History of Mammal Study in Iowa

The first records of mammals in Iowa were from explorers, survey parties heading westward and early seeders. Generation of checklists of state mammals began in 1840 and culminated with the annotated list by Scott (1937) and biogeographic analysis by Bowles (1975). Recent focus has been on rare species status and mammalian ecology, e.g., Loess Hills, riparian habitat, agricultural practices, and reestablished grasslands

Movement of Moose South of Traditional Range in the Upper Midwestern United States

There have been several recent records of moose in southern Minnesota and Iowa, south of their traditional range. Additionally, a bull moose from southern Minnesota crossed Iowa in a southeasterly direction and entered northeastern Missouri, traveling a distance of about 900 km

Relative Abundance of Eastern Screech-Owls in a South-Central Iowa Township

Roadside playback surveys of Eastern Screech-Owls were conducted each spring and fall from September 1984 through April 1986 in Summit Township, Marion County, Iowa. An average of 18 screech-owls were located during each survey, often near riparian woodland. Screech-owl population densities (0.1-0.2 owls/km2) were comparable to those in other regions

Iowa\u27s Mammal Fauna: An Era of Decline

Of the 70 species of mammals reported from Iowa since European settlement, 39 (55%) are extirpated, rare, or declining. Twenty-nine (42%) are not appreciably declining and 2 (3%) are increasing in number and distribution. Continued pressure to clear and row-crop as much land as possible is placing an increasing stress on the mammals of Iowa

Survey of Some Eastern Iowa Caves for Wintering Bats

Nineteen caves in the eastern Iowa counties of Dubuque, Jackson, and Jones were surveyed for bat usage during the winter of 1983-84. A total of 1548 hibernating bats of 4 species (Myotis lucifugus, Myotis keenii, Pipistrellus subflavus, and Eptesicus fuscus) were counted in 12 of the caves. Only the previously reported federally endangered Myotis sodalis was not found

Annotated Checklist of the Mammals of the Loess Hills of Western Iowa

Of the 44 species of mammals that have been reported in western Iowa, 14 are uncommon and 30 are common. Nine more are expected to be present and another nine have been extirpated. Work is needed to verify the status of several species

Mammals of Iowa: Holocene to the End of the 20th Century

This review of Iowa\u27s mammal fauna at the close of the 20th century summarizes changes in distributional patterns following Euroamerican settlement in the early 1800s. Data from historical records, museum specimens, and presettlement late Holocene fossils indicate presence of 69 resident mammals at that time. Hunting pressures and the conversion of prairie and forest to agricultural fields reduced the populations and ranges of many state mammals, and 14 species were extirpated by 1900. An additional 15 species are either uncommon or rare today, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources lists four species as endangered, three as threatened and one as of special concern. Species dependent upon either forest or prairie have suffered most; forest-edge species generally have thrived and even increased. River otters and a captive bison herd were reintroduced recently, and several (like the spotted skunk and the bobcat) have benefited from setaside acreage, flood-plain and wetland reclamation, and roadside management initiatives. Species distribution and relative abundance vary slightly among the state\u27s five geographic regions

An Overview of the Role of Systems Analysis in NASA's Hypersonics Project

NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate recently restructured its Vehicle Systems Program, refocusing it towards understanding the fundamental physics that govern flight in all speed regimes. Now called the Fundamental Aeronautics Program, it is comprised of four new projects, Subsonic Fixed Wing, Subsonic Rotary Wing, Supersonics, and Hypersonics. The Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate has charged the Hypersonics Project with having a basic understanding of all systems that travel at hypersonic speeds within the Earth's and other planets atmospheres. This includes both powered and unpowered systems, such as re-entry vehicles and vehicles powered by rocket or airbreathing propulsion that cruise in and accelerate through the atmosphere. The primary objective of the Hypersonics Project is to develop physics-based predictive tools that enable the design, analysis and optimization of such systems. The Hypersonics Project charges the systems analysis discipline team with providing it the decision-making information it needs to properly guide research and technology development. Credible, rapid, and robust multi-disciplinary system analysis processes and design tools are required in order to generate this information. To this end, the principal challenges for the systems analysis team are the introduction of high fidelity physics into the analysis process and integration into a design environment, quantification of design uncertainty through the use of probabilistic methods, reduction in design cycle time, and the development and implementation of robust processes and tools enabling a wide design space and associated technology assessment capability. This paper will discuss the roles and responsibilities of the systems analysis discipline team within the Hypersonics Project as well as the tools, methods, processes, and approach that the team will undertake in order to perform its project designated functions

Identification and Distribution of Masked and Hayden\u27s Shrews (genus Sorex) in Iowa

Masked shrews (Sorex cinereus) and Hayden\u27s shrews (S. haydeni) are both reported from Iowa, but the two species are difficult to tell apart and their relative distributions in Iowa have been unclear. We took 13 skull measurements and examined 2 qualitative features on more than 300 specimens of Sorex from Iowa. The vast majority of our specimens could be identified easily by cranial measurements, and more than half could be identified by the relative position of the maxillary plate. We found no evidence for intergradation between the two species. Masked shrews are present throughout most of Iowa, whereas Hayden\u27s shrews are restricted largely to the western half of the state. Although Hayden\u27s shrew is found mainly in areas of Iowa where grasslands predominate, we could not identify any clear habitat associations for the two species. Hayden\u27s shrew may reach the eastern limits of its range in the grassland areas of northeastern Iowa

Habitat Selection by Small Mammals on the Shoreline of a Flood Control Lake in South-Central Iowa

An unusually high water level on a flood control lake shore in Iowa altered the species composition, relative density and spatial relationships of most small mammals. Peromyscus maniculatus disappeared from the study site during flooding but was the earliest invader after water had receded. A few Reithrodontomys megalotis also returned. Sorex cincereus and Blarina brevicauda did not immediately reinhabit recently flooded areas. Miccrotus ochrogaster disappeared from the site. Peromyscus leucopus and M. pennsylvanicus persisted on the unaffected portion during flooding. Both P. maniculatus and P. leucopus reestablished spatial relationships similar to those prior to flooding as vegetation returned