator decline may not have been\u0000a primary factor in WPFO disappearance locally. Research demonstrates individual WPFOs can occasionally live for decades, are\u0000able to survive underground as rhizomes for periods of time, and often present above ground as just 1–3 leaves during the growing\u0000season. Additionally, the seeds may persist in the soil for a substantial period of time. The WPFO appears to tolerate a reasonably\u0000wide range of habitat conditions and management regimes but may require a relatively narrow range of circumstances to flower\u0000en masse, including above average spring precipitation in subsequent years. Mass flowering events may also be stimulated by early\u0000spring burns that precede above ground vegetative growth and subsequent rest during the growing season, but research is equivocal.\u0000Though factors such as inbreeding depression and herbicide overspray could have potentially impacted the population, based\u0000on local conditions we suggest the WPFO may persist on Mormon Island in a reduced capacity. We recommend the continuation of\u0000growing season surveys and experimentation with multi-year management strategies that could stimulate growth and flowering.\u0000Keywords: Western prairie fringed orchid, Platanthera praeclara, Management, Pollination, Ecology, Central Platte River Valley,\u0000Sphingidae","PeriodicalId":91981,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and affiliated societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45738705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring Community Initiatives that Produce High Quality Volunteers:\u0000Citizen Science and Master Naturalist Programs in the United States","authors":"T. Robbins, A. Mayes, J. Thomas","doi":"10.32873/UNL.DC.TNAS.41.5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32873/UNL.DC.TNAS.41.5","url":null,"abstract":"Citizen science, which has contributed greatly to scientific understanding, works through partnerships between non-governmental\u0000and governmental organizations, academia, and most importantly, volunteers. In the United States, Master Naturalist training programs\u0000prepare adults as knowledgeable environmental stewards. Once certified, Master Naturalists are encouraged to log annual\u0000volunteer activity hours involving scientific research and education. Compared to untrained volunteers, individuals who have completed\u0000Master Naturalist training (or similar programs) exhibit greater project involvement and efficiency at collecting data. These\u0000traits align well with the goals of citizen science and point to a symbiotic relationship between citizen science and Master Naturalist\u0000programs. Here, we convey how Master Naturalist programs benefit citizen science and provide guidelines for individuals who\u0000wish to pursue citizen science projects or programming to produce high quality citizen scientists.","PeriodicalId":91981,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and affiliated societies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47209213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}