The 17^th Annual Konza Prairie LTER Workshop

Saturday, April 1, 2006

Division of Biology - Ackert Hall 221 - Kansas State University

Oral Presentations (MORNING SESSION)

8:30 John Blair, Welcome and update on the Konza Prairie LTER program

8:45 John Briggs¹, Alan Knapp², S. Archer³, S. Bret-Harte⁴, Scott Collins⁵, B. E. Ewers⁶, D. Peters⁷, D. Young⁸, G. Shaver⁹, E. Pendall⁶ & M.K. Bayless⁶, Shrub encroachment across North America: A multi-site synthesis of patterns, mechanisms and consequences; ¹Arizona SU, ²Colorado SU, ³U of Arizona, ⁴U of Alaska-Fairbanks, ⁵U of New Mexico ⁶U of Wyoming, ⁷USDA, ARS, Jornada Experimental Range, ⁸Virginia Commonwealth U, ⁹The Ecosystem Center, Marine Biological Laboratory

9:00 Karl Kosciuch, Host-parasite interactions at an experimental landscape; Kansas State University

9:15 Kathryn Schmitt McCain, Effects of dominant grass removal on plant diversity in restored tallgrass prairie; Kansas State University

9:30 Jana Heisler & Alan Knapp, Precipitation variability across the Great Plains region: a multi-site experimental manipulation of growing season rainfall patterns; Colorado State University

9:45 Keith Gido, Parallel ecosystem processes on a tallgrass prairie preserve; Kansas State University

30 MINUTE BREAK (Coffee and pastries)

10:30 Brett Sandercock, Modeling the population dynamics of a migratory shorebird: the demography of the Upland Sandpiper; Kansas State University

10:45 Ken Jones, Molecular approach for assessing responses of microbial-feeding nematodes burning and chronic nitrogen enrichment in a native grassland; Kansas State University

11:00 Matthew Rouse, Big bluestem population genetics: neutral markers and disease resistance genes in a multi-state study; Kansas State University

11:15 Priscilla Baker, Are invasive exotic grasses more productive than natives? Colorado State University

11:30 Justin Murdock, Linking substratum micro-scale heterogeneity to periphyton development following a flood; Kansas State University

11:45 Madhav Nepal, Systematics and reproductive biology of the genus Morus (Moracreae), Kansas State University

Noon -- Lunch & Poster Session (Atrium of Chalmers Hall)

Oral Presentations (AFTERNOON SESSION)

1:30 Harmony Dalgleish, Nitrogen addition alters ramet demography and reproductive allocation of two casepistose grass species in tallgrass prairie; Kansas State University

1:45 Ryan Klopf & Sara Baer, Root dynamics within and among dominant prairie grasses; Southern Illinois University

2:00 Mandy Stone, Organic matter resource availability, macroinvertebrate biomass, and system metabolism along a tallgrass prairie stream continuum, Southern Illinois University

2:15 Steve Travers¹, Karen Garrett¹, Jan Leach¹, Scot Hulbert¹, Jianfa Bai¹, Phil Fay², Jesse Nippert¹, Alan Knapp⁴ & Melinda Smith⁵, Transcriptional profiling of big bluestem growing in altered precipitation regimes KSU¹, USDA,ARS Temple Texas², U of Kansas³, Colorado SU⁴, Yale U⁵

2:30 Tony Mong, White-tailed deer densities on Konza Prairie, a 3 year investigation; University of Missouri

2:45 Jacqueline Nooker, Reproductive behavior of testosterone-implanted male greater prairie-chickens; Kansas State University

3:00 Duncan McKinley, John Blair, Loretta Johnson & Charles Rice; Forest encroachment into mesic grassland: altered nutrient cycling and availability; Kansas State University

5:00 Meeting of LTER PIs at Konza Prairie Headquarters (Hulbert Center)

5:45 All Staff, Faculty, and Visiting Researchers + their families/significant others are welcome at the BBQ DINNER & SOCIAL (KONZA PRAIRIE) 

Posters (Atrium of Chalmers Hall)

1. David C. Hartnett¹ , Harmony Dalgleish¹, Moffat Setshogo² & Casper Bonyongo² The Segkwa Project: Collaborative ecological research and training on grasslands and savannas of southern Africa; Kansas State University¹ & University of Botswana²

2. Heather Barton Microevolution of rabies in the midwest; Kansas State University

3. Jayne Jonas & Anthony Joern Preference for mycorrhizal vs. saprophytic fungi by Collembola in grassland soils; Kansas State University

4. Erin Frank Drought and pathogen effects of gene expression in big bluestem; Kansas State University

5. Katie Bertrand & Keith Gido Fishes and floods: stream ecosystem drivers in the Great Plains; Kansas State University

6. Maipelo Madome & David Hartnett Effects of herbivory on growth and morphology of
caespitose and rhizomatous grasses in tallgrass prairie: A comparison of caespitose and rhizomatous growth forms, Kansas State University

7. Joseph Coolon Changes in nematode gene expression in response to soil bacteria; Kansas State University

8. Valerie Wright & Annie Baker Teaching science through ecology: the Schoolyard LTER Program at Konza Prairie; Konza Prairie Biological Station

9. Kristy Hajny Fire ecology of shrub populations in ungrazed tallgrass prairie: effects of season of fire; Kansas State University

10. Jennifer Apple & Anthony Joern RaMPs: Effects of temperature and rainfall manipulation on insect and pathogen damage to Solidago canadensis; Kansas State University

11. Jennifer Apple, Anothony Joern & John Blair Effects of grasshopper frass and bison dung additions on soil nitrogen pools in ungrazed grassland at Konza Prairie; Kansas State University

12. Paul White, Charles Rice, Gail Wilson & Tim Todd The effects of mycorrhizal suppression on soil microbial ecology; Kansas State University

13. A.E. Casey, K.M.L. Kiefer, Samantha Wisely & Brett Sandercock Optimization of molecular methods for sexing of a monomorphic shorebird; Kansas State University

14. Tony Mong¹ & Brett Sandercock² Optimizing radio retention and minimizing radio impacts in field studies of shorebirds; University of Missouri1 & Kansas State University²

15. John Blair, John Briggs & Gene Towne. Changes in plant communities and soil properties in the Fire Reversal Experiment; Kansas State University

16. Kimberly Kissing & Gwen Macpherson. Short-term water level fluctuations and long-term water level decline at the Konza Prairie: drought or vegetation? University of Kansas