A checklist of the alpine vascular flora of the Teton Range, Wyoming, with notes on biology and habitat preferences

A checklist of the vascular flora of the alpine zone (treeless vegetation above 9500 feet or 2900 m) of the Teton Range is presented. For each of the 216 species, six attributes are listed: flower color and shape, pollination mode, life form, habitat preference, and whether each species is found in the Arctic. White and yellow flowered species are most common, and zoophilous species greatly predominate over anemophilous and apomictic species. Perennial/biennial herbs are the most common life form. Common habitats in the alpine zone include dry and wet meadows, bogs, debris accumulations, and cliffs and rock faces. Arctic species account for 25.9 percent of the flora. The 216 species are distributed among 111 genera and 36 families. The largest families, in order of size, are Asteraceae, Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Brassicaceae, Rosaceae, and Scrophulariaceae.     

Evaluating the relationship between mule deer pellet-group data and available winter range, using LANDSAT imagery

In this study, mule deer population trend data (deer-days-use/hectare) were statistically analyzed with range area data that were extracted from LANDSAT satellite imagery. The remote sensing techniques developed use multidate, winter images of an area in central Utah. Snow-covered areas and vegetational areas mapped from the imagery were composited into 26 maps representing the approximate winter range available to mule deer on 26 dates over a five-year period (1972–1977). Utah State Division of Wildlife Resources pellet-group transect data were statistically analyzed with range data measured from the satellite imagery. Range area accounted for a fairly large proportion of the variation in deer-days-use/hectare (r = –.83). This result seems reasonable since deer population density should increase as available range decreases.     

Simultaneous prediction intervals for ARMA processes with stable innovations

We describe a method for calculating simultaneous prediction intervals for ARMA times series with heavy‐tailed stable innovations. The spectral measure of the vector of prediction errors is shown to be discrete. Direct computation of high‐dimensional stable probabilities is not feasible, but we show that Monte Carlo estimates of the interval width is practical. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Platelets and innate immunity

Although platelets are best known as primary mediators of hemostasis, this function intimately associates them with inflammatory processes, and it has been increasingly recognized that platelets play an active role in both innate and adaptive immunity. For example, platelet adhesive interactions with leukocytes and endothelial cells via P-selectin can lead to several pro-inflammatory events, including leukocyte rolling and activation, production of cytokine cascades, and recruitment of the leukocytes to sites of tissue damage. Superimposed on this, platelets express immunologically-related molecules such as CD40L and Toll-like receptors that have been shown to functionally modulate innate immunity. Furthermore, platelets themselves can interact with microorganisms, and several viruses have been shown to cross-react immunologically with platelet antigens. This review discusses the central role that platelets play in inflammation, linking them with varied pathological conditions, such as atherosclerosis, sepsis, and immune thrombocytopenic purpura, and suggests that platelets also act as primary mediators of our innate defences.     

Aquatic and semiaquatic Heteroptera of the Grand Canyon (Insecta: Hemiptera)

The aquatic and semiaquatic Hemiptera from 12 localities in Marble Canyon and Grand Canyon are reported, along with those from 1 locality in the Escalante Canyon. Fourteen species are recorded and compared to the water-bug fauna of the southwestern United States and western Mexico. Ochterus rotundus n. sp. is described from the Grand Canyon and the mountains of western Mexico.     

The austrina group of the genus Microvelia (Hemiptera: Veliidae)

Six new species of Microvelia are described from North and Central America: depressus, glabrosulcata, leavipleura, paura, psilonota, and reflexus. These species are compared to Microvelia austrina Bueno, and the austrina group is designated to hold them. The habitats and phoresy of the group are discussed.     

Soil microstructure in soils of the Colorado Plateau: the role of the cyanobacterium Microcoleus vaginatus

The role of the cyanobacterium Microcoleus vaginatus in cold-desert soil crusts is investigated using scanning electron microscopy. Crusts from sandstone-, limestone-, and gypsum-derived soils are examined. When dry, polysaccharide sheath material from this cyanobacterium can be seen winding through and across all three types of soil surfaces, attaching to and binding soil particles together. When wet, sheaths and living filaments can be seen absorbing water, swelling and covering soil surfaces even more extensively. Addition of negatively charged material, found both as sheath material and attached clay particles, may affect cation exchange capacity of these soils as well. As a result of these observations, we propose that the presence of this cyanobacterium may significantly enhance soil stability, moisture retention, and fertility of cold-desert soils.     

Brood-rearing habitat use by Rio Grande Wild Turkeys in Oregon

Wild turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo ) brood-rearing sites have been described for portions of their range, but brood-rearing habitat use and characteristics of brood-rearing sites used by Rio Grande Wild Turkeys ( M. g. intermedia ) in the Pacific Northwest were unknown. We described cover types at 362 brood-rearing sites and measured habitat characteristics at 64 of these sites used by a recently established Rio Grande Wild Turkey population in southwestern Oregon during May-September 1989 and 1990. Hens with broods used 9 of 10 available cover types. Meadows, mixed hardwood/conifer woodlands, and savannas were used more often than expected (47% of observations, P ≤ 0.05). Broods used mature mixed conifer and dense sapling/pole mixed conifer cover types less than expected and did not use brush-fields. Many brood-rearing sites were characterized by a parklike appearance. Understory vegetation averaged P ≤ 0.05). We suggest that land managers maintain mixed hardwood/conifer woodland and savanna cover types adjacent to meadows on south slopes to provide brood-rearing habitat for Rio Grande Wild Turkeys in southwestern Oregon.