Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are soil-surface microecosystems composed of a close association of algae, cyanobacteria, fungi, lichens, and nonvascular plants with soil particles. BSCs have several ecological functions including carbon fixation, nitrogen fixation, nutrient relations, soil stabilization, water relations, and floral community development, which make them extremely important in many of the ecosystems where they occur. While BSCs have been studied throughout the American West, little work has been done in the Great Plains region where they are less prominent among the dominant vascular plant communities. This study examined organismal composition and photosynthetic traits of BSCs in four ecosystems within the Great Plains—shortgrass, sandsage, southern mixed grass, and tallgrass prairies. To document the BSCs, seasonal photosynthesis measurements were performed in the field and samples were collected for lab analysis. Prairie BSCs primarily consisted of lichens, bryophytes, and cyanobacteria with lichens being dominant in all ecosystems and varying proportions of bryophytes and cyanobacteria. Bryophyte proportion tended to increase with wetter, cooler climates. Heterocystic (nitrogen-fixing) cyanobacteria, which contribute to soil nitrogen content, and non-heterocystic cyanobacteria were present in lichens at all sites. Photosynthesis rates varied between sites and seasons, ranging from 0.26 to 3.31 µmol CO₂ m^-2 s^-1, and were generally correlated with precipitation and temperature. Results indicate that BSCs of these prairie ecosystems possess diverse communities and perform several important ecological functions.

Scattered through parts of north-central Kansas are prehistoric burial sites in the form of low rock and earthen mounds located atop bluffs overlooking stream valleys. The state's Unmarked Burial Sites Preservation Act (UBS) protects these sites by making it illegal to knowingly disturb them and preventing further damage when they are unintentionally disturbed. This law is most effective if sites' locations are known. The goal of this project is to predict and identify areas with high potential for past use as prehistoric burial sites in order to facilitate their protection and preservation. This has been accomplished through a distributional analysis of known mounds using GIS and simple statistical procedures followed by initial testing through targeted pedestrian survey. The models have the potential to aid researchers, cultural resource managers, and government officials in efficiently locating mound sites. They could also raise the effectiveness of the UBS law.

In this study, we examine surface collected teeth of Myledaphus pustulosus from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Hell Creek Formation of Garfield County, Montana. Macroscopic analysis of teeth shows that 54% of the teeth have pronounced attritional wear due to a durophagous diet. A higher percentage of unworn teeth than worn teeth (64% vs 27%) have acid damage due to predation or scavenging. Ultrastructural analysis of whole and sectioned teeth show that the enameloid of the teeth is 100–125 µm thick and is composed of a single crystallite enameloid in which apatite crystallites show no preferred orientation. Orthodentine in the tooth crown is composed of dense material with numerous canals for odontoblast processes which extend nearly to the tooth surface. Dentinal tubules surround odontoblasts most of the way through the enameloid. The enameloid microstructure of M. pustulosus is consistent with the pattern seen in other batoids.

It is assumed that abundance of individual species of rodents and shrews in temperate regions decrease overwinter owing to winter mortality and cessation of reproduction. We wanted to examine this autumn versus spring pattern by using a 32-year long-term dataset from seven treatment sites on Konza Prairie Biological Station near Manhattan, Kansas, although we could not examine mortality or reproduction directly. We specifically wanted to determine first whether long-term patterns for species of small mammals showed that abundance decreased from autumn to spring and secondarily whether these patterns held among years and different habitat types. The decrease from autumn to spring was supported but, for individual species, varied from a 4% decrease to a 99–100% decrease. For the ten species that had at least one capture in either autumn or spring, the years in which autumn abundance was greater than that in spring varied among species; the range was from 44% of years for thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) to 100% for Elliot's short-tailed shrew (Blarina hylophaga). Likewise, patterns of decrease varied considerably among habitat types when spring abundance was compared as a percent of autumn abundance in the six most common species in seven research treatments. For example, spring abundance of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), the most common small mammal, was only 52–54% of that in autumn for ungrazed sites that were burned annually, burned every 4 years or burned infrequently, whereas it was 105–130% of autumn abundance in bison-grazed sites that were burned annually or burned infrequently. Among the seven research treatments, the two least variable species decreasing in abundance from autumn to spring were Elliot's short-tailed shrews (spring populations were only 0–2% of those in autumn) and hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus; spring populations only 0–15% of those in autumn). Given the length of the study period, the high proportion of years that numbers of the common rodents increased from autumn to spring within the highly diverse mosaic of prairie studied suggests that a significant level of reproduction can occur between autumn and spring in many years, a life history trait that requires more study, especially in light of global climate change.

Color-infrared (CIR) photography has been utilized often for many scientific and environmental applications since the mid-twentieth century. For the past two decades, the authors have developed techniques for CIR kite aerial photography, first with an analog (film) camera, then with an early digital camera, and now with a much improved digital camera. The Sony α6000 model is a compact, digital, mirrorless, single-lensreflex (SLR) camera that is specially modified for CIR; it records blue, green, and nearinfrared wavelengths that are depicted respectively as blue, green, and red in false-color format. Active, emergent vegetation appears orange in this format, in contrast to the red-pink color of vegetation in traditional CIR images. The Sony α6000 camera provides 24-megapixel images that are visually sharp and clear. Kites, blimps, and UAS (drones) have different technical characteristics and legal status and, thus, play distinct roles for small-format aerial photography.

Designing, building, and testing experimental microcosms are essential to conducting accurate and precise experiments. With completely new equipment, sometimes the most difficult task is getting it to fit together and work properly. In this pilot study, we built and tested a new experimental aquatic microcosm system. We conducted a brief, 2 week study with the main goals of 1) assessing the microcosm system was working properly and keeping fish alive and 2) investigating the effect temperature had on juvenile southern redbelly dace growth (weight, total length).

As originally described by Cope (1868), the type specimen of Elasmosaurus platyurus from western Kansas included more than 100 vertebrae, portions of the skull, and the reasonably complete pectoral and pelvic girdles of what was then the largest known plesiosaur. Within four years of its discovery, however, both of the limb girdles had disappeared with no official explanation. Here we document the events leading up to the loss of important portions of this unique specimen.

There is a need to compare greenhouse gases (GHGs) measurements methods for data harmonization. The objective of this study was to compare Gas Chromatography (GC) and a Photo-Acoustic Analyzer System (PAS) as methods for measuring carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions in a corn/soybean field. The study was conducted on a Waldron silt loam soil at Freeman farm of Lincoln University of Missouri. Sixteen cylindrical polyvinylchloride static chambers measuring 0.30 m in height and 0.20 m in diameter were permanently inserted into the soil to a depth of 0.05 m for GHGs measurements. Soil air samples were collected in each chamber with a 60 ml syringe and stored in a Tedlar bag for CO₂ and N₂O analysis by GC within 2 hours of sampling. CO₂ and N₂O measurements with PAS were done directly in-situ. Significant, stronger and positive correlations were found between PAS and GC in 11 out of 15 months - measurement cycles for CO₂. The most significant correlation was observed in April 2015 (r = 0.90, p = 0.0001). For N₂O, however, only 5 out of 15 measurements between PAS and GC had positive, but weak correlations. The highest correlation between PAS and GC measurements for N₂O was also found in April 2015 (r = 0.71, p = 0.0020). Continuous monitoring of GHGs emissions is necessary to better understand their dynamics and how they are exacerbated by agricultural management practices. However, accurate measurement techniques are also needed.

We created a preliminary species list of the terrestrial gastropods at The University of Kansas' Breidenthal Biological Reserve, which is located near Baldwin City in Douglas County, Kansas, based on sampling of two different sites during two different years (2007 and 2015). Breidenthal is Eastern deciduous forest, mostly oak and hickory, and there is no record that it had been used for farming or grazing. There are no known surveys of gastropods from this site. Abundances ranged from 672 – 1824 gastropods/m² in the intermittent stream quadrat and 288 – 720 gastropods/m² in the open forest quadrat. There were 8 – 12 species found at each site with some variation between years with a total of 18 identified in total. The intermittent stream quadrat consistently has higher numbers of snails, but overall diversity dropped with a Shannon's Diversity index moving from 1.96 than 1.66. The opposite was noted in the open forest, where the Shannon's index increased from 2.02 to 2.40. Our data can be used in future surveys of Kansas to provide a baseline for regional gastropod biodiversity.

Whether cranial measurements or pelage color is most appropriate for identifying two subspecies of gray squirrel (Sciurus c. carolinensis and S. c. fuliginosus) has been a matter of debate. The objective of this research was to examine populations of gray squirrels in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi to determine which aspects of variation are more useful for identifying subspecies. Cranial variation was assessed using 14 cranial measurements of museum specimens. Pelage color was assessed from digital pictures of the dorsal pelage. We used multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to test for differences in cranial and pelage color variation. Cranial size was significantly different among populations of gray squirrels, with a north to south cline of larger to smaller individuals. However, we were not able to definitively assign populations in the zone of intergradation to a subspecies based on cranial morphology. Pelage color showed no discernable pattern of geographic variation among populations. Based on these results, we suggest that the differences observed among populations could be due to clinal variation and the legitimacy of S. carolinensis subspecies is tentative at best.

We quantified the concentrations and distribution of different soil carbon fractions – total carbon (TC), recalcitrant C measured as nonhydrolyzable carbon (NHC) and labile organic carbon measured as hydrolyzable carbon (HC), hot-water soluble C (HWC) and cold-water soluble C (CWC) at Busby forest in central Missouri. The forest soil contained large concentrations of soil organic carbon (SOC) (ranging from 26,700 to 85,000 mg C kg^-1 soil); NHC (12,500 to 47,000 mg C kg^-1 soil); HC (2,000 to 6,100 mg C kg^-1 soil); HWC (700 to 1,550 mg C kg^-1 soil); and CWC (280 to 520 mg C kg^-1 soil). Soil C fractions were correlated with each other and with total organic C with correlation coefficients (r) ranging from 0.48 to 0.87. Among these correlations, NHC was significantly correlated with TC (p = 0.0027, r = 0.63), suggesting that a higher proportion of C is in the recalcitrant fraction, consequently, promoting C sequestration in these soils. Our results also showed that more than half (51.25%) of total organic C can be stabilized in the NHC fraction in these soils. Accumulation of C in the NHC fraction reflects C stabilization and sequestration in these forest soils. This information is very important for soil C modeling, as more studies attempt to include soil C fractions.

Basic natural history information is often lacking for rare aquatic species. This study aims to address the lack of life history knowledge for the Gravel Chub (Erimystax x-punctatus). Fecundity of Gravel Chub was assessed by performing egg counts on vouchered museum specimens. Our results indicate a strong relationship between fecundity and body size as well as temperature.

Fresh water tardigrades are an under documented group in the United States. In the 80 years since the first aquatic tardigrade was reported, there have been only 106 records across only 19 states and more than half of the 29 species have been recorded only once. For his master's thesis at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, in 1976–77, Philip Staley extracted 430 aquatic tardigrades and eggs from samples of freshwater alga. Three species were identified: Dactylobiotus dispar, Murrayon pullari and Thulinius augusti of which M. pullari is new to Missouri and the fourth aquatic species in the state. This report adds 25 records of fresh water tardigrades from eight Missouri counties and expands the national records of geographic distribution for aquatic tardigrades by 24%.

Electronic data capture of the nearly 60 years of field data on northeast Kansas snake populations collected by Henry Fitch enabled review of ontogenetic changes in taillength from birth through adult size in Agkistrodon contortrix. Data from 5084 northeast Kansas Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) records collected by Fitch from 1948–2003 (2287F:2797M) were examined to assess the nature of ontogenetic changes in relative tail length of sexes. We suggest that the longer relative tail length of neonate and juvenile copperheads, combined with tail color, enhances the effectiveness of caudal luring, and offer suggestions for further study.

The Arkansas Darter (Etheostoma cragini) is a threatened species in Kansas and was a candidate for threatened status under the Endangered Species Act (1973). The Arkansas Darter's distribution in Kansas includes the Cimarron River basin of southwestern Kansas, the Arkansas River basin in southcentral Kansas, and the Spring River basin (SRB) in southeastern Kansas. Historical surveys in the SRB during the 1960s and 1990s did not detect the Arkansas Darter in the Cow Creek watershed, which is the northernmost tributary of the Spring River. Here we report detection of the Arkansas Darter in three streams of the Cow Creek watershed during August and September 2017, including an unnamed tributary of Cow Creek (eight individuals), the Cow Creek mainstem (one individual), and the Long Branch (five individuals). Although Arkansas Darters were detected in three different streams, collections were all within 1.5 river kilometers of one another. Further, the species was not detected at 26 other locations in the Cow Creek watershed during 2017, indicating a restricted distribution for this fish in this system. This range extension for the Arkansas Darter in the SRB of Kansas may have conservation implications.

This is the second record of occurrence for the species Dactylobiotus kansaeBeasley, Miller and Shively, 2009. Originally collected in 1963 and originally identified as Macrobiotus hastatus Murray, 1907 by Beasley in 1967, the specimen identification was transferred to the new genus Murrayon in 1988 and finally described as Dactylobiotus kansae, a new species in 2009. For 50 years the species has not been reported again in any form. Now, based on a recent collection, the species has been confirmed to still exist in Oedogonium sp. algal in the type location, a small stream passing through the Kansas State University campus, in Riley County, Manhattan, Kansas, USA (North America).

We evaluated the precision among age estimates obtained from sagittal otolith crosssections, whole-view sagittal otoliths, and scales from a sample of 95 walleye (Sander vitreus). Precision was evaluated by comparing age estimates between two readers, and the consistency of estimates from one reader among hard structures. Agreement between readers was greatest for otolith cross-sections (91.6%) compared to whole-view otoliths (52.6%), and scales (34.7%). Agreement between structures was greatest for whole-view otoliths and scales for reader one 34.7% and reader two 37.9%. Using scales and wholeview otoliths, both readers tended to under-estimate the age of older fish compared to age estimated with the otolith cross-sections. Agreement between age estimates made with scales and otolith cross-sections was 23.2% for reader one and 34.7% for reader two. Agreement between age estimates made with whole-view and otolith cross-sections was 32.6% for reader one and 37.9% for reader two. Due to the greatest precision in age estimates we recommend the use of cross-sectioned sagittal otoliths for estimating the age of walleye. If the sample is restricted to fish age-4 and younger and time efficiency is a priority, whole-view otoliths can be used to obtain precise age estimates.