Soil fungi of virgin and restored tallgrass prairies in central Iowa

Four hundred eighty-three species of soil inhabiting fungi were identified from virgin and restored prairie soils in central Iowa. Many of the principal fungi in tallgrass prairie soils have been reported as principal taxa of other grassland ecosystems in North America and on other continents. The fungal community of tallgrass prairie soils in Iowa is most similar to fungal communities of mesic prairies in Wisconsin and grasslands in Ohio;The soil fungal communities of virgin and restored prairie soils are distinctly different. The numbers of species isolated were nearly equal, but composition, frequency, and density of the principal taxa were different. Past agricultural disturbance was a major contributing factor to differences between the fungi of the two communities;Early spring burning had little effect on composition, frequency, or density of fungi in prairie soil. Numbers of species declined slightly in postburn samples but increased to preburn levels by fall of the same year;Nearly two-thirds of the principal taxa isolated from tallgrass prairie soils showed little response to seasonal changes. Frequencies and densities of the principal taxa remained relatively constant between preburn and postburn collections throughout the growing season;Vescicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi are a common component of the mycoflora of tallgrass prairie soil. Sixteen species in four genera were present in the prairie soils sampled. The numbers of VAM spores fluctuated widely in samples from different sampling sites and at different times from the same site. Because of this, effects of burning or seasonal variations could not be evaluated

Fungus Disease in Relation to Managing Prairie Plants With Fire

Specific fungal foliar diseases were assessed on selected prairie plant species in relation to fire as a management practice on Hayden Prairie Preserve, Iowa. Selected plant species in burned and unburned areas were visually inspected and rated for presence and severity of specific fungal diseases at three sampling times in July and September 1987 and in June 1988. Less disease and lower disease severity ratings were recorded on plants in burned areas except for powdery mildew on Canada tickclover [Desmodium canadense (L.) DC.]. Increasing amounts of disease developed on plants in the areas unburned for one and two years

Plant Parasitic Fungi of Four Tallgrass Prairies of Northern Iowa: Distribution and Prevalence

Throughout the 1980\u27s, most intensively during the past five years, collections of fungal parasites of prairie plants have been made at various times of the growing season from four prairie preserves, Cayler, Freda Haffner Kettlehole, Hayden, and Stinson prairies, in northern Iowa. A total of 216 species of parasitic fungi were collected on 129 prairie plant hosts. Ninety-nine of the fungi were not previously documented from Iowa. Also, fungus species previously reported were found on 72 host species not included in earlier records

Narrative Personae and Visual Signs: Reading Leonard’s intimate photo-memoir. a/b: Auto/Biography Studies.

In this paper, I look at Joanne Leonard’s Being in Pictures and engage in a critical dialogue with an assemblage of visual and textual narratives that comprise her intimate photo memoir. In doing this I draw on Hannah Arendt’s take on narratives as tangible traces of uniqueness and plurality, political traits par excellence in the cultural histories of the human condition. Being aware of my role as a reader/viewer/interpreter of a woman artist’s auto/biographical narratives, I move beyond dilemmas of representation or questions of unveiling “the real Leonard”. The artist is instead configured as a narrative persona, whose narratives respond to three interrelated themes of inquiry, namely the visualization of spatial technologies, vulnerability and the gendering of memory. Key words: gendered memories, narrative persona, spatial technologies, photo memoir, vulnerabilit

Soil fungi of virgin and restored tallgrass prairies in central Iowa

Four hundred eighty-three species of soil inhabiting fungi were identified from virgin and restored prairie soils in central Iowa. Many of the principal fungi in tallgrass prairie soils have been reported as principal taxa of other grassland ecosystems in North America and on other continents. The fungal community of tallgrass prairie soils in Iowa is most similar to fungal communities of mesic prairies in Wisconsin and grasslands in Ohio;The soil fungal communities of virgin and restored prairie soils are distinctly different. The numbers of species isolated were nearly equal, but composition, frequency, and density of the principal taxa were different. Past agricultural disturbance was a major contributing factor to differences between the fungi of the two communities;Early spring burning had little effect on composition, frequency, or density of fungi in prairie soil. Numbers of species declined slightly in postburn samples but increased to preburn levels by fall of the same year;Nearly two-thirds of the principal taxa isolated from tallgrass prairie soils showed little response to seasonal changes. Frequencies and densities of the principal taxa remained relatively constant between preburn and postburn collections throughout the growing season;Vescicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi are a common component of the mycoflora of tallgrass prairie soil. Sixteen species in four genera were present in the prairie soils sampled. The numbers of VAM spores fluctuated widely in samples from different sampling sites and at different times from the same site. Because of this, effects of burning or seasonal variations could not be evaluated.</p

Evaluation of a New Biological Control Pathogen for Management of Eurasian

PURPOSE: This technical note describes the results of an aquarium study to evaluate the effectiveness of a potential fungal pathogen in managing the nuisance submersed plant Eurasian watermilfoil. INTRODUCTION: Myriophyllum spicatum L. (Eurasian watermilfoil; hereafter called milfoil) was first documented in the United States in 1942 but its introduction could have taken place much earlier (Couch and Nelson 1985). It now occurs in lakes, ponds, reservoirs, or rivers in 48 states (excluding Wyoming and Hawaii) and in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. Herbarium records indicate that there could have been multiple introductions, as early reports cam