02285nas a2200133   4500008004100000245009900041210006900140300001300209490000700222520176200229100001801991700001802009856012402027       2005                        eng d00aHabitat of origin and changes in water chemistry influence development of western chorus frogs0 aHabitat of origin and changes in water chemistry influence devel  a254 -2650 v393 aA variety of biotic and abiotic variables have been shown to affect length of larval period and size of juveniles at metamorphosis in amphibians. However, influence of water quality on phenotypic plasticity of growth and development of tadpoles generally has received less attention. We examined how abiotic factors in the larval environment change over time and how these changes affect the growth and development of larval amphibians. Western Chorus Frogs, Pseudacris triseriata, in tallgrass prairie breed in ephemeral aquatic habitats including intermittent streams and bison wallows. Our objectives were to determine whether abiotic factors in the larval environment of P. triseriata changed predictably as pools dried and to determine whether these changes affected growth and development of tadpoles when the environment was simulated in the laboratory. In our field studies, pH increased gradually in wallows, whereas ammonium increased in streams, as each habitat dried. In the laboratory, we examined the effects of increased levels of pH and ammonium on growth and development of tadpoles collected from both wallows and streams. Tadpoles collected from streams metamorphosed significantly faster in the high ammonium treatment than tadpoles from wallows. In contrast, tadpoles from wallows metamorphosed faster in the high pH treatment than tadpoles collected from streams. Growth rates of tadpoles from streams were not significantly affected by high pH, whereas those from wallows were not significantly affected by high ammonium treatments. We suggest that changes in abiotic factors over the course of the larval period may influence developmental rate and that natal habitat may determine how tadpoles respond to changes in abiotic factors.1 aGerlanc, N.M.1 aKaufman, G.A.  uhttp://lter.konza.ksu.edu/content/habitat-origin-and-changes-water-chemistry-influence-development-western-chorus-frogs00582nas a2200121   4500008004100000245012600041210006900167260004300236300001100279490002100290100001800311856013100329       2004                        eng d00aBison wallows: community assembly and population dynamics in isolated ephemeral aquatic habitats of the tallgrass prairie0 aBison wallows community assembly and population dynamics in isol  aManhattan, KSbKansas State University  a1 -1020 vPhD Dissertation1 aGerlanc, N.M.  uhttp://lter.konza.ksu.edu/content/bison-wallows-community-assembly-and-population-dynamics-isolated-ephemeral-aquatic-habitats01698nas a2200133   4500008004100000245005300041210005300094300001300147490000800160520128200168100001801450700001801468856007801486       2003                        eng d00aUse of bison wallows by anurans on Konza Prairie0 aUse of bison wallows by anurans on Konza Prairie  a158 -1680 v1503 aHistorically, bison were of great importance to the grassland ecosystem, affecting plants and other organisms directly through grazing and indirectly by creating soil disturbances, such as wallows. When bison were reintroduced to the Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas, they reactivated relic wallows as well as created new ones. Wallows, like other ephemeral pools, may be used by organisms as aquatic habitat and as breeding sites. The objective of our study was to systematically monitor bison wallows after they filled and to ascertain their use by amphibians. We also examined long-term climatic records from the Konza Prairie area to assess the past viability of bison wallows as breeding habitats for anurans, which must complete metamorphosis before wallows dry. The amount of precipitation and cool temperatures required to prolong the hydroperiod necessary for completion of metamorphosis occurred in only about 20% of the years examined. Bison may have been important in the life histories of prairie anurans by creating “pools” in the form of wallows that could be used as breeding sites. However, more information about the life history of individual species of anurans is needed before viability of bison wallows as a breeding habitat can be determined.1 aGerlanc, N.M.1 aKaufman, G.A.  uhttp://lter.konza.ksu.edu/content/use-bison-wallows-anurans-konza-prairie02549nas a2200325   4500008004100000245006100041210006100102300001300163490000600176520164900182653002001831653001401851653001901865653002001884653001101904653002201915100001801937700002201955700001801977700001301995700001702008700001502025700001702040700001802057700001602075700001502091700001702106700001702123856008302140       2000                        eng d00aQuantification of the nitrogen cycle in a prairie stream0 aQuantification of the nitrogen cycle in a prairie stream  a574 -5890 v33 aNitrogen (N) was added for 35 days in the form of 15NH4Cl to Kings Creek on Konza Prairie, Kansas. Standing stocks of N in key compartments (that is, nutrients, detritus, organisms) were quantified, and the amount of labeled N entering the compartments was analyzed. These data were used to calculate turnover and flux rates of N cycling through the food web, as well as nutrient transformation rates. Inorganic N pools turned over much more rapidly in the water column of this stream than in pelagic systems where comparable measurements have been made. As with other systems, the mass of ammonium was low but it was the key compartment mediating nutrient flux through the ecosystem, whereas dissolved organic N, the primary component of N flux through the system, is not actively cycled. Nitrification was also a significant flux of N in the stream, with rates in the water column and surface of benthos accounting for approximately 10% of the total ammonium uptake. Primary consumers assimilated 67% of the inorganic N that entered benthic algae and microbes. Predators acquired 23% of the N that consumers obtained. Invertebrate collectors, omnivorous crayfish (Orconectes spp.), and invertebrate shredders dominated the N flux associated with primary consumers. Mass balance calculations indicated that at least 23% of the 309 mg of 15N added during the 35 days of release was retained within the 210-m stream reach during the release. Overall, the rates of turnover of N in organisms and organic substrata were significantly greater when C:N was low. This ratio may be a surrogate for biological activity with regard to N flux in streams.10aaquatic insects10aC:N ratio10anitrogen cycle10anitrogen export10astream10aTrophic structure1 aDodds, W., K.1 aEvans-White, M.A.1 aGerlanc, N.M.1 aGray, L.1 aGudder, D.A.1 aKemp, M.J.1 aLo'pez, A.L.1 aStagliano, D.1 aStrauss, E.1 aTank, J.L.1 aWhiles, M.R.1 aWollheim, W.  uhttp://lter.konza.ksu.edu/content/quantification-nitrogen-cycle-prairie-stream00614nas a2200133   4500008004100000245013600041210006900177260004300246300001100289490001400300653002200314100001800336856012600354       1999                        eng d00aEffects of breeding pool permanence on growth and development of western chorus frogs, Pseudacris triseriata , in tallgrass prairie0 aEffects of breeding pool permanence on growth and development of  aManhattan, KSbKansas State University  a1 -1020 vMS Thesis10atallgrass prairie1 aGerlanc, N.M.  uhttp://lter.konza.ksu.edu/content/effects-breeding-pool-permanence-growth-and-development-western-chorus-frogs-pseudacris