Richard Brugam | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (original) (raw)

Papers by Richard Brugam

Abstract: Previous palaeoecological studies have shown that there have been major range shifts in... more Abstract: Previous palaeoecological studies have shown that there have been major range shifts in Tsuga (hemlock) during the middle and late Holocene that seem to indicate climatic cooling and an increase in available moisture. We examined lake-level changes and peatland growth at Glimmerglass Lake and peatland in the Sylvania Wilderness Area to determine if the mid-Holocene increase in moisture indicated by the pollen record also influenced lakes and wetlands. Sphagnum peat began accumulating at the site at 6240 cal. yr BP. Diatom-inferred depth reconstructions show that the lake level rose 2m and the peatland expanded out of its basin at 5300 cal. yr BP. All of these changes occurred as the last remnant of the A Laurentide Ice Sheet disappeared and orbital forcing reduced seasonality relative to the early Holocene. HOLOCENE We conclude that these continental-scale factors caused increased moisture availability in the Upper RESEARCH Peninsula of Michigan, resulting in rising lakewa...

Journal of Paleolimnology

In North America, land use practices of the last two centuries have strongly influenced aquatic c... more In North America, land use practices of the last two centuries have strongly influenced aquatic communities and freshwater quality, but the impacts of prehistoric land use on freshwater resources remain poorly documented. Here we investigate the influence of prehistoric and historical land use on Horseshoe Lake, Illinois, USA, an oxbow lake in a floodplain of the Mississippi River that is adjacent to Cahokia, the largest prehistoric indigenous population center north of Mexico. Diatom assemblages from Horseshoe Lake's sedimentary record track shifts in aquatic environmental conditions over the last ca. 1600 years. During the period of prehistoric population growth and agricultural intensification associated with Cahokia's emergence (ca. 600-1200 CE), the relative abundance of Aulacoseira granulata-a planktonic diatom associated with shallow eutrophic lakes-increased. Following the abandonment of Cahokia in the 14th century CE, the diatom flora of the lake shifted from planktonic Aulacoseira taxa to the epiphytic taxa Cocconeis and Gomphonema. This shift in diatom assemblages is consistent with a reduction of nutrient inputs to the lake and/or reduced fishing pressure as prehistoric populations abandoned the area. Following the intensification of historic settlement after 1800 CE, diatom assemblages shift to epipelic species of small Staurosira and Fragilaria, indicating a reduction in aquatic macrophytes and increased turbidity. Our results document prehistoric indigenous impacts on a freshwater system beginning nearly 1000 years before European colonization of the Americas and demonstrate the antiquity of human impacts on freshwater resources in North America.

Progress in Physical Geography, 2003

Pollution of Lakes and Rivers: A Paleoenvironmental Perspective, by J.P Smol. 2002. 280 pp. Arnol... more Pollution of Lakes and Rivers: A Paleoenvironmental Perspective, by J.P Smol. 2002. 280 pp. Arnold Publishers, London, co-published by Oxford University Press, New York. ISBN 0-340-69167-0. Price: $29.95 US.

J Torrey Bot Soc, 2009

ABSTRACT Barrens were areas of scrub oak and prairie plants that were noted by Government Land Of... more ABSTRACT Barrens were areas of scrub oak and prairie plants that were noted by Government Land Office (GLO) Surveys in Illinois. Surveyors described four vegetation types: prairie, barrens, scattering timber, and forest. Since settlement, these vegetation types have nearly disappeared. We used GIS and the GLO survey notes for Jersey and Greene Counties in southwestern Illinois to locate and estimate the area of barrens present at the time of the surveys. Using these estimates it was possible to determine that barrens covered about ten percent of each county. The larger barrens areas were surrounded by prairie and located in the more level eastern portions of the counties. Carya spp., Quercus marilandica, and Q. stellata were more abundant in barrens than in other vegetation types. Surveyor-designated prairies were located both on prairie soils (argiudolls) and forest soils (hapludalfs). Barrens, scattering timber, and forest were all found on forest soils and on steeper slopes than prairies. The distribution of vegetation types suggests that barrens represent an expansion of woody vegetation onto especially vulnerable prairie sites during the Little Ice Age (1450 to 1850 AD).

Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science Illinois State Academy of Science, 1996

Industrial development over the last 110 years has contaminated many parts of the American Bottom... more Industrial development over the last 110 years has contaminated many parts of the American Bottoms, an extensive floodplain of the Mississippi River just east of St. Louis, MO. Water resources in this region have been severely impacted by long-term mismanagement of hazardous waste disposal by local industries. Toxic refuse from metal smelting, steel making, and wood-treatment industries has been released on site to percolate into the ground or to run off into local streams (Colten 1988). A record of metal contamination exists in the sediment of Horseshoe Lake, a natural oxbow lake in the most industrialized portion of the American Bottoms. We examined two dated sediment cores from Horseshoe Lake to reconstruct the historical record of environmental contamination. We used isotopes of nitrogen to track the history of sewage contamination finding that sediment d 15 N increased to values > 10 o / oo in the 1920's. Because such high values of d 15 N are only associated with the presence of human or animal wastes, we deduce that major contamination of the lake by sewage began at that time. Lead, cadmium, and zinc concentrations increased in the sediment after the 1940's. The increase in heavy metals is probably related either to increased input to the lake from local industrial activities or the use of lead shot by local waterfowl hunters. Our results provide a physical record of contamination that is consistent with Colten's (1988) description of hazardous waste disposal in the American Bottoms.

Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 1995

We used pollen and diatom analysis to reconstruct post-glacial development of Glimmerglass Lake a... more We used pollen and diatom analysis to reconstruct post-glacial development of Glimmerglass Lake and its adjacent Sphagnum peatland using transacts of cores. Glimmerglass lake has existed since late-glacial times with little or no change in water levels. In contrast the peatland began growing as a floating mat in a pond that was separated from the main lake by a spit

ABSTRACT Background/Question/Methods Flood control structures (e.g., levees) and navigation dams ... more ABSTRACT Background/Question/Methods Flood control structures (e.g., levees) and navigation dams on the Upper Mississippi River modify river hydrology, potentially changing the composition of floodplain forests. Channel constriction and impoundment contribute to differing patterns of water level variation within navigation pools. We hypothesized lowland forest community composition responds to the hydrologic gradient within the navigation pools. This study is intended to (1) quantify differing patterns in forest community within Navigation Pool 24 and (2) describe the differential responses of species in relation to the varying hydrology. Forest survey, river level (1993-2011), and elevation data were integrated using a GIS. Non-metric multidimensional scaling was used to ordinate floodplain forest stands defined by combinations of river mile and elevation classes. Results/Conclusions Ordination separated stands on 2 axes. The first separated along a gradient from small to large boxelder (Acer negundo; rs(n=15) = 0.9429, p < 0.01), silver maple (Acer saccharinum; rs(n=15) = 0.925, p < 0.05), and green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica; rs(n=15) = 0.9571, p < 0.01). The second axis separated along a gradient of small to large eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides; rs(n=15) = 0.6679, p < 0.01) and willow (Salix spp.; rs(n=15) = 0.9214, p < 0.05). River level variability (SD of water level) positively correlated (rs(n=15) = 0.67, p < 0.01) with the first axis. Permutation tests (MRPP) separated all elevation groups of lowest river mile group (274-278) from all other river mile groups (p < 0.05), and separated the middle group (284-288) from the fourth (289-293; p = 0.03) and fifth (294-298; p = 0.04). These results suggest that Pool 24 floodplain forest communities differ in species dominance patterns as a result of their relative position within the hydrologic gradient between locks and dams.

Twenty core samples and 54 surface sediment samples were taken from surface mine lakes in Missour... more Twenty core samples and 54 surface sediment samples were taken from surface mine lakes in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana to determine the rates of neutralization of acid mine lakes. Sediment samples were analysed for diatom microfossils, selected chemical elements, and the radionuclide, lead-210. Comparisons between lake sediment and water column chemistry indicated that neither sulfide deposition nor H2S outgasing is likely to play a major role in the neutralization process. Chemical analyses of lake sediment showed that the sediment is a sink for heavy metals. These metals are held as sulfides. There is also a considerable fraction of metal ions strongly bound to clays. This research demonstrates that acid lake neutralization is common, that it occurs over moderate time spans and that the rate is controlled by rates of acid supply from the watershed.

The authors conducted a series of 5 experiments in which 1 m diameter and 3 to 6 m long cylindric... more The authors conducted a series of 5 experiments in which 1 m diameter and 3 to 6 m long cylindrical enclosures were built in an acidic lake on a coal mine site. The enclosures extended from the lake surface to the sediment. Limestone, phosphate, sewage sludge or wheat straw was added to the enclosures to test their neutralizing capabilities. The theory suggests that sewage sludge and wheat straw should be substrates for sulfate reduction by bacteria and that the production of H2S and its precipitation as FeS should remove sulfuric acid from the water column. The limestone additions raised pH as expected. Straw additions supported sulfate reduction. Sulfate reduction was strongest where both lime and straw were added together. Straw additions produced the expected neutralization in the experiments, but neutralization was not permanent.

Diatoms and Lake Acidity, 1986

Nature and Science of Sleep

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are ideal tool to use for making informed decision makers re... more Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are ideal tool to use for making informed decision makers related to the expansion of poultry enterprises. The goal of this study is to develop and evaluate spatial analysis tools as a Decision Support System (DSS) implemented in a GIS environment for making informed decisions maker the expansion of poultry enterprises in Sharqia governorate, and all over Egypt. Sharqia governorate has thirteen geographic districts counties, all of them were involved, in this study survey aimed all poultry farms. Licensed and unlicensed farms, infected and non-infected farms by bird flu disease and evaluations Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools in planning the potential expansion of poultry farms was applied. The result indicates that Al Husaineya county has the highest total number of poultry farms 960 and Al Ebrahemeyah county has the lowest total number of poultry farms 73. For licensed farms, Zaqaziq county has the highest total number of licensed far...

Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science. Illinois State Academy of Science

The potential of anaerobic bacterial metabolism to raise the pH of acid lakes was tested by addin... more The potential of anaerobic bacterial metabolism to raise the pH of acid lakes was tested by adding 9.1 metric tons of fresh cow manure to a 2.1 ha, 6 m deep, pH 2.9 coal mine lake near DeSoto, Illinois. This additive was expected to provide a substrate for sulfate-and iron-reducing bacteria that generate alkalinity. Lake water chemistry was monitored for 2.5 years in the treated lake and in a nearby untreated lake. The main effects of this cow manure addition were a rise in pH, iron, and sulfide and a decrease in oxygen, acidity, and aluminum in deep water of the treated lake during summer stratification. Surface water chemistry remained unchanged except for a decline in oxygen con-centrations. During fall turnover, the chemistry of the entire lake returned to its pre-treatment condition. The results of this investigation indicate that anaerobic bacterial decay of organic matter can raise the pH of acid mine water. In our experiment low hydraulic retention time probably prevented a ...

Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science. Illinois State Academy of Science

Background/Question/Methods College class projects offer an ideal opportunity to monitor long ter... more Background/Question/Methods College class projects offer an ideal opportunity to monitor long term ecological processes associated with plant community development. Studies documenting compositional change are quite abundant, but efforts focused on ecosystem properties are much rarer. Starting in 2002, ecology students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville have sampled peak above-ground biomass of a ca. 20 year-old tallgrass prairie restoration on Campus, ca. 30 km northeast of St. Louis, MO. The original focus of the exercise was to evaluate the effect of a steep slope gradient (10%) on peak biomass production, but the fairly long time series also permits comparison of productivity through time. The decade 2002-2011 is particularly notable for several years of low rainfall and high temperature. Sampling typically occurred during October, employing 22-46, 0.25 m2 quadrats distributed over a 100-130 m downslope transect. Vegetation was cut as close to the ground as possible, d...

Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science. Illinois State Academy of Science

Although the main purpose of the Public Land Surveys (PLS) surveys of the early 1800’s (in Illino... more Although the main purpose of the Public Land Surveys (PLS) surveys of the early 1800’s (in Illinois) was to establish permanent section corners for future settlement, the botanical portion of the work has been widely used over the past 50 years by ecologists to develop our understanding of the presettlement vegetation as it existed at the time of the survey. In Illinois investigators have published analyses of this dataset for entire counties in 29 of the 102 counties in the state. In addition parts of 19 other counties have been published. We conducted an inventory of publications to determine the regions of the state that have already been mapped. One goal was to discover the counties for which digital information was available.

Geological Society of America Special Papers, 1993

The Holocene, 2004

Previous palaeoecological studies have shown that there have been major range shifts in Tsuga (he... more Previous palaeoecological studies have shown that there have been major range shifts in Tsuga (hemlock) during the middle and late Holocene that seem to indicate climatic cooling and an increase in available moisture. We examined lake-level changes and peatland growth at Glimmerglass Lake and peatland in the Sylvania Wilderness Area to determine if the mid-Holocene increase in moisture indicated by the pollen record also influenced lakes and wetlands. Sphagnum peat began accumulating at the site at 6240 cal. yr BP. Diatom-inferred depth reconstructions show that the lake level rose 2 m and the peatland expanded out of its basin at 5300 cal. yr BP. All of these changes occurred as the last remnant of the Laurentide Ice Sheet disappeared and orbital forcing reduced seasonality relative to the early Holocene. We conclude that these continental-scale factors caused increased moisture availability in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, resulting in rising lakewater levels and peatland expansion.

Abstract: Previous palaeoecological studies have shown that there have been major range shifts in... more Abstract: Previous palaeoecological studies have shown that there have been major range shifts in Tsuga (hemlock) during the middle and late Holocene that seem to indicate climatic cooling and an increase in available moisture. We examined lake-level changes and peatland growth at Glimmerglass Lake and peatland in the Sylvania Wilderness Area to determine if the mid-Holocene increase in moisture indicated by the pollen record also influenced lakes and wetlands. Sphagnum peat began accumulating at the site at 6240 cal. yr BP. Diatom-inferred depth reconstructions show that the lake level rose 2m and the peatland expanded out of its basin at 5300 cal. yr BP. All of these changes occurred as the last remnant of the A Laurentide Ice Sheet disappeared and orbital forcing reduced seasonality relative to the early Holocene. HOLOCENE We conclude that these continental-scale factors caused increased moisture availability in the Upper RESEARCH Peninsula of Michigan, resulting in rising lakewa...

Journal of Paleolimnology

In North America, land use practices of the last two centuries have strongly influenced aquatic c... more In North America, land use practices of the last two centuries have strongly influenced aquatic communities and freshwater quality, but the impacts of prehistoric land use on freshwater resources remain poorly documented. Here we investigate the influence of prehistoric and historical land use on Horseshoe Lake, Illinois, USA, an oxbow lake in a floodplain of the Mississippi River that is adjacent to Cahokia, the largest prehistoric indigenous population center north of Mexico. Diatom assemblages from Horseshoe Lake's sedimentary record track shifts in aquatic environmental conditions over the last ca. 1600 years. During the period of prehistoric population growth and agricultural intensification associated with Cahokia's emergence (ca. 600-1200 CE), the relative abundance of Aulacoseira granulata-a planktonic diatom associated with shallow eutrophic lakes-increased. Following the abandonment of Cahokia in the 14th century CE, the diatom flora of the lake shifted from planktonic Aulacoseira taxa to the epiphytic taxa Cocconeis and Gomphonema. This shift in diatom assemblages is consistent with a reduction of nutrient inputs to the lake and/or reduced fishing pressure as prehistoric populations abandoned the area. Following the intensification of historic settlement after 1800 CE, diatom assemblages shift to epipelic species of small Staurosira and Fragilaria, indicating a reduction in aquatic macrophytes and increased turbidity. Our results document prehistoric indigenous impacts on a freshwater system beginning nearly 1000 years before European colonization of the Americas and demonstrate the antiquity of human impacts on freshwater resources in North America.

Progress in Physical Geography, 2003

Pollution of Lakes and Rivers: A Paleoenvironmental Perspective, by J.P Smol. 2002. 280 pp. Arnol... more Pollution of Lakes and Rivers: A Paleoenvironmental Perspective, by J.P Smol. 2002. 280 pp. Arnold Publishers, London, co-published by Oxford University Press, New York. ISBN 0-340-69167-0. Price: $29.95 US.

J Torrey Bot Soc, 2009

ABSTRACT Barrens were areas of scrub oak and prairie plants that were noted by Government Land Of... more ABSTRACT Barrens were areas of scrub oak and prairie plants that were noted by Government Land Office (GLO) Surveys in Illinois. Surveyors described four vegetation types: prairie, barrens, scattering timber, and forest. Since settlement, these vegetation types have nearly disappeared. We used GIS and the GLO survey notes for Jersey and Greene Counties in southwestern Illinois to locate and estimate the area of barrens present at the time of the surveys. Using these estimates it was possible to determine that barrens covered about ten percent of each county. The larger barrens areas were surrounded by prairie and located in the more level eastern portions of the counties. Carya spp., Quercus marilandica, and Q. stellata were more abundant in barrens than in other vegetation types. Surveyor-designated prairies were located both on prairie soils (argiudolls) and forest soils (hapludalfs). Barrens, scattering timber, and forest were all found on forest soils and on steeper slopes than prairies. The distribution of vegetation types suggests that barrens represent an expansion of woody vegetation onto especially vulnerable prairie sites during the Little Ice Age (1450 to 1850 AD).

Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science Illinois State Academy of Science, 1996

Industrial development over the last 110 years has contaminated many parts of the American Bottom... more Industrial development over the last 110 years has contaminated many parts of the American Bottoms, an extensive floodplain of the Mississippi River just east of St. Louis, MO. Water resources in this region have been severely impacted by long-term mismanagement of hazardous waste disposal by local industries. Toxic refuse from metal smelting, steel making, and wood-treatment industries has been released on site to percolate into the ground or to run off into local streams (Colten 1988). A record of metal contamination exists in the sediment of Horseshoe Lake, a natural oxbow lake in the most industrialized portion of the American Bottoms. We examined two dated sediment cores from Horseshoe Lake to reconstruct the historical record of environmental contamination. We used isotopes of nitrogen to track the history of sewage contamination finding that sediment d 15 N increased to values > 10 o / oo in the 1920's. Because such high values of d 15 N are only associated with the presence of human or animal wastes, we deduce that major contamination of the lake by sewage began at that time. Lead, cadmium, and zinc concentrations increased in the sediment after the 1940's. The increase in heavy metals is probably related either to increased input to the lake from local industrial activities or the use of lead shot by local waterfowl hunters. Our results provide a physical record of contamination that is consistent with Colten's (1988) description of hazardous waste disposal in the American Bottoms.

Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 1995

We used pollen and diatom analysis to reconstruct post-glacial development of Glimmerglass Lake a... more We used pollen and diatom analysis to reconstruct post-glacial development of Glimmerglass Lake and its adjacent Sphagnum peatland using transacts of cores. Glimmerglass lake has existed since late-glacial times with little or no change in water levels. In contrast the peatland began growing as a floating mat in a pond that was separated from the main lake by a spit

ABSTRACT Background/Question/Methods Flood control structures (e.g., levees) and navigation dams ... more ABSTRACT Background/Question/Methods Flood control structures (e.g., levees) and navigation dams on the Upper Mississippi River modify river hydrology, potentially changing the composition of floodplain forests. Channel constriction and impoundment contribute to differing patterns of water level variation within navigation pools. We hypothesized lowland forest community composition responds to the hydrologic gradient within the navigation pools. This study is intended to (1) quantify differing patterns in forest community within Navigation Pool 24 and (2) describe the differential responses of species in relation to the varying hydrology. Forest survey, river level (1993-2011), and elevation data were integrated using a GIS. Non-metric multidimensional scaling was used to ordinate floodplain forest stands defined by combinations of river mile and elevation classes. Results/Conclusions Ordination separated stands on 2 axes. The first separated along a gradient from small to large boxelder (Acer negundo; rs(n=15) = 0.9429, p < 0.01), silver maple (Acer saccharinum; rs(n=15) = 0.925, p < 0.05), and green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica; rs(n=15) = 0.9571, p < 0.01). The second axis separated along a gradient of small to large eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides; rs(n=15) = 0.6679, p < 0.01) and willow (Salix spp.; rs(n=15) = 0.9214, p < 0.05). River level variability (SD of water level) positively correlated (rs(n=15) = 0.67, p < 0.01) with the first axis. Permutation tests (MRPP) separated all elevation groups of lowest river mile group (274-278) from all other river mile groups (p < 0.05), and separated the middle group (284-288) from the fourth (289-293; p = 0.03) and fifth (294-298; p = 0.04). These results suggest that Pool 24 floodplain forest communities differ in species dominance patterns as a result of their relative position within the hydrologic gradient between locks and dams.

Twenty core samples and 54 surface sediment samples were taken from surface mine lakes in Missour... more Twenty core samples and 54 surface sediment samples were taken from surface mine lakes in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana to determine the rates of neutralization of acid mine lakes. Sediment samples were analysed for diatom microfossils, selected chemical elements, and the radionuclide, lead-210. Comparisons between lake sediment and water column chemistry indicated that neither sulfide deposition nor H2S outgasing is likely to play a major role in the neutralization process. Chemical analyses of lake sediment showed that the sediment is a sink for heavy metals. These metals are held as sulfides. There is also a considerable fraction of metal ions strongly bound to clays. This research demonstrates that acid lake neutralization is common, that it occurs over moderate time spans and that the rate is controlled by rates of acid supply from the watershed.

The authors conducted a series of 5 experiments in which 1 m diameter and 3 to 6 m long cylindric... more The authors conducted a series of 5 experiments in which 1 m diameter and 3 to 6 m long cylindrical enclosures were built in an acidic lake on a coal mine site. The enclosures extended from the lake surface to the sediment. Limestone, phosphate, sewage sludge or wheat straw was added to the enclosures to test their neutralizing capabilities. The theory suggests that sewage sludge and wheat straw should be substrates for sulfate reduction by bacteria and that the production of H2S and its precipitation as FeS should remove sulfuric acid from the water column. The limestone additions raised pH as expected. Straw additions supported sulfate reduction. Sulfate reduction was strongest where both lime and straw were added together. Straw additions produced the expected neutralization in the experiments, but neutralization was not permanent.

Diatoms and Lake Acidity, 1986

Nature and Science of Sleep

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are ideal tool to use for making informed decision makers re... more Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are ideal tool to use for making informed decision makers related to the expansion of poultry enterprises. The goal of this study is to develop and evaluate spatial analysis tools as a Decision Support System (DSS) implemented in a GIS environment for making informed decisions maker the expansion of poultry enterprises in Sharqia governorate, and all over Egypt. Sharqia governorate has thirteen geographic districts counties, all of them were involved, in this study survey aimed all poultry farms. Licensed and unlicensed farms, infected and non-infected farms by bird flu disease and evaluations Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools in planning the potential expansion of poultry farms was applied. The result indicates that Al Husaineya county has the highest total number of poultry farms 960 and Al Ebrahemeyah county has the lowest total number of poultry farms 73. For licensed farms, Zaqaziq county has the highest total number of licensed far...

Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science. Illinois State Academy of Science

The potential of anaerobic bacterial metabolism to raise the pH of acid lakes was tested by addin... more The potential of anaerobic bacterial metabolism to raise the pH of acid lakes was tested by adding 9.1 metric tons of fresh cow manure to a 2.1 ha, 6 m deep, pH 2.9 coal mine lake near DeSoto, Illinois. This additive was expected to provide a substrate for sulfate-and iron-reducing bacteria that generate alkalinity. Lake water chemistry was monitored for 2.5 years in the treated lake and in a nearby untreated lake. The main effects of this cow manure addition were a rise in pH, iron, and sulfide and a decrease in oxygen, acidity, and aluminum in deep water of the treated lake during summer stratification. Surface water chemistry remained unchanged except for a decline in oxygen con-centrations. During fall turnover, the chemistry of the entire lake returned to its pre-treatment condition. The results of this investigation indicate that anaerobic bacterial decay of organic matter can raise the pH of acid mine water. In our experiment low hydraulic retention time probably prevented a ...

Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science. Illinois State Academy of Science

Background/Question/Methods College class projects offer an ideal opportunity to monitor long ter... more Background/Question/Methods College class projects offer an ideal opportunity to monitor long term ecological processes associated with plant community development. Studies documenting compositional change are quite abundant, but efforts focused on ecosystem properties are much rarer. Starting in 2002, ecology students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville have sampled peak above-ground biomass of a ca. 20 year-old tallgrass prairie restoration on Campus, ca. 30 km northeast of St. Louis, MO. The original focus of the exercise was to evaluate the effect of a steep slope gradient (10%) on peak biomass production, but the fairly long time series also permits comparison of productivity through time. The decade 2002-2011 is particularly notable for several years of low rainfall and high temperature. Sampling typically occurred during October, employing 22-46, 0.25 m2 quadrats distributed over a 100-130 m downslope transect. Vegetation was cut as close to the ground as possible, d...

Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science. Illinois State Academy of Science

Although the main purpose of the Public Land Surveys (PLS) surveys of the early 1800’s (in Illino... more Although the main purpose of the Public Land Surveys (PLS) surveys of the early 1800’s (in Illinois) was to establish permanent section corners for future settlement, the botanical portion of the work has been widely used over the past 50 years by ecologists to develop our understanding of the presettlement vegetation as it existed at the time of the survey. In Illinois investigators have published analyses of this dataset for entire counties in 29 of the 102 counties in the state. In addition parts of 19 other counties have been published. We conducted an inventory of publications to determine the regions of the state that have already been mapped. One goal was to discover the counties for which digital information was available.

Geological Society of America Special Papers, 1993

The Holocene, 2004

Previous palaeoecological studies have shown that there have been major range shifts in Tsuga (he... more Previous palaeoecological studies have shown that there have been major range shifts in Tsuga (hemlock) during the middle and late Holocene that seem to indicate climatic cooling and an increase in available moisture. We examined lake-level changes and peatland growth at Glimmerglass Lake and peatland in the Sylvania Wilderness Area to determine if the mid-Holocene increase in moisture indicated by the pollen record also influenced lakes and wetlands. Sphagnum peat began accumulating at the site at 6240 cal. yr BP. Diatom-inferred depth reconstructions show that the lake level rose 2 m and the peatland expanded out of its basin at 5300 cal. yr BP. All of these changes occurred as the last remnant of the Laurentide Ice Sheet disappeared and orbital forcing reduced seasonality relative to the early Holocene. We conclude that these continental-scale factors caused increased moisture availability in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, resulting in rising lakewater levels and peatland expansion.