2003 Final Report Summaries
Discover Life in America ATBI Grant Program

Grant money supplied by the Great Smoky Mountains Association and Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park supported 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 delved into a variety of life forms in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, from aphids to myxomycetes. Again, some of the projects involved young people, volunteers, and teachers participating in scientific research in the Park. Several studies included examining little known habitats and threatened plant communities. Some of the proposals built upon previous and on-going work. All were coordinated with the Discover Life in America Science Plan.

All grants are run from April 1st though March 1st. Contact Jeanie Hilten at jeanie@dlia.org for complete reports.

For this study, I recruited two undergraduate students to investigate the species diversity of the planthoppers and leafhoppers from the ATBI pilot study malaise traps. For this, I recruited Dan Nonne to work on leafhoppers (Cicadellidae, excluding the Typhlocybinae) and Anthony Gonzon to work on planthoppers (Fulgoroidea), and the results reported here for this year is the result of the efforts of these students. For the students, these projects were performed as honors projects and were a portion of their undergraduate degree program. Anthony’s work on planthoppers will extend my research on planthoppers in the Park initiated in 2002. Dan’s research on leafhoppers will represent my first investigation of leafhoppers species richness, although there are good baseline data in the Park collections and in unpublished Park records.

The student projects were to conduct diversity analyses (including species accumulation curves), predict total species richness of their target insects in the Park, and compile species list including records from the NPS collection and previous research. These analyses are still ongoing; in part because the due dates for the final projects in the honors curriculum is not for two more weeks, but also because the data are complex and each analysis seems to invite additional questions. At present, a more compete analysis has been made for leafhoppers. The students have also prepared reference collections for the NPS and have already provided specimen data to the NPS.

Project

The first survey targeting the aphids (Insecta: Hemiptera: Aphididae) of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was conducted in summer of 2003, with the financial assistance of a grant from Discover Life in America . The PI spent two weeks in the park, those of May 30 and 12 July, primarily collecting aphids directly off of host plants, and also by using a sweep net and "bug-vac." In all, 70 collections were made.

Several thousand aphids were collected and a series of adults mounted to microscope slides. Immature aphids are difficult or impossible to identify so they were not mounted, nor were "excess" adults from large colonies. The DNA was extracted from a single specimen from each of 40 host-associated collections, and that specimen and a sampling of others were mounted to microscope slides in Canada balsam. We were able to identify 201 of the 320 specimen slides and found 37 species we could identify. There may be a dozen or so species in the undetermined material, but they will require more work. Some unidentified specimens are from mass samples and we may not be able to identify them beyond the genus level.

The aphids were identified, labeled, and databased. The data are now searchable on the Internet at http://ctap.inhs.uiuc.edu/insect/search_inhs.asp. The data are also here provided. The plant specimens have been identified, curated, and added to the INHS herbarium. Ants tending the aphids were also collected, but they are still being identified and their determinations will be added to the database at a later date. All specimens are currently deposited at the Illinois Natural History Survey, although we will send duplicate aphid slides to the GRSM collection and the National Aphid Collection (USDA, Beltsville , MD ) when the multi-year project is complete.

Results

The principle product promised in the proposal is here delivered. The specimen data are available on the Internet. Specimen and host data are also here transmitted. Host data will be added to our Internet database at a later date when we have developed that feature (host data are part of the internal database but not yet available publicly). We have high quality photographs of 17 species which we will make available to DLIA. Most importantly, we have used this initial sampling as a means to identify future projects with the aphids of the park. We have already used DNA sequence data of park aphids in a forthcoming paper (Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. in press), and expect to use DNA data to discern certain species in the park. For example, we collected on red spruce what appears to be Cinaraengelmanniensis, a species never before found east of the Rocky Mountains . Our DNA studies, now underway, will hopefully tell us whether this odd find is indeed C. engelmanniensis or a new species. Also, now having spent time collecting aphids in the park, we are better prepared to continue our work by targeting certain plants known to host aphids (see 2004 DLIA proposal).

Funding

DLIA funds supported travel to and time in the park ($670), travel, registration, and accommodations at the ATBI meetings ($336), photographic supplies and services ($53), supplies for clearing and mounting aphid specimens ($156), and molecular supplies and services ($556). The bulk of the original grant budget was to support hourly workers to process and prepare the collected specimens. They were supported on other sources ($1,590) and will now be paid to work on the projects they were diverted from for the ATBI project. The DLIA expenditures to date total: $3,361. There are some unanswered questions that we will be investigating in the coming months, the C. engelmanniensis issue, for example, that will require further molecular analysis. We expect to use the remainder of the DLIA grant ($305) to this end.

The 2003 grant proposal overestimated the number of specimens to be collected and processed. We have therefore focused more heavily on molecular taxonomic evaluation. It is too soon to report fully on this work (which is still ongoing), but we expect interesting finds with the continuation of the project and additional material in 2004.

In-kind support included the PIs's time: in the park (est. $1,726), for aphid identifications (est. $270), for plant identifications (est. $175), for ant identifications (est. $64), and for other miscellaneous activities (est. $800), a total of $3,035. Other in-kind support for which we do not have reliable figures included database management and support, laboratory space and equipment, and other overhead.

The goal of this proposal was to organize and conduct a Bioblitz for the Coleoptera (Beetle) Twig of the GSMNP ATBI during the summer of 2003. “Beetle Blitz –2003” was held July 17-20. Fifty invitations were sent to Coleopterists who work with beetle families that are poorly represented on the species list maintained by the Twig Leader, Chris Carlton. http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/Inst/Research/Departments/arthropodmuseum/smokybeetles.htm . Of those, 7 scientists were offered honoraria of $250 each to assist with their travel expenses. A total of 19 researchers participated. With the help of Jeanie Hilten at DLIA, housing was arranged for those participating. She also coordinated the training and participation of volunteers. A guided collecting walk was offered to the public at the Sugarlands Visitor’s Center. Interns from Tremont Institute and Upward Bound students participated at the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center. An on-site laboratory was set up at the UT Greenbrier field station and identifications of previously collected beetles were done by the experts. The researchers have already or will send Chris Carlton a report of the species collected. Specimens were returned to the Louisiana State Arthropod Museum to be databased. The information databased is being forwarded through the Coleoptera Twig to the ATBI Database.

Dept. Entomology

During this third year of funding in support of the beetle Taxonomic Working Group (Twig) we concentrated our efforts on processing the ATBI malaise samples, litter samples, and distributing specimens to cooperators. Of 650 malaise samples held in our lab, 111 (17%) have been processed and the specimens databased (1700 records). An additional 234 samples (36%) are partially processed, and 300 samples (46%) are still waiting. Approximately 60 litter samples have been processed to completion and are represented in the current database by 2700 specimen records. The litter beetle survey will be completed during July 2004 with a dedicated “litter blitz.” Twig cooperator participation involved 17 of the 36 scientist cooperators and examination of approximately 3000 specimens. Twig cooperators generated three publications describing five new species discovered in GSMNP. In total, almost 6300 specimen records are represented in the beetle dataset. We added 260 species to the known beetle diversity of GSMNP, bringing the current tally to 1559 species, including 15 species and at least one genus new to science. Significant additions this year included two families, Cerophytidae and Salpingidae, a possible new genus and species of Mycetophagidae, and a newly introduced Asian shortnosed weevil.

The basic field collections were completed, lab processing was continued, and specimen identification was extended. Species richness estimates for the park were calculated using Estimates6 software. These results indicate that 49-76 species exist in the park. However, our current species number (based on over 2000 identified specimens as of April 2004) is 50 species with 8 new to science. Due to several “species groups” undergoing division and revision, we believe the total number will well exceed 76.

DATA SUBMITTED to database manager Michael Kunze < michael_kunze@nps.gov> on (approximately Oct 03?) in Access format and accepted on (approx. Nov 03?).

PRODUCTS PROMISED in Original Proposal and Their Current Status
1. Product Complete basic field collections, initate collections in special habitats
Current Status Accomplished
2. Product Continue lab processing of backlogged samples.
Current Status This work has continued rapidly.
3. Product Data sent to ATBI database
Current Status Accomplished
4. Product Estimations of total species richness
Current Status Calculated based on first 1300 specimens in database, presented at ATBI conference.
5. Product Workup of 3 new species.
Current Status Not completed
6. Product Contributions to DLIA website
Current Status Delayed due to reduction in funding requested

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES garnered to support this research
Total leveraged funds: $0 to date.
Total value of in-kind resources donated: $5000 plus 700 person hours
Leveraged source #1 Luce Foundation $15,000 decision pending

Report text
See attached manuscript submitted to J. of Hydrobiolgia.

The fundamental objective of this project was to continue our ongoing efforts to document the slime molds (primarily myxomycetes but also including other types of slime molds) of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . During a period in late July and early August of 2003 that included the High Country Quest, specimens of slime molds were collected from a number of study sites throughout the Park. Particular emphasis was directed towards forest types (especially old-growth and high-elevation examples) and microhabitats for which relatively little data are available from previous studies. A major goal in 2003 was to have three slime mold experts from Europe ( Grazina Adamonyte from Lithuania, Tatyana Krivomaz from the Ukraine, and David Mitchell from England) become involved in the ATBI, and the funding received from DLIA was used to cover some of the costs involved in bringing these three individuals to the Park. More than 430 specimens of myxomycetes were collected along with samples of bark, litter, soil/litter, and various types of organic debris for isolation of myxomycetes and dictyostelids in the laboratory. In addition to the collecting carried out during late July/early August, a second trip was made to the Park in early November, when a number of additional specimens of myxomycetes were collected along with numerous samples of organic debris for isolation of the third group of slime molds (the protostelids). Collectively, these collections and samples (some of which have yet to be processed) have yielded at least two species of protostelids and seven species of myxomycetes not previously known from the Park.

REPORT ON GRANT ACTIVITIES

At least some members of the Slime Mold TWIG were in the Park during the period of July 24 to Aug. 6, 2003 . The highlights of the activities carried out at this time were outlined in an article published in the most recent issue of the ATBI Quarterly (Darrah 2003). In addition, three members of the TWIG made a second visit to the Park during the period of Nov. 6-9, 2003 . The collecting effort carried out during 2003 was highly international, with participants from Costa Rica (Carlos Rojas), England (David Mitchell), Lithuania (Grazina Adamonyte), India (Madhu Khetmalas), and the Ukraine (Tatyana Krivomaz). More than 430 specimens of myxomycetes were collected from 18 primary study sites, and at least 80 taxa were represented by specimens that had fruited in the field under natural conditions. The number of species recorded for a single collecting site ranged from 41 (a second-growth mixed hardwood/hemlock forest in Cades Cove) to only two (a highly disturbed Fraser fir forest at Clingmans Dome ). New records for the Park were Badhamia cf. goniospora, Comatricha alta, Crateriumaureum, Cribraria pyriformis, Lycogala conicum, Physarum virescens, and Trichiaverrucosa. A number of additional species have been recorded from primary isolation plates prepared with samples of organic material brought back to the laboratory, but this aspect of the surveys carried out during 2003 is not yet complete. At the beginning of the ATBI, 88 species of myxomycetes had been reported from the Park. The number of species now known from the Park has increased to more than 220.

Sampling for dictyostelids was carried out at six study sites in the Park. Isolates recovered from samples collected in the Park during previous field seasons have yielded ten species apparently new to science, and sampling was carried out at Andrews Bald, Purchase Knob and Balsam Mountain in an effort to recover additional isolates of these new species. Sets of samples collected at Spence Field and Icewater Spring by other participants and DLIA volunteers also were examined. Study sites and species recovered in each instance were: Andrews Bald (Dictyostelium sphaerocephalum, Polysphondylium pallidum, and P. tenuisimum), Balsam Mountain ( D . sphaerocephalum and P. pallidum), Purchase Knob (D. discoideum, D. mucoroides, and P. pallidum), Indian Gap (D. discoideum, D. mucoroides, and P. violaceum), Spence Field (D. discoideum, D. sp. A, D. sp. B, P. pallidum, and P. tenuissium), and Icewater (D. discoideum). Since the beginning of the ATBI, the number of species of dictyostelids known to occur in the Park has increased from 12 to more than 30. The 10 species that appear to be new to science will be described in a forthcoming paper (Cavender et al. 200-).

Laboratory isolations of protostelids from samples of various types of organic material collected during early November have yielded 22 species, two of which are new to the Park. These data were summarized in a poster presented at the 7 th Annual ATBI/DLIA Conference in early December of 2003 (Shadwick et al. 2003).

LITERATURE CITED

Cavender, J. C., E. Vadell, J. C. Landolt, and S. L. Stephenson. 200-. New species of small dictyostelids from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . Mycologia (in review).

Darrah, R. 2003. High Country slime molds. ATBI Quarterly. Page 2 in the Fall 2003 issue.

Shadwick, J., F. Spiegel, and S. L. Stephenson. 2003. Protostelids of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . Poster presented at the 7 th Annual ATBI/DLIA Conference.

GENERAL COMMENTS

The most frequently collected species were Arcyria cinerea (19 specimens), Hemitrichia calyculata (15), Physarum nutans (18), and Physarum viride (22).

In 2003 botanists from the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) made three week-long trips to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) to collect vascular plants and lichens. Collecting trips were conducted in April, July, and October to maximize the number of different species encountered. This year we concentrated our search efforts in the south central portion of the park near Fontana Lake . We collected a total of 1294 vascular plant specimens and 93 lichen specimens. Six new park records were found. Also, 122 collections of 62 vascular plant species listed as “rare to the park” were made. Voucher specimens of all vascular plant species were collected and deposited in both the herbaria at the Illinois Natural History Survey (ILLS) and the University of Tennessee (TENN). Specimens of new park records were also deposited at the GSMNP herbarium located at the Sugarlands Visitor Center (GSMNP). Label data is entered into the INHS herbarium's electronic database and is sent to park personnel and Discover Life in America (DLIA). The INHS herbarium's electronic database is searchable at: http://ellipse. inhs.uiuc.edu:591/INHSCollections/plantsearch.html. Lichen specimens are in the process of being identified, labeled, and databased. Specimens and database information will be distributed when completed.

The Project Proposal for which we were funded included the following objectives and procedures for attaining them:

PROPOSED

• Document all tephritid taxa and distributions in the park
• Document biologies of select species (hosts, phenology, immature stages)
• Involve students, interns or volunteers in all stages of field work

Methods:

• Targeted collecting of adults and immatures from likely hosts
• Passive, season-long Malaise trapping - 3 at Cades Cove, 3-4 at The Purchase
• Dissect hosts for immature stages, also revealing details of feeding, development time, mortality factors, parasites and predators
• Permanent preservation, labeling, databasing of specimens
• Taxonomic description of life stages and new taxa

Schedule:

• April - prepare study protocols, set up traps, train assistants
• June - targeted collecting, recover trap contents
• August - targeted collecting, recover trap contents
• October - targeted collecting, recover traps and contents

Expected Products:

• Checklist (45+ species)
• Georeferenced specimen/occurrence database (200+ records)
• Labeled and identified specimens permanently preserved in FSCA and GSMNP (1,000+)
• Publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals (one or more)
• Web site with species pages, maps, photos of flies and hosts (45+ pages)
• Thousands of other non-target specimens will be permanently preserved and stored at the FSCA, and transferred to cooperating scientists to advance the goals of ATBI

ACCOMPLISHED

Objectives met:

• Prior to the beginning of our work with the GSMNP ATBI, the tephritid fly fauna of GSMNP was known to comprise only 10 species based on a handful of published records, and the presence of only nine specimens (three species) in the Sugarlands museum collection. From our efforts during the years 1999 to 2002, we documented the presence and distribution of 39 species in the Park, based on approximately 650 specimens (adults). During the year 2003, we documented the presence and distribution of an additional 11 previously unrecorded species bringing the total number of tephritids known from GSMNP to 50, including 2 species unknown to science. In total, approximately 600 adult tephritid specimens were collected or reared from host material from the Park in 2003 bringing the 1999-2003 total to over 1,300 adults and 680 + immatures.
• During the years 1999-2002, we documented biological information comprising approximately 30 host plants for the various tephritid flies in the Park. During 2003 we added at least 8 more host plant records. At least partial phenologies (seasonal occurrence of the various life stages) are known for all species documented to date. Immature stages of at least 21 species have been collected and preserved. Prior to 2003, 21 species of live adult tephritid flies from GSMNP had been photographed; during 2003 an additional 10 species were photographed bringing the total to 31(62% of total). In addition, numerous photographs of hosts, larval stages, gall, mines, and habitats were obtained. Videotapes of live adults of 12 species were filmed during 2003. The photographs and videotapes are being incorporated into the web pages for these species.
• We were assisted in collection efforts during 2003 by the following individuals: Bucky Appleyard (volunteer), Bob Hammond (volunteer), Amy Nichter (Student Conservation Association), Paul Super (NPS), Jonathon Mays (NPS intern), Adriean Mayor (NPS) and several other students and interns under the supervision of Paul Super. Most of their time was spent servicing Malaise traps (twice a week for 16 weeks). The students and interns devoted additional time to hand collecting and searching for host plants. We estimate that these individuals contributed a minimum of 120 hours in total to this project.

METHODS EMPLOYED

• Targeted collecting - approximately 66 man-days spent searching for likely host plants, adults, and immature stages in the field.
• Malaise trapping - 6-meter traps were run at 6 locations at Cades Cove, 4 locations at The Purchase, and 1 location at Twin Creeks, for a total of approximately 900 trap-days during 2003
• Host plant tissue (galls, flowers, etc.) collections - collections of plant tissues were preserved for later dissection to obtain immature stages and details of feeding, development time, mortality factors, parasites and predators

Specimens were permanently preserved, labeled, and pertinent information is being incorporated into a database

Introduction

Petersen (1978), Stephenson, et al., (2001), and Raja and Shearer (unpublished data) reported on fungi identified from the GSMNP. The list shown by Petersen (1978) covered previous reports or collections of fungi over many years. The other two studies identified fungal taxa from specific habitats. However, no comprehensive studies of microfungi have ever been inventoried from American beech, Fraser fir and eastern hemlock stands in GSMNP being devastated by exotic disease and/or insects. For Fraser fir, only 10-20% of the mature trees are estimated to be left in the higher elevation spruce-fir forests following 20 years of infestation by Balsam woolly adelgid. American beech are currenly being attached by the fungal pathogen Nectria coccinea var. faginata (beech bark disease) with over 50% losses have occurred. More recently, hemlock woolly adelgid has entered the GSMNP and many areas throughout the park are currently becoming infested with heavy losses expect. Because of the urgency in conducting inventory work due to the potential loss of the three tree species, the follow was proposed:

Objective Of Study :

Develop baseline data of bark microfungi present on healthy and damaged American beech, Fraser fir, and eastern hemlock being devastated by exotic disease/insect pests in the GSMNP.

Materials and Methods

American beech, Fraser fir, and eastern hemlock were sampled in May, July, and September 2003 from different locations in GSMNP (Table 1). Site visited during 2003 changed due to the identification of better locations for collecting samples. If future collecting is done, the sites used in September will become permanent collection areas. See below for locations of sampling:

Table 1. Sampling date by location over three sampling dates.

* H= healthy trees and D=diseased or insect infested trees.

Sampling Methods

• Bark of five healthy and five damaged tree species per location were sampled on each sampling dates.
• From each of the four sample points, bark samples (5 × 5 cm piece subsamples) of up to 5 mm depth were collected and returned to the laboratory for processing.
• The bark pieces of each subsample were subdivided into four-1 cm pieces and surface sterilized in sodium hypoclorite (0.524% w/v) for 3 min.
• Two pieces were then plated onto antibiotic containing potato dextrose agar (PDA) and two pieces onto antibiotic containing water agar (WA). The plates were incubated for 7 days at room temperature to allow for growth of any fungi.
• All fungi growing in the plates were subcultured onto PDA for later identification using standard mycological methods.
• Statistics will include analysis of variance followed by means separation using Fishers protected LSD when appropriate.

Results and Discussion

A total of 1440 bark samples (480 per species) were assayed for presence of mycobiota. Over 2,195 isolates were obtained over the three sampling dates. Total numbers of fungi isolated differed significantly (P≤0.05) with sample date. Even though total isolations appeared to be almost numerically equal between the healthy and infected/infested tree bark samples, across the three sampling dates, significant differences occurred (Table 2). When compared by individual species, differences in frequencies were also noted between healthy and infected/infested tree bark. From the infected/infested tree bark, the most commonly isolated Phylum was the Fungi Imperfecti at 99%, 92.2% and 98.5%, with a similar trend for healthy bark at 99%, 95.2% and 99.1% for American beech, Fraser fir, and eastern hemlock, respectively (Table 3). Petersen (1978) compiled a list of fungi from GSMNP (Management Report # 29) and 133 species from the Fungi Imperfecti, representing 70 genera of microfungi, were reported. In the 2003 study, six species previously reported were isolated from the bark samples. Other groups of fungi identified during the current investigation were from the Ascomycetes and Zygomycetes, but their percent isolation frequencies were low. Overall, a total of 30 genera were identified from all American beech bark samples, 24 for Fraser fir, and 25 for eastern hemlock. The most common genus Trichoderma, was represented by six species and comprised 58% of all the isolations for American Beech, 67% for Fraser fir and 56.3% for eastern hemlock. Other common genera of fungi included Penicillium (five species), Nigrospora and Pestalotia (including Monochaetia and Truncatella). Thysanophora canadensis was previously identified on hemlock in Canada , but this is the first report for that species on eastern hemlock in the GSMNP.

Discover Life in America Research Report for 2003 - Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Michael G. Pogue
Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA/ARS
Smithsonian Institution
P.O. Box 37012 , NMNH, MRC-168
Washington , DC 20013-7012
phone: 202-382-1786
email: mpogue@sel.barc.usda.gov

Research conducted for the Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2003 took place with 3 separate collecting trips: 1) May 26 – June 11, 2) July 28 – August 6, and 3) October 8 – 13. These collecting localities were concentrated at the higher elevations (above 3,000 ft.) in the Park. Two sites that were collected at lower elevations included near Twenty mile Ranger Station (1520 ft.) and near Kephart Prong Trailhead (2800 ft.).

In addition to the collecting, specimens at the Purchase Knob research facility were identified and data based. Several new additions to the Park’s list of Noctuidae were discovered in this collection that is curated by Paul Super.

The following products are included in this report in the form of Excel spreadsheets and FileMaker Pro databases:

1) Barcoded, georeferenced specimens for specimens that I collected and specimens identified at the Purchase Knob facility. Additional georeferenced material included all of the Noctuidae at Purchase Knob. These data are presented in the Excel file: 2003 season.

2) Checklist of the Noctuidae of GSMNP to date is included in the Excel file: Noctuidae checklist.

3. Volunteers participated in the High Country Quest by helping me with collecting and preparing specimens (Steve Higdon) to volunteers T. Herr, M. Eisenhardt, D. Stair, and T. Grannan collecting specimens.

4. Oral presentation of results to date at annual meeting of the ATBI. The funding that was requested in the proposal to attend this meeting was not awarded. Funding from the USDA Systematic Entomology Laboratory to attend this meeting was not available because the Agriculture budget was not passed.

Support for this research was funded by DLIA for $2,310 ($1,155 awarded) and by the USDA Systematic Entomology Laboratory (SEL) for $436. The Smithsonian Institution provided insect pins, collecting equipment, and for housing the collection. Approximately 400 hours of a research entomologist and 14 hours of technical assistance were required for this project.

Ten ATBI plots were selected to examine bacterial diversity in habitats ranging from grasslands, low to high elevation forests, and balds. Determining diversity of bacteria using culture-independent techniques (DNA amplification and sequencing) and determining that thermophilic bacteria (bacteria that thrive at high temperature) resided in Great Smoky Mountains National Park were goals of this project. While we had difficulties in obtaining enough DNA to sequence, recent breakthroughs have allowed us to generate samples that will be ready for identification soon. Two hundred species identifications will be generated from the Albright Grove, Cataloochee, and Purchase Knob ATBI sites during the calendar year. The thermophile project was highly productive; with nine of the ten sites yielding bacteria that could grow at 65ºC (the other site contained thermophiles during another sampling event). All isolates were related to one group of soil bacteria known to be thermophilic and able to form spores for survival. Two additional projects not originally included in the proposal were carried out, including furthering work with the Archaea in GSMNP and examining the culturable bacterial diversity at Kephart Prong and the Oconaluftee River . Forty-nine new additions to the ATBI prokaryotic database have been generated.

Abstract: Mainly based on the authors field work in 2003, four genera (Acarospora, Botryolepraria, Porina and Psorotichia) and twelve species of lichens (Acarospora fuscata, Biatora appalachensis, Botryolepraria lesdainii, Caloplaca chrysodeta, Gyalecta cf. jenensis, Heterodermia japonica, Heterodermia podocarpa, Hypocenomyce friesii, Menegazzia subsimilis, Porina heterospora, Psorotichia sp., and Trapelia coarctata) were found new to the GSMNP. In addition, on lichenicolous fungus, Clypeococcum hypocenomycis, was found. Biatora appalachensis Printzen & Tønsberg ined. is new to science. Menegazzia subsimilis appears to be new to eastern North America . In 2002 Leioderma was found at Ravenford. No new population was found during field work in 2003. In 2002 it became obviously that the park is very rich in species of Lepraria. Park material of this genus, and as well a large herbarium material on loan from major North American herbaria, is under study. Two species (Biatora pontica Printzen & Tønsberg and Vainionora americana Kalb, Tønsberg & Elix) that were undescribed when I submitted my spring 2003 report, have now been formally described. A detailed list of specimens and localities has been made.

Overview

Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (GSMIT) is a private, not-for-profit, residential environmental education center partnered with Great Smoky Mountains National Park . It is headquartered inside the park boundary along the Middle Prong of the Little River. Its educational programs are designed to “nurture an appreciation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park , celebrate diversity, and foster stewardship” (mission statement). In 1999, the park and GSMIT initiated a science/education integration program, developing opportunities for middle and high school students to learn about scientific research by collecting actual data of use to park managers and scientists. Since the ATBI’s inception, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont has contributed to its mission by involving students in a variety of ATBI projects. Hundreds of students visiting GSMIT with their classes, with summer camps, and as part of our Volunteer Research Intern program have been involved in the study of land snails, beetles, pollinators, ferns, lepidoptera, birds, salamanders, and other taxa.

In order to encourage more local schools to participate in the ATBI, we used Discover Life in America mini-grant funding to continue an ATBI teacher internship originally started in 2002 (also with DLIA mini-grant funding). Our objectives were (1) to provide an opportunity for a local teacher to learn about the ATBI and to gain specific scientific skills that can be shared with students, (2) to provide useable data for the ATBI, (3) to continue improving our ATBI activities to make them both more scientifically useful and more educational for participants, and (4) to develop a relationship with a local teacher that will facilitate his or her continuing participation in the ATBI and incorporation of ATBI research into the classroom. The teacher would contribute 80 hours of service over the course of the summer. His or her activities would include data and sample collection, sample sorting and curation, and data entry and presentation. In addition to these research activities, the teacher would observe how we incorporate the ATBI into our educational programs at GSMIT and would plan a strategy for incorporating the ATBI into his or her own classroom curriculum.

We advertised the availability of the ATBI Teacher Internship through e-mail listservs to middle and high schools in Blount, Knox, and Sevier counties. Five teachers applied for the position. We chose Ms. Helen Morrow, a high school teacher at Austin East High School in Knoxville , TN. The criteria used in our decision included the teacher’s interest and experience in scientific research, the teacher’s interest in bringing students to the park, the teacher’s ideas of how to integrate ATBI concepts into his/her curriculum, and the teacher’s availability during Summer 2003. Also, as an urban school with a high percentage of students on free/reduced lunch, we felt that Austin East could benefit from a closer relationship to the park and Tremont.

Ms. Morrow came to GSMIT approximately once a week throughout the summer to complete the required hours. The GSMIT Citizen Science Director supervised her and arranged her schedule to maximize the number of different projects with which she was involved. Her activities included:

• Moth inventory and monitoring

• Salamander monitoring
• Bird banding and avian parasite collection
• Reptile inventory
• Land snail inventory and identification
• ATBI Beetle Blitz

• Planning and implementation of ATBI lessons for her classroom curriculum

Ms. Morrow is integrating the ATBI into her classroom curriculum. 2003-2004 was her first year teaching, and she included the ATBI in small ways, such as examples during ecology lessons. She also had Michelle Prysby visit the classroom and talk to the students about the ATBI and opportunities for them to be involved in it. Now in her second year of teaching, she is using methods she had learned at GSMIT to develop an upper-level ecology course focused on the Smoky Mountains . This course is being offered for the first time in Fall 2004. The course will include participation in the Tremont High School Science Consortium in September. She has also planned a second science-focused trip to Tremont in February. During their trips, the students will be doing ATBI work including the Tremont Moth Project and the FungiMap project. In an evaluation of her internship experience, Ms. Morrow wrote: “The ATBI internship proved to be invaluable by providing ideas of how to incorporate similar ATBI inspired projects on campus as well as experiences for my students outside the general curriculum.” She also noted that doing this internship at Tremont was especially valuable because she was able to interact with other teachers and students. Seeing students at Tremont excited about hands-on field research helped motivate her to provide similar experiences for her students.

The complete GSMIT research report has been filed with the National Park Service. Below are some of the summary statistics for our various projects, grouped by taxon.

Lepidoptera:

In 2003, an ultraviolet light trap was set out at Tremont over 16 nights from March to September in order to collect moths in a refrigerated storage unit. Except for voucher specimens, most of the 1530 individuals were identified and released. The species list for Tremont is now at 591 species. Data reside at Tremont and updates are shared with NPS staff and the ATBI Lepidoptera TWiG.

Mollusca:

Land snail shells were collected in 2003 along Lumber Ridge, Bote Mountain , and the Appalachian Trails, and around Tremont. We are using an on-line snail key to identify the specimens, with plans to have members of the Mollusk TWiG confirm our identifications.

Amphibians and Reptiles:

Students continued to monitor salamander populations in 6 locations within 5 streams (Ashley, Dorsey, Loan, Pigpen, Spicewoods Branches) using modified Pauley bags. A total of 45 visits were made in 2003. Species recorded included adults and larvae of Desmognathus conanti, D. quadramaculatus, D. monticola, D. imitator, D. santeetlah, Pseudotriton ruber, Gyrinophilus porphyriticus, and Eurycea wilderae. Artificial reptile habitats (roofing tin) were checked throughout the summer. Data were shared with Dr. Ben Cash (ATBI Vertebrate TWiG).

In support of the teacher intern, GSMIT provided:

1. hiring, training, and supervision by the Citizen Science Director (80 hours of in-kind support),
2. all equipment to conduct the research (including microscope, GPS unit, collecting equipment, insect pinning materials, and keys and identification guides),
3. computer access for data entry,
4. indoor laboratory area for processing samples,
5. administration of payroll, and
6. continued follow-up with the teacher intern during the following school year. This time amounted to approximately 20 hours of in-kind support by the GSMIT Citizen Science Director. These hours were spent communicating with the teacher about development of a Smokies-focused science course and visiting the classroom to give an ATBI presentation for the students.

The second year of our ATBI Teacher Internship program was just as successful as our pilot year in 2002. It has helped us foster an on-going relationship with a local teacher who is now not only excited and motivated about sharing the Smokies with her students, but also experienced with ATBI research. We are especially excited that our two ATBI Teacher Interns have come from urban magnet schools in Knoxville . Last year’s intern, Sarah Doyi, was from Vine Middle Magnet School , which feeds into Austin East. Students who go through both Vine and Austin East have some great opportunities to learn about the Smokies and to visit the park and conduct hands-on science studies. These opportunities are especially critical for these schools, as many of the students have had very little experience in the outdoors and in national parks, even though they live very close to the Smokies. We thank Discover Life in America very much for helping us get this teacher program off the ground. In 2004, Tremont was able to continue the program through our own funding, and intend for it to continue into the future.

mjwetzel@uiuc.edu

217.244-2108

$4,797