The status of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionoidea) has declined over the last 30 years such that they are one of the most imperiled taxonomic groups in North America. Mussel populations in Kansas have followed a similar trend of decline. To better understand the status of mussels in the state, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks has established a monitoring program in which 10 river basins containing “high priority” mussel communities will be surveyed every six years. We surveyed mussels on three rivers in eastern Kansas during the summers of 2003 and 2004: Marais des Cygnes River, Fall River, and Grouse Creek. To achieve quantifiable, repeatable survey data, 40 1-m² randomly selected quadrats were searched for mussels at each site. Using 1,010 quadrats, we sampled 26 sites among the three rivers and encountered 4,522 mussels (density = 4.5 mussels per m²) and 25 species. We also conducted timed searches at each site to better understand community structure and to increase the probability of locating rare species that might not be encountered in the quadrat survey. In 28 timed searches, we collected 2,522 mussels (CPUE = 42.3 mussels per person-hour) comprising 25 species.

The Alligator snapping turtle, Macrochelys temminckii, historically occurred in the Arkansas, Caney, Verdigris, Neosho, and Spring river drainages of northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas. High harvest rates in Oklahoma and river impoundments in both states have greatly reduced populations by decimating populations and impeding dispersal routes. Populations of M. temminckii are poorly studied in both states, but particularly so in Kansas. Management efforts for M. temminckii were initiated in Oklahoma in 1997 with the collection of information on distribution, habitat use, and population structure, and establishment of a captive breeding/headstart program. Management efforts in Oklahoma could have positive repercussions for M. temminckii in Kansas. We outline current knowledge of the species in both states, provide information on management efforts for the species in Oklahoma, and provide recommendations for interstate collaboration for managing the species in Kansas.

Alpine glacial erosion, through overdeepening of valleys, may lead to structural collapse of the valley sides and mountain crest along small normal faults. Such features, known as sackungen, are described from crystalline rocks of the Alps and Rocky Mountains. Sackungen are reported herein for the first time from sedimentary bedrock of the Culebra Range of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in south-central Colorado. The examples include small and large valley-side ridges and a double-crested mountain ridge. In all cases, the sackungen trend parallel to valleys sides or ridge crests above the limit of glaciation. Sackung deformation may involve both brittle and ductile mass movements of bedrock, which were probably aided by ice in subsurface joints. Seismic activity may have contributed to formation of sackungen in the Culebra Range. Sackungen are examples of glaciotectonic features created in hard bedrock under the impact of glaciation.

The first Dominican amber fossil of the parasitoid family Orussidae (Euhymenoptera: Orussomorpha) is described and figured from a single individual preserved in Early Miocene (Burdigalian) amber from the Dominican Republic. Ophrynopus peritus Engel, new species, is the first orussid fossil described from Tertiary amber and the first species documented from the West Indies.

Kite aerial photography (KAP) is a low-cost means to acquire large-scale, low-height, high-resolution aerial imagery. It is commonly practiced at low altitude for geological, environmental, and many other scientific applications. The method has been used much less at higher altitudes above 1000 m, however. We present examples of high-altitude KAP from the High Plains and Rocky Mountains in the United States and the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia and Poland. Based on these experiences, we find that KAP is feasible in the altitude range ∼1000–2500 m, particularly for those places that are relatively open and have semiarid climates. Such sites include high plains, mountain forelands, and broad intermontane valleys. Mountains, in contrast, have more frequent cloud cover, experience highly variable wind, and often have poor access, which lead to more difficult KAP conditions. Above 2500 m altitude, low air density becomes a significant limitation for kite flying. High-altitude KAP is a means to portray landscape elements and details from vantage points that would be difficult or impossible to achieve by other methods of small-format aerial photography.

Shorebirds were counted at selected sites throughout Kansas during 2002–2006. At least 75% of the shorebirds counted during spring and summer-fall were counted at either Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area or Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Thirty-nine species of shorebirds were reported and species composition varied among regions and seasons. Shorebird numbers peaked during the first two weeks of May in spring and mid-August through September during summer-fall, but varied among regions and species. Recommendations pertaining to habitat management and future surveys are provided based on the results.

The Lincoln Limestone Member of the Greenhorn Limestone is an Upper Cretaceous sedimentary rock unit formed during a transgressive phase of the North American Western Interior Seaway. Here, we present the lithologic description of 15 Lincoln Limestone localities in Russell County, Kansas, with a special emphasis on the basal beds which are locally abundant with fish remains. Based on the lithologic data, three sets of lithostratigraphic correlations, that are oriented at different angles from each other, were constructed by using the top of the “X-bentonite” of the underlying Graneros Shale as the stratigraphic datum. Based on the data, we recognize one distinct rock unit and four clusters of lithostratigraphically distinct and consistent units referred to as “marker zones” in the Lincoln Limestone that are observed widely in Russell County. They are (in ascending order from the base of the member): (1) the calcarenite marker zone, (2) lower bentonitic marker zone, (3) limestone marker bed, (4) upper bentonitic marker zone, and (5) upper limestone marker zone. Whereas the basal calcarenite of the Lincoln Limestone reflects calcarenite wedging, this lithologic sequence indicates that the Lincoln Limestone in the region is represented successively by shoreface deposits, transition slope deposits, and offshore deposits, indicating a continuous shift in the environmental setting through its depositional history in the area.

The Phanerozoic structural development of Kansas is recorded by the stratigraphic and sedimentological evidence. The early Paleozoic was relatively quiet, but a major change in the structural regimen took place in the late Paleozoic as a result of events in adjacent areas. Structural development was mainly by vertical differential movement along faults defining rigid Precambrian basement blocks as they adjusted to the stress. These movements are recorded in the changes of sediment thickness over the fault blocks. Concurrently, as the basement blocks adjusted, seismites were triggered by paleoearthquakes. By mapping the occurrence of seismites vertically and laterally, conclusions can be made on the frequency and intensity of the paleoquakes. The occurrence of seismites formed by paleoquakes seemingly diminish with time, but this may be a function of suitable conditions for their formation and preservation.

Subsequent structural movement in the Mesozoic and Tertiary was mainly regional tilting, however, some convolute sedimentary structures and small intraformational faults in the Cretaceous indicate vertical movement was continuing. Paleoliquefaction features also have been reported in Holocene sediments in Edwards, Wabaunsee, and Woodson counties, Kansas. Historical recorded earthquakes and microseisms are evidence that the strain and structural movement is continuing today. Other than shallow man-made quakes, earthquake foci, in general seem to concentrate at two depths: 7.5 to 13.5km (Conrad discontinuity) and 35 to 50 km (Mohorovičić or Moho boundary). The major disturbances, for the most part, occur along the seismic active Nemaha Anticline from Nebraska to Oklahoma and the east-bounding Humboldt fault zone. From the available evidence, it is inferred that the structural development of Kansas is not and was not spectacular, but is and has been gradually continuous and intermittent.

Environmental conditions influence patterns of local-scale plant productivity and species richness. We sampled soils and plant communities at a topographically-diverse, mid-successional old field site in Kansas to better understand the abiotic factors underlying a natural plant productivity gradient. We related soil texture, pH, percent nitrogen and carbon, and soil moisture to elevation, plant productivity, and species richness. Most soil qualities were significantly correlated with elevation. The four soil texture classes we identified — clay, silty clay, silty clay loam, and silt loam — were spatially clustered according to topography. The lowest elevation sites, characterized by high C and N, low pH, low light penetration, and soils containing more silt and sand which supported the most productive and least diverse plant communities. We suggest that topography drives spatial heterogeneity in soils at our site. We also suggest that although richness is influenced directly by the filtering effects of the abiotic environment on the species pool, the indirect effects environmental factors have on richness via biomass production are more important for governing plant species richness in our system.

Historically, the commercial harvest of mussel shells in Kansas rivers has varied markedly in response to market demand. Peak mussel harvests accompanied the high shell demands and market values that occurred in the early 1970s and 1990s. The Threeridge Amblema plicata was the most heavily harvested species during both periods. Recent quantitative mussel surveys indicate a decline in A. plicata population density in rivers subjected to commercial harvest; however populations in other rivers remain robust. In 2003, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks declared a ten-year moratorium on commercial shell harvest to assess the effects of this activity on mussel populations.

In the United States thousands of tons of antibiotics are annually administered in low doses to livestock, both as prophylactics and growth promoters. Mounting evidence has shown that the overuse of antibiotics in livestock might render them, or their structural analogs, less effective when needed in veterinary as well as human medicine. To examine antibiotic resistance trends in feedlot soil, we collected soil samples from pens at ten beef cattle feedlots across western Kansas. Soil samples were screened for bacteria resistant to the human broad spectrum antibiotics ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline, by plating on them on Mueller-Hinton agar containing antibiotic concentrations of 100 μg mL⁻¹. Resistant organisms were subcultured until axenic cultures were obtained. Bacteria were subsequently identified by submitting them to a commercial laboratory that utilizes 16S rRNA sequencing. We further assayed the organisms for resistance to more than one antibiotic. Some resistant isolates showed single drug resistance while others showed resistance to more than one agent.

Causeyella dendropus and C. youngsteadtorum were reared under laboratory conditions. Both species were active and often roamed their culture dishes. Males, females, and juveniles displayed occasional aggression by striking or boxing. Mating occurred in C. dendropus and two females each laid five eggs in batches of one to five on wood or clay, but none hatched. Molting in C. youngsteadtorum juveniles took about two weeks and two 9-mm specimens each grew about 1 mm after they molted. The sticky droplets that subtend the long setae that cover the body appear to serve, at least in part, to trap small intruders that get under the setae. Once stuck in a droplet, the intruder slides up the seta and is eliminated when it sticks to another object.

A new genus and species of sphaeropsocid bark louse is described and figured from a single individual in Late Cretaceous (latest Cenomanian) amber from Agapa, western Taimyr Peninsula, northern Siberia. Globopsocus aquilonius n.gen., n.sp. is a relatively primitive member of the family and further demonstrates that these insects were once widespread and global, in contrast to their restricted austral distribution today. The species is distinguished from related taxa and a discussion provided regarding its phylogenetic position within Sphaeropsocidae.

American ginseng and goldenseal, highly prized medicinal herbs found in the eastern United States, were planted over a period of years in eastern Kansas to test their viability as alternative crops. Ginseng has been reported to survive in the wild in eastern Kansas, but our trials have shown that it is difficult to establish artificially. Goldenseal survival and growth were good at a site near Olathe in eastern Kansas.