01614nas a2200145 4500008004100000245007600041210006900117260006900186300001100255520105800266653001401324100001901338700001501357856009601372 1983 eng d00aThe effects of fire, litter and ash on flowering in Andropogon gerardii0 aeffects of fire litter and ash on flowering in Andropogon gerard aKalamazoo, MIbDepartment of Biology Western Michigan University a21 -243 a

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relative importance of the direct effects of burning on inflorescence production in Andropogon gerardii. Major treatments used included all possible combinations of presence and absence of fire, litter, and ash. The environmental variables measured included soil moisture, soil temperature, available soil nitrogen, and amount of light at the soil surface. Soil moisture was significantly less on burned plots than on unburned plots. No significant differences in available soil nitrogen were observed. Soil temperatures were significantly higher and light at the soil surface was increased when the organic material was removed. Inflorescence per m2 of canopy cover was significantly increased by the presence of fire. Litter removal and addition of ash did not significantly affect inflorescence production. The results indicate for the first time that the presence of fire itself was a more important environmental cue for increased flowering than removal of litter or addition of ash by burning

10aflowering1 aPeterson, N.J.1 aBrewer, R. uhttp://lter.konza.ksu.edu/content/effects-fire-litter-and-ash-flowering-andropogon-gerardii01435nas a2200169 4500008004100000245008500041210006900126260007000195300001100265520079600276653001701072653001201089100001901101700001601120700001501136856011401151 1983 eng d00aRefuge design and ecological theory: lessons for prairie and forest conservation0 aRefuge design and ecological theory lessons for prairie and fore aKalamazoo, MIbDepartment of Biology, Western Michigan University a61 -713 a

We are far from experts on prairie vegetation, but we can summarize some contributions that academic biology-ecology, biogeography, population genetics, etc.-has attempted to make to conservation, assess their value, and comment on whether they may be useful in prairie conservation. Most current academic interest in conservation stems from the observation that, in the face of increasing human population, habitats of all sorts are increasingly insularized. This is as true of prairie as it is of forest. Effects of this insularization can conveniently be divided into two classes: 1) ecological and 2) genetic. We will treat both, though far more has been written and far more information is available about ecological consequences of insularization than about genetic consequences

10aconservation10aprairie1 aSimberloff, D.1 aGotelli, N.1 aBrewer, R. uhttp://lter.konza.ksu.edu/content/refuge-design-and-ecological-theory-lessons-prairie-and-forest-conservation01497nas a2200157 4500008004100000245007600041210006900117260006900186300001100255520090700266653002201173100002001195700001601215700001501231856009301246 1983 eng d00aSuccess in a secondary habitat: the dickcissel in the tallgrass prairie0 aSuccess in a secondary habitat the dickcissel in the tallgrass p aKalamazoo, MIbDepartment of Biology Western Michigan University a47 -493 a

The dickcissel (Spiza americana) is the most abundant species in the breeding-season community of the tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Yet prairie is not the most preferred habitat; nesting density is as much as five times greater in mature oldfield communities. As a result of low nest density, prairie dickcissels suffer a significantly higher frequency as well as intensity of parasitism by the brown -headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) which reduces the production of young because of the removal of host eggs by the female cowbird. Prairie populations with low nest density, on the other hand, have a decreased chance of nests being destroyed by predators. Thus there is an offsetting balance between the two major factors affecting nest success so that the daily survival rate and the production of young in a prairie nest are no different from a nest in the oldfield community

10atallgrass prairie1 aZimmerman, J.L.1 aFinck, E.J.1 aBrewer, R. uhttp://lter.konza.ksu.edu/content/success-secondary-habitat-dickcissel-tallgrass-prairie