Where Earth and Life Sciences Intersect: Investigations of the Water-Root-Soil Interface

The transition from deep-rooted perennial prairies to annual row crops has profoundly changed our environment. Roots and soils are interdependent: roots extract water and nutrients from the soil while at the same time influencing the hydrology, structure, composition, and biological community of the soil. Through your active participation, we will introduce a set of inquiry-based lessons developed by a collaboration of ecologists, teachers, and naturalists to engage K-12 students in learning about earth and life sciences in the root zone

Predicting Evolutionary Consequences of Greater Reproductive Effort in Tripsacum Dactyloides, a Perennial Grass

To test the prediction that a mutation causing greater reproductive effort will result in reduced vegetative vigor, we compared the seed production, growth, and carbohydrate status of normal and pistillate genotypes of the grass Tripsacum dactyloides differing in seed production by up to fourfold. We evaluated the costs of reproduction by two methods: experimental manipulation of reproductive effort and comparison of highand low-yielding genotypes. Despite the large difference in seed production, normal and pistillate (high-yielding) genotypes did not differ in growth rate over a 1-yr period. Contrary to predictions, carbohydrate reserves in the high-yielding genotype were significantly higher at the peak of the seed ripening period. Stalk defoliation and complete removal of seed stalks reduced plant growth rate, total aboveground biomass, and biomass of vegetative storage organs, especially when plants were also under stress from biweekly defoliation. However, stalk removal caused increased rates of growth in the year after experimental manipulations. Reproductive tillers were costly to the plant in terms of lost meristems and therefore future plant size, but seed costs were contained within reproductive tillers of both genotypes, explaining the lack of a trade-off in the high-yielding, pistillate genotype. Although experimental reduction of reproductive effort revealed a cost of reproduction, this result could not be used to correctly predict the consequences of a gene for greater seed production

Tallgrass Prairie Center: A Floral Resource Index to Assess Pollinator Habitat Quality in Eastern Iowa Prairies

Report of an investigation on the impact of biodiversity on the habitat for native pollinators and European honey bees

A 33 year old native seed system in the Upper Midwest: The evolving role of stock seed production and stakeholder communication [poster]

PURPOSE AND HISTORY The Tallgrass Prairie Center (TPC) Plant Materials Program at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) aims to increase the availability and affordability of regionally appropriate, Source Identified (SI) native seed for roadsides and other restorations. We serve a linking role within the native seed system in our region by: 1) developing SI foundation stock seed that is regionally adapted and genetically diverse for the native seed industry. 2) fostering communication across the native seed supply chain. A plant materials program, originally named the Iowa Ecotype Project (IEP), was initiated in 1990 at UNI, in partnership with several agencies and with funding from the Iowa Living Roadway Trust Fund. The State of Iowa enacted legislation in 1988 declaring Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management (IRVM) to be in the public interest. This stimulated demand for regionally adapted native seed. Iowa’s remnant prairies were too fragmented to support wild collection for large scale restoration. Few species of native seed, primarily cultivars, were available for purchase. Public funding of SI stock seed development reduced risk to growers and communication among partners influenced demand for new species, helping to foster a diverse native seed market in the region

Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Mitochondria abnormalities in skeletal muscle may contribute to frailty and sarcopenia, commonly present in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Dysfunctional mitochondria are also a major source of oxidative stress and may contribute to cardiovascular disease in CKD We tested the hypothesis that mitochondrial structure and function worsens with the severity of CKD Mitochondrial volume density, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number, BNIP3, and PGC1α protein expression were evaluated in skeletal muscle biopsies obtained from 27 subjects (17 controls and 10 with CKD stage 5 on hemodialysis). We also measured mtDNA copy number in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), plasma isofurans, and plasma F2-isoprostanes in 208 subjects divided into three groups: non-CKD (eGFR>60 mL/min), CKD stage 3-4 (eGFR 60-15 mL/min), and CKD stage 5 (on hemodialysis). Muscle biopsies from patients with CKD stage 5 revealed lower mitochondrial volume density, lower mtDNA copy number, and higher BNIP3 content than controls. mtDNA copy number in PBMCs was decreased with increasing severity of CKD: non-CKD (6.48, 95% CI 4.49-8.46), CKD stage 3-4 (3.30, 95% CI 0.85-5.75, P = 0.048 vs. non-CKD), and CKD stage 5 (1.93, 95% CI 0.27-3.59, P = 0.001 vs. non-CKD). Isofurans were higher in patients with CKD stage 5 (median 59.21 pg/mL, IQR 41.76-95.36) compared to patients with non-CKD (median 49.95 pg/mL, IQR 27.88-83.46, P = 0.001), whereas F2-isoprostanes did not differ among groups. Severity of CKD is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and markers of oxidative stress. Mitochondrial abnormalities, which are common in skeletal muscle from patients with CKD stage 5, may explain the muscle dysfunction associated with frailty and sarcopenia in CKD Further studies are required to evaluate mitochondrial function in vivo in patients with different CKD stages

Tallgrass Prairie Center: Effects of Planting Time and Grass-Forb Seeding Ration on Establishment in CRP Pollinator Habitat

Results of an investigation on the creation of habitat for insect pollinators in eastern Iowa

A 33 year old native seed system in the Upper Midwest: Public policy and investment contribute to a diverse commercial native seed market [slideshow]

PURPOSE AND HISTORY The Tallgrass Prairie Center (TPC) Plant Materials Program at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) aims to increase the availability and affordability of regionally appropriate, Source Identified (SI) native seed for roadsides and other restorations. We serve a linking role within the native seed system in our region by: 1) developing SI foundation stock seed that is regionally adapted and genetically diverse for the native seed industry. 2) fostering communication across the native seed supply chain. A plant materials program, originally named the Iowa Ecotype Project (IEP), was initiated in 1990 at UNI, in partnership with several agencies and with funding from the Iowa Living Roadway Trust Fund. The State of Iowa enacted legislation in 1988 declaring Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management (IRVM) to be in the public interest. This stimulated demand for regionally adapted native seed. Iowa’s remnant prairies were too fragmented to support wild collection for large scale restoration. Few species of native seed, primarily cultivars, were available for purchase. Public funding of SI stock seed development reduced risk to growers and communication among partners influenced demand for new species, helping to foster a diverse native seed market in the region

Comparison of Expiring CP-25 and 3-Year Old CP-42 Plantings for Monarch Habitat Quality

Monarch butterflies have experienced a population decline of more than 80% in the past two decades, driven by the emergence of Roundup Ready beans and corn varieties. This development resulted in landowners spraying herbicides and killing all other plants in their field, including milkweeds, which is the genus of plants (Asclepias) that monarch caterpillars can only feed upon. Along with this development, an initiative to reintroduce native prairie ecosystems as part of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). In Iowa, over 80% of the land once was home to this prairie, now less than 0.1% of this rare ecosystem remains. Reintroducing this prairie to the environment is a necessary step to improving monarch populations. The University of Northern Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairie Center (UNI TPC) is investigating the quality and availability of tallgrass prairie habitat for monarch butterflies. Two CRP programs of interest are the CP-25 and CP-42 plantings. CP-25 are 10-15-year old fields with no milkweed planted and a mixture of grasses and forbs while CP-42 is planted for pollinator use and includes many milkweed and nectar producing plants. There are 218,482 acres of CP-42 planted in Iowa with over 400,000 acres planted countrywide. In 2021, 17 expiring CP-25 research sites were chosen and sampled for plant abundance and ground cover. Nested quadrats provided frequency data to procure 100 m2 of sampling area that was then collated with 3-year old CP-42 site frequency data. This planting comparison was used to evaluate the milkweed density, nectar plant frequency, and frequency by flowering period by changing the time and seed mix. We hypothesized that the younger planting would produce more nectar-producing species and habitat for the monarch butterflies to feed and lay eggs in. Results indicate that CP-42 fields were significantly higher in nectar-producing species abundance in the early flowering period relative to the CP-25 fields (p-value: 0.005); however, overall frequency of nectar plants in the middle and late flowering periods were comparable across seed mixes (p-values of 0.356 and 0.163, respectively). Milkweed density was slightly greater on CP-25 sites, 0.263 stems/m2 as opposed to 0.247 for CP-42, but more data is needed to evaluate the effects of nectar plant flowering time and resource availability on monarch habitat quality. Our results suggest that implementation of fewer milkweed plantings and greater abundance of early season nectar availability is needed to improve monarch larval habitat. CRP sites of differing mixes and ages showed similarities in nectar availability, suggesting that floral resources for monarch butterflies are not a problem

Developing Methods to Assess the Role of Lumbricus Terrestris on Seed Predation In Prairie Restoration

Much of Iowa and the midwest used to be covered in tallgrass prairie– now only a small percentage of it remains. Many prairie restoration efforts to revitalize prairie lands are in place, but native prairie seed prices are extremely high. In addition, seedling establishment rates of native prairie seed are low. There are many events that can occur to prevent a seed from germinating into a seedling. One of those events is seed predation (or granivory). Seed predation is when seeds are used as a primary food source for animals. Granivores that commonly come to most minds include mice, squirrels, insects, and birds. Most do not know that earthworms are granivores as well. This research focused on that single seed predator, Lumbricus terrestris (also known as the common earthworm), in order to get a better understanding of where the ungerminated prairie seeds are going. How do earthworms compare against all other seed predators when tested in a Northeast Iowa prairie restoration site? Methods for evaluating the impact of L. terrestris on seed predation in a way that complements the goal (of applying what is learned to prairie restoration efforts) have not been highly developed. The literature reviewed gave an excellent starting point, but a large part of this study aimed at developing methodology that would allow the big question to be researched effectively

The Cepheid Period-Luminosity Relation (The Leavitt Law) at Mid-Infrared Wavelengths: IV. Cepheids in IC 1613

We present mid-infrared Period-Luminosity relations for Cepheids in the Local Group galaxy IC1613. Using archival IRAC imaging data from Spitzer we were able to measure single-epoch magnitudes for five, 7 to 50-day, Cepheids at 3.6 and 4.5 microns. When fit to the calibrating relations, measured for the Large Magellanic Cloud Cepheids, the data give apparent distance moduli of 24.29 +/- 0.07 and 24.28 +/- 0.07 at 3.6 and 4.5 microns, respectively. A multi-wavelength fit to previously published BVRIJHK apparent moduli and the two IRAC moduli gives a true distance modulus of 24.27 +/- 0.02 mag with E(B-V) = 0.08 mag, and a corresponding metric distance of 715 kpc. Given that these results are based on single-phase observations derived from exposures having total integration times of only 1,000 sec/pixel we suggest that Cepheids out to about 2 Mpc are accessible to Spitzer with modest integration times during its warm mission. We identify the main limiting factor to this method to be crowding/contamination induced by the ubiquitous population of infrared-bright AGB stars.Comment: Accepted to ApJ December 2008: 9 pages, 3 figure