Forest Research in Iowa\u27s State Parks - The Values of Natural Diversity

Approximately 3% of Iowa\u27s forests are contained in state parks and preserves. In addition to aesthetics and recreation, these protected forests provide a vital service in the unique opportunities they provide for forest research. As intact ecosystems where natural ecological processes dominate, they provide standards by which we measure the effects of livestock pasturing, methods of timber harvest, and other manipulations of managed forests. A number of current studies and public programs emphasize the importance of natural diversity in forests. They rely on state parks and preserves to provide a measure of potential diversity for a given region of the state. Future generations of Iowans will inherit the many benefits of naturally diverse old-growth forests, provided we safeguard the forests in our state parks and preserves that we have inherited

Perspectives on Iowa\u27s Declining Flora and Fauna - A Symposium

Although Iowa is rich in past and present activity of eminent biologists and natural historians, a comprehensive inventory of the state\u27s biological resources has never been assembled. With ever increasing demands on the land and an obvious decline and loss of many habitats and species, the need for such an inventory is urgent. The biological uniqueness or rarity of a particular habitat cannot be fully evaluated without state-wide data for that habitat and the species in it

Slender Moonwort, Botrychium lineare (Ophioglossaceae), Rediscovered in Quebec

Slender Moonwort (Botrychium lineare), described in 1994, is a very rare fern in eastern North America. It was known in Quebec, Canada, from only two sites in the Gaspé Peninsula but has not been relocated since its discovery at these sites in 1902 and 1942. An ongoing study of B. lineare and its recent discovery in northern Minnesota prompted a re-examination of a 1972 collection made in western Quebec, in Gatineau Park, previously identified under various names, including B. campestre. A recent visit (2008) to the Gatineau Park site disclosed continued presence of similar plants. Based on morphological characters, spore size, genotype (allozyme electrophoresis), and appropriate habitat features, we conclude that the newly discovered plants and those of the 1972 collection are B. lineare. B. lineare appears on the Quebec government list of plant species likely to be designated threatened or vulnerable

A Municipal Inventory and Evaluation of Natural Areas: History and Methodology

An inventory of natural areas in the vicinity of Ames, Iowa was conducted (1990-1994) in response to conflicts arising when significant natural areas were encountered on lands approved for development by the City of Ames (Iowa) Planning Office. Methods for objective evaluation of woodland and prairie quality were developed for use during the inventory. The woodland method is based on four components: I) Diversity of expected species, H) Structure of canopy and understory layers, III) Fidelity of species to the habitat and IV) absence of Introduced Species. Rules are explicitly stated for the scoring of each component for both the canopy and understory within 0.1 ha circular plots. Diversity receives twice the weight of the other components, and the scores from all four components are summed to yield a Woodland Quality Rating (WQR) between 0 and 20. Survey points are marked on a topographic map prior to survey. These are chosen to represent principal topographic aspects of a woodland and are allocated in proportion to the area of the tract. The prairie method is based on a single component: diversity of prairie plant species. After survey, quality ratings are marked on maps to allow delineation of quality regions into one of four categories: A) Highly Natural, B) Mostly Natural, C) Moderately Altered, and D) Highly Altered. A total of .928 ha (2,294 ac) was surveyed and evaluated using this method. Maps and written descriptions of evaluated areas were compiled in an inventory report submitted to the City of Ames Planning Office

Fern Reproduction at Woodman Hollow, Central Iowa: Preliminary Observations and a Consideration of the Feasibility of Studying Fern Reproductive Biology in Nature

Field observations of spore availability, gametophyte establishment and survival, and sporophyte production were made over a one-year period. Maximum spore release for most species occurred shortly after spore maturation in mid to late summer, but some spores remained on sporophyte fronds through the winter and were available for germination the following spring. Gametophytes of Cystopteris fragilis, Woodsia obtusa and Adiantum pedatum became established in late summer and fall. Production of sporophytes occurred both in fall and in the following spring. Both gametophytes and juvenile sporophytes survived the winter in relatively unchanged condition. Results indicate that it is feasible and important to correlate field studies with current laboratory studies of fern reproductive biology

Pteridophytes of Iowa\u27s Loess Hills - Adaptations to Dry Habitats

Eleven species of pteridophytes and one hybrid occur in the Loess Hills of western Iowa. Adiantum pedatum L., Athyrium filix-femina (L.) Roth, Camptosorus rhizophyllus (L.) Link, Cystopteris tenuis (Michx.) Desv., Cystopteris protrusa (Weath.) Blasdell, and Matteuccia struthiopteris (L.) Todaro are widely distributed in Iowa, but restricted in this area to the most mesic woodlands, probably due to the drought sensitivity of their shallow rhizomes and above-ground gametophytes. Equisetum hyemale L. and E. arvense L. are common in riparian habitats and moist roadside ditches. These two species likely survive by maintaining contact with a permanent water table. Equisetum laevigatum A. Braun, E. Xferrissii Clute, Botrychium virginianum (L.) Sw., and a new species, Botrychium prairie , inhabit native Loess Hills prairies. These Equisetum taxa avoid prairie drought through deep underground rhizomes, early senescence of aerial stems, and a low above-ground to below-ground biomass ratio. Underground gametophytes and rhizomes and early spring phenology are attributes allowing survival of the Botrychium species on the prairie. B. prairie of the subgenus Botrychium may be a Pleistocene relict

Flora and Phytogeographical History of Ledges State Park, Boone County, Iowa

The Ledges State Park flora includes 437 species of vascular plants, several of which are unusual for central Iowa. The flora is surprisingly diverse considering its western location. The current distributions and occurrences of plants in the Ledges suggest the influence of historic plant migrations. The Ledges flora is composed of three elements, eastern mesophytic species, southern zerophytic species and northern boreal species. The dissected topography of the Ledges State Park has allowed boreal species, relics of northern forests, to persist in the protected canyon habitats

Exotic and Invasive Woody Plant Species in Iowa

Seventy species and hybrids of exotic woody trees, shrubs, and vines have naturalized in Iowa. Nearly half of these species (31) have become invasive pests in parts of the state or have potential do so. Most of the seriously invasive species are spread by bird ingestion of whole fruits. Widespread dispersal by birds hinders eradication efforts and should be considered a trait indicative of potential invasiveness. The economic and ecological values of Iowa forests are seriously compromised by exotic invasive woody species, especially where forests recovering from cropland and pasture are dominated by exotic species. Thus, a simple measure of acres under forest cover is a misleading indicator of the health of Iowa\u27s forest resource