2003 All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) Grant Awards
| DLIA Grant Program Awards $50,000 to ATBI Researchers Grant money supplied by the Great Smoky Mountains Association and Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is supporting All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory research in the Park for the 2003 season. Dr. John Morse, Discover Life in America Board member and Science Committee Co-Chair, assisted by Tammy Morton, administered the ATBI grant program. The review panel included scientist members of the DLIA Board. Twenty-nine proposals were submitted for a total of $114,027.40 requested for the $50,000 budgeted for this year. Fifteen proposals were funded for a total of $49,934.00. The research will delve into a variety of life forms in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, from aphids to myxomycetes. Again, some of the projects involve young people, volunteers, and teachers participating in scientific research in the Park. Several studies include examining little known habitats and threatened plant communities. Some of the proposals build upon previous and on-going work. All are coordinated with the Discover Life in America Science Plan. |
In the photo below, British Soldier's lichen grow along the Ace Gap Trail. See grant number DLIA2003-13 for more on lichens in GSMNP.
Click photo to enlarge. |
Recipients of the grants will present a written and oral report of results to date at the December 3-5, 2003 annual meeting of the ATBI, with a final report by 1 May 2004. Information will be submitted to the new ATBI database. Individuals and organizations interested in assisting with the funding of future ATBI research please contact Steve Bohleber, steve@bohleberlaw.com, DLIA Board member and chair of the Development Committee.
Congratulations to these scientists for their selection.
Microfungi Of The American Beech and Fraser Fir Forests In
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP)
Richard Baird, Mississippi State University
DLIA Grant #:2003-01
Amount Awarded: $2,667
Beech and fir are being attached by exotic pests/disease resulting in ecological and microorganism changes within these forest types which may not be available in the future. Microfungi which produce tiny reproductive structures on forest litter and bark will be collected and identified within healthy and damaged beech and fir stands during 2003. This initial study is the first formal effort for these two forest species within the GSMNP to collect baseline data of associated microfungi. Data obtain from this study may also provide information that can be used for indicators of overall changes in forest health.
TARDIGRADE INVENTORY
2003-2004
Paul J. Bartels
Environmental Leadership Center
Warren Wilson College CPO 6032, PO Box 9000
Asheville, NC 28815
DLIA Grant #: 2003-12
Amount Awarded: $4,100 To date, we have found 43 new records for the Phylum Tardigrada and 3 are being studied to determine if they are new to science. The total species number for the park is now 46. Species richness estimates indicate around 76 species could eventually be found. In the 2003-2004 collecting season, we will complete our major field collections, continue the lab processing and identification of samples, and work up the three suspected new species. Preliminary statistical work has begun on species richness estimates and habitat distribution models, and this will be continued as the database becomes more complete.
Planthopper and Leafhopper Diversity of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea & Cicadellidae)
Primary investigator: Charles R. Bartlett, Department of Entomology and Applied
Ecology, University of Delaware, 250 Townsend Hall, Newark, DE 19717
DLIA Grant #: 2003-08
Amount Awarded: $2,000
This study will use ATBI pilot study specimens to extend my 2002 planthopper results and initiate leafhopper (excluding Typhlocybinae) research. Two students will use the ATBI samples (600+ presently on hand) as thesis research projects towards their degrees. Their project will be to conduct diversity analyses (including species accumulation curves) predicting the total species richness of these insects in the Park, and compile species list including records from the NPS collection and previous research (37 planthopper species previously recorded; 140+ leafhoppers are expected). The students will also prepare reference collections for the NPS and provide specimen data to the ATBI.
Beetle Blitz, 2003—Intensive Sampling and Identification of Coleoptera in GSMNP
Victoria M. Bayless
Research Associate and Curator, Louisiana State Arthropod Museum (LSAM)
Department of Entomology, 402 Life Science
LSU Agricultural Center
Baton Rouge, LA 70803 U.S.A.
Phone 225-578-1838, fax 225-578-1643
E-mail: vmosele@lsu.edu
DLIA Grant #: 2003-10
Amount Awarded: $3,334
Funding supplied by this proposal will support the Coleoptera (beetle) collecting event, Beetle-Blitz 2003 (July 17-20). A team of highly qualified researchers will focus on groups that are poorly known from the GSMNP. Funding will be used to support eight of these scientists in the form of $250 honoraria. Supplies for collecting specimens will be purchased for volunteer workers and students to use during the Blitz. Basic travel costs for the organizers are also covered. The Blitz will be coordinated with educational and volunteer programs, and results will be posted on the “Smoky Beetle” Website (http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/arthropodmuseum/smokybeetles.htm).
Coleoptera Taxonomy
By Christopher Carlton
Associate Professor and Director, Louisiana State Arthropod Museum
Department of Entomology, 402 Life Science
LSU Agricultural Center
Baton Rouge, LA 70803 U.S.A.
Phone 225-578-0425, fax 225-578-1643
E-mail: ccarlt@lsu.edu
DLIA Grant #: 2003-20
Amount Awarded: $4,600
This grant will continue support for the beetle taxonomic working group to contribute to the goals of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park All Taxon Biodiversity Inventory. This work falls under Theme 2 of the Science Plan and is prerequisite to utilizing beetle data under Theme 3. Funding will support sample processing, fieldwork, and travel associated with reporting research findings. Specific objectives are: 1) distribute selected target taxa to specialists for species identifications; 2) enhance the project website; 3) continue fieldwork to survey beetles in habitats not covered by established protocols and participate in the 2003 Beetle Blitz.
SUMMER ADULT EPT ASSEMBLAGE OF SOUTHWESTERN GRSM DRAINAGES
Dr. R. Edward
DeWalt, Illinois Natural History Survey
DLIA Grant #: 2003-02
Amount Awarded: $4,122
Dr. DeWalt will survey the mayfly (Ephemeroptera), stonefly (Plecoptera), and caddisfly (Trichoptera) species, a.k.a. EPT, of six understudied drainages in southwest GRSM. Previous work by the recipient resulted in several species unknown to the Park and Tennessee and a couple species unknown to science. Volunteers will be trained to recognize aquatic insect groups and to sample using ultraviolet light traps at night. This work may help to assess the possible environmental impact of proposed road building in the area.
Survey of the Aphids of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Dr. Colin Favret, Insect Collection Manager
Dr. David J. Voegtlin, Insect systematist
and Dr. Loy R. Phillippe, Plant systematist, Herbarium manager
Illinois Natural History Survey
DLIA Grant #: 2003-21
Amount Awarded: $3,666
Each species of aphid produces many different forms besides male, female, immature, and adult. Other forms, or morphs, include winged, wingless, egg-laying, and live-bearing. Because there is so much diversity even within each species, and because many forms are difficult or even impossible to identify, knowing the host plant on which aphid specimens were collected can be of great value. Colin will be spending two weeks in the park conducting a base-line survey of the aphids. He will collect the insects and the host plants they feed on. Back in the lab, technicians will mount aphids to microscope slides and plants to herbarium sheets, and database both insect and plant material. Colin, David and Loy will identify the material. Although this is primarily an exploratory project, with many aphid species being recorded from the park for the first time, new discoveries in aphid biology, including their different morphs and host plants, are sure to surface.
SEARCHING FOR NEW PARK RECORDS OF VASCULAR PLANTS AND LICHENS IN THE GSMNP
Mary Ann Feist, Loy R. Phillippe, and Dan Busemeyer
Illinois Natural History Survey
DLIA Grant # 2003-17
Amount Awarded: $ 2,808
Botanists from the Illinois Natural History have been going to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) since 1999 to participate in the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI). In this time, we have explored many watersheds and found several new records of vascular plants for the park. This year we would like to travel to the Eagle Creek and Hazel Creek watersheds to continue our search for new park records. These watersheds are adjacent to and north of Fontana Lake and are only accessible by either a very long hike or by boat. These are large watersheds which have some unusual geological features. Areas such as this are the most likely to have species which are rare or unrecorded for the park. Another compelling reason to explore this area is the proposed road to connect Lake View Drive with Fontana Dam. If constructed such a road would bisect this large, currently roadless area possibly negatively impacting rare or unknown species which may occur there. In 2003 we will to make three trips to explore and collect in the areas mentioned. GPS units will be used to record the exact location of each collection.
Bacterial BioBlitz in Twelve All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory Plots
Seán O'Connell,
Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Microbial Ecology
Western Carolina University
DLIA Grant # 2003-28
Amount awarded: $4,652
My lab this summer will explore bacterial diversity in twelve unique vegetative plots within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Kristina Reid, an undergraduate research assistant, will lead efforts to describe bacterial species distributional patterns as compared to dominant tree and plant community types. Other students will help in field and lab tasks. These will include examining difficult to culture organisms that are common in nature and play important roles in ecosystem health through the cycling of nutrients. We will use DNA-based methods of identifying dominant species and will also examine "thermophiles" - or heat-loving organisms - from the same locations.
Noctuidae or Owlet Moths of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Dr. Michael G. Pogue
Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA
Smithsonian Institution
DLIA Grant #: 2003-06
Amount Awarded: $2,310
The family Noctuidae is the most diverse of all groups of moths with over 11,000 species in North America. The research proposed is to document this family within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To date 456 species of owlet moths have been documented in the Park. One of the least studied areas in the Park are sites above 3,500 feet. Sites that will be sampled include Gregory Bald, Balsam Mountain, and Purchase Knob. In addition to these sites others at 1100 feet, 1700 feet, and 2600 feet will also be sampled.
ATBI Teacher Assistant for Citizen Science
Michelle Prysby
Citizen Science Director
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
DLIA Grant #: 2003-11
Amount Awarded: $944
Our 2003 grant will fund an ATBI internship for a local teacher. This teacher will contribute 80 hours of service during the summer. Activities will include data and sample collection, sorting and curation, and data entry and presentation. For example, she will assist with the GSMIT Moth Project, an inventory that provides long-term data on phenology and diversity of lepidopterans. She will also participate in the BioQuests and continue our fern, snail, and pollinator inventories. She will observe how we incorporate the ATBI into our educational programs and will plan a strategy for incorporating the ATBI into her own classroom curriculum.
TEPHRITID FLIES OF GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Gary J. Steck, Ph.D. and Bruce D. Sutton
Florida State Collection of Arthropods
Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
Division of Plant Industry
DLIA Grant #: 2003-15
Amount Awarded: $4,250
The true fruit flies are colorful insects whose immature stages are obligate plant feeders. GSMNP, with an estimated 60-70 species of fruit flies, is a hot spot of tephritid diversity, as it harbors over half of all the fruit fly species known from all of eastern North America. We will document their biologies, distributions, host relationships, and immature stages. Methods include mass-trapping, targeted collecting, and dissection of infested plants to reveal details of feeding, development time, mortality factors, parasites and predators. Species pages, distribution maps, and photos of flies and hosts will be posted on the Web.
Biodiversity Studies of Myxomycetes
Dr. Steven L. Stephenson
Professor of Biology
Fairmont State College
DLIA Grant #: 2003-04
Amount Awarded: $2,500
The fundamental objective of this project is to continue our ongoing efforts to document the slime molds (primarily myxomycetes but also including other types of slime molds) of the Park. Specimens of slime molds will be collected from the field as well as isolated from samples of various types of dead plant material placed in laboratory culture. Particular emphasis will be directed towards forest types (especially old-growth and high-elevation examples) and microhabitats for which relatively little data are currently available. A major goal in 2003 is to have several slime mold experts from Europe become involved in the ATBI.
Discover lichens in the Great Smoky Mountains Nat. Park in 2003
Name: Tor Tønsberg
Title: Professor, Dr. Philos.
Institution: Botanical Museum, University of Bergen, Norway
DLIA Grant #: 2003-13
Amount awarded: $3,184
Project title: Discover lichens in the Great Smoky Mountains Nat. Park in
2003
Lichens, with emphasis on sterile crusts on tree bark, will be studied all
over the park, in order to find new species for the park cheklist. In 2002
several species were found that were new to science. To formally name and publish
these species they will be further studied in 2003.
TO CONTINUE AN INVENTORY OF FRESHWATER OLIGOCHAETA (ANNELIDA) AT SELECTED SITES IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK, NORTH CAROLINA AND TENNESSEE, USA
Principal Investigator: Mark J. Wetzel, Illinois Natural History
Survey, Champaign.
Assisting Investigator: Peggy Morgan, Florida Dept. Environmental Protection,
Tampa.
DLIA Grant #: 2003-14
Amount awarded: $4,797
Proposed Research in 2003: Continue surveys for aquatic oligochaetes from
diverse habitats in the Park (see field schedule, below); sort, label non-annelid
macroinvertebrates in samples, then distribute to ATBI specialists.
Previous Funding: During 1999-2002, I received four small grants from Discover
Life In America, Inc. (DLIA), supporting surveys for aquatic oligochaetes in
the Park. Funds received to date: $10,510; a value estimate for volunteer hours, “in-kind” contributions,
and leveraged efforts supporting this research during this same period: $61,300.
Results: To date, 82 sites in the Park (63
streams, 16 springs/seeps, one pond, Gum Swamp, and pools in Gregorys Cave)
have been
surveyed. Over 2,000 oligochaete
specimens have been identified [four families, 14 genera, and 24 species] --
all new Park records, and five new state records (NC-1; TN-4). This information
is also presented on my website. Over 300 jars and vial s (>5,000, primarily
aquatic insect specimens) were transferred to ATBI taxonomists at the DLIA
meeting in December 2002.
Field Schedule, Methodology, Documentation: Two collecting trips to the Park
are proposed in 2003 (April/May, and September); 20-28 sites (streams, springs,
caves, lentic habitats) will be surveyd. Methodologies will follow those used
previously (see website –< http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~mjwetzel/AOGSMNP.home.html>
Funding received via DLIA/ATBI will also provide partial support for two oligochaete systematists assisting me with difficult specimens. Voucher specimens will be deposited at the ATBI Twin Creeks facility; other specimens will be deposited in the INHS Annelida Collection. Data relating to this research will be posted on my website, forwarded to Norm Johnson (ATBI database manager), and presented at the next annual DLIA meeting (December 2003). An attachment to the funded proposal included a budget; leveraged / “in-kind” support; citations for publications, reports, and presentations focusing on results of this research; and summaries of public outreach opportunities.
I have already arranged to participate in the “Take a Llama to Lunch” science outreach and fund-raising opportunity (Sunday 27 April 2003, southeast of the Tremont Institute), to be led by Jeanie Hilten, Becky Nichols, and Rebecca Shiflett.
Leveraged and in-kind contributions in 2003 are estimated at $ 9,686.00 (MJWetzel, contributed salary, benefits, institutional overhead), $4,240 (P.Morgan, contributed salary), and $2,240 (hourly student assistance, reduced / no-cost lodging by colleagues during travel, stay near Park; uncompensated taxonomic assistance; use of boat and motor for research at remote sites accessible only via Fontana Resersvoir; contribution of personal funds and equipment). Total estimated leveraged and in-kind contributions: $ 16,166.
[The above information was summarized from the proposal submitted to DLIA by Wetzel on 15 February, and funded in early April 2003]
