@article {6292, title = {Drought-tolerant grassland species are generally more resistant to competition}, journal = {Journal of Ecology}, year = {In Press}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2745.14243}, url = {https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1365-2745.14243}, author = {Mount, Hailey E. and M. D. Smith and Alan K. Knapp and Griffin-Nolan, R.J. and Collins, Scott L. and Atkins, David H. and Stears, Alice E. and Laughlin, Daniel C.} } @article {6214, title = {Data fusion of distance sampling and capture-recapture data}, journal = {Journal of Spatial Statistics}, volume = {55}, year = {2023}, pages = {100756}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1016/j.spasta.2023.100756}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211675323000313}, author = {Mohankumar, Narmadha M. and Hefley, Trevor J. and Silber, Katy M. and Boyle, W. A.} } @article {6267, title = {Diversity{\textendash}stability relationships across organism groups and ecosystem types become decoupled across spatial scales}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {104}, year = {2023}, pages = {e4136}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1002/ecy.v104.910.1002/ecy.4136}, url = {https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.4136}, author = {Wisnoski, Nathan I. and Andrade, Riley and Castorani, Max C. N. and Catano, Christopher P. and Compagnoni, Aldo and Lamy, Thomas and Lany, Nina K. and Marazzi, Luca and Record, Sydne and Smith, Annie C. and Swan, Christopher M. and Tonkin, Jonathan D. and Voelker, Nicole M. and Zarnetske, Phoebe L. and Sokol, Eric R.} } @article {6284, title = {Drier streams despite a wetter climate in woody-encroached grasslands}, journal = {Journal of Hydrology}, volume = {627}, year = {2023}, pages = {130388}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.130388}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022169423013306}, author = {Sadayappan, Kayalvizhi and Keen, Rachel and Jarecke, Karla M. and Moreno, Victoria and Nippert, J.B. and Kirk, M. F. and Sullivan, P.L. and Li, Li} } @article {6287, title = {Dynamic plant{\textendash}herbivore interactions between bison space use and vegetation heterogeneity in a tallgrass prairie}, journal = {Remote Sensing}, volume = {15}, year = {2023}, pages = {5269}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.3390/rs15225269}, url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/22/5269}, author = {Ling, Bohua and Raynor, E.J. and A. Joern and Goodin, D.G.} } @article {6274, title = {Darksidea phi, sp. nov., a dark septate root-associated fungus in foundation grasses in North American Great Plains}, journal = {Mycologia}, volume = {11420164110338}, year = {2022}, pages = {254-269}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, issn = {0027-5514}, doi = {10.1080/00275514.2022.2031780}, url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00275514.2022.2031780}, author = {Romero-Jim{\'e}neza, Mar{\'\i}a-Jos{\'e}. and Rudgers, Jennifer A. and Jumpponen, Ari and Herrera, Jose and Hutchinson, Miriam and Kuske, Cheryl and Dunbar, John and Knapp, D{\'a}niel G. and Kov{\'a}cs, G{\'a}bor M. and Porras-Alfaro, Andrea} } @phdthesis {6132, title = {Data fusion and spatio-temporal approaches to model species distribution}, volume = {PhD Dissertation}, year = {2022}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {Ph.D. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan, KS}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, url = {https://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/handle/2097/42172}, author = {Mohankumar, Narmadha} } @phdthesis {6256, title = {Defining, describing, and assessing growth determinacy as a mechanism of plant species codominance}, volume = {PhD Dissertation}, year = {2022}, school = {Colorado State University}, type = {Ph.D. Thesis}, address = {Fort Collins, CO}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, url = {https://api.mountainscholar.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/e9229126-0255-4b7d-aa9b-e1b3bedfc593/content}, author = {Gray, Jesse E.} } @article {6163, title = {Do trade-offs govern plant species{\textquoteright} responses to different global change treatments?}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {103}, year = {2022}, pages = {e3626}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, issn = {0012-9658}, doi = {10.1002/ecy.3626}, url = {https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.3626}, author = {Langley, J. Adam and Grman, Emily and K.R. Wilcox and M.L. Avolio and Kimberly J. Komatsu and Collins, Scott L. and Koerner, S.E. and M. D. Smith and Baldwin, Andrew H. and Bowman, William and Chiariello, Nona and Eskelinen, Anu and Harmens, Harry and Hovenden, Mark and Klanderud, Kari and McCulley, Rebecca L. and Onipchenko, Vladimir G. and Robinson, Clare H. and K.N. Suding} } @phdthesis {6059, title = {Drought impacts on the microbiome in grasslands across the great plains: a story of legacy effects, resistance, and resilience}, volume = {PhD Dissertation}, year = {2022}, school = {Colorado State University}, type = {Ph.D. Thesis}, address = {Fort Collins, CO}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, author = {Vilonen, Leena} } @article {5956, title = {Deconstructing precipitation variability: rainfall event size and timing uniquely alter ecosystem dynamics}, journal = {Journal of Ecology}, volume = {109}, year = {2021}, pages = {3356-3369}, abstract = {}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2745.13724}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2745.13724}, author = {Griffin-Nolan, R.J. and Slette, I.J. and Alan K. Knapp} } @article {5976, title = {Deepening roots can enhance carbonate weathering by amplifying CO2-rich recharge}, journal = {Biogeosciences}, volume = {18}, year = {2021}, pages = {55-75}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.5194/bg-18-55-2021}, url = {https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/18/55/2021/}, author = {Wen, H. and Sullivan, P.L. and Macpherson, G.L. and Billings, S.A. and Li, L.} } @article {KNZ002048, title = {Defining codominance in plant communities}, journal = {New Phytologist}, volume = {230}, year = {2021}, pages = {1716-1730}, abstract = {

Species dominance and biodiversity in plant communities have received considerable attention and characterisation. However, species codominance, while often alleged, is seldom defined or quantified. Codominance is a common phenomenon and is likely to be an important driver of community structure, ecosystem function and the stability of both. Here we review the use of the term \‘codominance\’ and find inconsistencies in its use, suggesting that the scientific community currently lacks a universal understanding of codominance. We address this issue by: (1) qualitatively defining codominance as mostly shared abundance that is distinctively isolated within a subset of a community, and (2) presenting a novel metric for quantifying the degree to which relative abundances are shared among a codominant subset of plant species, while also accounting for the remaining species within a plant community. Using both simulated and real-world data, we then demonstrate the process of applying the codominance metric to compare communities and to generate a quantitatively defensible subset of species to consider codominant within a community. We show that our metric effectively distinguishes the degree of codominance between four types of grassland ecosystems as well as simulated ecosystems with varying degrees of abundance sharing among community members. Overall, we make the case that increased research focusses on the conditions under which codominance occurs and the consequences for species coexistence, community structure and ecosystem function that would considerably advance the fields of community and ecosystem ecology.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/nph.17253}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.17253}, author = {Gray, J.E. and Kimberly J. Komatsu and M.D. Smith} } @article {5968, title = {Determinants of community compositional change are equally affected by global change}, journal = {Ecology Letters}, volume = {24}, year = {2021}, pages = {1892-1904}, abstract = {

Global change is impacting plant community composition, but the mechanisms underlying these changes are unclear. Using a dataset of 58 global change experiments, we tested the five fundamental mechanisms of community change: changes in evenness and richness, reordering, species gains and losses. We found 71\% of communities were impacted by global change treatments, and 88\% of communities that were exposed to two or more global change drivers were impacted. Further, all mechanisms of change were equally likely to be affected by global change treatments\—species losses and changes in richness were just as common as species gains and reordering. We also found no evidence of a progression of community changes, for example, reordering and changes in evenness did not precede species gains and losses. We demonstrate that all processes underlying plant community composition changes are equally affected by treatments and often occur simultaneously, necessitating a wholistic approach to quantifying community changes.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/ele.13824}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.13824}, author = {M.L. Avolio and Kimberly J. Komatsu and S.L Collins and Grman, Emily and Koerner, S.E. and Tredennick, A.T. and Wilcox, K.R. and Baer, S.G. and E.H. Boughton and Britton, Andrea J. and Foster, Bryan and Gough, Laura and Hovenden, Mark and Isbell, Forest and Jentsch, Anke and Johnson, David S. and Knapp, Alan K. and Kreyling, Juergen and Langley, J. Adam and Lortie, Christopher and McCulley, Rebecca L. and McLaren, Jennie R. and Reich, Peter B. and Seabloom, Eric W. and Smith, Melinda D. and Suding, Katharine N. and Suttle, K. Blake and Tognetti, Pedro M.}, editor = {Anderson, Marti} } @article {KNZ002058, title = {Differential resilience of soil microbes and ecosystem functions following cessation of long-term fertilization}, journal = {Ecosystems}, volume = {24}, year = {2021}, pages = {2042{\textendash}2060}, abstract = {

Nitrogen (N) from anthropogenic sources has dramatically increased in terrestrial ecosystems globally. Although belowground microbial processes and events that release N into the atmosphere, such as fire, could support ecosystem resilience to eutrophication, little is known about how these factors might affect N loss following chronic fertilization, thus promoting ecosystem recovery. We studied how N pools, N-cycling potential rates and their affiliated microbial populations, and microbial community composition responded to the factorial effects of cessation of 30 years of chronic N fertilization and annual burning at a tallgrass prairie. Soil N availability in previously fertilized plots recovered by 86\% (using never-fertilized control plots as a 100\% recovery reference), while plant and microbial biomass did not change. Nitrification potential recovered (80\%), and denitrification potential partially recovered (50\%), in previously fertilized plots. There were differential responses among key groups of nitrifiers (archaea vs. bacteria) and denitrifiers (nosZ clade I vs. clade II from Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans) to long-term N fertilization and cessation despite the whole microbial community composition not shifting significantly after fertilization ceased. Also, N-cycling potentials were consistently higher in unburned prairie. Together, results suggest that fire is a prominent mechanism for ecosystem N removal in annually burned prairie, while N-cycling microbes will have an important role in the absence of fire; however, the recovery to pre-fertilized condition, with or without fire, will take longer than 1 year. Overall, differential resilience of biotic populations and processes can potentially shape different outcomes of soil N loss and tallgrass prairie ecosystem recovery from long-term N fertilization.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1007/s10021-021-00633-9}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10021-021-00633-9}, author = {Nieland, M.A. and P. Moley and J. Hanschu and L.H. Zeglin} } @mastersthesis {5998, title = {Direct and indirect drivers of grassland bird population declines and settlement decisions over broad spatial and temporal scales}, volume = {MS Thesis}, year = {2021}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {M.S. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan, KS}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, url = {https://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/handle/2097/41480}, author = {Smith, E.B.} } @article {5988, title = {Disentangling effects of predators and landscape factors as drivers of stream fish community structure}, journal = {Freshwater Biology}, volume = {66}, year = {2021}, pages = {656 - 668}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/fwb.13668}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/fwb.13668}, author = {Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff and K. B. Gido and Estey, Michael and Moore, P.J.} } @article {5986, title = {Do fine-scale experiments underestimate predator consumption rates?}, journal = {Journal of Animal Ecology}, volume = {90}, year = {2021}, pages = {2391 - 2403}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2656.13549}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/13652656/90/10}, author = {Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff and Pennock, C.A. and K. B. Gido} } @article {KNZ002034, title = {Is a drought a drought in grasslands? Productivity responses to different types of drought}, journal = {Oecologia}, year = {2021}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, author = {Carroll, C.J.W. and Slette, I.J. and Griffin-Nolan, R.J. and Baur, L.E. and Hoffman, A.M. and Denton, E.M. and Gray, J.E. and Post, A.K. and Johnston, M.K. and Yu, Q. and Collins, S.L. and Luo, Y. and Smith, M.D. and Knapp, A.K.} } @article {KNZ002012, title = {Dispersal drives temporal changes in fish community abundance in intermittent stream networks}, journal = {River Research and Applications}, volume = {36}, year = {2020}, pages = {797-806}, abstract = {

Increasing trends in fragmentation and dewatering of streams warrants research on how populations and communities respond to varying water levels and barriers to movement. Although these responses are complicated by many spatial and temporal processes, long-term datasets might help reveal complex patterns and processes driving variability in species abundances. The objective of this study was to develop a predictive framework for fish community and population responses to varying levels of water availability across six sites in two intermittent stream networks sampled \>10\ years. We predicted that fishes would emigrate into intermittent reaches during wet conditions; thus, overall abundances within perennial source locations will decline. Accordingly, when intermittent reaches dry, fishes will contract to wetted habitats resulting in high abundance. Observed fish community abundances were highly variable within and among study sites, but four of six sites matched our predictions. A tagging study confirmed these results and demonstrated a substantial proportion of individuals moved away from perennial reaches and into newly wetted intermittent reaches. However, site and species-specific relationships were variable and likely depended on the habitat, metacommunity dynamics, and life history strategies. Findings suggest that species dispersal dynamics, in addition to recruitment and mortality, should be carefully considered when interpreting species responses to varying water levels, particularly in intermittent stream networks where access to habitat can change drastically with water availability.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, author = {Hedden, Skyler C. and K. B. Gido} } @article {KNZ002052, title = {Does riparian fencing protect stream water quality in cattle-grazed lands?}, journal = {Environmental Management}, volume = {66}, year = {2020}, pages = {121 - 135}, abstract = {

Cattle degrade streams by increasing sediment, nutrient, and fecal bacteria levels. Riparian fencing is one best management practice that may protect water quality within many grazed lands. Here we surveyed the literature and summarized the responses of sediment, nutrient, and fecal indicator bacteria levels to riparian exclosure fencing in cattle-grazed lands. Overall, our review of relevant literature supports the role of riparian exclosure fencing in reducing the negative impact of cattle on water quality, particularly for sediment and fecal indicator bacteria in temperate forest and temperate grassland streams. Establishing buffer widths \>\ 5\–10\ m appears to increase the likelihood of water quality improvements. Fencing may also be effective at reducing pollutant inputs during stormflows. Our survey also identified critical spatial and thematic gaps that future research programs should address. Despite cattle grazing being prevalent in 12 terrestrial biomes, our systematic search of the empirical literature identified 26 relevant studies across only three biomes. Regions with the greatest cattle populations remain largely unstudied. In addition, we identified inconsistencies in how studies reported information on regional factors, cattle management, and other metrics related to study results. We provide a list of standard parameters for future studies to consider reporting to improve cross-study comparisons of riparian fencing impacts. We also encourage future studies in semi-arid and tropical regions where cattle grazing is common.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1007/s00267-020-01297-2}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00267-020-01297-2}, author = {Grudzinski, B. and Fritz, K. and W. K. Dodds} } @article {KNZ001954, title = {Decadal-scale shifts in soil hydraulic properties induced by altered precipitation}, journal = {Science Advances}, volume = {5}, year = {2019}, pages = {eaau6635}, abstract = {

Soil hydraulic properties influence the partitioning of rainfall into infiltration versus runoff, determine plant-available water, and constrain evapotranspiration. Although rapid changes in soil hydraulic properties from direct human disturbance are well documented, climate change may also induce such shifts on decadal time scales. Using soils from a 25-year precipitation manipulation experiment, we found that a 35\% increase in water inputs substantially reduced infiltration rates and modestly increased water retention. We posit that these shifts were catalyzed by greater pore blockage by plant roots and reduced shrink-swell cycles. Given that precipitation regimes are expected to change at accelerating rates globally, shifts in soil structure could occur over broad regions more rapidly than expected and thus alter water storage and movement in numerous terrestrial ecosystems.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aau6635}, url = {https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/9/eaau6635}, author = {Caplan, J.S. and Gimenez, D. and Hirmas, D.R. and N. Brunsell and John M. Blair and Alan K. Knapp} } @article {KNZ001938, title = {Demystifying dominant species}, journal = {New Phytologist}, volume = {223}, year = {2019}, pages = {1106 - 1126}, abstract = {

The pattern of a few abundant species and many rarer species is a defining characteristic of communities worldwide. These abundant species are often referred to as dominant species. Yet, despite their importance, the term dominant species is poorly defined and often used to convey different information by different authors. Based on a review of historical and contemporary definitions we develop a synthetic definition of dominant species. This definition incorporates the relative local abundance of a species, its ubiquity across the landscape, and its impact on community and ecosystem properties. A meta-analysis of removal studies shows that the loss of species identified as dominant by authors can significantly impact ecosystem functioning and community structure. We recommend two metrics that can be used jointly to identify dominant species in a given community and provide a roadmap for future avenues of research on dominant species. In our review, we make the case that the identity and effects of dominant species on their environments are key to linking patterns of diversity to ecosystem function, including predicting impacts of species loss and other aspects of global change on ecosystems.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/nph.15789}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/nph.15789}, author = {M.L. Avolio and Forrestel, Elisabeth J. and Chang, Cynthia C. and Kimberly J. La Pierre and Burghardt, Karin T. and M.D. Smith} } @article {KNZ001935, title = {A distributed experiment demonstrates widespread sodium limitation in grassland food webs}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {7113}, year = {2019}, pages = {e02600}, abstract = {

Sodium (Na) has a unique role in food webs as a nutrient primarily limiting for plant consumers, but not other trophic levels. Environmental Na levels vary with proximity to coasts, local geomorphology, climate, and with anthropogenic inputs (e.g., road salt). We tested two key predictions across 54 grasslands in North America: Na shortfall commonly limits herbivore abundance, and the magnitude of this limitation varies inversely with environmental Na supplies. We tested them with a distributed pulse experiment and evaluated the relative importance of Na limitation to other classic drivers of climate, macronutrient levels, and plant productivity. Herbivore abundance increased by 45\% with Na addition. Moreover, the magnitude of increase on Na addition plots decreased with increasing levels of plant Na, indicating Na satiation at sites with high Na concentrations in plant tissue. Our results demonstrate that invertebrate primary consumers are often Na limited and track local Na availability, with implications for the geography of invertebrate abundance and herbivory.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1002/ecy.2600}, url = {https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecy.2600}, author = {Welti, Ellen A. R. and Sanders, Nathan J. and Beurs, Kirsten M. and Kaspari, Michael} } @article {KNZ001877, title = {Diversity patterns from sequentially restored grasslands support the {\textquoteleft}environmental heterogeneity hypothesis{\textquoteright}}, journal = {Oikos}, volume = {128}, year = {2019}, pages = {1116 - 1122}, abstract = {

The \‘environmental heterogeneity hypothesis\’ (EHH) has been proposed as a mechanism that enables species coexistence through resource partitioning. In accordance with this hypothesis, plant diversity is predicted to increase with variability in resources, but there has been weak support for this hypothesis from experimental studies. The objectives of this research were to 1) characterize how resource availability and heterogeneity (coefficient of variation) change as plant communities develop using sequentially restored grasslands, 2) determine if resource heterogeneity relates to plant diversity (effective number of species, richness, and evenness), and 3) reveal if the strength of resource heterogeneity\–diversity relationships is different among levels of resource availability. We quantified means and coefficients of variation in soil nitrate and light availability in grasslands established on former agricultural lands for different times and their relationship to plant diversity using a geostatistically-informed design. Nitrate availability decreased exponentially with restoration age, but no directional change in nitrate heterogeneity across the chronosequence occurred due to high resource variability in some restorations. Light availability also decreased exponentially across the chronosequence, but there was no directional change in light heterogeneity. Nitrate heterogeneity was positively correlated with both plant richness and plant effective number of species at high levels of nitrate availability. However, no nitrate heterogeneity correlation was detected at low levels of nitrate availability. Light heterogeneity was positively correlated with plant effective number of species at low levels of light availability. However, no light heterogeneity correlation was detected at high levels of light availability. Plant evenness was not correlated with resource heterogeneity at any resource availability level. These results support the positive heterogeneity\–diversity relationship predicted by EHH, and uniquely that this relationship develops within a decade of plant community development, but can be obscured by resource availability.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/oik.05877}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/oik.05877}, author = {Scott, D.A. and S.G. Baer} } @phdthesis {KNZ001955, title = {Drivers, mechanisms, and thresholds of wood encroachment in mesic grasslands}, volume = {PhD Dissertation}, year = {2019}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {Ph.D. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan, KS. }, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, url = {https://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/handle/2097/40021}, author = {O{\textquoteright}Connor, Rory} } @article {KNZ002039, title = {Drought suppresses soil predators and promotes root herbivores in mesic, but not in xeric grasslands}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, volume = {116}, year = {2019}, pages = {12883 - 12888}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1900572116}, url = {http://www.pnas.org/lookup/doi/10.1073/pnas.1900572116}, author = {Franco, andr{\'e} and Gherardi, L.A. and de Tomasel, C.M. and Andriuzzi, W.S. and Ankrom, K.E. and Shaw, E. A. and Bach, E.M. and Sala, O.E. and Wall, D.H.} } @article {KNZ001919, title = {Dust, impure calcite, and phytoliths: modeled alternative sources of chemical weathering solutes in shallow groundwater}, journal = {Chemical Geology}, volume = {527}, year = {2019}, pages = {118871}, abstract = {

In highly reactive, carbonate terrains that constitute more than one-fifth of critical zone landscapes, quantifying bedrock weathering processes may require understanding the realities of carbonate mineral impurity on solubility, biotically-produced minerals as an integral part of leaky biogeochemical cycles, and dust-deposited minerals as important high-surface-area, first-contact solute sources. The potential impact of these processes has not been thoroughly investigated as groundwater solutes are mostly thought to be sourced from chemical reactions with soil and bedrock, although dust is often viewed as an important delivery mechanism of nutrients to other ecosystems, including those in mountain and tropical settings. We present results of computer and hand-calculated (manual) inverse modeling of two years of stream-water chemistry, spanning a dry and a wet year, for a groundwater-fed headwater stream at the Konza Tallgrass Prairie Long-Term Ecological Research Site in northeastern Kansas. Weathering of the limestone and shale bedrock at the site provide a possible source of solutes to the groundwater-fed stream, but our modeling suggests an alternate source considering the pathway of groundwater recharge likely encounters highly reactive phases before encountering bedrock. We used the mineralogy and geochemistry of local dust collected previously, estimates of a possible chemical composition of phytolith containing potassium, and an impure calcite representing measured limestone bedrock chemistry to show that chemical reactions with the current dust flux are adequate to account for the groundwater chemistry. Average annual amounts were about: 1) 380 kg ha\−1 yr\−1 dust dissolved, 2) 80 kg ha\−1 yr\−1 bedrock carbonate dissolved, and 3) 320 kg ha\−1 yr\−1 phytoliths precipitated. Small amounts of cation exchange were also required to balance the models. There were only small differences between the computer and manual inverse models; both methods resulted in up to 4.6 times more mass of dust dissolved than bedrock. We suggest that dust weathering may be a process that occurs widely, considering the ubiquitous dust flux in continental regions.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Chemical weathering, Critical zone, Dust, Dust deposition, Headwater stream, Inverse model, Karst, Merokarst}, doi = {10.1016/j.chemgeo.2018.08.007}, url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S000925411830398X}, author = {G. L. Macpherson and Sullivan, P.L.} } @article {KNZ001905, title = {Defoliation and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi shape plant communities in overgrazed semiarid grasslands}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {99}, year = {2018}, pages = {1847 - 1856}, abstract = {

Overgrazing substantially contributes to global grassland degradation by decreasing plant community productivity and diversity through trampling, defoliation, and removal of nutrients. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi also play a critical role in plant community diversity, composition, and primary productivity, maintaining ecosystem functions. However, interactions between grazing disturbances, such as trampling and defoliation, and AM fungi in grassland communities are not well known. We examined influences of trampling, defoliation, and AM fungi on semiarid grassland plant community composition for 3\ yr, by comparing all combinations of these factors. Benomyl fungicide was applied to reduce AM fungal abundance. Overgrazing typically resulted in reduced dominance of Stipa Krylovii, contributing to degradation of typical steppe grasslands. Our results indicated trampling generally had little effect on plant community composition, unless combined with defoliation or AM fungal suppression. Defoliation was the main component of grazing that promoted dominance of Potentilla acaulis over Stipa krylovii and Artemisia frigida, presumably by alleviating light limitation. In non-defoliated plots, AM fungi promoted A.\ frigida, with a concomitant reduction in S.\ krylovii growth compared to corresponding AM suppressed plots. Our results indicate AM fungi and defoliation jointly suppress S.\ krylovii biomass; however, prolonged defoliation weakens mycorrhizal influence on plant community composition. These findings give new insight into dominant plant species shifts in degraded semiarid grasslands.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1002/ecy.2401}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2401}, author = {Yang, Xin and Shen, Yue and Liu, Nan and G.T. Wilson and Cobb, Adam B. and Zhang, Yingjun} } @article {KNZ001913, title = {Degraded soil increases the performance of a dominant grass, Andropogon gerardii (Big bluestem)}, journal = {Plant Ecology}, volume = {219}, year = {2018}, pages = {901 - 911}, abstract = {

Dominant grasses can suppress subordinate species in grassland restorations. Examining factors that influence performance of a dominant grass when interacting with subordinate forbs may provide insights for maintaining plant community diversity. The objective of our study was to determine how soils of different restoration ages and functionally different forbs influence the performance (using biomass and tillering rate as proxies) of a dominant grass: Andropogon gerardii. Sites included a cultivated field and two restored prairies (4 or 16 years after restoration) at Konza Prairie (NE Kansas). We hypothesized A. gerardii performance would be greater in more degraded soils and when interacting with legumes. Soil structure, nutrient status, and microbial biomass were measured in soil that was used to conduct the plant interaction study. Andropogon gerardii performance was measured during an 18-week greenhouse experiment using the relative yield index calculated from net absolute tillering rate and final biomass measurements in three soil restoration age treatments combined with four interacting forb treatments. Restoration improved soil structure, reduced plant-available nutrients, and increased microbial biomass. Relative yield index values of A. gerardii were greater with non-legumes than legumes. Andropogon gerardii performed best in degraded soils, which may explain the difficulty in restoring tallgrass prairie diversity in long-term cultivated soil. Results from this study suggest practices that promote soil aggregation and fungal biomass, coupled with including a high abundance of legumes in seed mixes could reduce dominance of A. gerardii and likely increase plant diversity in tallgrass prairie restorations.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1007/s11258-018-0844-0}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11258-018-0844-0}, author = {Scott, Drew A. and S.G. Baer} } @article {KNZ001989, title = {Describing prairie C4 plant species area coverage using hyperspectral reflectance}, journal = {International Journal of Remote Sensing}, volume = {39}, year = {2018}, pages = {8615 - 8626}, abstract = {
C3 and C4 photosynthesis pathways represent fundamental differences in vegetation characteristics and physiology. Spectral reflectance collected on the ground and from satellite successfully described the fraction of C4 species coverage in the Konza Prairie Long-Term Ecological Reserve (LTER) which supports a grassland made up of mixtures of C3 and C4 plants. Plant species area coverage was measured within the LTER and also at study sites of the First International Land Surface Climatology Project Field Experiment (FIFE) in 1987. Ground-measured visible-near infrared (VNIR) spectral reflectances were collected in FIFE and from a 2015 Hyperion spectrometer image from the Earth Observing 1 (EO-1) satellite.
Partial least squares regression (PLSR) successfully described C4 cover fraction from the FIFE ground VNIR reflectances (R2 = 0.75). Convolving the bands to 10-nm Hyperion spectral bands decreased the accuracy of the retrievals (R2 = 0.43). PLSR applied to Hyperion reflectances extracted for the LTER watersheds was also successful describing C4 cover fraction for the VNIR Hyperion bands (R2 = 0.89), but showed little improvement when the shortwave infrared bands were included (R2 = 0.92). The coefficients from the FIFE data convolved to VNIR Hyperion bands are similar to the coefficients derived from the Hyperion data, suggesting this approach works over a range of conditions and spatial scales.
}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, issn = {0143-1161}, doi = {10.1080/01431161.2018.1488294}, url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01431161.2018.1488294}, author = {Huemmrich, Karl Fred and Campbell, Petya E. and Voorhies, Sarah K. and Landis, David R. and Middleton, Elizabeth M.} } @article {KNZ001821, title = {Developing a conceptual framework of landscape and hydrology on tallgrass prairie: A critical zone approach}, journal = {Vadose Zone Journal}, volume = {17}, year = {2018}, pages = {1 - 11}, abstract = {

Agricultural intensification and urbanization have greatly reduced the extent of tallgrass prairie across North America. To evaluate the impact of these changes, a reference ecosystem of unperturbed prairie is required. The Konza Prairie Biological Station in northeastern Kansas is a long-term research site at which a critical zone approach has been implemented. Integration of climatic, ecologic, and hydropedologic research to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the complex environment provides the basis for predicting future aquifer and landscape evolution. We present a conceptual framework of the hydrology underpinning the area that integrates the extensive current and past research and provides a synthesis of the literature to date. The key factors in the hydrologic behavior of Konza Prairie are climate, ecology, vadose zone characteristics and management, and groundwater and bedrock. Significant interactions among these factors include bedrock dissolution driven by cool-season precipitation and hence a climatic control on the rate of karstification. Soil moisture dynamics are influenced at various timescales due to the short- and long-term effects of prescribed burning on vegetation and on soil physical characteristics. The frequency of burning regimes strongly influences the expansion of woody species in competition with native tallgrasses, with consequent effects on C and N dynamics within the vadose zone. Knowledge gaps exist pertaining to the future of Konza Prairie (a model for US tallgrass prairie)\—whether continued karstification will lead to increasingly flashy and dynamic hydrology and whether compositional changes in the vegetation will affect long-term changes in water balances.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.2136/vzj2017.03.0069}, url = {https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/vzj/pdfs/17/1/170069}, author = {Vero, S. E. and G. L. Macpherson and Sullivan, P.L. and A.E. Brookfield and Jesse B. Nippert and Kirk, M. F. and Datta, S. and Kempton, P.} } @mastersthesis {KNZ001892, title = {Dissolved organic carbon dynamics in tallgrass prairie streams}, volume = {MS Thesis}, year = {2018}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {M.S. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan, KS}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, url = {http://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/handle/2097/39153}, author = {Higgs,Sophie} } @article {KNZ001876, title = {Drivers of nocturnal water flux in a tallgrass prairie}, journal = {Functional Ecology}, volume = {32}, year = {2018}, pages = {1155-1167}, abstract = {

Nocturnal transpiration can impact water balance from the local community to earth-atmosphere fluxes. However, the dynamics and drivers of nocturnal transpiration among coexisting plant functional groups in herbaceous ecosystems are unknown.
Here, we addressed the following questions: (1) How do nocturnal (Enight) and diurnal (Eday) transpiration vary among coexisting grasses, forbs, and shrubs in a tallgrass prairie? (2) What environmental variables drive Enight and do these differ from the drivers of Eday? (3) Is Enight associated with daytime physiological processes?
We measured diurnal and nocturnal leaf gas exchange on perennial grass, forb and woody species in a North American tallgrass prairie. Measurements were made periodically across two growing seasons (May\–August 2014\–2015) on three C4 grasses (Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans and Panicum virgatum), two C3 forbs (Vernonia baldwinii and Solidago canadensis), one C3 sub-shrub (Amorpha canescens) and two C3 shrubs (Cornus drummondii and Rhus glabra).
By extending our study to multiple functional groups, we were able to make several key observations: (1) Enight was variable among co-occurring plant functional groups, with the highest rates occurring in C4 grasses, (2) Enight and Eday exhibited different responses to vapour pressure deficit and other environmental drivers, and (3) rates of Enight were strongly related to predawn leaf water potential for grasses and woody species, and were likely modulated by small-scale changes in soil moisture availability.
Our results provide novel insight into an often-overlooked portion of ecosystem water balance. Considering the high rates of Enight observed in C4 grasses, as well as the widespread global occurrence of C4 grasses, nocturnal water loss might constitute a greater proportion of global evapotranspiration than previously estimated. Additionally, future predictions of nocturnal water loss may be complicated by stomatal behaviour that differs between the day and at night. Finally, these data suggest a water-use strategy by C4 grasses wherein the high rates of Enight occurring during wet periods may confer a competitive advantage to maximize resource consumption during periods of greater availability.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2435.13072}, url = {https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1365-2435.13072}, author = {O{\textquoteright}Keefe, K. and Jesse B. Nippert}, editor = {Sala, Anna} } @article {KNZ001886, title = {Drought consistently alters the composition of soil fungal and bacterial communities in grasslands from two continents}, journal = {Global Change Biology}, volume = {24}, year = {2018}, pages = {2818 - 2827}, abstract = {

The effects of short-term drought on soil microbial communities remain largely unexplored, particularly at large scales and under field conditions. We used seven experimental sites from two continents (North America and Australia) to evaluate the impacts of imposed extreme drought on the abundance, community composition, richness, and function of soil bacterial and fungal communities. The sites encompassed different grassland ecosystems spanning a wide range of climatic and soil properties. Drought significantly altered the community composition of soil bacteria and, to a lesser extent, fungi in grasslands from two continents. The magnitude of the fungal community change was directly proportional to the precipitation gradient. This greater fungal sensitivity to drought at more mesic sites contrasts with the generally observed pattern of greater drought sensitivity of plant communities in more arid grasslands, suggesting that plant and microbial communities may respond differently along precipitation gradients. Actinobateria, and Chloroflexi, bacterial phyla typically dominant in dry environments, increased their relative abundance in response to drought, whereas Glomeromycetes, a fungal class regarded as widely symbiotic, decreased in relative abundance. The response of Chlamydiae and Tenericutes, two phyla of mostly pathogenic species, decreased and increased along the precipitation gradient, respectively. Soil enzyme activity consistently increased under drought, a response that was attributed to drought-induced changes in microbial community structure rather than to changes in abundance and diversity. Our results provide evidence that drought has a widespread effect on the assembly of microbial communities, one of the major drivers of soil function in terrestrial ecosystems. Such responses may have important implications for the provision of key ecosystem services, including nutrient cycling, and may result in the weakening of plant\–microbial interactions and a greater incidence of certain soil-borne diseases.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/gcb.2018.24.issue-710.1111/gcb.14113}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/gcb.2018.24.issue-7}, author = {Ochoa-Hueso, Ra{\'u}l and Scott. L. Collins and Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel and Hamonts, Kelly and Pockman, William T. and Sinsabaugh, Robert L. and M.D. Smith and Alan K. Knapp and Power, Sally A.} } @article {KNZ001912, title = {Drought tolerance in ecotypes of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) relates to above-ground surface area: Results from a common garden experiment}, journal = {Flora}, volume = {246-247}, year = {2018}, pages = {52 - 60}, abstract = {

Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) is a dominant tallgrass species that has a wide range in North America with numerous genetically-distinct ecotypes, each adapted to conditions in their native habitat. In an evolutionary context, it was hypothesized that drought adaptation in A. gerardii would relate to plant surface area, where drought-adapted ecotypes were expected to be short with narrow leaves, thin stems, and few leaves per tiller. In the context of individual plants acclimating to reduced rainfall, rainout shelters were hypothesized to cause morphological reductions in surface area of individual plants. Morphological measurements were taken from four genetically-distinct ecotypes of A. gerardii across a precipitation gradient ranging from 500 to 900\ mm rain per year at three common garden sites in Colby, Hays, and Manhattan, Kansas, USA. Evolutionary responses to drier soils in A. gerardii resulted in reduction of evaporative surface area from leaves, as drought-adapted plants had fewer and smaller leaves. The most mesic ecotype of A. gerardii had the highest maximum leaf width, stem diameter, and leaf count across sites. There were few effects of environment on morphology in A. gerardii with reduced rainfall, however, indicating genetics plays a more prominent role than environment to influence morphology. We conclude that increased drought tolerance is related to an evolutionary reduction in evaporative surface area.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1016/j.flora.2018.07.005}, url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0367253018302469}, author = {Kramer, Diedre L. and Maricle, Keri L. and Hilt, Christina J. and Martin, Nicole M. and Urban, Adam D. and Smart, Cera M. and S.G. Baer and Johnson, Loretta C. and Maricle, Brian R.} } @phdthesis {KNZ001839, title = {Demographic responses of grassland songbirds to rangeland management in the tallgrass prairie}, volume = {PhD Dissertation}, year = {2017}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {Ph.D. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan, KS.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, url = {http://hdl.handle.net/2097/35800 }, author = {Verheijen, B.H.F.} } @article {KNZ001725, title = {Density dependence of herbivorous central stoneroller Campostoma anomalum in stream mesocosms}, journal = {Ecology of Freshwater Fishes}, volume = {26}, year = {2017}, pages = {313-321}, abstract = {

Herbivorous fish can have strong effects on stream ecosystem function by consuming primary producers and excreting limiting nutrients, but it is unclear whether they are resource limited. Thus, understanding factors regulating abundance of these fish might help predict ecosystem function. We used stream mesocosms to test whether populations of central stoneroller Campostoma anomalum exhibit density dependence across a range of typical densities and resource abundance found in Great Plains streams. We predicted that incrementally increasing stocking biomass from 3\·7 to 24\·9\ g\·m\−2 would reduce standing stocks of resources resulting in lower growth of stocked fish. Fish growth (over 41\ days) was compared to initial stocking biomass and primary production as well as standing stocks of algae and invertebrates using regression analysis. Mean growth of individuals was negatively associated with stocking biomass (math formula\ =\ 0\·55; P\ =\ 0\·02), as predicted. Contrary to our prediction, increases in fish biomass led to increased primary productivity (math formula\ =\ 0\·31, P\ =\ 0\·07), but resulted in no relationship among algal filament lengths (math formula\ =\ 0\·00; P\ =\ 0\·34), algal biomass (math formula\ =\ 0\·12; P\ =\ 0\·19) or invertebrate biomass (math formula\ =\ 0\·03; P\ =\ 0\·30). Thus, density dependence occurred without an apparent reduction in food resources. We hypothesised that stoneroller growth was possibly limited by competition for high-quality algae or invertebrates, or behavioural interactions causing interference competition.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Herbivory, Primary production, Resource limitation, stream fish}, doi = {10.1111/eff.12277}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/eff.12277}, author = {Pennock, C.A. and K. B. Gido} } @article {KNZ001856, title = {Density mediates grasshopper performance in response to temperature manipulation and spider predation in tallgrass prairie}, journal = {Bulletin of Entomological Research}, volume = {107}, year = {2017}, pages = {261 - 267}, abstract = {

Species interactions are often context-dependent, where outcomes require an understanding of influences among multiple biotic and abiotic factors. However, it remains unclear how abiotic factors such as temperature combine with important biotic factors such as density-dependent food limitation and predation to influence species interactions. Using a native grassland - grasshopper - wolf spider model food chain in tallgrass prairie, we conducted a manipulative field experiment to examine how predator-prey interactions respond to manipulations of temperature, grasshopper density, and food chain length. We find that grasshopper performance responses to temperature and predator treatments were density dependent. At high densities, grasshopper survival decreased with increased temperature when no spiders were present. When spiders were present, grasshopper survival was reduced, and this effect was strongest in the cooled treatment. In contrast, grasshopper survival did not vary significantly with spider presence or among temperature treatments at low grasshopper densities. Our results indicate that context-dependent species interactions are common and highlight the importance of understanding how and when key biotic and abiotic factors combine to influence species interactions.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, density dependence, Konza Prairie Biological Station, Phoetaliotes nebrascensis, Rabidosa rabida; temperature, Species interactions}, doi = {10.1017/S0007485316000894}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007485316000894}, author = {Laws, A.N. and Anthony Joern} } @article {KNZ001847, title = {Different clades and traits yield similar grassland functional responses}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, volume = {114}, year = {2017}, pages = {705 - 710}, abstract = {Plant functional traits are viewed as key to predicting important ecosystem and community properties across resource gradients within and among biogeographic regions. Vegetation dynamics and ecosystem processes, such as aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), are increasingly being modeled as a function of the quantitative traits of species, which are used as proxies for photosynthetic rates and nutrient and water-use efficiency. These approaches rely on an assumption that a certain trait value consistently confers a specific function or response under given environmental conditions. Here, we provide a critical test of this idea and evaluate whether the functional traits that drive the well-known relationship between precipitation and ANPP differ between systems with distinct biogeographic histories and species assemblages. Specifically, we compared grasslands spanning a broad precipitation gradient (\~{}200{\textendash}1,000 mm/y) in North America and South Africa that differ in the relative representation and abundance of grass phylogenetic lineages. We found no significant difference between the regions in the positive relationship between annual precipitation and ANPP, yet the trait values underlying this relationship differed dramatically. Our results challenge the trait-based approach to predicting ecosystem function by demonstrating that different combinations of functional traits can act to maximize ANPP in a given environmental setting. Further, we show the importance of incorporating biogeographic and phylogenetic history in predicting community and ecosystem properties using traits. }, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, biogeography, Ecosystem function, Functional traits, grasslands. phylogenetics}, issn = {0027-8424}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1612909114}, url = {https://www.pnas.org/content/114/4/705}, author = {Forrestel, Elisabeth J. and M.J. Donoghue and Edwards, Erika J. and Jetz, Walter and du Toit, Justin C. O. and M.D. Smith} } @article {KNZ001824, title = {Drivers of nitrogen transfer in stream food webs across continents}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {98}, year = {2017}, pages = {3055}, chapter = {3044}, abstract = {

Studies of trophic-level material and energy transfers are central to ecology.\ The use of isotopic tracers has now made it possible to measure trophic transfer efficiencies of important nutrients and to better understand how these materials move through food webs.\ We analyzed data from thirteen\ 15N-ammonium tracer addition experiments to quantify N transfer from basal resources to animals in headwater streams with varying physical, chemical, and biological features. N transfer efficiencies from primary uptake compartments (PUCs; heterotrophic microorganisms and primary producers) to primary consumers was lower (mean 11.5\%, range \<1\% to 43\%) than N transfer efficiencies from primary consumers to predators (mean 80\%, range 5\% to \>100\%). Total N transferred (as a rate) was greater in streams with open compared to closed canopies and overall N transfer efficiency generally followed a similar pattern, although was not statistically significant. We used principal component analysis to condense a suite of site characteristics into two environmental components. Total N uptake rates among trophic levels were best predicted by the component that was correlated with latitude, DIN:SRP, GPP:ER, and percent canopy cover. N transfer efficiency did not respond consistently to environmental variables. Our results suggest that canopy cover influences N movement through stream food webs because light availability and primary production facilitate N transfer to higher trophic levels.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1002/ecy.2009}, url = {https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ecy.2009}, author = {Norman, B. C. and Whiles, M. R. and S. M. Collins and Flecker, A. S. and Hamilton, S. K. and Johnson, S. L. and Rosi-Marshall, E. J. and L.R. Ashkenas and W.B. Bowden and Crenshaw, C. L. and Crowl, T. and W. K. Dodds and Hall, R. O. and El-Sabaawi, R. and Griffiths, N. A. and Marti, E. and McDowell, W. H. and Peterson, S. D. and Rantala, H. M. and Riis, T. and Simon, K. S. and Tank, J. L. and Thomas, S. A. and von Schiller, D. and Webster, J. R.} } @article {KNZ001802, title = {Drought timing differentially affects above- and belowground productivity in a mesic grassland}, journal = {Plant Ecology}, volume = {218}, year = {2017}, pages = {317 - 328}, abstract = {

Climate models forecast an intensification of the global hydrological cycle with droughts becoming more frequent and severe, and shifting to times when they have been historically uncommon. Droughts, or prolonged periods of precipitation deficiency, are characteristic of most temperate grasslands, yet few experiments have explored how variation in the seasonal timing of drought may impact ecosystem function. We investigated the response of above- and belowground net primary production (ANPP \& BNPP) to altered drought timing in a mesic grassland in NE Kansas. Moderate drought treatments (25\% reduction from the mean growing season precipitation [GSP]) were imposed by erecting rainout shelters in late spring (LSP), early summer (ESM), and mid-summer (MSM, n = 10 plots/treatment). These treatments were compared to two controls (long-term average GSP [LTA] and ambient GSP [AMB]) and a wet treatment (+30\% of the long-term average GSP [WET]). We found that LSP drought did not significantly reduce ANPP relative to control plots while the ESM and MSM drought did despite equivalent reductions in soil moisture. In contrast, the WET treatment did not affect ANPP. Neither the WET nor the drought treatments altered BNPP as compared to the controls. Our results suggest that forecasts of ecosystem responses to climate change will be improved if both the seasonal timing of alterations in precipitation as well as differential responses of above- and belowground productivity to drought are incorporated into models.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1007/s11258-016-0690-x}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007\%2Fs11258-016-0690-x}, author = {Denton, Elsie M. and Dietrich, John D. and M.D. Smith and Alan K. Knapp} } @article {KNZ001764, title = {Does ecosystem sensitivity to precipitation at the site-level conform to regional-scale predictions?}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {97}, year = {2016}, pages = {561-568}, abstract = {

Central to understanding global C cycle dynamics is the functional relationship between precipitation and net primary production (NPP). At large spatial (regional) scales, the responsiveness of aboveground NPP (ANPP) to inter-annual variation in annual precipitation (AP; ANPPsensitivity) is inversely related to site-level ANPP, coinciding with turnover of plant communities along precipitation gradients. Within ecosystems experiencing chronic alterations in water availability, plant community change will also occur with unknown consequences for ANPPsensitivity. To examine the role plant community shifts may play in determining alterations in site-level ANPPsensitivity, we experimentally increased precipitation by ~35\% for two decades in a native Central US grassland. Consistent with regional models, ANPPsensitivity decreased initially as water availability and ANPP increased. However, ANPPsensitivity shifted back to ambient levels when mesic species increased in abundance in the plant community. Similarly, in grassland sites with distinct mesic and xeric plant communities and corresponding 50\% differences in ANPP, ANPPsensitivity did not differ over almost three decades. We conclude that responses in ANPPsensitivity to chronic alterations in water availability within an ecosystem may not conform to regional AP-ANPP patterns, despite expected changes in ANPP and plant communities. The result is unanticipated functional resistance to climate change at the site scale.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1890/15-1437.1}, url = {https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1890/15-1437.1}, author = {K.R. Wilcox and John M. Blair and M.D. Smith and Alan K. Knapp} } @article {KNZ001712, title = {Drivers of variation in aboveground net primary productivity and plant community composition differ across a broad precipitation gradient}, journal = {Ecosystems}, volume = {19}, year = {2016}, pages = {521-533}, abstract = {

Aboveground net primary production (ANPP) is a key integrator of C uptake and energy flow in many terrestrial ecosystems. As such, ecologists have long sought to understand the factors driving variation in this important ecosystem process. Although total annual precipitation has been shown to be a strong predictor of ANPP in grasslands across broad spatial scales, it is often a poor predictor at local scales. Here we examine the amount of variation in ANPP that can be explained by total annual precipitation versus precipitation during specific periods of the year (precipitation periods) and nutrient availability at three sites representing the major grassland types (shortgrass steppe, mixed-grass prairie, and tallgrass prairie) spanning the broad precipitation gradient of the U.S. Central Great Plains. Using observational data, we found that precipitation periods and nutrient availability were much stronger predictors of site-level ANPP than total annual precipitation. However, the specific nutrients and precipitation periods that best predicted ANPP differed among the three sites. These effects were mirrored experimentally at the shortgrass and tallgrass sites, with precipitation and nutrient availability co-limiting ANPP, but not at the mixed-grass site, where nutrient availability determined ANPP exclusive of precipitation effects. Dominant grasses drove the ANPP response to increased nutrient availability at all three sites. However, the relative responses of rare grasses and forbs were greater than those of the dominant grasses to experimental nutrient additions, thus potentially driving species turnover with chronic nutrient additions. This improved understanding of the factors driving variation in ANPP within ecosystems spanning the broad precipitation gradient of the Great Plains will aid predictions of alterations in ANPP under future global change scenarios.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, dominant species, Great Plains, Nutrient Network (NutNet), nutrients, precipitation periods, rare species}, doi = {10.1007/s10021-015-9949-7}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007\%2Fs10021-015-9949-7}, author = {Kimberly J. La Pierre and D.M. Blumenthal and C.S. Brown and Klein, J.A. and M.D. Smith} } @article {KNZ001717, title = {The diet of upland sandpipers (Bartramia longicauda) in managed farmland in their neotropical non-breeding grounds}, journal = {Ornitolog{\'\i}a Neotropical}, volume = {26}, year = {2015}, pages = {337-347}, abstract = {

The Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) is a migratory shorebird that inhabits grasslands at the breeding and non-breeding grounds. The trophic ecology of the species is poorly known, but it is thought to be insectivorous. In this study, we describe the diet of the Upland Sandpiper and its temporal variation in grasslands of northern Uruguay. From 2008 to 2012, we collected 67 feces at nine different sites in the Departments of Salto and Paysand{\'u}. The diet consisted mainly of insects (present in 98\% of the feces) belonging to three orders: Coleoptera (in 80\% of feces), Orthoptera (79\%), and Hymenoptera (48\%). Consumption of Orthoptera and Hymenoptera varied among years. Plant remains and stones were also recorded in feces. Vegetation may have been consumed secondarily while stones could be used in food processing in the gizzard. Our study demonstrates that Upland Sandpipers are diet generalists and probably forage opportunistically, depending on resource availability and focusing on the most abundant prey items.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Bartramia longicauda; diet; fecal analysis; food preference; grasslands; insects; Nearctic migrant; Scolopacidae; Upland Sandpiper; Uruguay; wintering grounds}, author = {M. Alfaro-Barrios and Sandercock, B.K. and Liguori, L. and Arim, M.} } @article {KNZ001631, title = {Differential sensitivity to regional-scale drought in six central US grasslands}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {177}, year = {2015}, pages = {949 -957}, abstract = {

Terrestrial ecosystems often vary dramatically in their responses to drought, but the reasons for this are unclear. With climate change forecasts for more frequent and extensive drought in the future, a more complete understanding of the mechanisms that determine differential ecosystem sensitivity to drought is needed. In 2012, the Central US experienced the fourth largest drought in a century, with a regional-scale 40 \% reduction in growing season precipitation affecting ecosystems ranging from desert grassland to mesic tallgrass prairie. This provided an opportunity to assess ecosystem sensitivity to a drought of common magnitude in six native grasslands. We tested the prediction that drought sensitivity is inversely related to mean annual precipitation (MAP) by quantifying reductions in aboveground net primary production (ANPP). Long-term ANPP data available for each site (mean length = 16 years) were used as a baseline for calculating reductions in ANPP, and drought sensitivity was estimated as the reduction in ANPP per millimeter reduction in precipitation. Arid grasslands were the most sensitive to drought, but drought responses and sensitivity varied by more than twofold among the six grasslands, despite all sites experiencing 40 \% reductions in growing season precipitation. Although drought sensitivity generally decreased with increasing MAP as predicted, there was evidence that the identity and traits of the dominant species, as well as plant functional diversity, influenced sensitivity. A more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms leading to differences in drought sensitivity will require multi-site manipulative experiments designed to assess both biotic and abiotic determinants of ecosystem sensitivity.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Climate change, Functional diversity, Long-term ecological research, Precipitation, Primary production}, doi = {10.1007/s00442-015-3233-6}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007\%2Fs00442-015-3233-6}, author = {Alan K. Knapp and Carroll, C.J.W. and Denton, E.M. and Kimberly J. La Pierre and Scott. L. Collins and M.D. Smith} } @article {KNZ001775, title = {Dissolved organic carbon concentration and flux in a grassland stream: spatial and temporal patterns and processes from long-term data}, journal = {Biogeochemistry}, volume = {125}, year = {2015}, pages = {393 - 408}, abstract = {

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in streams is a critical component of the global carbon cycle, but little is known about long-term patterns in DOC concentration and export in grassland streams. Here we present the results of a 15-year dataset collected from multiple sites in the Kings Creek watershed on Konza Prairie, KS, USA. DOC concentrations ranged from 0.15 to 15.97 mg L\−1, with a mean of 1.19 mg L\−1 (standard deviation 1.01 mg L\−1). Sites differed in their DOC concentrations as a function of the year of study and the season. Generally, headwaters had greater DOC concentrations, and DOC decreased downstream. The lowest concentrations were found in a groundwater spring in the watershed. Concentrations showed no trend over the study and were not correlated with discharge. However, annual export (mean: 0.29 kg ha\−1 year\−1; range: 0.00\–9.09 kg ha\−1 year\−1) was highly correlated with annual runoff, and annual runoff explained over 80 \% of the variation in export. Export from Kings Creek was 30 times lower than the literature-reported mean for grasslands and 137 times less than export averaged across all biomes. Neither fire nor bison, two forces that maintain prairies, were statistically related to DOC concentrations. Main drivers of DOC concentrations are likely leaching from terrestrial organic material in soils and the accumulations in dry streambeds during drought periods as well as instream autotrophic production. Downstream declines in DOC concentrations suggest instream processing. Grassland streams probably have modest effects on the global carbon budget due to instream processing and low precipitation. Changes in precipitation may have large effects on carbon export from grassland streams.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, carbon cycle, Carbon export, long-term study, prairie streams}, doi = {10.1007/s10533-015-0134-z}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007\%2Fs10533-015-0134-z}, author = {R{\"u}egg, J. and Eichmiller, J.J. and Mladenov, N. and W. K. Dodds} } @phdthesis {KNZ001704, title = {Dynamics of microbial community structure and function in a tallgrass prairie ecosystem}, volume = {PhD. Dissertation}, year = {2015}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {Ph.D. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan, KS}, abstract = {

Due to agricultural practices and urbanization, tallgrass prairie ecosystems have become threatened as \< 5\% of its historical coverage exists today. The small remainder of praire that does exist is further threatened by the encroachment of woody plant species. Woody plant encroachment may not only alter prairie ecosystem function, but also prairie microbial communities responsible for these functional processes. Further, prairies are high disturbance ecosystems, especially prairie streams which are hydrologically harsh. They support communities that frequently undergo succession due to recurring flood and drought conditions, yet little is known about the response of microbial communities to these disturbances. In my dissertation, I first address the degree of woody vegetation expansion in riparian corridors (parallel to streams) in watersheds with variable fire frequency and grazing. I found that the rate of riparian woody expansion declines with higher fire intervals and is not affected by grazing, but even annual burns may not prevent woody plant expansion in riparian zones from occurring. Second, I quantified the effect of using restorations of riparian corridors, through removal of woody plants, on physical, chemical, and microbial community (bacteria and fungi) dynamics across stream to upslope soils. Removal restoration causes a decrease in NH$_{4}$$^{+}$ and soil water content, and causes streams and upslope soils to become similar in fungal community richness unlike forested landscapes. Bacterial communities were minimally impacted by removals, but were highly structured among stream to upslope soils due to multiple environmental gradients (i.e., pH, NO$_{3}$$^{-}$, soil moisture). Lastly, I examined the successional development of biofilm-associated microbial communities in a prairie stream from both a functional and structural perspective. I found that biofilm microbes exhibited strong successional trajectories, with communities developing towards net autotrophy and therefore becoming reliant upon in-stream derived carbon. Further, bacterial communities displayed spatial differences, but much stronger temporal patterns in community composition were detected. These studies highlight how woody plant encroachment may influence stream ecosystems in addition to spatiotemporal trends in microbial community assembly.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Microbial communities; Woody encroachment; Bacteria; Fungi; Biofilms; Stream}, url = {http://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/19145/AllisonVeach2015.pdf?sequence=1\&isAllowed=y}, author = {Veach, A.M.} } @mastersthesis {KNZ001670, title = {Did selective breeding of a non-native grass promote invasiveness?}, volume = {MS Thesis}, year = {2014}, school = {Oklahoma State University}, type = {M.S. Thesis}, address = {Stillwater, OK}, abstract = {

Concerns with invasive species have included exotic forage grasses that have undergone extensive breeding through development programs for greater success of establishment. These grasses have been widely distributed for soil erosion control and livestock forage production throughout the United States and many of these species have become invasive in native habitats. To determine whether plant breeding procedures increased the invasiveness of these exotic grasses relative to their native counterparts, we assessed the competitiveness of an old world bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum ; OWB) a known invader of the Great Plains in the United States, relative to its \"wildtype\" from the Czech Republic, and two native tallgrass prairie grasses (big bluestem [Andropogon gerardii] and little bluestem [Schizachyrium scoparium]). To assess inter-and intraspecific competition a substitutive design greenhouse competition experiment was conducted in Stillwater, Oklahoma with partners from the Czech University of Life Sciences. Growth of the invasive B. ischaemum was enhanced when grown with the native S. scoparium. However, the Czech Republic wildtype did not exhibit increased production when grown in competition with natives compared to conspecifics, suggesting the extensive breeding of B. ischaemum may have enhanced its competitive abilities. To further assess plant-soil feedbacks we conducted a second greenhouse study which examined soil biotic communities using soil inoculums associated with either wildtype or invasive B. ischaemum cultivars. Growth and reproduction of native grass species, the wildtype, and invasive B. ischaemum were assessed 16 weeks following inoculation with soil microbial communities. Phospholipid and neutral lipid fatty acids were quantified at the end of the study to determine microbial biomass associated with each soil inoculum and species or cultivar combination. Total biomass production and abundance of AMF was enhanced when the wildtype was grown with inoculum associated with the invasive cultivar compared to wildtype inoculum, indicating the wildtype favors soil biotic communities associated with the invasive cultivar. When assessing responses of native grasses, A. gerardii illustrated greater production and abundance of AMF compared to S. scoparium suggesting seeding to A. gerardii may lead to greater success in grassland restorations following eradication of B. ischaemum, compared to restorations seeded to S. scoparium.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, ecology, natural resource management, range management}, url = {https://shareok.org/handle/11244/25654}, author = {Grischkowsky, S.A.} } @article {KNZ001633, title = {Differential effects of extreme drought on production and respiration: Synthesis and modeling analysis}, journal = {Biogeosciences}, volume = {11}, year = {2014}, pages = {621 -633}, abstract = {

Extremes in climate may severely impact ecosystem structure and function, with both the magnitude and rate of response differing among ecosystem types and processes. We conducted a modeling analysis of the effects of extreme drought on two key ecosystem processes, production and respiration, and, to provide a broader context, we complemented this with a synthesis of published results that cover a wide variety of ecosystems. The synthesis indicated that across a broad range of biomes, gross primary production (GPP) was generally more sensitive to extreme drought (defined as proportional reduction relative to average rainfall periods) than was ecosystem respiration (ER). Furthermore, this differential sensitivity between production and respiration increased as drought severity increased; it occurred only in grassland ecosystems, and not in evergreen needle-leaf and broad-leaf forests or woody savannahs. The modeling analysis was designed to enable a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying this pattern, and focused on four grassland sites arrayed across the Great Plains, USA. Model results consistently showed that net primary productivity (NPP) was reduced more than heterotrophic respiration (Rh) by extreme drought (i.e., 67\% reduction in annual ambient rainfall) at all four study sites. The sensitivity of NPP to drought was directly attributable to rainfall amount, whereas the sensitivity of Rh to drought was driven by soil drying, reduced carbon (C) input and a drought-induced reduction in soil C content \– a much slower process. However, differences in reductions in NPP and Rh diminished as extreme drought continued, due to a gradual decline in the soil C pool leading to further reductions in Rh. We also varied the way in which drought was imposed in the modeling analysis; it was either imposed by simulating reductions in rainfall event size (ESR) or by reducing rainfall event number (REN). Modeled NPP and Rh decreased more by ESR than REN at the two relatively mesic sites but less so at the two xeric sites. Our findings suggest that responses of production and respiration differ in magnitude, occur on different timescales, and are affected by different mechanisms under extreme, prolonged drought.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.5194/bg-11-621-2014}, url = {https://www.biogeosciences.net/11/621/2014/}, author = {Shi, Z. and Thomey, M.L. and Mowll, M. and Litvak, M.E. and N. Brunsell and Scott. L. Collins and Pockman, W.T. and M.D. Smith and Alan K. Knapp and Luo, Y.} } @article {KNZ001639, title = {Direct and indirect relationships between genetic diversity of a dominant grass, community diversity and above-ground productivity in tallgrass prairie}, journal = {Journal of Vegetation Science}, volume = {25}, year = {2014}, pages = {470 -480}, abstract = {

Question Both genetic diversity within a dominant species and species diversity have been shown to affect productivity. However, these two levels of diversity have the potential to affect productivity in similar or opposing ways. Our study assessed direct and indirect relationships between genetic diversity of a dominant grass species and plant community diversity on productivity within a mesic grassland with naturally co-occurring genotypes and species. Location Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas, USA (39\°05\′35\″ N, 96\°33\′31\″ W). Methods We conducted a study at two sites (~65 plots per site) in intact tallgrass prairie that have been subjected to frequent (burned 14 times) and infrequent (burned nine times) fire treatments for ~30 yrs. With frequent burning, the dominant C4 grass, Andropogon gerardii, typically has higher abundance; in contrast, infrequently burned sites typically have higher species diversity but lower abundance of A. gerardii. Therefore, we hypothesized that genetic diversity within A. gerardii would have a significant direct relationship with productivity for the frequently burned site due to higher population abundances of A. gerardii overall, whereas species diversity would have a significant direct relationship with productivity for the infrequently burned site. Results Contrary to our predictions, genetic diversity of A. gerardii was not related to above-ground productivity either directly or indirectly via traits, while diversity at the community level had a negative indirect relationship with productivity via a negative effect of A. gerardii abundance on community diversity for both frequently and infrequently burned sites. Conclusions While much of the focus of diversity\–productivity research has been on direct relationships between diversity at the community or population level separately, future studies should examine the indirect and potentially interactive effects of both levels of diversity in natural communities.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Community diversity, disturbance, dominant species, Fire;Grassland, Phylogenetic diversity, Plant trait, Productivity{\textendash}diversity relationship, Structural equation modelling}, doi = {10.1111/jvs.12108}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jvs.12108}, author = {Chang, C.C. and M.D. Smith} } @article {KNZ001618, title = {Dietary selection and nutritional regulation in a common mixed-feeding insect herbivore}, journal = {Experimentalis et Applicata Entomologia}, volume = {148}, year = {2013}, pages = {20 -26}, abstract = {

The geometric framework provides a way for understanding the multi-dimensional nutritional relationships between consumers and their food. We use this approach to further our understanding of the feeding and nutritional ecology of a ubiquitous mixed-feeding insect herbivore that consumes a variety of host plants spanning a wide range of nutritional composition. Our overall objective was to examine feeding decisions, resulting performance, and post-ingestive consequences in a common mixed-feeding insect herbivore, Melanoplus bivittatus (Say) (Orthoptera: Acrididae), when presented with paired diets differing in protein:carbohydrate (p:c) ratio. Intake p:c of M. bivittatus differed among all but two treatments and in many cases was farther than expected from the previously identified p:c intake target for this species. Despite this variability in intake of protein and carbohydrate, we found few effects of the diet treatments on performance or post-ingestive processing. However, our results suggest that when feeding on high-quality diets, nutrients consumed in excess may be stored rather than excreted.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, acrididae, carbohydrate, geometric framework, homeostasis, Melanoplus bivittatus, nutritional ecology, Orthoptera, protein}, doi = {10.1111/eea.12065}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/eea.12065}, author = {Jonas, J.L. and Anthony Joern} } @article {KNZ001542, title = {Dissolved black carbon in grassland streams: is there an effect of recent fire history?}, journal = {Chemosphere}, volume = {90}, year = {2013}, pages = {2557 -2562}, abstract = {

While the existence of black carbon as part of dissolved organic matter (DOM) has been confirmed, quantitative determinations of dissolved black carbon (DBC) in freshwater ecosystem and information on factors controlling its concentration are scarce. In this study, stream surface water samples from a series of watersheds subject to different burn frequencies in Konza Prairie (Kansas, USA) were collected in order to determine if recent fire history has a noticeable effect on DBC concentration. The DBC levels detected ranged from 0.04 to 0.11 mg L\−1, accounting for ca. 3.32 \± 0.51\% of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). No correlation was found between DBC concentration and neither fire frequency nor time since last burn. We suggest that limited DBC flux is related to high burning efficiency, possibly greater export during periods of high discharge and/or the continuous export of DBC over long time scales. A linear correlation between DOC and DBC concentrations was observed, suggesting the export mechanisms determining DOC and DBC concentrations are likely coupled. The potential influence of fire history was less than the influence of other factors controlling the DOC and DBC dynamics in this ecosystem. Assuming similar conditions and processes apply in grasslands elsewhere, extrapolation to a global scale would suggest a global grasslands flux of DBC on the order of 0.14 Mt carbon year\−1.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, BPCA, Dissolved black carbon, Dissolved organic carbon, Fire frequency, Grassland streams, Konza Prairie}, doi = {10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.10.098}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653512013604?via\%3Dihub}, author = {Ding, Y. and Yamashita, Y. and W. K. Dodds and Jaffe, R.} } @phdthesis {KNZ001838, title = {Drivers of grassland community structure and ecosystem function: the role of biotic factors in determining the ecosystem response to alterations in resource availability}, volume = {PhD Dissertation}, year = {2013}, school = {Yale University}, type = {Ph.D. Thesis}, address = {New Haven, CT}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, url = {http://search.proquest.com/docview/1495948277?pq-origsite=gscholar}, author = {Kimberly J. La Pierre} } @article {KNZ001485, title = {Demography of Greater Prairie-Chickens: regional variation in vital rates, sensitivity values, and population dynamics}, journal = {Journal of Wildlife Management}, volume = {76}, year = {2012}, pages = {987 -1000}, abstract = {

Intensification of rangeland management has coincided with population declines among obligate grassland species in the largest remaining tallgrass prairie in North America, although causes of declines remain unknown. We modeled population dynamics and conducted sensitivity analyses from demographic data collected for an obligate grassland bird that is an indicator species for tallgrass prairie, the greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido), during a 4-year study in east-central Kansas, USA. We examined components of reproductive effort and success, juvenile survival, and annual adult female survival for 3 populations of prairie-chickens across an ecological gradient of human landscape alteration and land use. We observed regional differences in reproductive performance, survivorship, and population dynamics. All 3 populations of prairie-chickens were projected to decline steeply given observed vital rates, but rates of decline differed across a gradient of landscape alteration, with the greatest declines in fragmented landscapes. Elasticity values, variance-scaled sensitivities, and contribution values from a random-effects life-table response experiment all showed that the finite rate of population change was more sensitive to changes in adult survival than other demographic parameters in our declining populations. The rate of population change was also sensitive to nest survival at the most fragmented and least intensively grazed study site; suggesting that patterns of landscape fragmentation and land use may be affecting the relative influences of underlying vital rates on rates of population growth. Our model results indicate that 1) populations of prairie-chickens in eastern Kansas are unlikely to be viable without gains from immigration, 2) rates of population decline vary among areas under different land management practices, 3) human land-use patterns may affect the relative influences of vital rates on population trajectories, and 4) anthropogenic effects on population demography may influence the regional life-history strategies of a short-lived game bird. \© 2012 The Wildlife Society.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, contributions, elasticity, land use and land cover change (LULCC), Leslie matrix, life-table response experiment (LTRE), population viability, prospective analysis, variance-scaled sensitivities}, doi = {10.1002/jwmg.369}, url = {https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jwmg.369}, author = {McNew, L.B. and Gregory, A.J. and Wisely, S.M. and Sandercock, B.K.} } @phdthesis {KNZ001466, title = {Dimensions of diversity and their direct and indirect effects on tallgrass prairie ecosystem functioning}, volume = {PhD Dissertation}, year = {2012}, pages = {1 -165}, school = {Yale University}, type = {Ph.D. Thesis}, address = {New Haven, CT}, abstract = {

Understanding the role of biological diversity to ecosystem function in ecological communities is particularly important now in the face of unprecedented, human-driven global change. Anthropogenic impacts such as climate change, nitrogen deposition, and land-use changes that modify natural disturbance regimes and promote the introduction of invasive species are all altering environmental conditions in such a way as to impact both diversity and ecosystem functioning. Diversity can be described in several ways and until recently, most research has focused on the relationship between the number and diversity of species and ecosystem function. Recently however, there has been a growing focus on the importance of genetic diversity within a dominant species and its impact on community and ecosystem processes. In this dissertation, I examine the relationship between community and population diversity, evaluate how diversity at both levels is maintained under varying environmental conditions, and test the relative effects of population and community level diversity on ecosystem function. First, I utilized a long-term experimental burn manipulation to examine the impact of fire frequency on genetic diversity of the dominant species and assessed the relationship between genetic diversity of the dominant species, species diversity, and productivity across the entire fire gradient. Genetic diversity of the dominant species was highest in a four year burn cycle and lowest in an annual and two year burn cycle. However, there was not a significant relationship between genetic and species diversity or between genetic diversity of the dominant species and productivity across the disturbance Gradient. In the second and third study, I explored in further detail the relationship between genetic diversity of the dominant species, species diversity, and evaluate the direct and indirect effects of both levels of diversity on productivity and invasion resistance. Contrary to expectations, genetic diversity of the dominant species did not have a direct effect on invasion resistance or productivity. Rather the effects of diversity at both the community and population level are primarily indirect via traits. Genetic differences between naturally co-occurring genotypes of the perennial dominant grass species were more subtle, and thus also highlighted the necessity of conducting studies in intact communities with naturally co-occurring individuals. Finally, to tease apart the possible mechanisms for how diversity within the population is maintained and subsequently impacts community and ecosystem processes, I conducted a pairwise competition experiment with the four most common genotypes of the dominant species and manipulated light, water, and nitrogen resources. Phenotypic differences between genotypes resulted in different competitive successes depending on resource conditions. Some genotypes were able to take advantage of increased water or nitrogen resources under low and high light conditions, providing evidence for niche complementarity. There was evidence that some genotypes were more antagonistic under low versus high resource conditions while other genotypes were more synergistic. This differential success in resource acquisition, biomass accumulation, and subsequent competitive ability translated to variation in vegetative reproductive success, which has implications for the population dynamics of this perennial, primarily asexually reproductive, dominant C4 grass. Together the results from these four studies suggest that the roles of population and community level diversity are complex in intact, natural tallgrass prairie where diversity effects on ecosystem function may be primarily indirect via traits.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, url = {http://search.proquest.com/docview/1039554547}, author = {Chang, C.C.} } @article {KNZ001511, title = {Dissolved organic matter in headwater streams: compositional variability across climatic regions of North America}, journal = {Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta}, volume = {94}, year = {2012}, pages = {95 -108}, abstract = {

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) represents the largest organic matter pool in freshwater systems, but much of it remains molecularly uncharacterized. Although freshwater systems cover only a small area of the earth\’s surface, inland waters are an important component of the global carbon cycle. The traditional idea that rivers are simply conduits for refractory carbon delivery to coastal areas is inconsistent with carbon flux estimates, and streams have been shown to serve as reactors for DOM cycling. The overall quality of DOM, and its associated reactivity, can be related to its chemical composition and molecular structure. However, the variability of DOM composition in freshwater ecosystems, particularly in headwater streams, is poorly characterized. Detailed molecular studies of DOM from small streams across climatic regions, which could provide critical information regarding carbon dynamics on a more global scale, have not been performed. To address these issues, this study applies a multi-method analytical approach in an attempt to assess molecular characteristics of DOM and ultrafiltered DOM (UDOM) in headwater streams from different climatic regions in North America. In general terms the chemical and molecular characteristics of UDOM from six different biomes were determined in unsurpassed detail to feature some clear general similarities but also specific differences. While the degree of similarity is remarkable, and suggests similar source strengths, such as soil-derived organic matter and/or similar diagenetic degradation processes for DOM from vastly different environments, each sample was clearly unique in its overall composition, featuring some distinct molecular patterns for at least one or more of the analytical determinations. Molecular and compositional differences of DOM from headwater streams should result from variations in DOM sources and localized environmental conditions, and consequently feature different photo- and bio-reactivity and associated re-mineralization potentials during fluvial transport. Such knowledge could assist in predicting the consequences of global change and its relationship to global carbon cycling.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1016/j.gca.2012.06.031}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016703712004097?via\%3Dihub}, author = {Jaff{\'e}, R. and Yamashita, Y. and Maie, N. and Cooper, W.T. and Dittmar, T. and W. K. Dodds and Jones, J.B. and Myoshi, T. and Ortiz-Zayas, J.R. and Podgorski, D.C. and Watanabe, A.} } @article {KNZ001526, title = {Drought-mediated stem and belowground bud dynamics in restored grasslands}, journal = {Applied Vegetation Science}, volume = {15}, year = {2012}, pages = {470 -478}, abstract = {

Question Does the below-ground bud bank mediate response to drought in restored grasslands? Location Platte River Valley region of south-central Nebraska, USA. Methods We imposed severe drought for one growing season using rainfall manipulation structures and measured the response of above- and below-ground plant communities (ramet and below-ground bud densities) with respect to non-drought controls during the drought year and a recovery year. Results Drought reduced below-ground bud bank density and above-ground stem density. However, bud bank density recovered, and bud production was higher on previously droughted subplots relative to controls in the year following drought. The response of below-ground bud and above-ground stem density to drought differed according to functional identity (C3 grass, C4 grass, and forb), with forbs least resistant to, but having the greatest recovery from, drought. Conclusions While overall density in restored grasslands was resilient, drought effects on below-ground bud banks may have longer-term impacts on plant community structure. Reduced density above- or below-ground during the growing season following drought may allow for the persistence of species relatively more reliant on recruitment from seed banks in favourable micro-sites.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Below-ground, Climate change, Community, forb, grass, Lag, Meristem, plant, prairie, Rainfall manipulation}, doi = {10.1111/j.1654-109X.2012.01200.x}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1654-109X.2012.01200.x}, author = {Carter, D.L. and Vanderweide, B. and John M. Blair} } @article {KNZ001368, title = {Demography of female Greater Prairie-Chickens in unfragmented grasslands in Kansas}, journal = {Avian Conservation and Ecology-Ecologie et Conservation des Oiseaux}, volume = {6}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Populations of Greater Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus cupido) have been declining because of loss and fragmentation of tallgrass prairie habitats, and management plans require contemporary demographic data. Our objectives were to determine whether maternal nutrition or predation were determinants of nesting success and female survival. We captured and radio-marked 43 females at four leks in natural, unfragmented prairie during a 4-year study. Reproductive potential was high because females laid large clutches (10.9 {\textpm} 0.3 eggs, n = 24), renested following clutch loss (22.2\%, n = 27 females), and had high egg viability (88.6 {\textpm} 5.0\% of eggs hatched; n = 7 nests), but reproductive traits were not correlated with female morphometrics (mass, or tarsus and keel lengths). Daily survival rate of nests was low (0.928, n = 34 nests) resulting in a predicted nest success rate of 7.4\% for a 35-day exposure period. We used known fate models to estimate weekly survival from telemetry data for 40 females. Weekly survival was 0.970 and the extrapolated survival rate for the 6-month breeding season was 45.7\%. Using time-since-marking Cormack-Jolly-Seber models for live encounter data to control for transience, annual apparent survival was 0.277 {\textpm} 0.081 SE for 55 marked females after initial capture, and 0.424 {\textpm} 0.139 during subsequent intervals. Survival of females was 1.6 to 2.0 times higher during the nonbreeding season than the breeding season, presumably because females are susceptible to predation during incubation and brood-rearing. Predation of nests and females may be the main demographic factors limiting population viability because predation, and not maternal nutrition, accounted for unexpectedly low nesting success and breeding season survival of Greater Prairie-Chickens in natural habitats. Future research should investigate rangeland practices that increase residual nesting cover or reduce predator impacts.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.5751/ACE-00429-060102}, url = {http://www.ace-eco.org/vol6/iss1/art2}, author = {Augustine, J.K. and Sandercock, B.K.} } @article {KNZ001459, title = {Design and effectiveness of a novel trap for capturing nesting songbirds}, journal = {Journal of Field Ornithology}, volume = {82}, year = {2011}, pages = {425 -429}, abstract = {

Capturing songbirds at their nests can be challenging and time consuming. Although traps designed for capturing songbirds at their nests have been described in the literature, few are effective for capturing species with open-cup nests. We describe a cylindrical trap designed to capture songbirds at nests up to 2 m above ground in grasses, forbs, shrubs, and small saplings. The nest trap is constructed using a rigid hoop, two pieces of mist net, three stakes, and twist ties. We used this trap to capture female Dickcissels (Spiza americana) and female Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea) at their nests, with success rates of 85\% (N= 196) and 60\–73\% (N= 16), respectively. Trapping success was comparable to that using other passerine nest trap designs. Nest abandonment after trapping attempts was rare and similar to that reported in previous studies. Our nest trap is lightweight, easy to make, versatile enough to use in a variety of grassland and shrub habitats, and easily carried and deployed in the field.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/j.1557-9263.2011.00346.x}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1557-9263.2011.00346.x}, author = {Sousa, B.F. and Stewart, S.L.M.} } @article {KNZ001363, title = {Differential responses to defoliation frequency in Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) in tallgrass prairie: Implications for herbivory tolerance and avoidance}, journal = {Plant Ecology}, volume = {212}, year = {2011}, pages = {1275 -1285}, abstract = {

Plant responses to herbivory are complex. In grasses, relative growth rate (RGR), seed, and vegetative reproduction, resource allocation, and architecture vary differentially and often nonlinearly with grazing intensity. High grazing tolerance may be achieved through compensatory photosynthesis and leaf growth, or through demographic mechanisms such as activation of a belowground dormant bud bank. This study assessed the relationship between grazing frequency and responses of Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem) in a tallgrass prairie, and examined the roles of tiller growth, reproduction, and bud (meristem) populations in its persistence under grazing. Genets were subjected to varying simulated grazing frequencies for a period of 2 years. Strong differential responses were observed among plant traits. RGR, biomass, and flowering showed strong nonlinear reductions in response to increasing clipping frequency, with no evidence of threshold effects. However, meristem density was unaffected, and plants maintained a large bud bank across all clipping treatments. Tiller natality decreased initially, but increased with \>4 clippings, suggesting that declines in tiller RGR are partially offset by increasing tiller natality, and that variation in genet size is driven more by demography than by variation in individual tiller growth. Increased grazing frequency also resulted in differential activation of buds at different positions (emerging within vs. outside the subtending leaf sheath), explaining the shift to a more prostrate growth form observed in many caespitose grasses under persistent grazing. Thus, although this grass species lacks the capacity for compensatory foliage re-growth, the maintenance of a large dormant bud bank and the differential activation of buds in different positions contribute to its grazing tolerance and avoidance, respectively, and its long-term persistence in grazed grasslands.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, bud banks, Compensation, demography, Grasses, Grazing, Herbivory}, doi = {10.1007/s11258-011-9904-4}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007\%2Fs11258-011-9904-4}, author = {N{\textquoteright}Guessan, M. and D.C. Hartnett} } @article {KNZ001434, title = {Direct and indirect effects of central stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum) on mesocosm recovery following a flood: can macroconsumers affect denitrification?}, journal = {Journal of the North American Benthological Society}, volume = {30}, year = {2011}, pages = {840 -852}, abstract = {

Anthropogenic N loadings and perturbations of macroconsumer communities impair ecological and economic services provided by streams. Organisms are adapted to natural disturbances, such as flooding and desiccation, but how anthropogenic and natural disturbances interact is poorly understood. We used large outdoor mesocosms to study the effect of Campostoma anomalum, a common prairie headwater-stream minnow, and NH4+ additions (to simulate fish excretion) on the recovery of ecosystem structure and function following a flood, highlighting the potential for Campostoma (and other macroconsumers) to affect denitrification. Campostoma and NH4+ treatments differentially affected particulate organic matter size and filamentous algal structure. Ecosystem structure responded differently to mesocosm treatment over time, a result suggesting that grazers or NH4+-N availability may be especially important during early recovery periods. The presence of Campostoma did not influence denitrification, but NH4+ additions altered the response of denitrifiers to nutrient and energy amendments, and denitrification rates decreased following the recovery of mesocosms. Temporal changes in denitrification probably were caused by increasing hyporheic dissolved O2 concentrations, which led to potentially fewer anoxic microsites for production of denitrification enzymes. Our study shows that grazers affect the recovery of ecosystem structure, but denitrification in the context of these prairie-stream mesocosms appears to be unaffected by Campostoma.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Campostoma, denitrification, Ecosystem function, Flood, grazer, mesocosm, prairie streams, recovery}, doi = {10.1899/10-169.1}, url = {https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1899/10-169.1}, author = {Reisinger, A.J. and Presuma, D.L. and K. B. Gido and W. K. Dodds} } @mastersthesis {KNZ001487, title = {Dissolved inorganic carbon in soil and shallow groundwater, Konza Prairie LTER Site, NE Kansas, USA}, volume = {MS Thesis}, year = {2011}, school = {University of Kansas}, type = {M.S. Thesis}, address = {Lawrence, KS}, abstract = {

Sources and seasonal trends of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in a shallow limestone aquifer were studied for 1 year at the Konza Prairie LTER (Long-Term Ecological Research) Site in northeastern Kansas, from spring 2010 to spring 2011. Annual cycles of soil air CO2, groundwater DIC, and isotope characteristics showed a strong dependency on weather conditions and soil respiration. Soil air CO2 reached its annual maximum in the middle of the growing season, when moisture was not limiting to soil respiration. Following the maximum, the CO2 decreased because of moisture deficiency in the late summer and temperature decline in the fall and winter. The decrease began first in the shallowest part of the soil and last in the deepest part. Groundwater CO2 reached its annual maximum in October; this lag-time between the soil and groundwater CO2 maxima of 2-3 months may correspond to the travel time of soil-generated CO2 to the water table. The time-variable CO2 caused an annual carbonate-mineral saturation cycle, intensifying limestone dissolution, thus soil CO2 and carbonate minerals are the two main sources of DIC in soil and groundwater. The stable carbon isotope composition of soil air CO2 and DIC exhibited primarily C4 plant signature and were similar to that of soil organic matter, suggesting that both root and bacterial respiration are sources of CO2. DIC was enriched in 7-10 per mil PDB relative to the CO2 source due to isotope fractionation in a system open to soil CO2; the enrichment was smallest under highest pCO2. For this reason, d13CDIC was out of phase with DIC, the lightest in the late growing season. The carbon flux from the unsaturated zone to the unconfined aquifer during the year was variable depending on respiration and precipitation regimes, and had two main pathways. Transport of soil CO2 in the dissolved form with diffuse flow of recharge water was the most effective during the entire growing season. Downward movement of gaseous CO2 and equilibration with groundwater at the water table was possible in July to August. Storm rainfall events rapidly recharged the aquifer through preferential flow and stream-groundwater interaction. Rather than forcing soil gases downward because of water-saturated pores, the main effect of these events was dilution of groundwater. The calculated flux was about 0.3 M/m2/yr of C, which is less than 1\% of the CO2 that is released by soil to the atmosphere via efflux. However, the climate prediction of increased respiration rates, temperature, and frequency of extreme rainfall events has the potential to cause higher carbon flux to the saturated zone, intensifying weathering and groundwater acidification.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, url = {http://hdl.handle.net/1808/10386}, author = {Tsypin, Mikhail} } @article {KNZ001433, title = {Dynamic influences of nutrients and grazing fish on periphyton during recovery from flood}, journal = {Journal of the North American Benthological Society}, volume = {30}, year = {2011}, pages = {331 -345}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1899/10-039.1}, url = {https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1899/10-039.1}, author = {Murdock, J.N. and W. K. Dodds and K. B. Gido and M.R. Whiles} } @article {KNZ001419, title = {Data model for system conceptualization in groundwater studies}, journal = {International Journal of Geographical Information Science}, volume = {24}, year = {2010}, pages = {677 -694}, abstract = {

Development of a conceptualization of a hydrogeologic system serves as the basis of groundwater modeling. While existing groundwater data models are designed to store groundwater system information, none is designed to capture its conceptual view. This study addresses this need by presenting a new object-oriented Conceptualization Groundwater Data Model that represents a groundwater system as a series of aquifer layers with defined aquifer properties and water boundary conditions. A case study is presented that develops the conceptual view of the groundwater system beneath Konza Prairie. This single conceptualization is used to support groundwater models across existing technologies of finite difference, finite element, and analytical element methods. While the models each employ different mathematics, data input files, and formats, all models are founded on the same conceptualization process that is represented using this new data model. The case study illustrates the data model\&$\#$39;s promise as an effective mechanism for groundwater system conceptualization and data storage, and utility for various groundwater computational models. This conceptualization of a groundwater data model suggests a new focus on incorporating system conceptualization into data model design.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, conceptualization, data model, groundwater, simulation}, doi = {10.1080/13658810902967389}, url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13658810902967389}, author = {Yang, X. and Steward, D.R. and de Langeb, W.J. and Lauwoa, S.Y. and Chubb, R.M. and Bernard, E.A.} } @article {KNZ001269, title = {Development of soil microbial communities during tallgrass prairie restoration}, journal = {Soil Biology \& Biochemistry}, volume = {42}, year = {2010}, pages = {302 -312}, abstract = {

Soil microbial communities were examined in a chronosequence of four different land-use treatments at the Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas. The time series comprised a conventionally tilled cropland (CTC) developed on former prairie soils, two restored grasslands that were initiated on former agricultural soils in 1998 (RG98) and 1978 (RG78), and an annually burned native tallgrass prairie (BNP), all on similar soil types. In addition, an unburned native tallgrass prairie (UNP) and another grassland restored in 2000 (RG00) on a different soil type were studied to examine the effect of long-term fire exclusion vs. annual burning in native prairie and the influence of soil type on soil microbial communities in restored grasslands. Both 16S rRNA gene clone libraries and phospholipid fatty acid analyses indicated that the structure and composition of bacterial communities in the CTC soil were significantly different from those in prairie soils. Within the time series, soil physicochemical characteristics changed monotonically. However, changes in the microbial communities were not monotonic, and a transitional bacterial community formed during restoration that differed from communities in either the highly disturbed cropland or the undisturbed original prairie. The microbial communities of RG98 and RG00 grasslands were also significantly different even though they were restored at approximately the same time and were managed similarly; a result attributable to the differences in soil type and associated soil chemistry such as pH and Ca. Burning and seasonal effects on soil microbial communities were small. Similarly, changing plot size from 300 m2 to 150 m2 in area caused small differences in the estimates of microbial community structure. In conclusion, microbial community structure and biochemical properties of soil from the tallgrass prairie were strongly impacted by cultivation, and the microbial community was not fully restored even after 30 years.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, 16S rRNA, Bacterial community, Cropland, PLFA, prairie, restoration}, doi = {10.1016/j.soilbio.2009.11.008}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038071709004222?via\%3Dihub}, author = {Jangid, K. and Williams, M.A. and Franzluebbers, A.J. and John M. Blair and Coleman, D.C. and Whitman, W.B.} } @article {KNZ001417, title = {Dictyostelid cellular slime molds associated with grasslands of the central and western United States}, journal = {Mycologia}, volume = {102}, year = {2010}, pages = {996 -1003}, abstract = {

Dictyostelid cellular slime molds (dictyostelids) associated with grassland ecosystems of the central and western United States were investigated at nine sites that included examples of the three major ecological types of grasslands (tall grass, mixed grass and short grass) generally recognized for the region. Samples of soil/humus collected from each site were examined with the Cavender method of isolating dictyostelids. For each of those six sites with well developed gallery forests present, an additional set of forest soil/humus samples was collected. A more intensive sampling effort was carried out at one site (Konza LTER) to assess the possible effects of burning and grazing on dictyostelid diversity and density. Twelve species of dictyostelids were recovered from grassland sites, whereas gallery forest sites yielded only nine species. Four cosmopolitan species (Dictyostelium giganteum, D. mucoroides, D. sphaerocephalum and Polysphondylium pallidum) were represented by the greatest densities of clones, with D. sphaerocephalum particularly common. The general pattern across all sites was that both species richness and density of dictyostelids decreased with decreasing precipitation. Samples collected from ungrazed grassland plots yielded higher numbers of both species and clones as compared to grazed plots, and the general pattern was for both values to increase as the interval between fires increased. For numbers of clones this correlation was statistically significant.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, biogeography ecology eumycetozoans grasslands}, doi = {10.3852/09-099}, url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3852/09-099?journalCode=umyc20}, author = {Rollins, A.W. and Landolt, J.C. and Stephenson, S.L.} } @proceedings {KNZ001432, title = {Disturbance mediated effects of stream fishes on ecosystem processes: concepts and results from highly variable prairie streams}, journal = {Advances in Stream Fish Community Ecology: Concepts, Approaches and Techniques}, year = {2010}, pages = {593 -617}, abstract = {

Stream fishes can have strong top-down and bottom-up effects on ecosystem processes. However, the dynamic nature of streams constrains our ability to generalize these effects across systems with different disturbance regimes and species composition. To evaluate the role of fishes following disturbance, we used a series of field and mesocosm experiments that quantified the influence of grazers and water column minnows on primary productivity, periphyton structure, organic matter pools, and invertebrate communities following either scouring floods or drying of prairie streams. Results from individual experiments revealed highly significant effects of fishes, but the direction or magnitude of effects varied among experiments. Meta-analyses across experiments indicated that grazers consistently reduced the relative amount of fine benthic organic matter (FBOM) and chironomid abundance within 2 weeks after disturbances. However, effect sizes (log response ratios) were heterogeneous across experiments for algal biomass and algal filament lengths measured more than 4 weeks after a disturbance and potentially associated with system productivity and grazer densities. A similar analysis of 3\–4 experiments using water column minnows only found a consistent trend of decreasing FBOM in fish treatments relative to controls when measured less than 2 weeks after disturbances and increase in gross primary productivity measured more than 4 weeks after disturbance. These results, along with those of others, were used to develop a conceptual framework for predicting the potential role of fishes in streams following disturbances (flood and drying). Both theoretical and empirical research shows that recovery of stream ecosystem processes will depend on the resilience of autotrophic and heterotrophic communities following disturbance. Fish effects may vary among functional groups but are generally predicted to be greatest during early stages of succession when algal and invertebrate communities are less complex and their biomass is low relative to fish biomass. Our analysis underscores the context dependency of consumer effects on ecosystem structure and function in nonequilibrium conditions and suggests that factors regulating fish densities and colonization of algal and invertebrate taxa need to be evaluated to predict the consequences of biodiversity loss in streams with variable or human-modified disturbance regimes.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, url = {https://www.k-state.edu/fishecology/msreprints/Gido\%20et\%20al.2010\%20AFSbook\%20chapter.pdf}, author = {K. B. Gido and Bertrand, K.N. and Murdock, J.N. and W. K. Dodds and M.R. Whiles} } @article {KNZ001335, title = {Divergent host plant adaptation drives the evolution of reproductive isolation in the grasshopper Hesperotettix viridis (Orthoptera: Acrididae)}, journal = {Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society}, volume = {100}, year = {2010}, pages = {866 -878}, abstract = {

Early stages of lineage divergence in insect herbivores are often related to shifts in host plant use and divergence in mating capabilities, which may lead to sexual isolation of populations of herbivorous insects. We examined host preferences, degree of differentiation in mate choice, and divergence in cuticular morphology using near-infrared spectroscopy in the grasshopper Hesperotettix viridis aiming to understand lineage divergence. In Kansas (USA), H. viridis is an oligophagous species feeding on Gutierrezia and Solidago host species. To identify incipient mechanisms of lineage divergence and isolation, we compared host choice, mate choice, and phenotypic divergence among natural grasshopper populations in zones of contact with populations encountering only one of the host species. A significant host-based preference from the two host groups was detected in host-paired feeding preference studies. No-choice mate selection experiments revealed a preference for individuals collected from the same host species independent of geographic location, and little mating was observed between individuals collected from different host species. Female mate choice tests between males from the two host species resulted in 100\% fidelity with respect to host use. Significant differentiation in colour and cuticular composition of individuals from different host plants was observed, which correlated positively with host choice and mate choice. No evidence for reinforcement in the zone of contact was detected, suggesting that divergent selection for host plant use promotes sexual isolation in this species.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, allopatry, ecological speciation, feeding preference, genetic divergence, host-associated divergence, mate choice, Microsatellites, near-infrared spectroscopy, reproductive isolation, secondary contact zones, sexual isolation, sympatry}, doi = {10.1111/j.1095-8312.2010.01458.x}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article/100/4/866/2450537}, author = {Grace, T. and Dowell, F. and Anthony Joern and Wisely, S.M. and Brown, S.J. and Maghirang, E.} } @article {KNZ001285, title = {Dominant grasses suppress local diversity in restored tallgrass prairie}, journal = {Restoration Ecology}, volume = {18}, year = {2010}, pages = {40 -49}, abstract = {

Warm-season (C4) grasses commonly dominate tallgrass prairie restorations, often at the expense of subordinate grasses and forbs that contribute most to diversity in this ecosystem. To assess whether the cover and abundance of dominant grass species constrain plant diversity, we removed 0, 50, or 100\% of tillers of two dominant species (Andropogon gerardii or Panicum virgatum) in a 7-year-old prairie restoration. Removing 100\% of the most abundant species, A. gerardii, significantly increased light availability, forb productivity, forb cover, species richness, species evenness, and species diversity. Removal of a less abundant but very common species, P. virgatum, did not significantly affect resource availability or the local plant community. We observed no effect of removal treatments on critical belowground resources, including inorganic soil N or soil moisture. Species richness was inversely correlated with total grass productivity and percent grass cover and positively correlated with light availability at the soil surface. These relationships suggest that differential species richness among removal treatments resulted from treatment induced differences in aboveground resources rather than the belowground resources. Selective removal of the dominant species A. gerardii provided an opportunity for seeded forb species to become established leading to an increase in species richness and diversity. Therefore, management practices that target reductions in cover or biomass of the dominant species may enhance diversity in established and grass-dominated mesic grassland restorations.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Andropogon gerardii, Competition, diversity, mesic grassland restoration, Panicum virgatum, species removal}, doi = {10.1111/j.1526-100X.2010.00669.x}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1526-100X.2010.00669.x}, author = {McCain, K.N.S. and S.G. Baer and John M. Blair and G.T. Wilson} } @article {KNZ001247, title = {Discrimination of chemical stimuli in conspecific fecal pellets by a visually adept iguanid lizard, Crotaphytus collaris}, journal = {Journal of Ethology}, volume = {27}, year = {2009}, pages = {157 -163}, abstract = {

Iguanid lizards are known for visual acuity and a diminished vomeronasal organ, which has led to mixed conclusions on whether iguanids use chemical cues. The collared lizard, Crotaphytus collaris, is a territorial iguanid that lives in open rocky habitats. Fecal pellets placed prominently on open rocky perches may provide an ideal mechanism for intraspecific chemical signaling. In order to determine whether collared lizards can discriminate between chemical stimuli found in conspecific fecal pellets, we collected 24 males and 25 females to analyze sex-specific behavioral responses via tongue-flicks and a newly observed behavior for the species, gular pumps, to cotton swabs containing water, cologne, chemical stimuli from conspecific male and female fecal pellets, and the lizard\’s own fecal pellet. Both sexes were able to discriminate chemical stimuli from water via at least one behavior. Male collared lizards exhibited greater rates of response (tongue-flick and gular pumps) toward male fecal pellets when compared to the negative water control. Our results also suggest individuals may be able to discriminate between fecal pellets, as indicated by generally greater (but non-significant) counts of male tongue-flick responses to male fecal pellets when compared to their own. Collared lizard chemical discrimination appears to utilize tongue-flick and gular pump behaviors, possibly associated with distinct chemosensory modes (vomerolfaction and olfaction). Based on this study, we suggest that chemical signals may play a greater role in intraspecific communication than previously thought in this highly visual lizard.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Chemoreception, Gular pump, Olfaction, Tongue-flick, Vomerolfaction}, doi = {10.1007/s10164-008-0100-5}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007\%2Fs10164-008-0100-5}, author = {Wilgers, D.J. and Horne, E.A.} } @article {KNZ001237, title = {Disturbance frequency and functional identity mediate ecosystem processes in prairie streams}, journal = {Oikos}, volume = {118}, year = {2009}, pages = {917 -933}, abstract = {

A major consequence of climate change will be the alteration of precipitation patterns and concomitant changes in the flood frequencies in streams. Species losses or introductions will accompany these changes, which necessitates understanding the interactions between altered disturbance regimes and consumer functional identity to predict dynamics of streams. We used experimental mesocosms and field enclosures to test the interactive effects of flood frequency and two fishes from distinct consumer groups (benthic grazers and water-column minnows) on recovery of stream ecosystem properties (algal form and biomass, invertebrate densities, metabolism and nutrient uptake rates). Our results generally suggest that periphyton communities under nutrient limitation are likely to recover more quickly when grazing and water-column minnows are present and these effects can diminish or reverse with time since the disturbance. We hypothesized that increased periphyton production and biomass was the result of increased nutrient turnover, but decreased light limitation and indirect effects on other trophic levels are alternative explanations. Recovery of stream ecosystem properties after a natural flood differed from mesocosms (e.g. lower algal biomass and no long algal filaments present) and species manipulations did not explain recovery of ecosystem properties; rather, ecosystem processes varied along a downstream gradient of increasing temperature and nutrient concentrations. Different results between field enclosures and experimental mesocosms are attributable to a number of factors including differences in algal and invertebrate communities in the natural stream and relatively short enclosure lengths (mean area=35.8 m2) compared with recirculating water in the experimental mesocosms. These differences may provide insight into conditions necessary to elicit a strong interaction between consumers and ecosystem properties.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/j.1600-0706.2008.16849.x}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2008.16849.x}, author = {Bertrand, K.N. and K. B. Gido and W. K. Dodds and Murdock, J.N. and M.R. Whiles} } @phdthesis {KNZ001245, title = {Dark spetate fungal endophytes from a tallgrass prairie and their continuum of interactions with host plants}, volume = {PhD Dissertation}, year = {2008}, pages = {1 -136}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {Ph.D. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan, KS}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, url = {http://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/handle/2097/1127}, author = {Mandyam, Keerthi.} } @article {KNZ001185, title = {Defoliation synchronizes above-ground growth of co-occurring C4 grass species}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {89}, year = {2008}, pages = {2860 -2867}, abstract = {

The aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) of grass communities in grasslands and savannas is primarily determined by precipitation quantity. Recent research, motivated by predictions of changes in the distribution of rainfall events by global climate change models, indicates that ANPP may be affected by rainfall distribution as much as by annual totals. Grazing and community composition are also known to affect grassland ANPP. The manner in which interactions between rainfall distribution, grazing, and community composition affect the relationship between precipitation and ANPP represents a critical knowledge gap. The effects of community composition and grazing on aboveground growth responses to intraseasonal variation in water availability were investigated at seven grassland sites with a nonselective clipping experiment. The aboveground growth of the dominant C4 species at each site was measured at regular intervals for 2\–3 growing seasons in the presence or absence of regular defoliation. In the absence of defoliation, there was a general lack of synchrony of intraseasonal growth among co-occurring species. Variation in growth rates was high and was only partially explained by variation in rainfall. Regular defoliation increased growth synchrony at all sites, but changes in growth responses to rainfall varied between sites. These results suggest that community composition will be important in determining ANPP\–precipitation relationships under conditions of altered rainfall distribution. However this effect appears to be a result of species responding differently to soil water or other resources rather than to rainfall per se. Grazing may override the effects of community composition by reducing differences in growth patterns between species and has the potential to weaken precipitation controls on ANPP.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1890/07-1434.1}, url = {https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1890/07-1434.1}, author = {Swemmer, A.M. and Alan K. Knapp} } @article {KNZ001139, title = {Demographic sensitivity of population change in the Northern Bobwhite}, journal = {Journal of Wildlife Management}, volume = {72}, year = {2008}, pages = {970 -982}, abstract = {

The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) is an economically important gamebird that is currently undergoing widespread population declines. Despite considerable research on the population ecology of bobwhites, there have been few attempts to model population dynamics of bobwhites to determine the contributions of different demographic parameters to variance of the finite rate of population change (λ). We conducted a literature review and compiled 405 estimates of 9 demographic parameters from 49 field studies of bobwhites. To identify demographic parameters that might be important for management, we used life-stage simulation analyses (LSA) to examine sensitivity of λ to simulated variation in 9 demographic parameters for female bobwhites. In a baseline LSA based on uniform distributions bounded by the range of estimates for each demographic parameter, bobwhite populations were predicted to decline (λ = 0.56) and winter survival of adults made the greatest contribution to variance of λ (r2 = 0.453), followed by summer survival of adults (r2 = 0.163), and survival of chicks (r2 = 0.120). Population change was not sensitive to total clutch laid, nest survival, egg hatchability, or 3 parameters associated with the number of nesting attempts (r2 \<0.06). Our conclusions were robust to alternative simulation scenarios, and parameter rankings changed only if we adjusted the lower bounds of winter survival upwards. Bobwhite populations were not viable with survival rates reported from most field studies. Survival rates may be depressed below sustainable levels by environmental conditions or possibly by impacts of capture and telemetry methods. Overall, our simulation results indicate that management practices that improve seasonal survival rates will have the greatest potential benefit for recovery of declining populations of bobwhites.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Colinus virginianus, fecundity, life-stage simulation analysis, population model, quail, survival}, doi = {10.2193/2007-124}, url = {https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-wildlife-management/volume-72/issue-4/2007-124/Demographic-Sensitivity-of-Population-Change-in-Northern-Bobwhite/10.2193/2007-124.short}, author = {Sandercock, B.K. and Jensen, W.E. and Williams, C.K. and Applegate, R.D.} } @article {KNZ001007, title = {Development of water usage coefficients for the fully-watered tallgrass prairie}, journal = {Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers}, volume = {51}, year = {2008}, pages = {153 -159}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, author = {Hutchinson, S.L. and Koelliker, J.K. and Alan K. Knapp} } @inbook {KNZ001190, title = {Diversity, function and potential applications of the root-associated endophytes}, booktitle = {Mycorrhiza Genetics and Molecular Biology, Eco-Function, Biotechnology, Ecophysiology, Structure and Systematics}, year = {2008}, pages = {29 -59}, publisher = {Springer-Verlag, Berlin}, organization = {Springer-Verlag, Berlin}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, author = {Kageyama, S.A. and Mandyam, K.G. and A. Jumpponen}, editor = {Varma, A.} } @article {KNZ001167, title = {Does dietary-P affect feeding and performance in the mixed-feeding grasshopper (Acrididae) Melanoplus bivitattus?}, journal = {Environmental Entomology}, volume = {37}, year = {2008}, pages = {333 -339}, abstract = {

Although consequences of limited dietary protein and carbohydrate to performance are well studied for terrestrial insect herbivores, the importance of phosphorus (P) remains poorly understood. We examined the significance of dietary P to performance in fifth-instar nymphs of the grasshopper Melanoplus bivittatus fed artificial diets. Consumption, digestion, developmental rate, and growth in response to different levels of P nested within standard-Protein and carbohydrate diets were determined. Developmental rate was slowest on high-P diets; protein:carbohydrate concentration and P in diets affected frass production and consumption. Approximate digestibility and conversion of digested food were primarily influenced by the protein:carbohydrate quality of the diet but not P. Mass gain was marginally lower in the low-Protein:high carbohydrate diet used in this study. At the individual level, other than small effects to developmental rate at high concentrations for M. bivittatus, dietary P otherwise seems to have little effect on nymphal performance. To the degree that it is important, effects of dietary P depend on the concentrations of protein and carbohydrate in the diet.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, dietary phosphorus limitation to grasshopper, multiple nutrients, nutritional ecology, nutritional indices, secological stoichiometry}, doi = {10.1093/ee/37.2.333}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/ee/article/37/2/333/498535}, author = {Loaiza, V. and Jonas, J.L. and Anthony Joern} } @article {KNZ001076, title = {Demographic response of a grassland rodent to environmental variability}, journal = {Journal of Mammalogy}, volume = {88}, year = {2007}, pages = {982 -988}, abstract = {We used stage-structured matrix population models, derived from 3 years with disparate levels of precipitation, to assess the potential effects of climate change on annual population growth (λ) of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). Populations of deer mice increased during a year of normal precipitation (λ = 1.69 {\textpm} 0.02 SE) and a wet year (λ = 1.03 {\textpm} 0.02), but declined in a dry year (λ = 0.34 {\textpm} 0.02). Life-table response experiment analyses indicated that reduced survival of adults in the dry year, and reduced survival of pups and juveniles in the wet year, exerted the greatest influence on variation in population growth. Stochastic models that projected populations of deer mice for a 50-year period predicted that populations would not be able to persist if mean annual precipitation was reduced >=11\% by increasing the frequency of dry years. Furthermore, the stochastic population growth rate declined more quickly when the probability of a normal year was reduced, simulating increased variability in rainfall, relative to other scenarios examined. Our stochastic models indicate that a relatively small reduction in mean precipitation could result in substantial population declines of P. maniculatus in the mixed-grass prairie of central North America.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Climate change, deer mouse, life-table response experiment, matrix model, Peromyscus maniculatus, prairie, stochastic model}, doi = {10.1644/06-MAMM-A-109R.1}, author = {Reed, A.W. and Kaufman, G.A. and Sandercock, B.K.} } @article {KNZ001141, title = {Diurnal activity and habitat associations of white-tailed deer in tallgrass prairie of eastern Kansas}, journal = {Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science}, volume = {110}, year = {2007}, pages = {145 -154}, abstract = {Diurnal and seasonal patterns of activity and habitat associations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were assessed in a mosaic of grassland and woodland habitats on the Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas. We recorded deer seen during daylight hours in summer, autumn and winter periods from June 1997 through February 1998. Overall, diurnal activity increased from summer to winter and was largely crepuscular (i.e., early morning and late evening). Deer were observed primarily in lower uplands during summer and winter, and in lowlands during autumn. At a coarse scale (6.25 ha), white-tailed deer selected areas that had woody vegetation and avoided those that were dominated by grassy vegetation. In contrast, at a fine scale, groups of deer most often were observed foraging in the immediate vicinity of grassland vegetation, rather than in or by woody vegetation.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Flint Hills, grassland, Konza Prairie, Odocoileus virginianus, seasonal activity, topography, woodland, woody invasion}, doi = {10.1660/0022-8443(2007)110[145:DAAHAO]2.0.CO;2}, author = {Volk, M.D. and D.W. Kaufman and Kaufman, G.A.} } @mastersthesis {KNZ001163, title = {Diversity of a disease resistance gene homolog in Andropogon gerardii (Poaceae) is correlated with precipitation}, volume = {MS Thesis}, year = {2007}, pages = {1 -53}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {M.S. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan, KS}, abstract = {

Ecological clines often result in gradients of disease pressure in natural plant communities, imposing a gradient of selection on disease resistance genes. We describe the diversity of a resistance gene homolog in natural populations of the dominant tallgrass prairie grass, Andropogon gerardii, across a precipitation gradient ranging from 47.63 cm/year in western Kansas to 104.7 cm/year in central Missouri. Since moisture facilitates infection by foliar bacterial pathogens, plants along this precipitation gradient will tend to experience heavier bacterial disease pressure to the east. In maize, the gene Rxo1 confers resistance to the pathogenic bacterium Burkholderia andropogonis. Rxo1 homologs have been identified in A. gerardii and B. andropogonis is known to infect natural populations of A. gerardii. The spatial genetic structure of A. gerardii was assessed from central Missouri to western Kansas by genotyping with AFLP markers. Samples were also genotyped for Rxo1 homologs by amplifying an 810 base pair region of the leucine-rich repeat and digesting with restriction enzymes. We compared Rxo1 homolog diversity to AFLP diversity across different spatial scales. Genetic dissimilarity based on AFLP markers was lower than would have occurred by chance at distances up to 30 m, and different prairies were more dissimilar than would have occurred by chance, but there was not a longitudinal trend in within-prairie dissimilarity as measured by AFLP markers. Dissimilarity of the Rxo1 homologs was higher in the east suggesting the presence of diversifying selection in the more disease-conducive eastern environments.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Amplified fragment length polymorphism, Andropogon gerardii, genetic diversity, Leucine-rich repeat, Polyploidy, Spatial genetic structure}, url = {http://hdl.handle.net/2097/517}, author = {Rouse, M.N.} } @article {KNZ001172, title = {Does species diversity limitproductivity in natural grassland communities?}, journal = {Ecology Letters}, volume = {10}, year = {2007}, pages = {680 -689}, abstract = {Theoretical analyses and experimental studies of synthesized assemblages indicate that under particular circumstances species diversity can enhance community productivity through niche complementarity. It remains unclear whether this process has important effects in mature natural ecosystems where competitive feedbacks and complex environmental influences affect diversity{\textendash}productivity relationships. In this study, we evaluated diversity{\textendash}productivity relationships while statistically controlling for environmental influences in 12 natural grassland ecosystems. Because diversity{\textendash}productivity relationships are conspicuously nonlinear, we developed a nonlinear structural equation modeling (SEM) methodology to separate the effects of diversity on productivity from the effects of productivity on diversity. Meta-analysis was used to summarize the SEM findings across studies. While competitive effects were readily detected, enhancement of production by diversity was not. These results suggest that the influence of small-scale diversity on productivity in mature natural systems is a weak force, both in absolute terms and relative to the effects of other controls on productivity.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01058.x}, author = {Grace, J.B. and Anderson, T.M. and M.D. Smith and Seabloom, E. and Andelman, S.J. and Meche, G. and Weiher, E. and Allain, L.K. and Jutila, H. and Sankaran, M. and Knops, J. and Ritchie, M. and M.R. Whiles} } @article {KNZ001032, title = {Determining ecoregional reference conditions for nutrients, secchi depth, and chlorophyll a in Kansas lakes and reservoirs}, journal = {Lake and Reservoir Management}, volume = {22}, year = {2006}, pages = {151 -159}, abstract = {Baseline environmental conditions are a critical consideration in the development of scientifically defensible aquatic nutrient criteria. We applied three methods to ecoregionally stratified data to determine reference conditions in Kansas lakes and reservoirs with respect to total phosphorus, total nitrogen, Secchi depth, and planktonic chlorophyll a (chl a). First, minimally developed lake/watershed units were identified based on existing geographical databases and visual basin surveys. Lakes and reservoirs in these watersheds were considered minimally-to-least impacted {\textquotedblleft}reference{\textquotedblright} waters. Second, median nutrient, Secchi depth, and chl a values were determined for the best one-third of lakes and reservoirs and applied as indicators of reference condition (trisection). Third, a regression-based extrapolation method was applied to estimate water quality conditions in the absence of anthropogenic influences. The first method suggested no ecoregional effect on the trophic status of minimally impacted reference water bodies, whereas the other two methods indicated some significant ecoregional differences. Lack of ecoregional effect in reference bodies could indicate that differences were driven by anthropogenic influences rather than natural regional characteristics. Reference conditions, as determined by these three methods, broadly agreed for all parameters and were generally at or less than literature values for the mesotrophic-eutrophic threshold for lakes and reservoirs worldwide. Reference values for total phosphorus were primarily less than levels commonly associated with cyanobacterial blooms. Overall, the data suggest that multiple methods can be used to determine reference condition, and that in Kansas lakes and reservoirs reference condition corresponds to mesotrophic state.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, ecoregion, eutrophication, nitrogen, nutrient criteria, Phosphorus}, doi = {10.1080/07438140609353892}, author = {W. K. Dodds and Carney, E. and Angelo, R.T.} } @article {KNZ001101, title = {Development of taxon-specific markers for high-throughput screening of microbial-feeding nematodes}, journal = {Molecular Ecology Notes}, volume = {6}, year = {2006}, pages = {712 -714}, abstract = {In an effort to assess the taxonomic identity of large-scale samplings of nematodes from the Konza Tallgrass Prairie, we sequenced a portion of the 18S rRNA gene and its associated internally transcribed spacer (ITS1) from 74 nematodes encompassing four taxonomic families. From these sequences, we have developed a series of molecular probes to distinguish 16 distinct microbivorous nematode taxa. Using a combination of low power microscopy and taxon-specific real-time probes, the 74 nematodes were correctly assigned to their respective taxonomic groups. This optimized method provides a high-throughput assay to determine nematode identities across larger data sets.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, 18S rRNA, 5' nuclease assaym, Nematoda, real-time PCR, Taqman}, doi = {10.1111/j.1471-8286.2006.01319.x}, author = {Jones, K.L. and Todd, T.C. and Herman, M.A.} } @article {KNZ001035, title = {Does plant species co-occurrence influence soil mite diversity?}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {87}, year = {2006}, pages = {625 -633}, abstract = {Few studies have considered whether plant taxa can be used as predictors of belowground faunal diversity in natural ecosystems. We examined soil mite (Acari) diversity beneath six grass species at the Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas, USA. We tested the hypotheses that soil mite species richness, abundance, and taxonomic diversity are greater (1) beneath grasses in dicultures (different species) compared to monocultures (same species), (2) beneath grasses of higher resource quality (lower C:N) compared to lower resource quality, and (3) beneath heterogeneous mixes of grasses (C3 and C4 grasses growing together) compared to homogeneous mixes (C3 or C4 grasses) using natural occurrences of plant species as treatments. This study is the first to examine the interaction between above- and belowground diversity in a natural setting with species-level resolution of a hyper-diverse taxon. Our results indicate that grasses in diculture supported a more species and phylogenetically rich soil mite fauna than was observed for monocultures and that this relationship was significant at depth but not in the upper soil horizon. We noted that mite species richness was not linearly related to grass species richness, which suggests that simple extrapolations of soil faunal diversity based on plant species inventories may underestimate the richness of associated soil mite communities. The distribution of mite size classes in dicultures was considerably different than those for monocultures. There was no difference in soil mite richness between grass combinations of differing resource quality, or resource heterogeneity.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1890/05-0380}, author = {John, M.G. and Wall, D.H. and Behan-Pelletier, V.M.} } @article {KNZ00991, title = {Density-dependent habitatselection by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) in tallgrassprairie}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {142}, year = {2005}, pages = {136 -149}, abstract = {Local distributions of avian brood parasites among their host habitats may depend upon conspecific parasite density. We used isodar analysis to test for density-dependent habitat selection in brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) among tallgrass prairie adjacent to wooded edges, and prairie interior habitat (>100 m from wooded edges) with and without experimental perches. Eight study sites containing these three habitat treatments were established along a geographical gradient in cowbird abundance within the Flint Hills region of Eastern Kansas and Oklahoma, USA. The focal host species of our study, the dickcissel (Spiza americana), is the most abundant and preferred cowbird host in the prairie of this region. Cowbird relative abundance and cowbird:host abundance ratios were used as estimates of female cowbird density, whereas cowbird egg density was measured as parasitism frequency (percent of dickcissel nests parasitized), and parasitism intensity (number of cowbird eggs per parasitized nest). Geographical variation in cowbird abundance was independent of host abundance. Within study sites, host abundance was highest in wooded edge plots, intermediate in the experimental perch plots, and lowest in prairie interior. Cowbirds exhibited a pattern of density-dependent selection of prairie edge versus experimental perch and interior habitats. On sites where measures of cowbird density were lowest, all cowbird density estimates (female cowbirds and their eggs) were highest near (<=100 m) wooded edges, where host and perch availability are highest. However, as overall cowbird density increased geographically, these density estimates increased more rapidly in experimental perch plots and prairie interiors. Variation in cowbird abundance and cowbird:host ratios suggested density-dependent cowbird selection of experimental perch over prairie interior habitat, but parasitism levels on dickcissel nests were similar among these two habitats at all levels of local cowbird parasitism. The density-dependent pattern of cowbird distribution among prairie edge and interior suggested that density effects on perceived cowbird fitness are greatest at wooded edges. A positive relationship between daily nest mortality rates of parasitized nests during the nestling period with parasitism intensity levels per nest suggested a density-dependent effect on cowbird reproductive success. However, this relationship was similar among habitats, such that all habitats should have been perceived as being equally suitable to cowbirds at all densities. Other unmeasured effects on cowbird habitat suitability (e.g., reduced cowbird success in edge-dwelling host nests, cowbird despotism at edges) might have affected cowbird habitat selection. Managers attempting to minimize cowbird parasitism on sensitive cowbird hosts should consider that hosts in otherwise less-preferred cowbird habitats (e.g., habitat interiors) are at greater risk of being parasitized where cowbirds become particularly abundant.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Edge effects, Ideal free distribution, Isodar, Molothrus ater, Spiza americana}, doi = {10.1007/s00442-004-1709-x}, author = {Jensen, W.E. and Cully, J.F.} } @article {KNZ00969, title = {Distribution of carnivore burrows in a prairie landscape}, journal = {Great Plains Research}, volume = {15}, year = {2005}, pages = {15 -29}, abstract = {Mammals impact prairie ecosystems through burrowing activities. Burrows used by carnivores were studied in four habitat types at the Konza Prairie Biological Station, a native tallgrass prairie near Manhattan, KS. We surveyed nearly 40 km of 10-m-wide transects and counted burrows in upland, slope, and lowland prairie and along ravines. Burrows were placed selectively along slopes (7.3 per km) and to a lesser extent along edges of ravines (4.2), but only infrequently in upland (0.6) and never in lowlands (0.0). We also recorded features (e.g., location, aspect, and slope steepness) along slope transects at a 30 m intervals to estimate availability of these features. Points of hills (18.7 burrows per km) were used more than sides of hills (2.0) or upper ends of ravines (1.5). Burrows on points were placed selectively on steep rather than shallow slopes and on south- and west-facing slopes rather than north- and east-facing slopes.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, burrows, carnivores, kansas, tallgrass prairie, topography}, url = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/23779836}, author = {Kaufman, G.A. and Kocher, S.D. and D.W. Kaufman} } @article {KNZ00977, title = {Do individual plant speciesshow predictable responses to nitrogen addition across multipleexperiments?}, journal = {Oikos}, volume = {110}, year = {2005}, pages = {547 -555}, abstract = {A number of experiments have addressed how increases in nitrogen availability increase the productivity and decrease the diversity of plant communities. We lack, however, a rigorous mechanistic understanding of how changes in abundance of particular species combine to produce changes in community productivity and diversity. Single experiments cannot provide insight into this issue because each species occurs only once per experiment, and each experiment is conducted in only one location; thus, it is impossible from single experiments to determine whether responses of particular species are consistent across environments or dependent on the particular environmental context in which the experiment was conducted. To address this issue, we assembled a dataset of 20 herbaceous species that were each represented in at least 6 different fertilization experiments and tested whether responses were general across experiments. Of the 20 species, one consistently increased in relative abundance and five consistently decreased across replicate experiments. A partially-overlapping group of 8 species displayed responses to nitrogen that varied predictably among experiments as a function of geographic location, neighboring species, or a handful of other community characteristics (ANPP, precipitation, species richness, relative abundance of focal species in control plots, and community composition). Thus, despite modest replication and a limited number of predictor variables, we were able to identify consistent patterns in response of 10 out of 20 species across multiple experiments. We conclude that the responses of individual species to nitrogen addition are often predictable, but that in most cases these responses are functions of the abiotic or biotic environment. Thus, a rigorous understanding of how plant species respond to nitrogen addition will have to consider not only the traits of individual plant species, but also aspects of the communities in which those plants live.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/j.0030-1299.2005.13792.x}, author = {Pennings, S.C. and Clark, C.M. and Cleland, E.E. and Scott. L. Collins and Gough, L. and Gross, K.L. and Milchunas, D.G. and K.N. Suding} } @proceedings {KNZ001000, title = {Determining landscape structure and heterogeneity using image texture indices}, volume = {27}, year = {2004}, pages = {110 -117}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, author = {Gao, J. and Goodin, D.G.} } @article {KNZ00891, title = {Direct and indirect effects of fire on shrub density and aboveground productivity in a mesic grassland}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {85}, year = {2004}, pages = {2245 -2257}, abstract = {Determinants of the balance between grass and woody vegetation in grasslands and savannas have received considerable attention because of the potential for dramatic shifts in ecosystem structure and function as one growth form replaces the other. We studied a mesic grassland where recently established {\textquotedblleft}shrub islands{\textquotedblright} are increasing in abundance due to fire suppression. Our objective was to assess the role of the direct effects of fire vs. indirect alterations in resource availability (N and light), as mechanisms that may constrain/facilitate shrub (Cornus drummondii) encroachment. The direct effects of fire in 2001 and 2002 were 100\% aboveground mortality of C. drummondii shoots and removal of the detrital layer. Post-fire resprouting resulted in \~{}600\% increase in stem density compared to a 200\% increase in shrub islands protected from fire. In burned shrub islands with an added detrital layer, temperature and light penetration to the soil surface were reduced (by 6.5{\textdegree}C and to <3\% of full sunlight), but stem density still increased by \~{}400\%. Thus, both the direct effects of fire and the indirect effect on the energy environment increased C. drummondii stem densities. In contrast, N additions did not influence new stem production or aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP; grams per square meter per year), suggesting that N availability did not constrain shrub growth during this study. While fire did not impact total ANPP, it did shift the relative abundance of growth forms. Grass productivity (360.7 {\textpm} 20.1 g/m2 [mean {\textpm} 1 se]) was stimulated (an increase of \~{}30\%) by the high light conditions of the post-fire environment, while C. drummondii ANPP (34.2 {\textpm} 2.4 g/m2) was reduced by \~{}30\%. In shrub islands protected from fire, C. drummondii ANPP was greatest (50.4 {\textpm} 2.2 g/m2), whereas lower graminoid ANPP (282.5 {\textpm} 19.9 g/m2) was observed. The persistence of woody vegetation, despite two successive fires, along with a significant reduction in grass ANPP (\~{}30\%) suggests that once established, C. drummondii can persist and exclude C4 grasses. Thus, restoring fire to mesic grasslands may prevent further conversion to shrub/woodland, but the abundance of shrubs is likely to remain unchanged with community structure co-dominated by multiple growth forms.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1890/03-0574}, author = {Heisler, J.L. and J. M. Briggs and Alan K. Knapp and John M. Blair and Seery, A.} } @article {KNZ00902, title = {Dominance not diversity determines invasibility of tallgrass prairie}, journal = {Oikos}, volume = {106}, year = {2004}, pages = {253 -262}, abstract = {Many recent studies suggest that more diverse communities are more resistant to invasion. Community characteristics that most strongly influence invasion are uncertain, however, due to covariation of diversity with competition and crowding. We examined separately the effects of species richness and dominance on invasion by an exotic legume, Melilotus officinalis, in intact, native Kansas grassland. We manipulated dominance of C4 grasses by reducing their abundance (i.e. ramet densities) by \~{}25 and 50\%. In addition, richness was reduced by removing species that were mainly rare and uncommon as might be expected with environmental changes such as drought and fragmentation. In both years of the study (2001{\textendash}2002), invasibility, measured as peak establishment of Melilotus, was not affected by a 3-fold reduction in species richness, nor was there an interaction between loss of species and reduced dominance on invasion. In contrast, reductions in abundance of the dominants significantly reduced invasibility of the grassland plots in both years. Because the abundance of dominants was highly correlated with measures of competition (i.e. ratio of dominant biomass to total biomass) and crowding (total stem densities), this pattern was opposite to that expected if competition were indeed limiting invasion. Rather, invasion appeared to be facilitated by the dominant species, most likely because reduced dominance increased environmental stress. Our results suggest that dominance is the key community characteristic determining invasibility, because highly competitive and space-filling species can either enhance or reduce susceptibility to invasion depending on whether dominants create a more competitive environment or alleviate stressful conditions.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/j.0030-1299.2004.13057.x}, author = {M.D. Smith and Wilcox, J. and Kelly, T. and Alan K. Knapp} } @article {KNZ00839, title = {Disturbance dynamics and ecological response: the contribution of long-term ecological research}, journal = {BioScience}, volume = {53}, year = {2003}, pages = {46 -56}, abstract = {Long-term ecological research is particularly valuable for understanding disturbance dynamics over long time periods and placing those dynamics in a regional context. We highlighted three case studies from Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network sites that have contributed to understanding the causes and consequences of disturbance in ecological systems. The LTER Network significantly enhances the ability to study disturbance by (a) encompassing ecosystems subject to a wide range of disturbances, (b) providing a long-term baseline against which to detect change and measure ecosystem responses to disturbance, (c) permitting observation of slow or infrequent events, (d) facilitating the use of multiple research approaches, (e) providing a focus for modeling disturbance dynamics, and (f) contributing to land and resource management. Long-term research is crucial to understanding past, present, and future disturbance dynamics, and the LTER Network is poised to make continuing contributions to the understanding of disturbance.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, biotic invasion, fire, heterogeneity, hurricane, scale}, doi = { 10.1641/0006-3568(2003)053[0046:DDAERT]2.0.CO;2}, author = {Turner, M.G. and Scott. L. Collins and Lugo, A.L. and Magnuson, J.J. and Rupp, T.S. and Swanson, F.J.} } @article {KNZ00868, title = {Dominant species maintain ecosystem function with non-random species loss}, journal = {Ecology Letters}, volume = {6}, year = {2003}, pages = {509 -517}, abstract = {Loss of species caused by widespread stressors, such as drought and fragmentation, is likely to be non-random depending on species abundance in the community. We experimentally reduced the number of rare and uncommon plant species while independently reducing only the abundance of dominant grass species in intact, native grassland. This allowed us to simulate a non-random pattern of species loss, based on species abundances, from communities shaped by natural ecological interactions and characterized by uneven species abundance distributions. Over two growing seasons, total above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) declined with reductions in abundance of the dominant species but was unaffected by a threefold decline in richness of less common species. In contrast, productivity of the remaining rare and uncommon species decreased with declining richness, in part due to loss of complementary interactions among these species. However, increased production of the dominant grasses offset the negative effects of species loss. We conclude that the dominant species, as controllers of ecosystem function, can provide short-term resistance to reductions in ecosystem function when species loss is nonrandom. However, the concurrent loss of complementary interactions among rare and uncommon species, the most diverse component of communities, may contribute to additional species loss and portends erosion of ecosystem function in the long term.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1046/j.1461-0248.2003.00454.x}, author = {M.D. Smith and Alan K. Knapp} } @article {KNZ00815, title = {Distribution of eastern woodrats in a grassland-woodland mosaic: influence of vegetation and fire}, journal = {Great Plains Research}, volume = {12}, year = {2002}, pages = {157 -166}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, eastern woodrat, Konza Prairie, prairie fires, tallgrass prairie}, url = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/23780013}, author = {Beckmann, J.P. and Kaufman, G.A. and D.W. Kaufman} } @article {KNZ00756, title = {Determinants of C3 forb growth and production in a C4 dominated grassland}, journal = {Plant Ecology}, volume = {152}, year = {2001}, pages = {93 -100}, abstract = {Forbs are the most abundant species within the vascular flora of tallgrass prairie and they make the greatest contribution to biodiversity of all growth forms. However, little is known about the factors that determine their productivity and growth rates. The objective of this study was to assess the controls of forb growth (absolute and relative) and production in tallgrass prairie from a long-term burning experiment at the Konza Prairie in NE Kansas. Over the 14-year study, forbs comprised 9\% of the total biomass production on sites with a high fire frequency vs. 29\% on the low fire frequency site, with gramminoids accounting for the remainder. Although interannual variations in peak biomass of the grasses was strongly correlated with environmental variables related to water availability, there were no similar relationships for forbs, suggesting that production of forbs and grasses responded to interannual variations in climate in different ways. Multivariate analysis of climatic controls on growth rates of grasses and forbs yielded similar results. Although forbs had low biomass and absolute growth per unit ground area in frequently burned prairie, their relative growth rates were highest in such sites. Thus, it appears that reduced growth rates of individual forbs per se do not limit forb success in annually burned prairie. Instead, direct negative effects of fire on forbs (increased mortality) may be responsible. Determinants of forb growth and productivity in unburned prairie remain unresolved.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, aboveground net primary production, Biodiversity, fire, forbs, Graminoids, Relative growth rates, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {10.1023/A:1011400101014}, author = {J. M. Briggs and Alan K. Knapp} } @article {KNZ00758, title = {Different behavioral patterns of the earthworms Octolasion tyrtaeum and Diplocardia spp . in tallgrass prairie soils: potential influences on plant growth}, journal = {Biology and Fertility of Soils}, volume = {34}, year = {2001}, pages = {49 -56}, abstract = {This study addressed differences between Diplocardia spp. (a native North American earthworm) and Octolasion tyrtaeum (an introduced European species), with respect to behavior, influence on soil microbial biomass, and plant uptake of N in tallgrass prairie soils. We manipulated earthworms in PVC-encased soil cores (20 cm diameter) over a 45-day period under field conditions. Treatments included: (1) control with no earthworms, (2) Diplocardia spp. only, and (3) O. tyrtaeum only. Prior to addition of earthworms, seedlings of Andropogon gerardii (a dominant tallgrass) were established in each core, and a dilute solution of 13C-labeled glucose and 15N-labeled (NH4)2SO4 was added to the soil to facilitate examination of earthworm/microbe/plant interactions. We found that Diplocardia spp. were significantly more active than O. tyrtaeum, and quickly assimilated 13C and 15N from the tracer. Individuals of Diplocardia spp. were present at shallower soil depths than O. tyrtaeum throughout the study. Contrary to expectation, this greater activity of Diplocardia spp. did not result in increased plant productivity. Rather, the activity of Diplocardia spp. was associated with less plant growth and smaller amounts of N acquired by A. gerardii seedlings compared to controls or O. tyrtaeum treatments. We observed few significant influences of earthworm treatments on microbial biomass C or N pool sizes, but the microbial C/N ratio was consistently greater in the presence of Diplocardia spp. relative to O. tyrtaeum. Results of this study indicate that activity of earthworms may enhance competition for N between microbes and plants during the growing season in tallgrass prairie.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, grassland, Microbial biomass, nitrogen, Soil invertebrates, Stable isotopes}, doi = {10.1007/s003740100370}, author = {Callaham, M.A. Jr. and John M. Blair and Hendrix, P.F.} } @article {KNZ00727, title = {Disturbance frequency and community stability in native tallgrass prairie}, journal = {The American Naturalist}, volume = {155}, year = {2000}, pages = {311 -325}, abstract = {Ecological communities are spatially and temporally variable in response to a variety of biotic and abiotic forces. It is not always clear, however, if spatial and temporal variability leads to instability in communities. Instability may result from strong biotic interactions or from stochastic processes acting on small populations. I used 10{\textendash}15 yr of annual data from the Konza Prairie Long-Term Ecological Research site to examine whether plant, breeding bird, grasshopper, and small mammal communities in tallgrass prairie exhibit stability or directional change in response to different experimentally induced fire frequencies. Based on ordination and ANOVA, plant and grasshopper communities on annually burned sites differed significantly from plant and grasshopper communities on less frequently burned sites. Breeding birds and small mammals differed among sites as well, but these differences were not clearly related to disturbance frequency. A modified time series analysis indicated that plant communities were undergoing directional change (unstable) on all watersheds, regardless of fire frequency. Contrary to expectations, directional change was greatest on the annually burned sites and lowest on the infrequently burned sites. Unlike the plant communities, breeding bird, grasshopper, and small mammal communities were temporally stable, despite high-compositional variability from 1 yr to the next. Stability among the consumer communities within these dynamic plant communities occurs because three-dimensional vegetation structure does not change over time, despite changes in plant species composition. Evidence suggests that instability in the plant community results from strong biotic interactions among temporally persistent core species and stochastic dynamics among infrequent satellite species. Overall, community stability cannot be assessed if the pattern of temporal dynamics is unknown. Long-term empirical studies of different taxa under different disturbance regimes are needed to determine over what time frames and spatial scales communities may be stable. Such studies are essential for the development of generalities regarding the relationship between disturbance frequency and community stability in terrestrial and aquatic systems.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Community dynamics, community stability, disturbance, fire, tallgrass prairie, temporal variability}, doi = {10.1086/303326}, author = {Scott. L. Collins} } @article {KNZ00718, title = {Demodicosis in an American Bison}, journal = {Canadian Veterinary Journal}, volume = {40}, year = {1999}, pages = {417 -418}, abstract = {An 18-month-old, male American bison (Bison bison) was presented with 7- to 9-mm size nodules periorbital, perineal, and on the ventral surface of the tail. Demodex spp. were identified from the exudate by microscopic examination. Examination 6 mo later revealed that the infestation had nearly cleared without treatment.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1539720/}, author = {Vestweber, J.G. and Ridley, R.K. and Nietfeld, J.C. and Wilkerson, M.J.} } @article {KNZ00688, title = {Designs for greenhouse studies of interactions between plants}, journal = {Journal of Ecology}, volume = {87}, year = {1999}, pages = {1 -16}, abstract = {1 Designs for greenhouse studies of interactions between plants are reviewed and recommendations for their use are provided. 2 Papers published over a 10-year period showed the replacement series design to be the most popular, especially in studying crop{\textendash}weed interactions. Fifty per cent of the studies involved only two species, although studies testing the interaction between different genotypes of only a few species were also popular. 3 Limitations imposed by the choice of design, the variables measured, and the analysis used on the range of inferences that may be validly drawn from the experiment are frequently not well understood or appropriate for the questions that appear to be addressed. One example is the failure to distinguish the outcome of competition (the long-term outcome of interaction) and the effects of species on each other. 4 Studies in which only final yield is measured are severely limited as to the inferences which may be drawn. Effects due to interspecific interaction during the course of the experiment cannot then be separated from pre-existing differences, and interpretation may be biased towards species whose individuals were initially larger. In addition, measurements at several times are necessary to understand the changing dynamics of species interaction. 5 Simple pair-wise mixtures can assess the effect of treatment factors on the outcome of competition. Replacement series and related diallel designs generally produce results that may be size-biased even when initial interspecific differences are known. Additive designs (including target{\textendash}neighbour designs), despite confounding density with species proportions, offer considerable scope for addressing mechanistic questions about interspecific interactions. Designs that allow response surface analysis can avoid many of the problems inherent in the other methods, but all need to be adjusted for initial interspecific differences. Designs for multiple species experiments are still largely untested, although several designs have been used. At the level of the individual plant, hexagonal fan designs permit study of the effects of varying the spatial pattern, and the densities and the relative proportions of interacting species, but suffer from lack of independence and lack of randomization.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1046/j.1365-2745.1999.00321.x}, author = {D.J. Gibson and Connolly, J. and D.C. Hartnett and Weidenhamer, J.D.} } @proceedings {KNZ00684, title = {Do caespitose and rhizomatous grass growth forms constitute unique functional groups?}, journal = {People and Rangelands: Building the Future}, year = {1999}, pages = {927 -928}, address = {Townsville, Queensland, Australia}, abstract = {Studies of a semiarid shortgrass plant community (Central Plains Experimental Range, Colorado, USA) and a mesic tallgrass community (Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, Kansas, USA) are described. Soil C and N pools were measured from soil cores taken below rhizomatous and caespitose grass species from both grazed and ungrazed sites. Physiological plasticity was determined for the roots of both grass types by exposure to ammonium sulfate solution and rhizome and root morphological plasticity was determined on the long-term grazed sites. Caespitose grasses [Schizachyrium scoparium and Bouteloua gracilis] accumulated larger pools of nutrients in soils directly beneath plants than rhizomatous grasses [Andropogon gerardii and Pascopyrum smithii [Elymus smithii]] did in rhizomes. Caespitose and rhizomatous grasses had inconsistent modifications of nutrient pools on grazed compared with ungrazed sites, which indicated the occurrence of either species- or system-specific responses. Neither grass type expressed morphological or physiological root plasticity in the mesic community but both grass types expressed morphological root plasticity and the rhizomatous grass displayed significant physiological root plasticity in the semiarid plant community}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, author = {Derner, J.D. and Briske, D.D. and Eldridge, D. and Freudenberger, D.}, editor = {Eldridge, D. and Freudenberger, D.} } @article {KNZ00683, title = {Does a tradeoff exist between morphological and physiological root plasticity? A comparison of grass growth forms}, journal = {Acta Oecologica}, volume = {20}, year = {1999}, pages = {519 -526}, abstract = {A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the potential tradeoff between morphological and physiological root plasticity in caespitose and rhizomatous grass growth forms in semi-arid and mesic communities. Morphological and physiological root plasticity were evaluated with in-growth cores and excised root assays, respectively. The rhizomatous grass in the semi-arid community was the only species to display significant physiological root plasticity, but all species possessed the capacity to proportionally increase 15N uptake with increasing concentrations of (15NH4)2SO4 solution. Neither the caespitose nor the rhizomatous grass displayed morphological root plasticity in response to nitrogen addition in the mesic community. In contrast, significant morphological root plasticity occurred in species of both growth forms in the semi-arid community. These data suggest that the compact architecture and the ability to accumulate nutrients in soils directly beneath caespitose grasses did not increase selection pressure for physiological root plasticity at the expense of morphological root plasticity and that the coarse grained foraging strategy and low density of large diameter roots did not increase morphological root plasticity at the expense of physiological root plasticity in rhizomatous grasses. These preliminary data suggest that 1) a high maximum uptake rate for nitrogen in these perennial grasses may minimize the expression of physiological root plasticity, 2) morphological and physiological root plasticity may represent complimentary, rather than alternative, foraging strategies, and 3) the expression of root plasticity may be strongly influenced by abiotic variables within specific habitats.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, clonal plants, plant foraging, plant-soil relations, Resource heterogeneity}, doi = {10.1016/S1146-609X(00)86619-9}, author = {Derner, J.D. and Briske, D.D.} } @inbook {KNZ00623, title = {Data entry}, booktitle = {Data and Information Management in the Ecological Sciences: A Resource Guide}, year = {1998}, publisher = {Long-Term Ecological Research Network Office, University of New Mexico}, organization = {Long-Term Ecological Research Network Office, University of New Mexico}, address = {Albuquerque}, abstract = {One of the many issues that an information management specialist must consider is the need to convert data into a usable electronic format. This frequently means converting data collected in the field, usually on paper, into an electronic form that can then be used in a statistical or graphical package by the researcher. The purpose of this paper is to present guidelines that we have found useful in making this conversion as quick and error-free as possible.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, url = {http://www.ecoinformatics.org/pubs/guide/briggs2.fv2.htm}, author = {J. M. Briggs and Benson, B.J. and Hartman, M. and Ingersoll, R.}, editor = {Michener, W.K. and Porter, J.H. and Stafford, S.G.} } @inbook {KNZ00625, title = {Data management at a long-term ecological research site}, booktitle = {Long-Term Ecological Research in the East Asia-Pacific Region: Biodiversity and Conservation of Terrestrial and Freshwater Ecosystems}, year = {1998}, pages = {52 -57}, publisher = {Center for Global Environmental Research National Institute for Environmental Studies}, organization = {Center for Global Environmental Research National Institute for Environmental Studies}, address = {Tsukuba, Japan}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, author = {J. M. Briggs}, editor = {Iwakuma, T.} } @article {KNZ00664, title = {Decomposition and nutrient dynamics of Oak (Quercus spp.) logs after five years of decomposition}, journal = {Ecography}, volume = {21}, year = {1998}, pages = {3 -10}, abstract = {Decomposition of oak Quercus spp. logs (25 35 cm diameter, 3 m long) was compared among log substrates in Oregon, Minnesota. Kansas and North Carolina during the first five years on the ground. Decomposition of whole logs (weighted by substrate) averaged 0.069 yr-1 ({\textpm}0.16 SD). but followed a 2-exponential model (k = 0.12 yr-1 year 1 and k = 0.06 yr -1 years 2 5), reflecting qualitative differences among log substrates (outer and inner bark, sapwood and heartwood). Rapid loss from bark substrates contributed to the initial rapid decay rate. Sapwood decay rate averaged 0.15 yr-1 and dominated the second log decay rate. Heartwood lost only 6\% mass during the first five years, for an overall decay rate of 0.012 yr-1 that likely will represent a longer-term third exponential decay rate. Carbon loss amounted to ca 5 kg yr-1 per 170 kg log. Nutrient concentrations generally declined during the first five years, but nitrogen, sulfur, and sodium accumulated in sapwood and heartwood during this period. Sulfur content increased in all substrates and doubled in whole logs during this 5-yr period. Complex patterns of nutrient content suggest patterns of microbial colonization and nutrient utilization. Polynomial models were developed to describe rates of carbon and nutrient flux in log substrates.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/j.1600-0587.1998.tb00388.x}, author = {Schowalter, T.D. and Zhang, Y.I. and Sabin, T.E.} } @article {KNZ00619, title = {Description of the larval stages of Heterosternuta diversicornis (Sharp) Coleoptera: Dytiscidae, Hydroporinae}, journal = {Entomologica Scandinavica}, volume = {29}, year = {1998}, pages = {39 -46}, abstract = {Description of structures of all three larval instars of Heterosternuta diversicornis (Sharp) is presented. The chaetotaxy and porotaxy of the cephalic capsule, head appendages, legs, last abdominal segment, and urogomphi are discussed in detail. A close similarity between larvae of H. diversicornis, H. wickhami Zaitzev and H. cocheconis (Fall) is confirmed. All three species distinguish from the closely related species of the genus Neoporus Guignot by (i) a very short and constricted siphon, (ii) the primary setae FE8 and FE9 which are subequal in length to the maximum width of the metafemur (first instar), (iii) the absence of natatory setae on all tibiae and tarsi, and (iv) the contiguous position of the primary setae UR2 and UR3 on the urogomphomere 1.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1163/187631298X00186}, author = {Alarie, Y. and Fritz, K.M.} } @article {KNZ00654, title = {Determinants of soil CO2 flux from a sub-humid grassland: Effect of fire and fire history}, journal = {Ecological Applications}, volume = {8}, year = {1998}, pages = {760 -770}, abstract = {Soil CO2 flux (JCO2) was measured at midday over a 2-yr period in undisturbed tallgrass prairie (Konza Prairie, Kansas, USA) to quantify seasonal and annual budgets, to evaluate temperature and moisture as determinants of soil CO2 flux, and to assess the effect of a common land management tool, spring fire, and fire history on soil respiration. We hypothesized that: (1) maximum rates and annual estimates of soil JCO2 would be greater in more productive burned sites than in unburned sites, (2) soil JCO2 would be greater in newly burned sites with a history of fire exclusion than in annually burned sites (consistent with differences in aboveground production), and (3) soil temperature and water availability would be primary abiotic determinants of soil JCO2 in tallgrass prairie. A preliminary assessment of the effects of large herbivores on soil JCO2 was included to evaluate the hypothesis that removal of aboveground biomass would reduce soil JCO2. Results indicated that spring fire increased maximum monthly soil JCO2 by 20{\textendash}55\% relative to unburned tallgrass prairie, with greatest monthly differences measured in April (fourfold higher in burned sites). In burned sites that differed in fire history, maximum monthly JCO2 in annually burned prairie was 33\% greater than in burned sites with a history of fire exclusion. Soil JCO2 in these latter sites was still significantly higher than in unburned sites. Soil JCO2 in sites grazed by bison was reduced by as much as 30\% relative to adjacent ungrazed areas. Reduced root biomass and activity in grazed areas, unburned sites, and sites with a history of fire exclusion suggest that plants play a major role in determining soil JCO2 in this grassland. Soil temperature at 5 cm was related strongly to midday JCO2 in both annually burned sites (r2 = 0.58) and unburned sites (r2 = 0.71). In contrast, differences in soil moisture among sites, enhanced by comparing irrigated grassland to control areas, increased maximum monthly JCO2 by only 8\%. Thus, soil temperature was the primary abiotic determinant of soil JCO2 during this study. Maximum monthly estimates of soil JCO2 in tallgrass prairie ranged from 10.3 μmol CO2{\textperiodcentered}m-2{\textperiodcentered}s-1 in unburned sites to 15.1 μmol{\textperiodcentered}m-2{\textperiodcentered}s-1 in annually burned irrigated sites, whereas annual estimates varied from 4.7 to 7.8 kg CO2/m2. Over the 2-yr period, spring fire increased estimated annual soil JCO2 by 38{\textendash}51\% relative to unburned sites, while irrigation increased annual soil JCO2 by 13\%. These estimates for tallgrass prairie are much higher than those reported for most temperate ecosystems but are similar to estimates for tropical forests. Characteristics of undisturbed tallgrass prairie that may lead to high levels of soil JCO2 include: high above- and belowground productivity; a relatively high proportion of C stored belowground; levels of soil microbial biomass and activity that are among the highest in native ecosystems in the United States; and the lack of a single dominant factor such as temperature, moisture, or nutrient availability, that consistently limits biotic processes during the growing season. The sensitivity of soil JCO2 in tallgrass prairie to different land use practices (fire and grazing) suggests that it is critical to include these factors in the development of grassland C budgets, as well as in regional models that estimate biogeochemical responses to land use change.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, fire}, doi = {10.1890/1051-0761(1998)008[0760:DOSCFF]2.0.CO;2}, author = {Alan K. Knapp and Conard, S.L. and John M. Blair} } @inbook {KNZ00633, title = {Disturbance, diversity and species interactions in tallgrass prairie}, booktitle = {Grassland Dynamics: Long-Term Ecological Research in Tallgrass Prairie}, year = {1998}, pages = {140 -156}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, organization = {Oxford University Press}, address = {New York}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, author = {Scott. L. Collins and Steinauer, E.M.}, editor = {Alan K. Knapp and J. M. Briggs and D.C. Hartnett and Scott. L. Collins} } @inbook {KNZ00648, title = {Diversity of terrestrial macrofauna}, booktitle = {Grassland Dynamics: Long-Term Ecological Research in Tallgrass Prairie}, year = {1998}, pages = {101 -112}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, organization = {Oxford University Press}, address = {New York}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, author = {D.W. Kaufman and Fay, P.A. and Kaufman, G.A. and Zimmerman, J.L.}, editor = {Alan K. Knapp and J. M. Briggs and D.C. Hartnett and Scott. L. Collins} } @inbook {KNZ00632, title = {The dynamic tallgrass prairie: Synthesis and research opportunities}, booktitle = {Grassland Dynamics: Long-Term Ecological Research in Tallgrass Prairie}, year = {1998}, pages = {301 -315}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, organization = {Oxford University Press}, address = {New York}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, author = {Scott. L. Collins and Alan K. Knapp and D.C. Hartnett and J. M. Briggs}, editor = {Alan K. Knapp and J. M. Briggs and D.C. Hartnett and Scott. L. Collins} } @article {KNZ00615, title = {Detecting fire and grazing patterns in tallgrass prairie using spectral mixture analysis}, journal = {Ecological Applications}, volume = {7}, year = {1997}, pages = {493 -511}, abstract = {Global grasslands are typically under management practices (such as fire and grazing) that alter nutrient cycling, ecosystem composition, and distribution of organic matter from the unmanaged condition. We evaluated landscape-level response to fire and grazing treatments in the Konza Tallgrass Prairie Research Natural Area, Kansas, using spectral mixture analysis of Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data acquired 31 August 1990. Spectral mixture analysis derives the fractional abundances of spectrally unique components in the landscape. The reflectance spectra of these components are called endmembers. Endmember fractions values were compared against ground values of live biomass, current standing dead biomass, and litter for 12 watersheds. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on 37 watersheds with known burning and grazing histories for each of the remote sensing variables. Seven endmembers were selected from the AVIRIS data using a manual endmember selection method: nonphotosynthetic vegetation (NPV), soil, rock, shade, and three green vegetation endmembers (GV1, GV2, and GV3). Each vegetation endmember correlated differently to biomass measurements and revealed unique relationships to management treatments. From regressions, ANOVAs, and image analysis, these three endmembers were inferred to represent canopy vertical structure or leaf area index (LAI), greenness, and fractional cover of grass, respectively. There was a stronger relationship between the sum of GV1 and GV3 fractions and live grass biomass values than there was with the (unsummed) individual fractions. In an ANOVA, the sum separated both burn and grazing treatments as well as the treatment interaction. The NPV fraction was strongly correlated with ground measurements of litter and standing dead biomass, and significantly separated burn treatments. The soil fraction differentiated grazing treatments, and analysis of the soil fraction image revealed a spatial coherence of grazing patterns along drainages. Similar analyses were perfomed on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a commonly used two-band index computed from red and near-infrared reflectance. NDVI, shown in previous studies to estimate the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by green vegetation (FPAR), was a poor indicator of canopy biomass, but it successfully separated fire treatments. Broad-scale assessment of the state and structure of managed grassland systems requires the identification of several indicator variables. Spectral mixture analysis, unlike NDVI, not only separated treatments but also allowed for the identification of five remotely sensible factors affected by the management treatments, namely, vertical structure, percentage cover or patchiness, greenness, and distribution of soil and litter.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {10.1890/1051-0761(1997)007[0493:DFAGPI]2.0.CO;2}, author = {Wessman, C.A. and Bateson, C.A. and Benning, T.L.} } @article {KNZ00585, title = {Distribution of runoff and rivers related to vegetative characteristics, latitude, and slope: A global perspective}, journal = {Journal of the North American Benthological Society}, volume = {16}, year = {1997}, pages = {162 -168}, abstract = {The geographic distribution of streams on earth can be associated with terrestrial vegetation, slope, and latitude, among other factors. Classifying flowing water habitats by associated vegetative cover is useful because factors such as downstream transport of organic carbon (C), sediments, nutrients, and other dissolved or suspended materials are influenced heavily by the vegetative characteristics of the watershed. Global datasets with 1-degree spatial resolution were analyzed to characterize both volume of runoff and number of mapped rivers associated with each of 14 classes of vegetation, and how runoff is influenced by latitude and slope. The vegetation classes (land cover) were ranked in decreasing order with respect to runoff. About 30\% of the global runoff originates from broadleaf evergreen forest, followed by wooded C4 grassland (14.8\%), cultivated land (8.9\%), coniferous forest and woodland (8.3\%), ice (7.8\%), wooded C3 grassland (6.0\%), mixed coniferous and broadleaf deciduous forest (5.4\%), C3 grassland (5.3\%), tundra (4.5\%), high latitude deciduous forest and woodland (3.9\%), broadleaf deciduous forest and woodland (2.3\%), C4 grassland (1.7\%), shrubs and bare ground (1.4\%), and desert and bare ground (0.5\%). Numbers of mapped rivers followed a similar pattern, except that broadleaf evergreen forests did not dominate, and tundra habitats were much more important. Counts of intermittent rivers were generally highest in the areas with the lowest runoff. River counts are likely to be less reliable than runoff estimates because they rely upon the subjective judgment of cartographers. Equatorial and northern temperate regions accounted for the greatest proportion of total runoff. A weak positive relationship occurred between slope and runoff. This analysis may assist investigators in determining how well their results can be extrapolated beyond regional scales.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, rivers, Runoff, streams, Terrestrial systems, vegetation}, doi = {10.2307/1468248}, author = {W. K. Dodds} } @article {KNZ00567, title = {Denitrification in soil profiles beneath grassland and cultivated soils}, journal = {Soil Science Society of America Journal}, volume = {60}, year = {1996}, pages = {1822 -1828}, abstract = {The denitrification potential of subsoils and aquifers must be characterized to assess the ultimate fate of soil N. This experiment was conducted to study changes in the subsurface distribution and activity of denitrifying bacteria as a result of cultivation. We examined soil profiles for their capacity (N addition) and potential (N + C addition) to denitrify as well as for denitrifying bacterial numbers in a Reading silt loam (fine, mixed, mesic Typic Argiudoll) soil under grassland and cultivation. Denitrifying enzyme activity was undetectable throughout the subsurface of soil profiles at both sites. Overall, the cultivated site had significantly higher NO-3 concentrations, denitrifier populations, and denitrification potential. Denitrifying bacteria were stratified in the vadose zone at the prairie site, with lowest numbers and lowest denitrification potential occurring at the interface of the water table. Although C addition enhanced denitrification at this site, the profile was not nearly as limited by C as that of the cultivated site. The results demonstrated that increased N inputs and cultivation during approximately 50 yr changed the denitrifying population and denitrification potential in the vadose and saturated zones of soils.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.2136/sssaj1996.03615995006000060030x}, author = {Sotomayor, D. and C. W. Rice} } @article {KNZ00570, title = {Detecting spatial and temporal patterns of aboveground production in a tallgrass prairie using remotely-sensed data}, year = {1996}, pages = {2361 -2365}, abstract = {Spatial and temporal patterns of aboveground production in a tallgrass prairie ecosystem constitute one of the important spatial components associated with ecological processes and biophysical resources (e.g., water and nutrients). This study addresses the effects of disturbance, topography, and climate on the spatial and temporal patterns of North American tallgrass prairie at a landscape level by using high resolution satellite data. Spatial heterogeneity (SH) derived from the satellite data was related to the impacts of the disturbance of fire and grazing, topographical gradient, and amount of precipitation during the growing season. The result suggests that ecological processes and biophysical resources can be quantified with high resolution satellite data for tallgrass prairie management}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {10.1109/IGARSS.1996.516987}, author = {Su, H. and J. M. Briggs and Alan K. Knapp and John M. Blair and Krummel, J.R.} } @mastersthesis {KNZ00557, title = {Development of water-usage coefficients for the Tallgrass Prairie}, volume = {MS Thesis}, year = {1996}, pages = {1 -94}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {M.S. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan, KS}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, author = {Lewis, S.L.} } @phdthesis {KNZ00544, title = {Diversity of denitrifying bacteria in cultivated and native prairie soil profiles}, volume = {PhD Dissertation}, year = {1996}, pages = {1 -97}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {Ph.D. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan, KS}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, author = {Halda-Alija, L.} } @mastersthesis {KNZ00528, title = {The dynamics of bison (Bos bison) grazing patches in tallgrass prairie}, volume = {MS Thesis}, year = {1996}, pages = {1 -63}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {M.S. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan, KS}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, author = {Catchpole, F.B.} } @proceedings {KNZ00487, title = {Dynamics of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) in ungrazed tallgrass prairie}, year = {1995}, pages = {9 -15}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, author = {D.J. Gibson and Towne, E.G.}, editor = {D.C. Hartnett} } @inbook {KNZ00435, title = {Development and refinement of the Konza Prairie LTER Research Information Management Program}, booktitle = {Environmental Information Management and Analysis: Ecosystem to Global Scales}, year = {1994}, pages = {87 -100}, publisher = {Taylor and Francis Ltd}, organization = {Taylor and Francis Ltd}, address = {London}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, author = {J. M. Briggs and Su, H.}, editor = {Michener, W.K. and Brunt, J.W. and Stafford, S.G.} } @article {KNZ00446, title = {Drought-induced nitrogen retranslocation in perennial C4 grasses of tallgrass prairie}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {75}, year = {1994}, pages = {1877 -1886}, abstract = {We determined if drought{\textemdash}induced nitrogen retranslocation occurs in perrenial grasses of tallgrass prairie, as suggested from studies of annual changes in plant N content. To test this, we analyzed six C4 grasses representing a wide range of drought tolerance for shoot, rhizome, and root N before and after controlled drought. Shoot N concentration decreased in all species during drought (31{\textemdash}41\%), including in recently expanded leaves (23{\textemdash}38\%). No consistent pattern with respect to drought tolerance was apparent in these decreases or in observed changes in distribution of whole{\textemdash}plant N, although there was some suggestion of a mesic{\textemdash}to{\textemdash}xeric gradient in the magnitude of retranslocation. For example, the proportion of total plant N allocated to shoots decreased during drought 20{\textemdash}29\% in the most mesic species over three experiments, 2{\textemdash}12\% in the three intermediate species, and 4{\textemdash}6\% in the two most xeric species, for pre{\textemdash} vs. post{\textemdash}drought comparisons. However, when drought{\textemdash}stressed plants were compared to well{\textemdash}watered age controls, the respective values were 20{\textemdash}21\%, 12{\textemdash}20\%, and 0.19\%, the apparent result of size{\textemdash}related changes in N allocation in control plants in one experiment. In most cases, shoot N was moved primarily into rhizomes, though in one species with intermediate drought tolerance, evidence suggested that much of the retranslocated shoot N was apparently lost through fine{\textemdash}root turnover. Retranslocation of shoot N to rhizomes and roots, confirmed by monitoring movement of 35S{\textemdash}methionine, was in response to drought stress rather than phenology and involved the entire shoot (e.g., blades, culms, recently expanded leaves). Post{\textemdash}drought photosynthesis and leaf N concentration remained well below predrought levels 6 d following rewatering. Thus decreases in leaf N status during drought as a consequence of retranslocation likely result in lower photosynthetic capacity and decreased whole{\textemdash}plant carbon gain following relief of water stress after rain. Drought{\textemdash}induced retranslocation may serve to protect plant N from loss of herbivory, fire, and volatilization during periods when soil N uptake and carbon assimilation are limited by water availability.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {10.2307/1941592}, author = {Heckathorn, S.A. and DeLucia, E.H.} } @article {KNZ00403, title = {Denitrification in a tallgrass prairie landscape}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {74}, year = {1993}, pages = {855 -862}, abstract = {We characterized factors controlling denitrification and quantified rates of N gas production by this process in a tallgrass prairie landscape in central Kansas. The experimental design included three land use classes (unburned, annually burned, and annually burned and grazed) in factorial combination with three slope positions (summit, back{\textemdash}slope, toe{\textemdash}slope), plus a cultivated site in a toe{\textemdash}slope position (10 sites total). Denitrification was measured using an acetylene{\textemdash}based soil core technique four times in 1987, once in early 1988, and six times in 1989. Cores were incubated under field{\textemdash}moist conditions and after amendment with water or water plus nitrate. Microbial biomass and nitrification and dentrification enzyme activities were also measured. Denitrification was higher (P < .05) in unburned sites than in burned, and grazed, and cultivated sites in both 1987/1988 and 1989. The cultivated site consistently had low rates of denitrification relative to the native prairie sites, even when water and nitrate were added. Levels of microbial biomass C and nitrification and denitrification enzyme activities were an order of magnitude lower in the cultivated site than in the native prairie sites. Denitrification rates were highest in the early spring of 1987 and were low at all other times. Although temporal patterns of activity were generally related to patterns of soil moisture, water additions did not stimulate activity in ungrazed prairie soils. Water plus nitrate additions consistently gave significant increases in activity. The results are consistent with previous research that has found that unburned prairie is wetter and has higher concentrations of NO3{\textemdash} in soil solution than burned sites. In certain years, denitrification may be significant to site fertility, landscape water quality, and atmospheric chemistry in the tallgrass prairie region.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {10.2307/1940811}, author = {Groffman, P.M. and C. W. Rice and Tiedje, J.M.} } @article {KNZ00406, title = {Detecting change in grasslands using measures of spatial dependence with Landsat TM data}, journal = {Remote Sensing of Environment}, volume = {46}, year = {1993}, pages = {223 -234}, abstract = {Spatial dependence is a fundamental structure of spatial data that can be readily measured. Change in landscapes can be monitored effectively using measures of spatial dependence. Scale of fluctuation analysis estimates the dimensional extent to which data are significantly autocorrelated by observing the behavior of sample variance under extended local averaging. Algorithms to estimate the one-dimensional scale of fluctuation (correlation length) and two-dimensional scale fluctuation (correlation area) in image data are described. The approach is demonstrated with an analysis of a 9-year TM image series of a tallgrass prairie preserve, Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, to assess the impact of bison on the spatial patterning of vegetation.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1016/0034-4257(93)90097-H}, author = {Henebry, G.M.} } @article {KNZ00421, title = {Detection of differences in nutrient concentrations by eastern woodrats (Neotoma floridana )}, journal = {Journal of Mammalogy}, volume = {74}, year = {1993}, pages = {493 -497}, abstract = {I tested the ability of a small generalist herbivore, the eastern woodrat (Neotoma floridana), to detect differences in concentrations of protein, energy, and lipid available in two nutritionally complex diet items. Within 24 h of exposure to diets, woodrats consumed a greater amount of a standard diet than diets reduced in energy or lipid by 5, 10, or 20\% and a diet reduced by 20\% in protein. However, they did not choose the standard over diets reduced in protein by 5 or 10\%. When consumption was summed over the 9-day duration of choice trials, individuals chose the standard diet over reduced diets. The ability of woodrats to detect relatively small differences in nutrient concentrations should allow them to make efficient use of available foods.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.2307/1382409}, url = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/1382409}, author = {Post, D.M.} } @article {KNZ00424, title = {Distinct Animal-Generated Edge Effects in a Tallgrass Prairie Community}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {74}, year = {1993}, pages = {1281 -1285}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.2307/1940496}, author = {Reichman, O.J. and Benedix, J.H. and Seastedt, T.R.} } @article {KNZ00385, title = {Density-independent factors affecting the avian diversity of the tallgrass prairie community}, journal = {Wilson Bulletin}, volume = {104}, year = {1992}, pages = {85 -94}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/4163118}, author = {Zimmerman, J.L.} } @article {KNZ00359, title = {Disturbances in tallgrass prairie: local versus regional effects on community heterogeneity}, journal = {Landscape Ecology}, volume = {7}, year = {1992}, pages = {243 -252}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {10.1007/BF00131255}, author = {Glenn, S.M. and Scott. L. Collins and D.J. Gibson} } @article {KNZ00283, title = {Differential responses of C3 and C4 grasses to mycorrhizal symbiosis, phosphorus fertilization, and soil microorganisms}, journal = {Canadian Journal of Botany}, volume = {68}, year = {1990}, pages = {461 -467}, abstract = {

The responses of five C4, warm-season and five C3, cool-season tallgrass prairie grasses to phosphorus (P) fertilization, mycorrhizae, and soil microorganisms were compared in greenhouse studies. The warm-season grasses responded positively to mycorrhizae and to P fertilization, but mycorrhizal plants did not respond to P. The soil microflora reduced mycorrhizal plant dry weight and root colonization. In contrast, cool-season grasses did not respond to mycorrhizae or P fertilization. Soil microorganisms did not suppress cool-season plant growth, but root colonization was reduced in nonsterile soil. For the warm-season grasses there was an inverse relationship between mycorrhizal root colonization and P fertilization and a positive relationship between root colonization and plant dry weight. For the cool-season grasses there was also an inverse relationship between root colonization and P fertilization, but the relationship between root colonization and plant dry weight was negative. In both the warm-season and cool-season grasses, low levels of mycorrhizal root colonization persisted even when P fertilization was sufficient to eliminate mycorrhizal effects on plant growth. Thus, warm-and cool-season grasses display profoundly different strategies for nutrient acquisition. Key words: cool-season grasses, warm-season grasses, vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {10.1139/b90-061}, author = {Hetrick, B.A.D. and G.T. Wilson and Todd, T.C.} } @article {KNZ00289, title = {Distribution of polyploid variation in big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii , Poaceae) across the tallgrass prairie region}, journal = {Genome}, volume = {33}, year = {1990}, pages = {95 -100}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {10.1139/g90-015}, author = {Keeler, K.H.} } @article {KNZ00273, title = {Dynamics of an aggregation of blister beetles (Coleoptera: Meloidae) attacking a prairie legume}, journal = {Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society}, volume = {63}, year = {1990}, pages = {616 -625}, abstract = {

An aggregation of adults of the ashgray blister beetle, Epicauta fabricii (LeConte), was censused repeatedly for activity on the legume Baptisia australis (L.) in the tallgrass prairie of eastern Kansas. The aggregation persisted for three weeks. Males were more abundant than females throughout the period of aggregation, although females gradually increased in relative abundance over the three-week period. Overall, only 5\% of observations were of mating; mating activity was greatest in the early stages of aggregation. The two sexes were similar in the frequency of feeding and in the kinds of plant tissue on which they fed. During the first two weeks of aggregation, the beetles fed primarily on reproductive tissues; in the last week of aggregation, they fed primarily on leaves and stems. The timing of beetle tenure on the host plant was well-suited for consuming the large crop of developing young fruits. Voracious feeding by blister beetles greatly reduced host plant reproductive success; only 20\% of the buds, flowers, and fruits present when the aggregation was initiated escaped consumption by the beetles. The seasonal timing of aggregations results in early-opening flowers (and associated fruits and seeds) of the host plant having the greatest chance of escaping destruction by the blister beetles

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/25085226}, author = {Evans, E.W.} } @proceedings {KNZ00255, title = {Data management in the FIFE information system}, year = {1989}, pages = {42 -45}, address = {Vancouver, BC}, abstract = {

The First ISLSCP Field Experiment (FIFE) was conducted during 1987 on a 15 X 15 km area in central Kansas, including the Konza Prairie Natural Research Area. The experiment goal of understanding and modeling the effects of vegetation on the heat an mass fluxes in the atmosphere/land surface boundary layer required a flexible and responsive information system with georeferenced data to permit the necessary coordinated analyses. The FIFE Information Syseem (FIS) met this goal in a variety of ways, depending on the type of data and the type of scientific investigation involved. The FIS has served the FIFE investigatiors as a tool for experiment design, as well as for organizing and manipulating the complex data set. Two specific requirements were rapid and simple access to specialized user specified data sets and quick evolution as the science needs changed. As a result, the FIS differs in several important ways from \"classical\" data systems, covering the spectrum of conceptual, managerial, and organizational issues. Our experience indcates that the design, development, and operation of an information system supporting such an experiment must be flexible and under direct day-to-day control of scientist/users. This experience has also led to a number of observations (both technological and organizational) for designing and building both future experiment support data bases and long term data systems supporting scientific research. Key words: FIFE, Information Systems, ISLSCP

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, ISLSCP}, author = {Strebel, D.E. and Newcomer, J.A. and Ormsby, J.P. and Hall, F.G. and Sellers, P.J.} } @article {KNZ00257, title = {Death Camas (Zigadenus nuttallii) in Kansas: pollen collectors and a florivore}, journal = {Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society}, volume = {62}, year = {1989}, pages = {411 -412}, abstract = {

All parts of plants of the genus Zigadenus (Liliaceae) contain numerous alkaloids through both vegetative and reproductive periods. The purpose of this note is to report the findings of incidental observations and insect collections made during a sutdy of the ecophysiologiy of Z. nuttallii

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, insect}, author = {Tepedino, V.J. and Alan K. Knapp and Eickwort, G.C. and Ferguson, D.C.} } @article {KNZ00230, title = {Density and growth stage-dependent responses to defoliation in two rhizomatous grasses}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {80}, year = {1989}, pages = {414 -420}, abstract = {

Responses to defoliation were studied in two tallgrass prairie perennials (Andropogon gerardii and Panicum virgatum) established from seed at three densities. P. virgatum was also grown from transplanted rhizomes of established clones. Plants of both species displayed a continuum of responses to defoliation, from large reductions in biomass, tillering and seed production to significant increases in one or more performance measures. In crowded populations, defoliation shifted plants into subordinate positions within the competitive hierachy. Plants competing inrtaspecifically and those that were initally small suffered more from defoliation than either plants grown at low density or those that were larger than their neighbors. At the highest plant density, the effects of defoliation or initial plant size were overshadowed by the effects of crowding. When defoliated and grown at similar densities, P. virgatum and A. gerardii grown from seed showed large reductions in biomass, seed production, and new rhizome production, but established P. virgatum ramets grown from rhizomes showed increases in these performance measures. Thus herbivory may be particularly detrimental to P. virgatum during juvenile stages before perennating organs have developed. Overcompensation of P. virgatum clones in reaponse to defoliation only occurred if all ramets within the clone were defoliated. In clones containing both defoliated and undamaged ramets, there were no differences in their performance, suggesting that genets are capable of integrating the effects of differential defoliation among shoots. Defoliated P. virgatum clones allocated a smaller fraction of their total biomass to new rhizomes, indicating that the short-term regrowth response following defoliation may incur a longer-term cost associated with gradual reduction in biomass of the perennating organs and reduced genet success. Key words: Herbivory, Competition, Clonal growth, Panicum, Andropogon

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {10.1007/BF00379045}, author = {D.C. Hartnett} } @article {KNZ00258, title = {Density dependent phytotoxicity: distinguishing resource competition and allelopathic interference in plants}, journal = {Journal of Applied Ecology}, volume = {26}, year = {1989}, pages = {613 -624}, abstract = {

1) Experimental plant populations were grown at varying densities and varying levels of phytotoxins in the soil to investigate the potential interacting influences of allelopathy and resource competition on plant response and yield-density relationships. 2) Experiments were performed with (a) bahiagrass, Paspalum notatum, grown in soil treated with gallic acid and hydroquinone, putative inhibitors produced by Polygonella myriophylla and (b) tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum, grown in soils from under and around black walnut, Juglans nigra. 3) Phytotoxicity decreased as plant density increased. This was attributed to plant dilution of phytotoxins, i.e., the sharing of the available phytotoxin among many plants at high densities such that each received a small sub- lethal dose. 4) Phytotoxins caused characteristic deviations from expected yield-density relationships. Low to moderate phytotoxin concentrations caused a decrease in the slope of the log yield-log density relationship. Contrary to the expected consequences of increased density and resource competition, the presence of high phytotoxin concentrations may cause a reversal in the slope of predicted log yield-log density relationships at low plant densities, such that maximum individual plant weight occurs at an intermediate density. 5) Demonstration of either decreasing phytotoxicity with increasing plant density or a reversal in slope of the predicted log yield-log density relationship is proposed as an indication of the presence of toxic substances in soil. 6) The ecological implications of these results are discussed

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.2307/2404086}, author = {Wiedenhamer, J.D. and D.C. Hartnett and Romeo, J.T.} } @article {KNZ00256, title = {Detecting soil information on a native prairie using Landsat TM and SPOT satellite data}, journal = {Soil Science Society of America Journal}, volume = {53}, year = {1989}, pages = {1479 -1483}, abstract = {

Computer pattern recoginiton techniques were used to discriminate soil information from the Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and the French Systeme Probatoire d\&$\#$39;Observation de le Terre (SPOT) satellite data on a native prairie near Manahttan, KS. Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data were merged to Landsat TM and SPOT data to delineate soil mapping units within the study area. Soil mapping units from a conventional soil survey were compared with a classified soil spectral map obtained from Landsat TM or SPOT, and DEM derived elevation, slope, and aspect data, using an overall accuracy assessment. The overall accuracy of soil spectral classesfrom TM and SPOT data were merged. A higher average accuracy for soil mapping units was obtained with a low frequency filtering transformation of the data. For Landsat TM data, Band 5 (middle infrared, 1.55-1.75 {\ae}m) was most useful for soil information extraction, and a higher overall accuracy was obtained in the dormant season compared with the accuracy in the growing season. The overall accuracy (about 57\%) from SPOT data was slightly higher than the accuracy (about 53\%) from Landsat TM at a similar wavelength range. Our results indicate that high resolution Landsat TM and SPOT satellite data can be used to aid second-order soil surveys in areas where the dominant land use is rangeland

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.2136/sssaj1989.03615995005300050030x}, author = {Su, H. and Ransom, M.D. and Kanemasu, E.T.} } @article {KNZ00225, title = {Dissolved organic carbon concentrations in soil water collected in Tully soils from a tallgrass prairie}, journal = {Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science}, volume = {92}, year = {1989}, pages = {121 -131}, abstract = {

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from soil water was monitored in a tallgrass prairie using porous cup lysimeters positioned at two depths (20 and 80 cm) in Tully soils on six watersheds representing two different burn treatments and a control. In 1983, DOC averaged 31.8 + 2.5 (SE) mg/liter and ranged from 1.1 to 169.5 mg/liter. DOC was lower in 1984, averaged 4.6 + 0.3 (SE) mg/liter and ranged from 1.4 to 22.8 mg/liter. Mean DOC concentration at the 20 cm and 80 cm depths across six watersheds were similar during 1983 but differed in 1984 with higher DOC concentrations occurring at the 20 cm depth. Depth comparisons within watersheds for samples taken in 1983 indicated that soil profile depth did not significantly affect DOC concentrations. In 1984, three of six watersheds had significantly higher levels of DOC at the 20 cm depth. During 1983, a seasonal effect in DOC concentrations occurred early in the year, peaked in June and July, and declined thereafter. In 1984, seasonal fluctuations were not evident, possibly reflecting restricted sampling dates. Mean comparisons during 1983 between annual burned, 4-year burned, and unburned sites indicated that annual burned sites had lower DOC levels than unburned sites. In 1984, differences resulting from burn regimes were not apparent. Results suggest that many factors acting independently or synergistically influence DOC concentrations, reflecting the complexity of DOC dynamics in the tallgrass prairie

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {10.2307/3628445}, author = {Fedynich, A.M.} } @mastersthesis {KNZ00210, title = {Detecting soil information on the Konza Prairie using high resolution satellite data}, volume = {MS Thesis}, year = {1988}, pages = {1 -109}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {M.S. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan, KS}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, author = {Su, H.} } @article {KNZ00211, title = {Differential use of experimental habitat patches by foraging Peromyscus maniculatus on dark and bright nights}, journal = {Journal of Mammalogy}, volume = {69}, year = {1988}, pages = {869 -872}, abstract = {

To assess the influence of illumination on choice of microhabitat by foraging rodents, we tested the use of exposed and protected patches by deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) when seeds were equally available in two or more patch types in large laboratory arenas. Based on field observations, we expected that, under higher levels of illumination, the ratio of foraging activity in exposed microhabitats to that in protected ones would be lower. We present data from three experiments that uphold this expectation

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.2307/1381652}, author = {Travers, S.E. and D.W. Kaufman and Kaufman, G.A.} } @article {KNZ00189, title = {Diplocardia hulberti and D. rugosa , new earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta : Megascolecidae) from Kansas}, journal = {Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington}, volume = {101}, year = {1988}, pages = {300 -307}, abstract = {

Two species of the megascolecid earthworm genus Diplocardia (subfamily Acanthodrilinae) are described from collections made in tallgrass prairie in north-central Kansas. Diplocardia hulbertri has similarities to D. meansi and some undescribed material in Gates (1977), while D. rugosa appears to be closely related to D. smithii

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, author = {James, S.W.} } @article {KNZ00145, title = {Differential decomposition of leaves in grassland and gallery forest reaches of Kings Creek}, journal = {Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science}, volume = {90}, year = {1987}, pages = {17 -24}, abstract = {

The decomposition of autumn shed leaves of hackberry (Celtis occidentalis L.) and elm (Ulmus americana L.) in a gallery forest reach and a grassland reach of Kings Creek was examined by placing 24 artificial leaf packs of each species at the two stream sites. Sampling was done after 24 hours and weekly thereafter for a seven week period. No differences between elm and hackberry leaf decomposition rates were measured. The mean percentage weight loss of elm leaves during the sampling period was 90.3\% of their ash-free dry weight in the gallery forest reach and 88.9\% in the grassland reach. The decay coefficients were - 0.0211 and -0.0199 respectively. Hackberry leaves lost 93.8\% of their ash-free dry weight at both sites (decay coefficient of -0.025). Larvae of the leaf shredding insect, Tipula, were found to influence the decomposition process in the grassland reach but not in the gallery forest reach. The Tipula larvae were estimated to exert their greatest influence on the elm leaves

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, insect}, doi = {10.2307/3628107}, author = {Hooker, K.L. and Marzolf, G.R.} } @article {KNZ00137, title = {Dispersal of Lygaeus kalmii (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae ) among prairie milkweeds: population turnover as influenced by multiple mating}, journal = {Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society}, volume = {60}, year = {1987}, pages = {109 -117}, abstract = {

Local dispersal and mating behavior of individually marked adult milkweed bugs (Lygaeus kalmii) were studied in a host patch of the milkweed Asclepias viridis in the tallgrass prairie of eastern Kansas. Over a four week period in July, immigration of bugs into the patch was roughly matched by mortality and/or emigration from the patch. Individual males and females visited similar numbers of plants in passing through the host patch, but females spent less time on each plant and dispersed through the patch more rapidly [median (maximum) number of days elapsing between first and last observations of individual bugs: females 1 (21), males 4 (20)]. The bugs spent much of their time in the patch mating (males: 28\% of observations; females 41\%). Individuals of both sexes mated multiply; individuals were observed mating with as many as six different partners. Mating success on an individual host induced males to remain there longer. Dispersal of females, however, apparently was uninfluenced by mating success

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/25084873}, author = {Evans, E.W.} } @article {KNZ00143, title = {The distribution and abundance of tallgrass prairie plants: a test of the core-satellite hypothesis}, journal = {The American Naturalist}, volume = {130}, year = {1987}, pages = {18 -35}, abstract = {

Levins (1969) and Hanski (1982a,b) presented dynamic models that describe the fraction of population sites occupied by species. Levin\&$\#$39;s model predicts a unimodel distribution of species at sites, whereas Hanski\&$\#$39;s model yields a bimodal distribution: a mode of widespread \"core\" species, and a mode of rare \"satellite\" species. The existence of this dichotomy is the core- satellite hypothesis. Hanski\&$\#$39;s model also predicts a positive correlation between the fraction of sites occupied by a species (distribution) and the average population size within occupied sites (abundance). Levins\&$\#$39; model generates no such correlation between distribution and abundance. We find that a large set of quadrat data on tallgrass prairie plants matches some of the predictions of Hanski\&$\#$39;s model: for plants of seven different soil series, distribution and abundance are positively correlated, and the distribution of species at the sites is bimodal. The bimodality is obscured if distributions from the seven soil series are aggregated. Two earlier hypothesis have been proposed to explain the core-satellite dichotomy. Williams (1964) showed that the degree of bimodality in species distributions depends on the number of quadrats examined: specifically, the smaller the sample, the larger the size of the core mode, and this is true even for randomly assembled communities of species. For our data, the size of the core mode correlates negatively with sample size, as Williams predicted. However, a computer simulation showed that the observed core modes were significantly larger than would be expected by chance. Thus, Williams\&$\#$39; sampling hypothesis does not entirely account for the bimodal distribution of prairie plant species. Raunkiaer (1934, see \"law of distribution of frequencies\") argued that the core mode represented those species best adapted to a particular habitat. He also noted that when quadrats of dissimilar habitat were combined, the bimodality disappeared. The distributions of tallgrass prairie plants, however, do not conform to Raunkiaer\&$\#$39;s explanation: core species tend to be widespread across all soil series. If Raunkiaer\&$\#$39;s hypothesis were correct, each species would be widespread on only a few soil series, and each soil series would support a different assemblage of core species. Although our analyses confirm the existence of the core-satellite dichotomy, they do not provide an explicit test of Hanski\&$\#$39;s model. The essence of the models by Hanski and Levins is that the distribution of each species is dynamic and fluctuates owing to stochastic variation in immigration and local extinction. The strongest test of Hanski\&$\#$39;s model would be to demonstrate that the distribution of each species varied through time and that the composition of the core and satellite modes was not constant. Long-term data about the distribution of species in a community are needed for such comparisons

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/2461878}, author = {Gotelli, N.J. and Simberloff, D.} } @article {KNZ00121, title = {Detritus accumulation limits productivity of tallgrass prairie}, journal = {BioScience}, volume = {36}, year = {1986}, pages = {662 -668}, abstract = {

A number of ecosystems in North American are maintained by fire, and other systems such as the Serengetti grasslands and taiga forest decline in productivity when fire or grazing is excluded. We believe, however, that the tallgrass prairie is unique among the North American biomes because of the strong negative impacts of plant ligtter production on subsequent ecosystem function. These deleterious effects on plant litter include: a reduction in available light energy to the system; an alteration of the microclimate and physiology of emerging shoots such that carbon dioxide uptake is reduced; a conversion of immediately usable inorganic notrogen in rainwater to less readily available organic nitrogen in microbial biomass; an inhibition of nitrogen fixation by free living microbes and blue-green algae as a result of phosphorus and/or light limitation; and a reduction in soil temperatures, which diminishes root productivity, invertebrate activities, and probably microbial activities as well. Fire and grazing therefore become necessary, integral ecosystem processes that maintain productivity of tallgrass prairie by the removal of standing and fallen litter

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/1310387}, author = {Alan K. Knapp and Seastedt, T.R.} } @inbook {KNZ00113, title = {Development of research data management system: factors to consider}, booktitle = {Research Data Management in the Ecological Science}, year = {1986}, pages = {23 -38}, publisher = {University of South Carolina Press, Belle Baruch Marine Library No. 16}, organization = {University of South Carolina Press, Belle Baruch Marine Library No. 16}, address = {Columbia, SC}, abstract = {

Ecological research sites share some common goals with respect to research data management (RDM). Minimum requirements, regardless of the size of the database or other site-organization and documentation of data sets, and development of procedures for data entry, quality assurance, archival, maintenance, and administration. The RDM budget must balance expenses among personnel, hardware and software, storage, and data exchange. Characteristics of the research program that influence these choices include the purpose of the data collection, the form of the data, size, and complexity of the database, type of analyses planned, dynamics of the database, number and expertise of investigators, and the need for network capabilities. Experiences in RDM at Konza Prairie support the idea that the data manager plays a key role and should be trained in the field of research. The RDM system should be institutionalized so that it can continue after the original staff is gone

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, author = {Gurtz, M.E.}, editor = {Michener, W.K.} } @article {KNZ00110, title = {Distinguishing among tallgrass prairie cover types from measurements of multispectral reflectance}, journal = {Remote Sensing of the Environment}, volume = {19}, year = {1986}, pages = {159 -169}, abstract = {

The heterogeneity in surface cover caused by management practices or natural events complicates monitoring the conditions of grasslands and asseessing their productivity by remote sensing techniques. Statistical procedures were sought that would allow different grassland surface cover types (bare soil,senescent vegetation, and green vegetation) to be distinguished by using measurements of grassland multispectral reflectance. Two procedures, discriminant functions and canonical discriminant analysis, were found suitable for achieving this objective. Linear classification functions and canonical variables were derived, which distinguish between the three cover types. A comparison between two sensor systems, a Barnes multiband radiometer and an Exotech radiometer that simulates the Landsatthematic mapper (TM) and multispectral scanner (MSS) bands, respectively, showed that the separability among the three cover types was substantially improved by the additional and improved spectral features of the Barnes radiometer

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {10.1016/0034-4257(86)90069-6}, author = {Asrar, G.A. and Weiser, R.L. and Johnson, D.E. and Kanemasu, E.T. and Killeen, J.M.} } @article {KNZ0064, title = {Direct measurement of allochthonous litter accumulation in a tallgrass prairie stream}, journal = {The Southwestern Naturalist}, volume = {29}, year = {1984}, pages = {357 -358}, abstract = {

Species living in lotic ecosystems are often dependent on the deposition of organic litter from surrounding terrestrial ecosystems for a large portion of their energy requirements. These same species may also be influenced by significant amounts of organic compounds and inorganic elements that are released into the water during the decomposition of allochthonous litter. Litter transfer into streams is usually estimated with catchment collectors located outside of the stream. The termination of flow in a tallgrass prairie stream in 1978 provided the opportunity to directly measure allochthonous litter accumulation in that stream channel. The objectives of this study were to document direct litter accumulation in the stream channel, and to compare this to vertical deposition of litter in the adjoining gallery forest

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, author = {Killingbeck, K.T.} } @article {KNZ0047, title = {Diabrotica barberi (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) elevated to species rank based on behavior, habitat choice, morphometrics, and geograpical variation of color}, journal = {Annals of the Entomological Society of America}, volume = {76}, year = {1983}, pages = {197 -204}, abstract = {

Based upon laboratory and field studies, and examination of more than 3,500 museum specimens, Diabrotica longicornis barberi Smith and Lawrence is elevated to species rank. Diabrotica barberi and D. longcornis (Say) are distinct species whose ranges overlap in the central plains of the United States. Adults of D. longicornis are characterized by piceous antennae, tibiae, tarsi, and clypeus and are collected from cucurbits. Diabrotica barberi is commonly collected in cornfields and , where it is sympatric with D. longicornis, has yellow to testaceous antennae, tibiae, tarsi, and clypeus. The distinguishing colors prevailed in progeny of field-collected beetles fed from egg hatch to adulthood on a common diet. Sex pheromone extracts which attract D. barberi males did not attract D. longicornis males, and males of each species were attracted by conspecific virgin females but not by females of the other species. In caged sexual compatibility experiments, mating success was asymmetrical.Discrimination analysis of 14 morphometric characters failed to discriminate completely between D. barberi and D. longicornis. Chromatic variation within D. barberi is geographically complex. The distribution of the two taxa is presented

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, behavior, habitat}, doi = {10.1093/aesa/76.2.197~}, author = {Krysan, J.L. and Smith, R.F. and Guss, P.L.} } @article {KNZ0026, title = {Decomposition of litter in Kansas bluestem prairie}, journal = {Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science}, volume = {83}, year = {1980}, pages = {33 -35}, abstract = {

From 1 April to 26 August 1978, about 45 percent of the aboveground standing dead plant material and litter disappeared in ungrazed bluestem prairie on Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, Geary County, Kansas, USA. In plots trampled on April 1 to compact the material close to the soil surface about 55 percent of the material decomposed. The results are based on 10 replications in native prairie on deep, productive, silty-clay loam at two sites, 1 and 5 years since burning

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, bluestem, decomposition, litter, prairie}, doi = {10.2307/3627269}, author = {Brehm, R.W. and Hulbert, L.C.} }