Iowa Woodlands

WAT is now the state of Iowa was first surveyed between March 1832 and August 1859. Based upon this origional United States Land Office Survey, it has been estimated that 29,412,580 acres (82 percent) of the total state land area was covered by tall prairie grass at that time with the remaining 6,680,926 acres (18 percent) in forest. Today, less than 2,942 acres or 1/10 of one percent of the Iowa landscape remains in prairie. The state forest resource has likewise decreased. A comparison of forest in Iowa at the time of settlement and at present illustrates a dramatic reduction in acreage. Our forest resources continue to be diluted and jeoparidized by commercial, residential, recreational and agricultural development pressures. Projected demand threatens the health and survivability of our remaining forest resource

Identifying Disease-Resistant and Thermal-Tolerant Genotypes in the Threatened Staghorn Coral, Acropora cervicornis

Since the 1970s, loss of herbivores, coral bleaching, pollution, and disease epidemics have reshaped the ecological framework of coral reefs. Staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, was a major reef-building scleractinian coral found throughout Florida and the Caribbean that experienced unprecedented population declines primarily due to disease and coral bleaching. These two stressors are coupled; the highest coral disease prevalence occurs after periods of thermal stress caused by increased sea surface temperature. Previous research documented three disease-resistant A. cervicornis genotypes in Panama, but it is unknown if disease-resistant genotypes exist in the Florida Keys. Thermal tolerance has been found to be variable among different species of corals and is relatively unknown in A. cervicornis. To investigate disease resistance and thermal tolerance in corals collected from the Florida Keys, pathogen transmission, thermal tolerance experiments, and coral outplanting studies were conducted, along with histological work to assess the condition of coral tissues. Corals were challenged in situ with exposure to rapid tissue loss (RTL) and bleaching resistance was evaluated ex situ in temperature-controlled seawater tanks, using 39 A. cervicornis genotypes. Disease and bleaching were further characterized in the wild using outplanted colonies. In a pathogen transmission pilot study, 7 out of 39 genotypes developed signs of rapid tissue loss transmission. An expanded transmission experiment that used 12 potentially disease resistant genotypes (based on anecdotal information and results from the pilot study), all genotypes developed signs of RTL transmission. However, susceptibility was variable but not statistically different among genotypes (p\u3e0.05), ranging from 40-100% transmission. Histological analyses revealed significant (p0.05) related to photosynthetic efficiency and tissue condition metrics. No significant differences in mortality, disease, or predation were found between disease resistant and disease susceptible genotypes in outplanting experiments (p\u3e0.05). This study reports the first evidence that disease resistance is present in Florida A. cervicornis genotypes. The variability of disease resistance found within genotypes suggests that genotype is not the only factor influencing disease transmission. Short-term exposure to thermal stress revealed heat tolerant A. cervicornis genotypes, which corroborates with recent published studies. Taken together, these results provide insights into how Caribbean Acropora and other scleractinian species persist through multiple disease and coral bleaching events

The Natural Forest Communities of Iowa: A Resource in Trouble

Based on the original United States Land Office survey, it has been estimated that 18 percent of the total state land area was once covered by forest. Today, less than 4 percent of the Iowa landscape remains in forest. In essence, Iowa\u27s forest lands have a value underrated and misunderstood by most of its citizens. Threatened with exhaustion of our natural forest heritage, it is imperative that the citizens of this state awaken at last to the necessity of protecting what is left. The appreciation, conservation, restoration and wise management of our remaining forest resource must play a critical role within all future planning at state, county and local decision-making levels

Methods of a Unialgal Culture of Pandorina

The study of Algae has for many decades’ involved great numbers of very important problems. To try and solve certain phases of these problems, it is first necessary to develop standardized techniques in the handling and culturing of certain forms. It is with this fact in mind that the author has experimented with a controlled set of environmental conditions and a series of culture media for the maintenance in culture, pure and unialgal, of Pandorina morum, a member of the Volvocales

Iowa Woodlands

WAT is now the state of Iowa was first surveyed between March 1832 and August 1859. Based upon this origional United States Land Office Survey, it has been estimated that 29,412,580 acres (82 percent) of the total state land area was covered by tall prairie grass at that time with the remaining 6,680,926 acres (18 percent) in forest. Today, less than 2,942 acres or 1/10 of one percent of the Iowa landscape remains in prairie. The state forest resource has likewise decreased. A comparison of forest in Iowa at the time of settlement and at present illustrates a dramatic reduction in acreage. Our forest resources continue to be diluted and jeoparidized by commercial, residential, recreational and agricultural development pressures. Projected demand threatens the health and survivability of our remaining forest resource.</p

Reminiscences

We light our fire As the last rays of the sun Disappear from the sky. Hastily we gather Feathery pine boughs To pad the ground Where we will sleep...</p