Riverscour Communities on the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River System: Floristics, Vegetation, and Biogeography
Alluvial bars are deposits of stream sediments ranging in size from clay to boulder. These are open communities dominated by shrubs and herbs maintained by the occurrence of periodic flooding. Cumberland Plateau riverscour alluvium is notable for biological diversity and high occurrences of rare, endemic, and disjunct species. The Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River system in Blount County, Alabama lies within the southern Cumberland Plateau region of the Appalachian Plateau Province. Despite the biological significance of alluvial bars these communities remain understudied and rarely surveyed due to their relative inaccessibility. Threats from urban development, reservoir construction, invasive species and toxic runoff encroach; swift baseline documentation of existing flora and vegetation is critical. Herbarium collections provide a foundation for research in plant science and a physical permanent record of the occurrence of a species. Currently there is no known documented flora specific of the Locust Fork. Three objectives are primary to this research: (1) conduct a floristic vascular inventory; (2) characterize and map the vegetation community structure of exposed bedrock, cobble, sand, gravel, and boulder bars; (3) document and map distribution of significant rare and non-native plant species. Collection of plant species occurred from March - October 2013. Preliminary floral documentation of collected specimens and comparisons with college’s results will ensue. Obtained results can be used to make connections on the status and significance of riverscour communities in southeastern North America. Conservation and preservation of biodiversity found within the Black Warrior River System are the ultimate goals of this work.
Austin Peay State University Herbarium (APSC); 2 APSU Dept of Biology and The Center of Excellence for Field Biology; 3 Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT)
76 • Jordan R. Gann, Lori L. McGrew
Effects of Glyphosate Exposure on Anxiety-Like Behavior in Danio rerio
Herbicides are frequently used in agriculture to decrease competition among plants and thus boost crop volume, growth, and quality. Glyphosate-based herbicides are the most commonly used herbicides internationally. Large amounts of research have concentrated on the effects of glyphosate-based herbicides on fish. Previously thought to be safe, numerous laboratory and field studies have confirmed that several preparations of glyphosate-based herbicides can be very toxic to adult Danio rerio (zebrafish) at concentrations that are comparable to levels found in the environment. Still, there has been no research studying the effects of glyphosate on anxiety. A laboratory study was conducted in which adults of Danio rerio were exposed to glyphosate at a concentration of 10 mg/L for an expanse of seven days to investigate effects on anxiety.
Dept of Biology, Belmont University, Nashville, TN
77 • Spencer S. Bell, Zachary J. Loughman
Comparative Life History of the Allegheny Crayfish Across West Virginia
Historically, crayfish life history studies focus on determining the life history of a single species at a single site. While this approach does provide biologists with valuable information, potential life history plasticity across a geographic gradient can go unnoticed. To determine if this dynamic occurs, seasonal life history parameters for male Orconectes obscurus (Allegheny Crayfish)were determined for North Fork and Short Creek, Ohio County, West Virginia monthly from March 2012 through April 2013. Reproductive and molt states, along with morphometrics were recorded for all individuals encountered. Form state frequency for males was determined monthly for Short Creek and North Fork populations, and compared to vouchered specimens maintained in the West Liberty University Astacology Collection collected across all three West Virginia physiographic provinces, to determine if geography impacts the life history schedule of male O. obscurus. Results indicated that at least four size cohorts were present within the Short Creek/North Fork populations monthly. These same cohorts appeared in populations outside the focal Short Creek/North Fork population, with males entering winter aestivation as form I and molting to form II by the end of May, and subsequently molting back to form I in late July. North Fork and Short Creek form frequency compared to males collected from across West Virginia indicated O. obscurus exhibits limited life history plasticity, and trends observed in the Appalachian Plateau (North Fork/Short Creek) were mirrored in the Allegheny Mountains and Ridge and Valley in West Virginia irrespective of latitude and elevation.
Dept of Natural Science and Mathematics, West Liberty University, West Liberty, WV
Population Genetic Structure in Sauger: Management Implications
Predatory percid freshwater fishes such as sauger (Sander canadensis) are prized by anglers in most of the northern United States and Canada. State and Provincial management agencies need information that will help in the sustainable management of these resources, including knowledge of the genetic structure of their populations. In this study genetic variation and population structure of 1023 sauger in 12 populations from the Great Plains and Midwestern regions of North America were examined by protein electrophoresis of muscle and liver samples. Sauger showed a high level of population subdivision (Fst = 0.212), highly significant among population heterogeneity (heterogeneity χ2 = 769.733, 64 df, ***), and there was little gene flow among sauger populations (Nm= 0.929). Mean heterozygosity (H) in sauger was 0.020 and the percentage of polymorphic loci was 8.11%. The 12 sauger populations were split into a western (Great Plains) group and an eastern (Midwestern) group based upon Rogers’ genetic distances. Management implications of these results are that samples of sauger should not be transferred among populations as this will likely cause stock admixture with the possible loss of local adaptations.
Dept of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Troy University, Troy, AL
