Illinois Natural History Survey News

Greg Sass discusses silver carp and the electric fish barrier In a January 9, 2009 article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The article focuses on the impediments to the electric barrier that is supposed to protect Lake Michigan from invasive species moving through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

Silver carp, like Asian carp, is an invasive fish threatening the Great Lakes. Greg Sass, INHS Illinois River Biological Station Director, said that silver carp 'accounted for more than 50% of the catch' during 18 weeks of sampling last summer.

The full-text of the article can be found on the NewsBank website: Fish fence may get turned on this month But Asian carp barrier for Great Lakes would be at just 25% power

Rob Kanter creates a list of environmental books in the December 11, 2008 issue of Environmental Almanac. Kanter asked some people with environmental interests if they would suggest some books for the list. Both Jamie Ellis, Illinois Natural History Survey botanist, and Dr. Chris Phillips, Illinois Natural History Survey Herpetologist, were asked to suggest books for the year-end list.

The entire list can be viewed at the following URL: An environmental book list for the holidays which is on the Environmental Almanac website.

Rob Kanter encourages his readers to pick up a copy of Joyce Hofmann's "Field Manual of Illinois Mammals" in a December 4, 2008 article for Environmental Almanac discussing beavers. Kanter cites Hofmann's field guide as, "written with attention to the interests of readers who are not scientists" and also states that the book, "is distinguished by first-rate photographs and original color drawings."

The 358 page field guide covers 60 species and is designed to fit in a pocket. Each species features a color illustration by Aleta Holt and a distribution map. Species accounts include scientific and common names, physical descriptions of all animals and their skulls (including measurements and dental formulas), comparisons with similar species, discussions of each animal’s natural history (e.g., habitat, diet, reproduction), brief descriptions of foot tracks, and notes on status and distribution in Illinois. Generalized shapes of front and hind tracks are illustrated, as are characteristic track patterns of some species. In addition, two dichotomous keys are provided for each order.

The book is available by contacting the INHS Publications Office at (217) 244-2161 or at the following e-mail address: pubs-sales@inhs.uiuc.edu. Please reference "Manual 12" when ordering.

Research by Dr. Kevin Johnson at the Illinois Natural History Survey on doves and their parasitic feather lice has been featured by a major University textbook (Evolutionary Analysis, Freeman and Herron). Four studies published by Dr. Johnson between 2003 and 2004 indicate that host shifts by these parasites are constrained by dispersal ability, and these studies were highlighted in the textbook. This research compared two different groups of dove parasites differing in their dispersal abilities. The parasites with more dispersal capability showed more evidence of hosts shifts over both short and long timespans.

Aaron Yetter has been elected Secretary of the North Central Section of The Wildlife Society for 2009. The states represented in the North Central Section, one of eight sections in the country, are: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

More information about the mission of The Wildlife Society, and the purpose of its sections, can be found on homepage for The Wildlife Society at the following url: www.wildlife.org/.

Our newest bulletin has recently been delivered: Contaminants in Unionid Mussels from the Confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers by INHS's own Joan Esarey, Dave Soucek and Jeff Levengood along with University of Illinois' Robert J. Hudson and Wade Wimer and SIU's Richard S. Halbrook has been assigned Bulletin 38(5): 197-214.

This bulletin reports preliminary research on pollution from metals and pesticides found in freshwater mussels at the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Results from this investigation suggest that unionid mussels in this area may be at risk from elevated exposure to environmental contaminants. Further research to examine health and productivity of unionids in this area is warranted.

The price is $10.00 plus shipping and handling.

To order, telephone our Publications Department: (217) 244-2161 or e-mail us at: pubs-sales@inhs.uiuc.edu. Please be sure to tell the representative that you would like to order Bulletin 38-5.

Research conducted by Dr. Barry Alto, and others, found that small mosquitos are more likely to carry the dengue virus than larger mosquitos. The study fed mosquitos dengue infected blood, and found that the smaller mosquitos had a higher rate of infection when tested. This research was published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. An article discussing the work was also picked up by UPI.

Dr. Alto is the director of the Medical Entomology Program at the Illinois Natural History Survey, a division of the University of Illinois' Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability.

The full text of the UPI article can be viewed on NewsBank: Small mosquitoes are likely virus carriers and the abstract of the paper can be viewed on the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene site: Size Alters Susceptibility of Vectors to Dengue Virus Infection and Dissemination

The Evansville Courier & Press (IN) published an article by Phil Potter on 2 November 2008 that discusses the decline in bird numbers in Pool 19 of the Mississippi River. 1958 data collected by the Illinois Natural History Survey recorded 465,200 lesser scaup visiting Pool 19, while 2001 data collected by the Illinois Natural History Survey recorded 55,53 lesser scaup.

The Newsbank article, in its entirety, can be found at the following URL: NOT AS MANY BIRDS AS IN THE PAST ARE LANDING IN POOL 19

Dr. Joseph Spencer and Dr. Rich Lampman were quoted in the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette article talking about minute pirate bugs. The article described why the insects bite humans, and describes the insects as, ultimately, beneficial. Illinois Natural History Survey affiliate May Berenbaum was also interviewed for the article. A copy of the article, which was published in the News-Gazette on October 3, 2008, can be found on the NewsBank site.

Jon Griesbaum, a student in Dr. Christopher Phillips lab, is studying the movements of Fox Snakes at Allerton Park using radio telemetry. The snakes that are captured and marked are then tracked for a year. Griesbaum hopes that learning more about the snakes range and behavior will enable policy makers to make informed and better choices about wild areas.

Articles about Griesbaum's study appeared in the 7 September issue of the News-Gazette, the 4 September issue of Environmental Almanac, and can be found archived on .

This book, published especially on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Illinois Natural History Survey, will be available on September 26th. The essays have been written by INHS staff and scientists giving insight into the world of science. The price is $10.00, plus shipping. More information about the book can be found at the following URL: http://www.inhs.illinois.edu/resources/index.php?action=list&id=%20569 For ordering information, please contact Claudia Corlett-Stahl.

The University of Illinois Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society has been selected from over 20 universities as the 2007-2008 North Central Section Student Chapter of the year. The group is advised by INHS researcher Dr. Nohra Mateus-Pinilla, and the membership has several students associated with the Illinois Natural History Survey.

The New York Times reported on the research being conducted on Asian Carp at the INHS' Illinois River Biological Station by Kevin Irons, Matt O'Hara, and Matt Stroub. The article entitled, "On an Infested River, Battling Invaders Eye to Eye", ran in both The New York Times and the International Herald Tribune. Dan Barry is credited with the byline.

Read the article at one of these three locations:
"On an Infested River, Battling Invaders Eye to Eye" --International Herald Tribune article
"On an Infested River, Battling Invaders Eye to Eye" --The New York Tribune article
Newsbank Article

Kevin Cummings, Malacologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey, provided information about Illinois' mussels to Rob Kanter. The information was used in the "Environmental Almanac" blog for July 31, 2008 and also in an article for the August 3, 2008 Sunday News-Gazette.

Additional information about Kevin Cummings' research on mussels can be found on his Illinois Natural History Survey webpage: http://www.inhs.illinois.edu/staff/index.php?action=list&user_name=kscummin.

A full-text version of the News-Gazette article is available as a NewsBank article, as well.

The Field Manual of Illinois Mammals, Manual 12, written by Dr. Joyce Hofmann, mammalogist and curator of the INHS Mammal Collection, is now available. This 358 page field guide covers 60 species and is designed to fit in a pocket. Each species features a color illustration by Aleta Holt and a distribution map. Species accounts include scientific and common names, physical descriptions of all animals and their skulls (including measurements and dental formulas), comparisons with similar species, discussions of each animal’s natural history (e.g., habitat, diet, reproduction), brief descriptions of foot tracks, and notes on status and distribution in Illinois. Generalized shapes of front and hind tracks are illustrated, as are characteristic track patterns of some species. Two dichotomous keys are provided for each order.

Information about ordering the book can be found at the following link:
http://www.inhs.illinois.edu/resources/howtoorder.html

Illinois Natural History Survey botanists Dr. John Taft and James Ellis discuss historical changes to Illinois' prairie groves in a July 27, 2008 News-Gazette article.

The Mycology Herbarium at the Illinois Natural History Survey in the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability is proud to announce the acquisition of a portion of the Alan D. Parker fungus collection. The gift includes over 300 species of identified fungi representing numerous rare and uncommonly collected fungi from throughout Wisconsin and Illinois. Many of the specimens are members of the gasteromycetes (puffballs), a group in which Dr. Parker is an expert. These specimens will be databased and accessioned into the INHS Mycology Herbarium, which currently contains over 57,000 specimens of fungi, where they will be available for further study. Dr. Parker plans to continue contributing a number of additional collections to the INHS Mycology Herbarium.

Dr. Mike Ward, research scientist at the Illinois Natural History Survey, recently finished statewide bird census. Dr. Ward compared the data of his survey with similar surveys done in 1906 and 1956.

Ward's data show that certain birds which were once common, like the Bobolink, are now rare, while other birds are now abundant. Ward says he believes the overall number of birds has remained consistent over the years, but that the mix is now much more homogenous.

To read more about the statewide bird survey, see the July 19, 2008 article in The State Journal-Register or visit the following URL: http://iw.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_theme=aggdocs&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1& p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_docid=12228ABC609406E0&p_text_direct-0=document_id=(%2012228ABC609406E0%20)&p_multi=SJRB& p_nbid=G72C5EXWMTIxNzIxMzIzOC40NTQyOTY6MToxMToxMjguMTc0LjEuMA

To view the full abstract, visit the URL: http://icb.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/48/1/1.

Research conducted by Dr. Ronald Larkin, Illinois Natural History Survey, and INHS Affiliate Bob Szafoni suggest that birds migrating at night fly in groups. Analysis performed by Larkin and Szafoni suggest that vertebrates, probably birds, flying within 200-300 meters of each other fly in the same direction at the same speed more often than vertebrates flying farther apart.

The full abstract of the article, which appears in Integrative and Comparative Biology, Volume 48, Number 1, can be found at the following URL: http://icb.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/48/1/40?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=larkin&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

As of July 1, 2008, employees of the Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois Geological Survey, Waste Management and Research Center, and Illinois State Water Survey are no longer under the oversight of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, but rather the University of Illinois.

More information about the legislation can be found in the NewsBank article from the July 2, 2008 Quad-City Times.