Coleoptera of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory: an annotated checklist

An insect survey was conducted on the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory during the summers of 1981–1983. This site is on the Snake River Plains in southeastern Idaho. Presented here is an annotated checklist of the Coleoptera collected. Successful collecting methods, dates of adult occurrence, and relative abundance are given for each species. Relevant biological information is also presented for some species.     

Breeding birds at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, 1985-1991

During the summers of 1985-1991, bird census were conducted along 13 permanent routes located at the 2315-km 2 Idaho National Engineering and Environmental laboratory (INEEL Sturnella neglecta ), Brewer's Sparrows ( Spizella breweri ), Sage Sparrows ( Amphispiza belli ), Horned larks ( Eremophila alpestris ), and Sage Thrashers ( Oreoscoptes montanus ) comprised 72% of all individuals. Almost half of all species were represented by fewer than 10 individuals. Bird density was significantly greater along facility complex routes. Moreover, because of human-constructed wetlands and structures of various types, facility complex routes had significantly more bird species per unit area, including more species of waterfowl and human associated species. Some year-to-year variation in bird density was related to weather. More individuals were recorded in cooler, wetter years, although such increases were reflected more along facility complex routes. Among sagebrush-obligate species, trend analysis suggest that both Brewer's Sparrows and Sage Sparrows increased significantly in abundance, which may be in contrast to regional trends for these species. Of 5 species of special concern observed, trend analysis could be performed for only 2: Ferruginous Hawks ( Buteo regalis ) and Loggerhead Shrikes ( Lanius ludovicianus ). Both species had more routes with negative regression coefficients and negative trend means, indicating that declines may have occurred, although the goodness-of-fit test for neither species was significant. These data from INEEL should be used for comparison with future studies at the site and other statues from throughout the Great Basin region.     

Response of reptile populations to different land management practices on the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Site

Populations of reptiles were examined in grazed and ungrazed habitats dominated by sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata ) or by crested wheatgrass ( Agropyron cirstatum ) on the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) Site in southeastern Idaho. The sagebrush lizard ( Sceloporus graciosus ) and the short-horned lizard ( Phrynosoma douglassi ) were the only species of reptiles encountered in sufficient numbers to permit statistical analysis. Both of these species preferred sagebrush habitats to areas dominated by crested wheatgrass. The sagebrush lizard was most abundant in the native, ungrazed, sagebrush habitat, and the short-horned lizard was most plentiful in the sheep-grazed area dominated by big sagebrush.     

Comparison of two roadside survey procedures for dwarf mistletoes on the Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho

Two roadside surveys were conducted for dwarf mistletoes parasitizing lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir on the Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho. One survey used variable-radius plots located less than 150 m from roads. The 2nd survey used variable-radius plots established at 200-m intervals along 1600-m transects run perpendicular to the same roads. Estimates of the incidence (percentage of trees infected and percentage of plots infested) and severity (average dwarf mistletoe rating) for both lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir dwarf mistletoes were not significantly different for the 2 survey methods. These findings are further evidence that roadside-plot surveys and transect-plot surveys conducted away from roads provide similar estimates of the incidence of dwarf mistletoes for large forested areas.     

Checklist of vascular plants for the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

The checklist of vascular plants of Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is presented based on field collections and herbarium specimens. The checklist treats 656 taxa from 73 families.         

Vertebrate fauna of the Idaho National Environmental Research Park

The relative abundance, habitat use, and seasonal occurrence are reported for the 6 fish, 1 amphibian, 9 reptile, 164 bird, and 39 mammal species recorded on the Idaho National Environmental Research Park in southeastern Idaho.     

Annotated checklist of exotic vascular plants in Yellowstone National Park

Documentation of the arrival of exotic vascular plants in Yellowstone National Park has been sporadic. An annotated checklist of exotic vascular plants is presented, with information about the approximate arrival time in the park of each species and the current extent of the infestation. Yellowstones flora includes 187 exotic vascular plant species (14.8% of the flora), and the park has an extrapolated mean number of exotic species per 10 km 2 of 47.3. The situation in Yellowstone is compared with other areas in North America. The increase in exotics mirrors a corresponding increase in visitation.     

Revised checklist of the vascular plants of Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Prior to 1960, when the senior author wrote a dissertation on the plant ecology of the Paunsaugunt Plateau forests of Bryce Canyon National Park, relatively little plant taxonomic work had been done in the area. A checklist was prepared in 1971 that included 218 species of higher plants. During the field seasons 1978, 1979, and 1980, additional plants were collected during a second plant community study of the forests. The junior author spent the summer of 1980 at the park collecting plants in additional plant communities and organizing the herbarium collection. This checklist includes the additional species collected and updates the nomenclature of the vascular plants presently known to occur within the boundaries of Bryce Canyon National Park.     

Endangered, threatened, extinct, endemic, and rare or restricted Utah vascular plants

The status of 382 vascular plant taxa with distribution in Utah is presented. Some 66 species are possibly endangered, 198 threatened, 7 extinct, and 20 extirpated within the state; 4 species have questionable taxonomic status. Included in the list are nearly 225 species of endemic plants, many of which are among the possibly endangered, threatened, and extinct or extirpated plants. Bibliographic citations, type locality, status, and distribution by counties is included for each species or infraspecific taxon. Two new species are described: Psoralea pariensis and Eriogonum natum. One new name, Astragalus barnebyi, is proposed; and one new variety, Eriogonum umbellatum var. deserticum, is proposed. The following new combinations are made: Cycladenia humilis var. jonesii; Aralia racemosa ssp. bicrenata; Heterotheca jonesii; Hymenoxys depressa; Xanthocephalum sarothrae var. pomariense; Thelypodium integrifolium var. complanatum; Thelypodium sagittatum var. ovalifolium; Arenaria kingii var. plateauensis; Psorothamnus thompsonae; Najas caespitosus; Oenothera gouldii; Eriogonum corymbosum var. revealianum; Penstemon humilis var. obtusifolius; Penstemon lentus var. albiflorus; and Viola purpurea var. charlestonensis.       

1993 update, checklist of the vascular plants of Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

An updated checklist of the vascular flora of Bryce Canyon National Park is presented, including 458 species arranged in 232 genera and 73 families. Four species have been added to the part list based on 1991 fieldwork: Arabis perennans , Arceuthobium divaricatum , Gentiana parryi , and Haplopappus acaulis . Recent changes in nomenclature have been included, and several species identifications have been corrected. The six largest families are, in decreasing size, Asteraceace, Pocaceae, Fabaceae, Brassicaceae, Scrophulariaceae, and Rosaceae. Common names and an index are provided.     

A checklist of the vascular plants of the House Range, Utah

A checklist of the vascular plants of the House Range, Juab and Millard counties, Utah, is presented. A flora of 373 species and infraspecific taxa in 231 genera and 60 families are reported. The geology, physiography, climate, and plant communities are briefly discussed. Several endemics occur in the study area and a new taxon has been described.     

Genetic differentiation of rare and common varieties of Eriogonum shockleyi (Polygonaceae) in Idaho using ISSR variability

Idaho populations of Eriogonum shockleyi are divided taxonomically into 2 varieties: E. shockleyi var. packardae , which is endemic to Idaho, and the typical variety, which is widespread in the western United States. Recent morphological investigations of E. shockleyi in Idaho have identified potentially reliable morphological characters for field identification of the subspecific taxa. This paper investigates the genetic basis for the separation of the 2 varieties of E. shockleyi using inter simple-sequence repeats (ISSR) markers. Although we found some morphological differences between the populations that correlated with the 2 varieties, we identified no molecular markers in this study to distinguish between them. Morphological measurements obtained in the field indicate that although a population may have an overall average morphology that defines the variety, some individuals in nearly all populations have putative diagnostic characters that define the other variety. The morphological characters used to distinguish the 2 varieties are most likely the result of environmental variability and could result from differences in precipitation and soil water retention. Alternatively, high levels of outcrossing through pollen flow could be obscuring selection for morphological characters at particular sites.     

Modeling distributions of rare plants in the Great Basin, western North America

In this 2-phase study, we developed field-validated site and landscape-level predictive models for identifying potential rare and endemic plant habitat in the Great Basin of western North America. Four species were chosen to include a range of environmental variability and plant communities. Herbarium records of known occurrences were used to identify initial sample sites. The geographic coordinates, environmental attributes, and vegetation data collected at each site were used to develop 2 predictive models for each species: a field key and a probability-of-occurrence or predictor map. The field key was developed using only field data collected at the sites on environmental attributes and associated species. Predictive maps were developed with a geographic information system (GIS) containing slope, elevation, aspect, soils, and geologic data. Classification-tree (CT) software was used to generate dichotomous field keys and maps of occurrence probabilities. Predictions from both models were then field-validated during the 2nd phase of the study, and final models were developed through an iterative process, in which data collected during the field validation were incorporated into subsequent predictive models. Cross-validated models were >96% accurate and generally predicted presence with >60% accuracy. These models identified potential habitat by combining elevation, slope, aspect, rock type, and geologic process into habitat models for each species. ACRONYMS.—CEC—cation exchange capacity, CT—classification tree, DEM—digital elevation model, GAM—generalized additive model, GIS—geographic information system, GLM—generalized linear model, GPS—geographic positioning system, ROC—receiver operating curves, STATSGO—State Soil Geographic Database, USGS—United States Geological Survey, UTM—Universal Transverse Mercator. Nomenclature and distributions: Welsh et al. 2003, Shultz et al. 2005.     

A new fossil sponge from the Ordovician Garden City limestone of southeastern Idaho

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Additions to the vascular flora of Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Twenty-seven plant taxa previously unreported from Bryce Canyon National Park are listed.     

Stream temperatures and the elevational distribution of redband trout in southwestern Idaho

During July to September 1994-1995, I examined water temperatures at the lower end of the elevational distribution of redband trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri ) in 4 streams in the Owyhee Mountains in southwestern Idaho. Maximum water temperatures in Castle, Shoofly, Little Jacks, and Big Jacks creeks during low flows during a drought in 1994 ranged from 26.7° C to 29.0° C. Water temperatures fluctuated 9.5-11° C during the 24-h period maximum temperatures were observed. Stream flows at the lower end of Big Jacks and Little Jacks creeks in 1994 were 3 s -1 and subsided underground 50-130 m downstream pools inhabited by trout. Trout were distributed to lower elevations where drainage basin area was larger in 2 of 3 yr ( P 5 km downstream of the lowest pool inhabited by trout in 1995-1996.     

Confirmation and expansion of the reported distribution of two species of Idaho herptiles

The county by county distribution of the tiger salamander ( Ambystoma tigrinum ) and night snake ( Hypsiglena torquata ) in Idaho from previous reports is presented. This is augmented and expanded from recent findings.     

Nest-site characteristics of Burrowing Owls ( Athene cunicularia ) in the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, Idaho, and application to artificial burrow installation

Burrowing Owl ( Athene cunicularia ) populations are declining in many portions of their range, and research and management efforts into stemming declines are underway. One tool with promise is the artificial burrow, which can supplement nesting opportunities and play a role in research, mitigation, translocation, and reintroduction studies. However, few studies directly assess important burrow and surrounding topographic features upon which owls choose sites and then construct and install artificial burrows accordingly. In this study we (1) measure physical, vegetative, and topographic characteristics of Burrowing Owl nest sites in the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (SRBPNCA); (2) compare used and unused burrows to determine features important in nest-site selection; and (3) use this information to help guide current and future construction and placement of artificial burrows in the SRBPNCA. Owls nested in abandoned American badger ( Taxidea taxus ) burrows in areas with more than one burrow, close to roads and irrigated agricultural fields, and characterized by sparse and low vegetation dominated by nonnative plant species. Only one feature studied, tunnel entrance angle, corresponded with choice by owls; odds of burrow use decreased 17% with each 1° increase in slope of the tunnel entrance. Owls nesting near irrigated agricultural fields also had higher productivity. We discuss applications of our results to construction and placement of artificial burrows in the SRBPNCA and similar shrub-steppe environs in western North America.     

Leeches of the Snake River in Idaho and Oregon: paleodrainage implications of Mooreobdella microstoma

Leech species of the mid-Snake River of Idaho and Oregon are described, and the distribution of the extant leech Mooreobdella microstoma Moore in the Snake River paleodrainage is delineated. Samples were collected from aquatic surveys in the Snake River using suction dredging by the Idaho Power Company and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation between 1995 and 2006. Supplementing these surveys, opportunities were provided for leech identification in water-quality analyses in Arizona and Wyoming and in other surveys in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Eight species of leeches were found in the Snake River surveys. Erpobdella parva Moore was the most widely distributed species, occurring both above and below Shoshone Falls. Mooreobdella microstoma was widely distributed below Shoshone Falls. Other leech species were rare, although Helobdella stagnalis Linnaeus was very common above and less common below Shoshone Falls, a natural barrier to the anadromous fish. Mooreobdella microstoma is an extant species that links the Snake River to the lower Colorado River by various paleodrainages. It probably colonized the Snake River by upstream movement, whereas Erpobdella parva likely colonized this river by downstream movement.