2004 All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) Grant Awards
| $60,000 in Awards Presented to ATBI Researchers Grant money supplied to Discover Life in America 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 2004 season. Dr. John Morse, Discover Life in America Board member and Science Committee Co-Chair, administers the grant program, now in its fifth year. The review panel included seven DLIA scientists. Requests totaled $67,247 for the $60,000 budgeted for this year. The granted proposals’ executive are linked from the list below. Fifteen proposals were funded. The research will delve into a variety of life forms in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including aphids, ants, aquatic worms, beetles, grasshoppers, lichens, micro-fungi, fruit flies, and tardigrades. One of this year’s projects involves teachers and students designing and conducting scientific research in the Park. Educational workshops and bio-quests for lichens and for Lepidoptera were funded. Some of the proposals are continuations of previous and on-going work. All are coordinated with the Discover Life in America Science Plan. |
In the photo below, an Eastern Hemlock towers into the tree canopy near Rainbow Falls. See grant number DLIA2004-01 for more on microfungi on Eastern Hemlocks in GSMNP.
Click photo to enlarge. |
Recipients of the grants will present a written and oral report of results to date at the December, 2004 annual meeting of the ATBI, with a final report by March 1, 2005. Recipients will contribute geo-referenced data and send voucher specimens to the Park and other authorized collections. 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 American beech, Fraser fir, and Eastern hemlock
Dr.
Richard E. Baird,
Entomology
and Plant Pathology,
Mississippi
State University
Entomology
and Plant Pathology Dept., Box 9655
Mississippi
State , MS 39762
Dr. Mark T Windham,
Entomology and Plant Pathology Dept.,
University of Tennessee
103 Morgan Hall
Knoxville TN 37996
DLIA Grant #: 2004-01
Amount Awarded: $5,000
The objective of the study is to continue collecting baseline data of bark and litter microfungi present on healthy and damaged American beech, Fraser fir, and eastern hemlock being devastated by exotic disease/insect pests in the GSMNP. In 2003, a total of 1440 bark samples (480 per species) with over 2,195 mycobiota isolates were obtained during three sampling dates. From the infected/infested and healthy tree bark, the most commonly isolated Phylum was the Fungi Imperfecti at 99%, 92.2% and 98.5% for American beech, Fraser fir, and eastern hemlock, respectively. A total of 30 genera (~70 species) were identified from all American beech bark samples, 24 for Fraser fir, and 25 for eastern hemlock. In 2004, the same three tree species will be sampled in May, July, and September from different locations in GSMNP. Differing from 2003, new selective isolation media will be employed so that other species of fungi can be obtained.
Continued Inventory of Phylum Tardigrada
Dr.
Paul J Bartels,
Environmental
Studies Department,
Warren
Wilson College
WWC
CPO 6032
Asheville
NC 28815
DLIA Grant #: 2004-02
Amount Awarded: $5,000
We propose to continue our inventory of water bears (Phylum Tardigrada). To date (Jan Œ04) we have identified just over 2000 specimens discovering 46 new records for the park including 8 species new to science. We have completed most of our field collecting but have a backlog of samples to process and identify. In addition to continuing the basic inventory, we will work on: describing our new species, developing an on-line taxonomic key to tardigrades, beginning a photo catalogue of our species, and mapping species distributions in the park.
Inventory of Five Families of Beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) in GSMNP
C.
L. Staines, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
3302
Decker Place
Edgewater
, Maryland 21037
DLIA Grant #: 2004-03
Amount Awarded: $5,000
The funding requested by this proposal will provide partial support for an inventory of five families of aquatic Coleoptera (beetles) to contribute to the overall goals of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park , All Taxon Biodiversity Inventory (GSMNP, ATBI). Funding will support field work, training, sorting and processing of samples, and identification associated with reporting research findings of GSMNP Coleoptera.
Objectives
- Gather and identify accumulated water beetle material from other inventory projects.
- Identify habitats and areas of the park which are under-inventoried.
- Produce training materials and conduct inventory training classes for volunteers and students. Standardized collecting protocols, data sheets, and identification aids will be developed and used throughout the project.
- Process and identify specimens; provide data to Coleoptera TWIG coordinator and GSMNP.
Survey of the suborder Caelifera (order Orthoptera)
Dr.
Matt E Dakin
2011
North Hills Dr .
Opelika
AL 36801
DLIA Grant #: 2004-04
Amount Awarded: $3,450
This project is designed to learn and photograph the species of grasshoppers, grouse locusts and pigmy mole crickets that occur in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . In addition it will gather information about when and where they occur in the Park. The information will be used to produce web pages for each species. This is part of the All Taxa Biotic Inventory being conducted by Discover Life in America .
Teacher Enrichment Internship
Mr.
Paul E Super ,
Appalachian
Highlands Science Learning Center,
Great
Smoky Mountains National
Park
Ms.
Susan Sachs,
Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
P.O.
Box 357
Lake
Junaluska NC 28745
DLIA Grant #: 2004-05
Amount Awarded: $1,800
This grant will allow us to hire a local school teacher who will provide an adult presence for interns in the southwestern corner of the park, while also learning hands-on biotic inventory techniques that can be shared back in the classroom. The Burroughs Wellcome Fund provided the Great Smoky Mountains NP a three-year grant to hire 12 North Carolina high school students to assist with field research in the park. In 2003, the first year of the grant, these interns assisted specific ATBI researchers collect thousands of specimens. Supervisory logistics made it difficult for these interns to conduct much work in western Swain County , an area seldom visited by researchers. In 2004, the interns and proposed teacher intern will work on inventories of algae, moths, reptiles, fungi, beetles, and other groups. The products include georeferenced specimens, a presentation during the summer, and a poster for the 2004 DLIA conference.
Lichen BioQuest in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Dr.
Harold W. Keller ,
Department
of Biology,
Central
Missouri State University
Ward
Edwards 1800
Warrensburg
MO 64093
DLIA Grant #: 2004-06
Amount Awarded: $1,051
The first Lichen BioQuest in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is planned for June 19 and 20, 2004 at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont near Townsend , Tennessee . Lichenology experts will give lectures geared to a general audience that explain: What is a lichen? Where do lichens grow? How to collect and preserve lichen specimens? How to recognize growth forms? How to identify lichens? Lichen terminology will be demonstrated with picture images and hands on experience using examples of different lichen species. Examples of different lichen groups will be identified using stereomicroscopes and chemical tests. Students, teachers, park volunteers and staff are encouraged to attend. Field trips will target different habitats throughout the park. The All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory study sites will be targeted, for example, the Tremont Tulip Poplar site nearby, among others. Lichen collections will be displayed on tables, identified, and be available for public viewing.
Tephritid Flies of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Dr.
Gary J Steck ,
Entomology,
Nematology, and Plant Pathology
Florida
Dept of Agriculture,
Div of Plant Industry
Mr.
Bruce D Sutton,
Entomology, Nematology, and Plant Pathology
Florida Dept of Agriculture, Div of Plant Industry
1911 SW 34th St
Gainesville FL 32608
DLIA Grant #: 2004-07
Amount Awarded: $5,000
The true fruit flies (Tephritidae)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.
Search for new and rare vascular plants and lichens in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Mr.
Paul B. Marcum,
Center
for Wildlife and Plant Ecology,
Illinois
Natural History
Survey
Dr.
Loy R. Phillippe ,
Center for Biodiversity ,
Illinois Natural History Survey
607 E. Peabody Drive
Champaign IL 61820
DLIA Grant # 2004-09
Amount Awarded: $3,463
Since 1999, botanists from the Illinois Natural History Survey have participated in the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). Inventories have been done on a watershed basis and a total of ten new and two historic plant records have been discovered for GSMNP. In 2003, a grant was received from Discover Life in America (DLIA) to conduct plant surveys in areas north of Fontana Lake . These areas are relatively inaccessible and have some unique geological features. Great success was achieved and 74 specimens of 43 park-listed rare taxa were collected (as well as specimens of 3 new species). This area; however, has only received a good preliminary examination. Very few collections were made at mid to high elevation levels. These areas are even more remote and more difficult to access and continued grant support is needed to further inventory this region of the park.
Biodiversity of Day-flying Micro-Moths of GSMNP
Dr.
John B Heppner , Entomology ,
Florida
State Collection of
Arthropods
DPI,
FDACS
Gainesville
FL 32614
DLIA Grant #: 2004-10
Amount Awarded: $1,650
Day-flying moths of the Microlepidoptera will be surveyed in GSMNP, in particular families Choreutidae, Glyphipterigidae, Heliodinidae, and Sesiidae, as well as others that may be found, so the biodiversity of these rarely collected moths can be determined for the region. Any new species discovered will be described or sent to a specialist for description for families the PI does not generally work with. Day-flying moths are extensively under surveyed due to their general lack of response to lights. Thus, many species are rarely collected or remain unknown. Flight traps will secure some of these mostly small moths, but generally such traps are not sorted for the Lepidoptera, or the samples are in alcohol, so in either case the micro-moths are not generally saved if present unless a specialist sorts the sample first or specific collections are made for these moths.
Ant Diversity in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Nathan
J. Sanders,
Department
of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology,
University
of Tennessee
Knoxville
, TN 37919
DLIA Grant #: 2004-11
Amount Awarded: $5,000
We know too little about the diversity of organisms, even about important groups such as the ants. Ants are nearly ubiquitous in terrestrial communities, where they can constitute a large portion of the animal biomass and play numerous roles in communities and ecosystems, serving as scavengers, predators, mutualists, and herbivores. Their nesting habits can alter the soil nutrient concentrations and biogeochemical cycles. Furthermore, ants are a useful indicator taxon of environmental stress and a diversity of other species. The work proposed here aims to document ant diversity in Great Smoky Mountains National Park . The end products of this work will be (i) an updated species list, (ii) a web page with natural history information, and (iii) a geo-referenced database with species ID and location.
Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) of GSMNP
Dr.
Michael G. Pogue,
USDA/ARS
Systematic Entomology Laboratory,
Smithsonian
Institution, NMNH
Washington
DC 20013-7012
DLIA Grant #: 2004-12
Amount Awarded: $500
The family Noctuidae is the most diverse of all groups of moths with over 2,900 species in North America . The research proposed is to document this family within Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). To date, 483 species, or 16.5 % of the North American fauna have been found in GSMNP. This year‚s research will collect in remote and unique habitats to discover additional species to GSMNP and to document more collecting sites. A monitoring program will be established with interested park volunteers.
Lepidoptera Bioblitz 2004
Dr.
Brian G Scholtens, Biology Department, College
of Charleston
Charleston
SC 29424
Dr.
David Wagner,
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology,
University of Connecticut
U-Box 43, 75 N. Eagleville Rd.
Storrs CT 06269
DLIA Grant #: 2004-13
Amount Awarded: $5,000
The Lepidoptera Twig of the Great Smoky Mountains ATBI plans a Lepidoptera quest/bioblitz for late July of 2004. We have been very successful with similar efforts in 2000 and 2002. Our emphasis this coming summer will be gathering a large amount of georeferenced specimen data on larger moths, working toward piloting dynamic web pages for some of the groups of macrolepidoptera. Over the course of the blitz we hope to add several thousand data points to our existing data base of over 15,000 records. In addition we propose to start a major effort to document the DNA sequences of the CO1 gene for most of the macrolepidoptera taken on the blitz (likely several hundred species). Dr. Paul Hebert of the University of Guelph will coordinate this effort, which will provide valuable data for anyone doing systematic work on eastern North American moths groups. In addition it will provide a database to allow identifications even in the larval stage, by comparing sequences with known adults.
Expanding our knowledge of the aphids of the park
Dr.
Colin Favret,
Center
for Biodiversity,
Illinois
Natural History
Survey
607
E Peabody Dr
Champaign
IL 61820
Dr.
Andrew V Suarez ,
Department of Entomology,
University of Illinois
505 S Goodwin Ave
Urbana IL 61801
DLIA Grant #: 2004-14
Amount Awarded: $4,110
Aphids are small plant-feeding insects with complicated life cycles. Species of aphids are generally restricted to a narrow taxonomic range of hosts, and host identity is usually necessary for correctly identifying an aphid. A preliminary survey conducted in 2003 indicated that the Smoky Mountains harbor a diverse aphid fauna. This survey was general and did not target any area or host taxon in particular. In 2004, areas of the National Park that contain particular plants known to host aphids will be targeted for sampling. Some of the targeted hosts will be oaks, poplars, asters, sedges, and ferns. Furthermore, many aphids are tended by ants, and working out these aphid-ant relationships will be a secondary focus of the project.
To continue an inventory of freshwater Oligochaeta (Annelida)
Mr.
Mark J. Wetzel,
Center
for Biodiversity ,
Illinois
Natural History
Survey
607
E. Peabody Drive ,
172 N.R.B., MC-652,
Champaign
IL 61820-6970
DLIA Grant #: 2004-15
Amount Awarded: $4,993
Aquatic oligochaetes represent the most diverse, widely distributed group of segmented worms (Phylum Annelida) in freshwater habitats in North America . Over 200 species of freshwater oligochaetes (13 families, 75+ genera) occur in North America ; no published papers, however, have addressed the biodiversity of aquatic oligochaetes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . Our research on the distribution of oligochaetes in the Park (1999 through 2003) has been supported, in part, by annual mini-grants from Discover Life In America, Inc. The website: < http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~mjwetzel/AOGSMNP.home.html > summarizes results of our research to date, including georeferenced locality information for 112 sites; methodologies; list of species occurring regionally; species collected in the Park during this research; funding; pertinent literature, presentations and publications; and public outreach opportunities aligning this research with the ATBI Science Plan. Funding in 2004 will support continuing surveys for oligochaetes in the Park, concentrating on low gradient streams, springs, and wetland habitats. Crayfishes will be collected to obtain branchiobdellidans (worms on crayfishes that are related to oligochaetes) in anticipation of funding from the National Science Foundation to study the taxonomy and distribution of these worms – those occurring in the Park, and elsewhere in the world, leading to a monograph on this group.
Continuation of Leaf Beetle Inventory
Mr.
Edward G. Riley ,
Department
of Entomology ,
Texas
A&M University
College
Station TX 77845-2475
Dr.
Shawn M. Clark ,
Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum ,
Brigham Young University
Provo UT 84602-0200
DLIA Grant #: 2004-18
Amount Awarded: $2,970
This proposal requests funding to continue work started with earlier support from DLIA towards an inventory the leaf beetles of GSMNP and production of a Web-based identification guide. The Identification Guide includes a "species page" for each leaf species where relevant information is conveyed to the general public. Under the current proposal, both PIs will visit GSMNP to perform targeted collecting of leaf beetles. Species not formally recorded from the park but expected to occur there will be targeted, as well as regionally endemic species. Park personnel and ATBI volunteers will be enlisted to help locate potential host plants for selected beetle species. ATBI volunteers will participate in field collection of beetles and possibly carry-on these activities after the PIs‚ departure. This project will generate georeferenced specimen data for the GSMNP ATBI. Approximately 50 to 60 additional species pages will be produced and linked to the Identification Guide.
