Cotinus obovatus (American smoketree) is a rare deciduous tree with a relictual distribution in southeastern North America. Efforts to map its finescale geographic distribution in the Ozark Mountains have been limited to the growing season when the distinctive blooming panicles and foliage facilitate detection in hardwood-cedar woodlands. I describe the physiognomic traits of leafless C. obovatus that permit effective population mapping in winter landscapes. Clumped growth and diagonally leaning stems facilitate detection at a distance. Bark texture, twig morphology, and sap odor confirm the identity of the tree at close range.
{"title":"Winter Surveys of Cotinus obovatus (American smoketree) in the Ozark Mountains","authors":"G. Graves","doi":"10.54119/jaas.2018.7201","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54119/jaas.2018.7201","url":null,"abstract":"Cotinus obovatus (American smoketree) is a rare deciduous tree with a relictual distribution in southeastern North America. Efforts to map its finescale geographic distribution in the Ozark Mountains have been limited to the growing season when the distinctive blooming panicles and foliage facilitate detection in hardwood-cedar woodlands. I describe the physiognomic traits of leafless C. obovatus that permit effective population mapping in winter landscapes. Clumped growth and diagonally leaning stems facilitate detection at a distance. Bark texture, twig morphology, and sap odor confirm the identity of the tree at close range.","PeriodicalId":30423,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43396310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Observations of Townsend’s Solitaires (Myadestes townsendi) on Mount Magazine in Logan County, Arkansas","authors":"Don Simons, Kimberly G. Smith","doi":"10.54119/jaas.2018.7203","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54119/jaas.2018.7203","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":30423,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41357825","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
R. Tumlison, C. T. McAllister, H. Robison, M. Connior, D. Sasse, D. Cloutman, L. Durden, C. Bursey, T. Fayton, S. Schratz, M. Buckley
Because meaningful observations of natural history are not always part of larger studies, important pieces of information often are unreported. Small details, however, can fills gaps in understanding and also lead to interesting questions about ecological relationships or environmental change. We have compiled recent observations of foods, reproduction, record size, parasites, and distribution of 30 species of fishes, new records of distribution and parasites of 2 species of amphibians, and new records of distribution, parasites, reproduction and anomalies of 11 species of mammals.
{"title":"Vertebrate Natural History Notes from Arkansas, 2017","authors":"R. Tumlison, C. T. McAllister, H. Robison, M. Connior, D. Sasse, D. Cloutman, L. Durden, C. Bursey, T. Fayton, S. Schratz, M. Buckley","doi":"10.54119/jaas.2017.7117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54119/jaas.2017.7117","url":null,"abstract":"Because meaningful observations of natural history are not always part of larger studies, important pieces of information often are unreported. Small details, however, can fills gaps in understanding and also lead to interesting questions about ecological relationships or environmental change. We have compiled recent observations of foods, reproduction, record size, parasites, and distribution of 30 species of fishes, new records of distribution and parasites of 2 species of amphibians, and new records of distribution, parasites, reproduction and anomalies of 11 species of mammals.","PeriodicalId":30423,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48421333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Prior to the present study, 56 species with 3 additional subspecies for a total of 59 different taxa of crayfishes were recognized from Arkansas. We add a single species (Carmel Crayfish, Fallicambarus schusteri) to that list, subtract a documented synonym (Procambarus ferrugenius = Procambarus liberorum), update the classification to better reflect recent phylogenetic insights, and provide an updated annotated checklist of the 59 crayfish taxa of presently known from the state. There are 8 endemic species in Arkansas, including the Bayou Bodcau Crayfish (Bouchardina robisoni), Boston Mountains Crayfish (Cambarus causeyi), Hell Creek Cave Crayfish (C. zophonastes), Jefferson County Crayfish (Creaserinus gilpini), Ouachita Burrowing Crayfish (Fallicambarus harpi), Slenderwrist Burrowing Crayfish (F. petilicarpus), Saline Burrowing Crayfish (F. strawni), and Redspotted Stream Crayfish (Faxonius acares). There are also 2 federally endangered species, the Benton County Cave Crayfish (Cambarus aculabrum) and the Hell Creek Cave Crayfish (C. zophonastes) that inhabit Arkansas karst habitat. We expect that additional species will be included in the list with further DNA analyses.
{"title":"An Annotated Checklist of the Crayfishes (Decapoda: Cambaridae) of Arkansas","authors":"H. Robison, K. Crandall, C. T. McAllister","doi":"10.54119/jaas.2017.7106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54119/jaas.2017.7106","url":null,"abstract":"Prior to the present study, 56 species with 3 additional subspecies for a total of 59 different taxa of crayfishes were recognized from Arkansas. We add a single species (Carmel Crayfish, Fallicambarus schusteri) to that list, subtract a documented synonym (Procambarus ferrugenius = Procambarus liberorum), update the classification to better reflect recent phylogenetic insights, and provide an updated annotated checklist of the 59 crayfish taxa of presently known from the state. There are 8 endemic species in Arkansas, including the Bayou Bodcau Crayfish (Bouchardina robisoni), Boston Mountains Crayfish (Cambarus causeyi), Hell Creek Cave Crayfish (C. zophonastes), Jefferson County Crayfish (Creaserinus gilpini), Ouachita Burrowing Crayfish (Fallicambarus harpi), Slenderwrist Burrowing Crayfish (F. petilicarpus), Saline Burrowing Crayfish (F. strawni), and Redspotted Stream Crayfish (Faxonius acares). There are also 2 federally endangered species, the Benton County Cave Crayfish (Cambarus aculabrum) and the Hell Creek Cave Crayfish (C. zophonastes) that inhabit Arkansas karst habitat. We expect that additional species will be included in the list with further DNA analyses.","PeriodicalId":30423,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47976922","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Many diverse animal models have been used to explore the interactions between host organisms and their microbiota. Increased understanding of microbehost interactions could lead to improved healthcare and drug development. Spiders have venom, digestive fluid, and body fluid components that have been suggested to possess antimicrobial properties that could lead to new and interesting host-microbe interactions. While studies have been published on interactions between bacteria affecting the immune function and behavior of spiders, the spider microbiome has not been established to date. Excreta and body swabs were collected from Rabidosa rabida, a wolf spider typically found on tall grass or low vegetation. Bacteria were cultured on tryptic soy agar, an all-purpose media known to grow most common bacterial strains, plates and 53 bacterial samples were Gram stained, catalase, and coagulase tested using aseptic technique. Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus sp., and a Gram-positive bacillus were found on the excreta samples while Staphylococcus sp., Gram-negative bacilli, and Gram-negative cocci were found on the body swabs. Most of the excreta samples had little to no growth. The body swabs had multiple types of microorganisms that were limited to body location. A better understanding of this relatively simple host-microbe interaction can provide an understanding of the factors affecting these interactions allowing us to then understand more complex interactions such as those found in humans.
{"title":"A First Look at the Microbial Community of Rabidosa rabida, a Wolf Spider in Searcy, Arkansas","authors":"Patricia Rivera, Ryan Stork, Amber Hug","doi":"10.54119/jaas.2017.7111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54119/jaas.2017.7111","url":null,"abstract":"Many diverse animal models have been used to explore the interactions between host organisms and their microbiota. Increased understanding of microbehost interactions could lead to improved healthcare and drug development. Spiders have venom, digestive fluid, and body fluid components that have been suggested to possess antimicrobial properties that could lead to new and interesting host-microbe interactions. While studies have been published on interactions between bacteria affecting the immune function and behavior of spiders, the spider microbiome has not been established to date. Excreta and body swabs were collected from Rabidosa rabida, a wolf spider typically found on tall grass or low vegetation. Bacteria were cultured on tryptic soy agar, an all-purpose media known to grow most common bacterial strains, plates and 53 bacterial samples were Gram stained, catalase, and coagulase tested using aseptic technique. Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus sp., and a Gram-positive bacillus were found on the excreta samples while Staphylococcus sp., Gram-negative bacilli, and Gram-negative cocci were found on the body swabs. Most of the excreta samples had little to no growth. The body swabs had multiple types of microorganisms that were limited to body location. A better understanding of this relatively simple host-microbe interaction can provide an understanding of the factors affecting these interactions allowing us to then understand more complex interactions such as those found in humans.","PeriodicalId":30423,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44864328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. T. McAllister, D. Motriuk-Smith, R. Seville, M. Connior, S. Trauth, H. Robison
Coccidian parasites (Protista: Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) commonly infect reptiles, and to a lesser degree, amphibians. The family Eimeriidae includes at least 18 genera and 3 of them, Caryospora, Eimeria, and Isospora have been reported previously from various Arkansas herpetofauna. Over the past 3 decades, our community collaborative effort has provided a great deal of information on these parasites found in amphibians and reptiles of Arkansas. Here, we provide a summary of all coccidians reported from herptiles of the state as well as provide 2 new state records for coccidians from non-native Mediterranean geckos, Hemidactylus turcicus.
{"title":"Coccidian Parasites (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) of Arkansas Herpetofauna: A Summary with Two New State Records.","authors":"C. T. McAllister, D. Motriuk-Smith, R. Seville, M. Connior, S. Trauth, H. Robison","doi":"10.54119/jaas.2017.7103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54119/jaas.2017.7103","url":null,"abstract":"Coccidian parasites (Protista: Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) commonly infect reptiles, and to a lesser degree, amphibians. The family Eimeriidae includes at least 18 genera and 3 of them, Caryospora, Eimeria, and Isospora have been reported previously from various Arkansas herpetofauna. Over the past 3 decades, our community collaborative effort has provided a great deal of information on these parasites found in amphibians and reptiles of Arkansas. Here, we provide a summary of all coccidians reported from herptiles of the state as well as provide 2 new state records for coccidians from non-native Mediterranean geckos, Hemidactylus turcicus.","PeriodicalId":30423,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science","volume":"71 1","pages":"143-152"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44444648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Distribution, Habitat, and Life History Aspects of the Shrimp Crayfish, Faxonius lancifer (Hagen) (Decapoda: Cambaridae) in Arkansas","authors":"H. Robison, C. T. McAllister, R. Tumlison","doi":"10.54119/jaas.2017.7105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54119/jaas.2017.7105","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":30423,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44654028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M B Connior, L A Durden, C T McAllister, R S Seville, C R Bursey, H W Robison
{"title":"New Records of Parasites (Apicomplexa, Nematoda, Acari, Anoplura) from Rodents in Arkansas.","authors":"M B Connior, L A Durden, C T McAllister, R S Seville, C R Bursey, H W Robison","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":30423,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science","volume":"71 ","pages":"211-214"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6105290/pdf/nihms935161.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41171778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Interrelationships between subterranean and epigean environments affect dispersion and distribution of cave organisms among the macro and microhabitats. This study examined the environmental impact of 42 years of tourism and development in the two lower sections of Blanchard Springs Caverns found in Stone County, Arkansas; and contributes to a better understanding of the seasonal fluctuations of the abiotic and biotic parameters. Temperature, water quality, and fauna data were collected. A new entrance, lighting, and approximately 12,500 visitors during the 12-month study had no observable effect on cavern temperatures. Stream water quality measurements were comparable to Grove’s 1974 study. Gray bat, Myotis grisescens , populations and distributions increased from an estimated maximum of 5000 (Grove 1974; Grove and Harvey 1974) to 372,726 reported by U.S. Forest Service (personal communication, Jessica Hawkins, Sylamore District of the Ozark National Forest, Mountain View (AR), 2016). This study reported 5 obligate cave species all recorded in previous studies.
{"title":"Ecology of Blanchard Springs Caverns, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas: 42 Years Later","authors":"C. Midden, S. Sasser, J. L. Grove","doi":"10.54119/jaas.2017.7124","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54119/jaas.2017.7124","url":null,"abstract":"Interrelationships between subterranean and epigean environments affect dispersion and distribution of cave organisms among the macro and microhabitats. This study examined the environmental impact of 42 years of tourism and development in the two lower sections of Blanchard Springs Caverns found in Stone County, Arkansas; and contributes to a better understanding of the seasonal fluctuations of the abiotic and biotic parameters. Temperature, water quality, and fauna data were collected. A new entrance, lighting, and approximately 12,500 visitors during the 12-month study had no observable effect on cavern temperatures. Stream water quality measurements were comparable to Grove’s 1974 study. Gray bat, Myotis grisescens , populations and distributions increased from an estimated maximum of 5000 (Grove 1974; Grove and Harvey 1974) to 372,726 reported by U.S. Forest Service (personal communication, Jessica Hawkins, Sylamore District of the Ozark National Forest, Mountain View (AR), 2016). This study reported 5 obligate cave species all recorded in previous studies.","PeriodicalId":30423,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42670855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Burgad, S. Clark, M. Furr, A. Lenard, M. E. Polett, C. Robinson, C. Sherwood, G. Spooner, S. Stoughton, S. Adams
The River Continuum Concept (RCC) provides the framework for studying how lotic ecosystems vary from headwater streams to large rivers. The RCC was developed in streams in eastern deciduous forests of North America, but watershed characteristics and land uses differ across ecoregions, presenting unique opportunities to study how predictions of the RCC may differ across regions. Additionally, RCC predictions may vary due to the influence of fishes, but few studies have used fish taxa as a metric for evaluating predictions of the RCC. Our goal was to determine if RCC predictions for stream orders 1 through 5 were supported by primary producer, macroinvertebrate, and fish communities in Cadron Creek of the Arkansas River Valley. We sampled chlorophyll a, macroinvertebrates, and fishes at five stream reaches across a gradient of watershed size. Contrary to RCC predictions, chlorophyll a did not increase in concentration with catchment size. As the RCC predicts, fish and macroinvertebrate diversity increased with catchment size. Shredding and collecting macroinvertebrate taxa supported RCC predictions, respectively decreasing and increasing in composition as catchment area increased. Herbivorous and predaceous fish did not follow RCC predictions; however, surface-water column feeding fish were abundant at all sites as predicted. We hypothesize some predictions of the RCC were not supported in headwater reaches of this system due to regional differences in watershed characteristics and altered resource availability due to land use surrounding sampling sites.
{"title":"Longitudinal patterns in an Arkansas River Valley stream: an Application of the River Continuum Concept","authors":"A. Burgad, S. Clark, M. Furr, A. Lenard, M. E. Polett, C. Robinson, C. Sherwood, G. Spooner, S. Stoughton, S. Adams","doi":"10.54119/jaas.2017.7126","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54119/jaas.2017.7126","url":null,"abstract":"The River Continuum Concept (RCC) provides the framework for studying how lotic ecosystems vary from headwater streams to large rivers. The RCC was developed in streams in eastern deciduous forests of North America, but watershed characteristics and land uses differ across ecoregions, presenting unique opportunities to study how predictions of the RCC may differ across regions. Additionally, RCC predictions may vary due to the influence of fishes, but few studies have used fish taxa as a metric for evaluating predictions of the RCC. Our goal was to determine if RCC predictions for stream orders 1 through 5 were supported by primary producer, macroinvertebrate, and fish communities in Cadron Creek of the Arkansas River Valley. We sampled chlorophyll a, macroinvertebrates, and fishes at five stream reaches across a gradient of watershed size. Contrary to RCC predictions, chlorophyll a did not increase in concentration with catchment size. As the RCC predicts, fish and macroinvertebrate diversity increased with catchment size. Shredding and collecting macroinvertebrate taxa supported RCC predictions, respectively decreasing and increasing in composition as catchment area increased. Herbivorous and predaceous fish did not follow RCC predictions; however, surface-water column feeding fish were abundant at all sites as predicted. We hypothesize some predictions of the RCC were not supported in headwater reaches of this system due to regional differences in watershed characteristics and altered resource availability due to land use surrounding sampling sites.","PeriodicalId":30423,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48584341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}