Biology section. (Senior Division 2002).

Aldridge, R.D., A.P. Bufalino, and P. Khayyat. Department of Biology, Saint Louis University. THE CONFLICT BETWEEN COURTSHIP AND FEEDING IN THE COMMON WATERSNAKE (NERODIA SIPEDON SIPEDON). During the breeding season, female snakes release sex pheromones to advertise their reproductive condition to males. Females must be attractive for a long enough period of time to successfully mate, however continued attractiveness may result in unwanted courtship. Such unwanted courtship might interfere with critical aspects of the female's ecology, such as foraging and feeding, which may ultimately reduce her reproductive success and thus her fitness. We describe an observation of a female Nerodia sipedon sipedon attempting to feed on a large male Rana catesbeiana while being courted by two males. This observation was near the end of N. s. sipedon's breeding season in the Missouri Ozarks and the female was unreceptive to the male's courting attempts. During the observation period, the female unsuccessfully tried to terminate the encounter by escaping from the males while maintaining her grasp on the R. catesbeiana. The female was never observed to lose her grasp on the R. catesbeiana, though the unwanted at tention from the males clearly disrupted her feeding attempt.

Carrel, J. E. Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia. RESPONSE OF BURROWING WOLF SPIDERS (LYCOSIDAE: GEOLYCOSA SPP.) TO FIRE IN FLORIDA SCRUB. On February 12, 2001, I began a "natural experiment" made possible by an intense wildfire that quickly incinerated 250 ha of drought-stricken scrub at the Archbold Biological Station in south-central Florida. First, I determined that most (83%) burrowing wolf spiders (Geolycosa spp.) survived the blaze by remaining deep underground in their burrows. Mortality was confined to small spiders, which are known to have shallow (< 5 cm deep) burrows. Second, populations of Geolycosa spp. in burned scrub increased dramatically by the end of the year, much as I had documented a decade earlier after another wildfire destroyed the vegetation and exposed the sandy soil. Third, replicate measurements made at 0.5, 4.8, and 12 months post-bum suggested that the increase in Geolycosa densities in burned scrub relative to unburned scrub was attributed to abiot ic factors, such as increased availability of burrow sites and increased soil temperatures that hastened growth and date of first reproduction, rather than biotic factors, such as more or higher quality prey for spiders foraging at the soil surface.

Higgins, P.M., and Burt, M.S. Department of Biology, Truman State University. SMALL MAMMAL COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO OAK-SAVANNAH RESTORATION. Small mammal communities have largely been ignored as possible indicators to gauge the success or progress of ecological restorations. Current management programs at Thousand Hills State Park (THSP) near Kirksville, Missouri provide the opportunity to assess the effects that prescribed burns can have upon small mammal communities, and the degree to which the communities change over time. For example, relative numbers of Microtus ochrogaster, a species typical of the prairie, could be a useful indicator for the relative success of bums designed to restore habitat from forest to grassland. Also, by including data from previous work that was done at the same location in 1995, we can track changes in communities over the course of the restoration program. Results from this project will be used to gauge the success of the bum management techniques as well as to monitor and interpret any fluctuations that have occurred in community composition. Specifically, we will compare communities of small mammals in two habit ats from both 1995 and today. We have constructed web-trap arrays in the burned areas and the undisturbed forested habitats. Mammals are live captured, appropriate data collected, and the animals marked before being released at the capture site. Data collection for this project began in September of 2001 and will continue at least until September of 2002. To date, we have 3,024 trap nights, and from these data have preliminary estimates of community diversity and abundance values. We would like to thank the Missouri Department of Conservation for providing the funds necessary to conduct this field study.

Keller, H.W., K.L. Snell, M. Skrabal, D. Lesmeister, J. Counts, and L. Henley. Department of Biology, Central Missouri State University. STUDENT CLIMBING AND COLLECTING EXPERIENCES IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK. This research project involved undergraduate, graduate students, volunteers, park interns and a multidisciplinary team of experts in the collection and identification of Myxomycetes, macrofungi, lichens, mosses, liverworts, ferns, tardigrades, and molluscs from the tree canopy. Students compiled a field diary of their experiences included in park interpretive exhibitions, news media coverage (print and television) and publications such as THE INOCULUM, THE MYCOPHILE and the INTERNATIONAL CANOPY NETWORK. A video tape entitled "A Study with a View" aired as part of a television story for the "Heartland Series" produced by WBTR Channel 10 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Bill Landry has been the host/narrator since the Heartland Series was conceived in 1984 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This program celebrates the people and the land of the entire Appalachian region. The television crew spent two days shooting the climbing and sampling techniques in the Cades Cove area of the park. Many of the panoramic views were shot from a cherry picker with the cameraman in the bucket at a height of 70 to 80 feet. The double rope climbing technique will be described beginning with climbing school and certification by a professional arborist to accessing the tree canopy of champion-sized trees. This research project is funded by the National Science Foundation, Division of Environmental Biology, Biotic Surveys and Inventories Program, Award #DEB-0079058 and Discover Life in America Award #2001-26.

Keller, H.W. and K.L. Snell. Department of Biology, Central Missouri State University. LIFE IN TREETOPS IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) has over 40,000 hectares of old-growth forest in the Tennessee-North Carolina region of eastern United States. The All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) program will attempt to complete a comprehensive inventory of all life forms in the Park. This research study will include the first comprehensive inventory of cryptogams (myxomycetes, macrofungi, mosses, liverworts, lichens, and ferns) and also tardigrades and molluscs in the tree canopy. A student research team climbed a total of 240 trees representing 35 different tree species during two three-week periods in June, July and August of calendar years 2000 and 2001. Using the double rope climbing technique students scaled the tree canopy to heights of 40 meters. The total number (107) of myxomycete species recorded from the tree canopy included 52 new records for th e GSMNP. A new species of Diachea was restricted to heights above 6 meters. This is the first upper tree canopy species documented for the Myxomycetes. Apparently the Myxomycetes are the only group of cryptogams with obligate tree canopy species. This research project is funded by the National Science Foundation, Division of Environmental Biology, Biotic Surveys and Inventories Program, Award # DEB-0079058 and Discover Life in America Award #2001-26.

McClain, W.E. and F.A. Einhellig. Departments of Agriculture and Biology. THE COMBINATION OF LIGHT AND ALLELOPATHIC EFFECTS ON SOYEAN SEEDLINGS. This research focused on determining how variations in light level in conjunction with a known allelochemical stress affected growth and photosynthesis. Using a completely randomized split-plot design we observed the effects of ferulic acid (FA) and light on plant biomass, photosynthetic capacity, and stomatal conductance. Light regime was the main effect (ambient conditions and [approximately equal to]40% reduction by shade cloth) and the subplot was defined by FA (0 [micro]M, 250 [micro]M, and 500 [micro]M). Soybean seedlings were grown in nutrient culture under glasshouse conditions of the summer season. Treatments began 10 days after germination and plants were harvested on day 40. General linear model (GLM) analysis of harvest dry weights showed highly significant FA, light, and interaction effects. Periodically during the month of treatment, light response curv es were taken with a LiCor 6400 Photosynthesis system. Ferulic acid caused a concentration-dependent reduction in photosynthetic rate in the range of light saturation, albeit this reduction in photosynthesis was of less magnitude near the end of the experiment. Sun-grown plants had greater overall photosynthetic capacity at high light levels, regardless of FA concentration. Several interactive effects appear to occur between FA and light intensity, the most prominent being that shade-grown plants had greater FA effects at high light throughout the experiment. The strong correlation between conductance and photosynthetic rate indicates that reductions in the latter are primarily due to stomatal limitations. This stomatal limitation is most likely the primary action of both sun and FA. While FA effects were modified by light conditions, it appears that alterations in photosynthesis were only part of the explanation for plant growth reductions observed in this experiment.

Moffatt, D.S., K. Manivannan, and L.E. Banks. Center for Scientific Research and Education, Southwest Missouri State University. CELL MEMBRANE SODIUM/POTASSIUM PUMP: COMPUTER MODELING WITH STELLA. Cell membranes have a sodium/potassium pump that moves sodium ([Na.sup.+]) out and potassium ([K.sup.+]) into the cell. This pump is reported to have an influence on cell volume. We have investigated various aspects of the pump using the computer simulation software STELLA. This software makes it easy for students to explore quantitative concepts without any formal knowledge of calculus. The simulations involved three linked differential equations of cell volume, concentrations of [Na.sup.+] and [K.sup.+] in the cell. Analysis of the model revealed several interesting dynamics of the system including: (1) Extrusion of [Na.sup.+] from the cell keeps the cell from overhydration. (2) Moving [K.sup.+] into the cell increases cellular volume. (3) Control of cell volume is highly sensitive to the amount of [K.sup.+] pumpe d into the cell. Our findings indicate that a feedback loop involving the [Na.sup.+]/[K.sup.+] pump is necessary to maintain constant cell volume. In addition, our experience with STELLA proves it to be a valuable tool in research as well as in education. This work was supported in part by the United States Department of Education grant# P342A990411.

Raveill, J. A. Department of Biology, Central Missouri State University. THE TRIBE DESMODIEAE (FABACEAE) IN MISSOURI. The tribe Desmodieae (Fabaceae) is reexamined in preparation for a treatment for volume two of Steyermark's Flora of Missouri. The treatment covers 20 species of Desmodium (plus one named hybrid), 11 species of Lespedeza, and two species of Kummerowia. All species are native except for the two Kummerowia species and three species in Lespedeza. Relevant collections from major herbaria were examined and literature reviewed for its impact on this tribe in Missouri. The most significant departure from traditional nomenclature is the recognition of two introduced annual species formally treated in Lespedeza as belonging to a segregate genus, Kummerowia. The recent segregation of the genus Hylodesmum from Desmodium is rejected. The transfer would involve three largely woodland species; D. glutinosum, D. nudiflorum, and D. pauciflorum, as well as 11 Asian species. One Desmodium is now recognized as a hybrid, D. [yen] humifusum (=D. paniculatum [yen] D. rotundifolium) and one new and presumably native species has been added to the flora, D. strictum. An introduced shrubby species of Lespedeza, L. bicolor, is added to the flora. Reexamination of type material has required that the name L. violacea replace L. intermedia and that L. frutescence be used for those specimens formerly called L. violacea. Funding provided by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Robison, C.R., A.P. Bufalino, and R.D. Aldridge. Department of Biology, Saint Louis University. A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF PRE-COURTSHIP ASSESSMENT BEHAVIORS IN MALE BROWN HOUSE SNAKES (Lamprophis fuliginosus). Two major components of snake reproduction are the attractiveness and receptiveness aspects of mating. Snake reproductive behavioral research has primarily focused on courtship behaviors, which addresses a male's attempt at determining a female's receptiveness to mating. Prior to initiating courtship behaviors, a male must determine if a female is attractive, which she communicates through the release of sex pheromones. We analyzed the pre-courtship period of male/experimental (attractive female) and male/control (male, unattractive female, or rubber snake) pairings of Lamprophis fuliginosus to determine if males exhibit unique behavioral patterns while assessing the various treatments. Experimental trials were conducted in a 40-liter glass aquarium. Male test subjects had a 20-mm. acclimation and exper imental treatment period. Trials were video taped with a digital camcorder. Our analyses indicate that males show varying degrees of complexity in assessment behaviors based on the nature of the treatment. Males showed the least complex assessment behavioral pattern towards attractive females, and the most complex behavioral pattern towards unattractive females.

Uzzle, J.M., A.P. Bufalino, and R.D. Aldridge. Department of Biology, Saint Louis University. BODY MASS COMPARISON BETWEEN EGG LAYING AND NON-EGG LAYING BROWN HOUSE SNAKES (LAMPROPHIS ULIGINOSUS).In oviparous species, a female's activities are focused on gaining enough body mass to produce a clutch of eggs. We compared the pre and post-clutch body mass of egg laying females to the body mass of non-egg laying females. Egg laying females have mated with a male, whereas non-egg laying females are unmated. The focus of this study is a breeding colony of Lamprophis fuliginosus, an oviparous snake native to Africa, consisting of 17 males and 22 females. The colony is separated by sex and maintained at 22[degrees]C with a 12L:12D photoperiod. Results of our analysis, after controlling for body size, indicate a significant difference in body mass among the groups. Post-clutch body mass of egg laying females is significantly less than their pre-clutch body mass and the body mass of non-egg laying females. No significa nt difference was seen between the pre-clutch body mass of egg laying females and the body mass of non-egg laying females. These results indicate that a significant amount of a female's body mass goes into producing eggs and that unmated females tend to gain body mass above the average body mass of mated females.

Vowels, Christopher L. and Steve Mills. Department of Biology and Earth Science, Central Missouri State University. THE EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS ON LABORATORY RATS. The impact of changes in ambient temperature and light cycle had on body temperature, activity, and food/water consumption was examined using laboratory rats. In the first temperature experiment, to assess the effects of temperature decrease we acclimated rats at 70[degrees]F for five days, then decreased the temperature 10[degrees] F for five days and then re-exposed the rats to 70[degrees]F for a final five days. The same five-day increment design was used in the second temperature experiment, but with a decrease of 15[degrees] F for the middle five-day period. An independent samples t-test showed that there was a significant difference in food consumption between experimental and control groups in the second temperature experiment when the temperature was decreased, t (8) = -4.69, p < .01. This showed that 15[infinity]F but not 10[inf inity]F elicited a change in metabolic activity. There were no significant differences in body temperature or activity in either temperature experiment. In the light cycle experiment, we housed rats at around 70[infinity]F and at a normal light cycle period (off at 7 p.m./on at 7 a.m.) for seven days and then reversed the cycle for seven days (on at 7 p.m./off at 7 a.m.). There were no significant differences in food/water consumption, between experimental and control groups in the light cycle experiment. There were no significant differences in body temperature or activity in the light cycle experiment.

Winkeler, E.L., R.D. Aldridge, and A.P. Bufalino. Department of Biology, Saint Louis University HISTOLOGY OF THE OVIDUCT OF MODERN SNAKES AND PRIMITIVE SNAKES. The oviduct is part of the reproductive system that appears to be conserved over evolutionary time. All modern snakes, whether egg laying or live bearing, have the same basic oviductal anatomy. Similarly, as a group, lizards also have similar anatomy which may make this structure useful in determining phylogenetic relationships among major groups of reptiles. In this study we examined the histology of the oviducts of the brown house snake (Lamprophis fuliginosus) and Brabminy blind snake (Rhamphotyphlops braminus) to determine if the anatomy of the blind oviduct is more similar to snakes or lizards. The oviducts were embedded in wax, cut at 7 [micro]m, and stained with hematoxylin, fast green, orange U and Biebrich scarlet. The oviduct of both species were very similar and were made up of four distinct areas; the infundibulum, glandular portion, furrow ed, and vagina. The blind snake oviductal anatomy was more similar to modern snakes than to the lizards.