Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

INHS Malacologists Sarah Bales, Josh Sherwood and Amy Stultz were featured in an article in the Rockford Register Star.  The team is one of three teams conducting statewide mussel surveys, documenting the location, size, age, sex and species of mussels they find.  Mussels are an important part of the ecosystem, filtering pollutants, providing shelter to small organisms, as well as food for larger organisms such as raccoons and muskrats. By understanding the mussel populations in a location, biologists are better able to determine the health of that river.


Rockford Register Star

 Mussels: Overlooked and Underappreciated

The often overlooked early Illinois botanist H.S. Pepoon is the subject of a recently published book, which includes some of his early essays on the flora, terrain and natural history of northwest Illinois.  In his essays, which predate Leopold, Carson and others  "Pepoon limns the passion and conviction of Ralph Waldo Emerson in conveying the sense of mourning at the passing of the Illinois prairie, a victim of “soulless corporations,” of industry, of aggressive agriculture and public apathy."   In addition to his floristic studies and writings, Pepoon was instrumental in the creation of Apple River Canyon State Park.

The foreword for this book, written by INHS Plant Ecologist Bill Handel, has been described by one reviewer as "informative, luminous" and "presents Pepoon in full character and joie de vivre."

For more information on this book:

Prairie Works Review

Announcement of Book

Buy the book

About H.S. Pepoon

The Prairie Research Institute and the Surveys have been the subject of articles in several newspapers over the past few weeks, not for the valuable work that is done by the Surveys, but because of a glitch in the State budget for FY2012.

Approximately 20% of funding for the Surveys comes from the State budget through the budget implementation bill.  Due to disagreements over other items in the bill and lack of time to resolve those issues before summer recess, the bill was not passed for FY2012.

The legislators and Governor's office have made assurances that this will be remedied in the fall veto session, and in the interim, University of Illinois is providing the missing funding to keep operations running and staff paid.  The remaining 80% of funding comes from Grants and Contracts obtained by the scientists at the Surveys. 

Brian Anderson, Director of the Illinois Natural History Survey is concerned that the uncertainty might result in scientists seeking other employment.  "We've got world-class scientists that are getting job offers," he said. "It is a possibility that is making me uneasy."


News Gazette Article

An article by Chris Young of the State Journal Register was picked up by several outlets:
McDonough Voice

Prairie State Outdoors

Rockford Register Star

Carmi Times

Although there is widespread concern about the spread of Asian Carp, for some people, they represent a new industry and economic boon.   Asian Carp harvest has increased thirtyfold in the past ten years.  In 2010, a fisheries company in Thomson IL sold 20 million pounds of Asian carp to consumers globally. 

According to Greg Sass, director of the INHS Illinois River Biological Station, that while Asian Carp represent 80% of fish in parts of the Illinois River, scientific research has not yet established a direct connection between the presence of Asian Carp and the decline of native species.

New York Times article

Link to Illinois River Biological Field Station

Entomologist Rich Lampman was interviewed by Chicago's CBS affiliate WBBM about mosquitoes.  According to Lampman heavy rains in northern Illinois in July may have flushed out larvae in standing water.  Unfortunately, any puddles left over will be colonized by new mosquitoes. 

Dumping standing water every couple of days can help keep mosquito numbers down.


Link to WBBM website

INHS Medical Entomology Program confirmed the presence of West Nile Virus in a mosquito sample from the Champaign Department of Public Health. Champaign is the 12th county to have positive mosquito samples this year. No human cases have been reported yet this year, but the CDPH recommends dumping standing water and taking general precautions.

WILL News

Environmental Almanac writer Rob Kanter wrote "Freshwater mussels: overlooked, under appreciated residents of Illinois streams" earlier this month, referencing the INHS publication Field Guide to Freshwater Mussels of the Midwest.

Malacologist Kevin Cummings was consulted for the post and reported that North America has the greatest diversity of freshwater mussels, with nearly three hundred species and subspecies. Illinois is/was home to eighty of these species, but only about half of them are currently found with regularity.

Environmental Almanac

INHS Plant Ecologist Greg Spyreas was cited in an article about Invasive Bush and Japanese Honeysuckle.  Based on his previous research, establishment of Japanese Honeysuckle decreases the value of an area for wildlife by crowding out native plants. 

These invasive species of honeysuckle sprout earlier and keep their leaves longer, which shades out other plants.  The best method of control is early detection and eradication.

Farm Bureau Article

For more information on Honeysuckle and other invasive pest species:

Japanese Honeysuckle Fact Sheet
Amur Honeysuckle Fact Sheet
Tatarian Honeysuckle Fact Sheet
Illinois CAPS Invasive Pest Species Information

Asian Carp are in the news again after three Environmental DNA samples at Lake Calumet came back positive for Asian Carp DNA.  The presence of eDNA is not proof that live Asian Carp are in the area, as tissues of dead fish can be transported in bilge water or on other sources.  Three consecutive positive tests triggers intensive monitoring by the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee.

Biologists from INHS, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Southern Illinois University will spend 4 days sampling throughout Lake Calumet.  Half-mile long seine nets will be used to sweep large portions of the area.  Electrofishing boats will sample fish in shoreline areas and drive fish towards the nets.

Read more about Asian Carp Control

Chicago Now article

Northwest Indiana Times article

INHS Entomologist and Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey coordinator Kelly Estes was interviewed about the spread of Japanese Beetles westward.  Their ability to spread in a given year is dependent on fluctuating populations, which can be affected by rainfall.  The best way to get rid of them is collecting them in a bucket of hot soapy water.

WICD News Channel 15

Illinois Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey

Learn more about Japanese Beetles and other pests

**An earlier version of this story and press release inadvertantly omitted Botanist Mary Ann Feist from the project "Plants, Herbivores and Parasitoids: A Model System for the Study of Tri-Trophic Associations"

INHS Scientists and Affiliates will play an immense role in the National Science Foundation program to "Advance Digitization of Biological Collections." 

INHS Entomologist Chris Dietrich is the PI on the project: "InvertNet--An Integrative Platform for Research on Environmental Change, Species Discovery and Identification"

INHS Mycologist Andrew Miller is a collaborator on the project "North American Lichens and Bryophytes: Sensitive Indicators of Environmental Quality and Change"

INHS Botanists Rick Phillippe and Mary Ann Feist and Entomologist Dmitry Dmitriev were awarded subcontracts on the project "Plants, Herbivores and Parasitoids: A Model System for the Study of Tri-Trophic Associations"

INHS Emeritus Ichthyologist Larry Page is the PI on The Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio)project which will serve as a permanent national resource to integrate data from biological research collections around the United States.

NSF News Release

Prairie Research Institute News Release

INHS Behavioral Entomologist Joe Spencer recently presented a webinar on Western Corn Rootworm, a longtime pest of corn crops in the United States.  INHS scientists have been studying WCR, and ways to control them, for over 100 years.

This webinar presents a review of WCR biology, the history of corn rootworm as a pest species and the WCR's adaptation to crop rotation that began in Illinois. The use of Bt-transgenic corn for rootworm management is introduced along with assumptions about WCR behavior in refuge and Bt corn. Data on WCR behavior and mating in several different configurations of refuge and Bt- corn are presented to illustrate how the placement of refuge affects the biology and ecology of mating WCR beetles.

Corn Rootworms and Bt Corn
Direct link to video

After a couple of years with low levels of damage from Western Corn Rootworms, INHS Insect Behaviorist Joe Spencer and his colleagues have found significant damage to roots and a higher level of adult emergence compared to last year.

For more information: Farms.com

According to INHS Entomologist Chris Dietrich, Japanese Beetles are generalists and will eat approximately 300 different types of plants, which is not unusual for an introduced species.  Human lawns make perfect habitat for the grubs which feed on the roots of grass, but killing the grubs will do little, as adults will fly in from other yards.

Springfield Journal Register

INHS Entomologist Chris Dietrich was interviewed about the infestation of mayflies long the Illinois River this week.  After spending most of their life in the water, they emerge en masse, overwhelming predators, mate and then die, typically within 24 hours.

According to Dietrich, mayflies are an environmental indicator for our rivers, so large numbers of them is a good thing. 

Read the Peoria Journal Star article

INHS Botanist Bill Handel was featured on WCIA's "In the Garden" segment on Thursday, June 30th showcasing the medicinal plant garden he helped create at Spurlock Museum.

Watch the video

Spurlock Museum Website

Deer ticks, the host species for Lyme disease, feed on a variety of animals, with white footed mice (a forest species) as the main reservoir for the disease causing bacteria.

INHS Wildlife Epidemiologist Nohra Mateus-Pinilla, graduate student Jennifer Rydzewski and Richard Warner (NRES) found that the highest prevalence of infection at Allerton Park was from the prairie, with prairie voles as the reservoir.

"What's exciting about the new findings is that we are dealing with potentially new mechanisms of disease transmission that we just have not explored and perhaps we do not understand," Mateus-Pinilla said. "We need to think outside of what we already know about Lyme disease transmission."


Read the release from the News Bureau

Paper in Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

That loud buzzing heard across the southern half of Illinois this month?  It's the mating calls of periodical cicadas emerged after spending 13 years underground.

Most cicada species emerge after 2 to 5 years, but some species have longer cycles and emerge en masse.  According to INHS Entomologist Chris Dietrich we are should consider ourselves fortunate to have those loud inundations of periodical cicadas. "Illinois has five different (periodic) broods, two 13-year and three 17-year," he said. "We're kind of lucky. We get to see them more often than people further west. Cicadas are found mostly in the tropics, but there are 25 to 30 species in Illinois and close to 100 in the U.S."

News Gazette article

For more on periodical cicadas, read the INHS Blog post from May of 2011.

INHS Medical Entomologist Richard Lampman was featured on a News Channel 15 story about mosquitoes.  Because of all of the rain, the "nuisance" mosquito population is expected to be above average.  The recent hot dry weather has resulted in "vector" or disease-carrying mosquito eggs being found earlier than expected this year.

Video

Aerial surveys conducted by INHS Waterfowl Ecologist Aaron Yetter are being used to help determine the waterfowl hunting seasons for the next 5 years. 

"Aerial waterfowl surveys conducted by Aaron Yetter of the Illinois Natural History Survey show limited numbers of ducks in the Upper and Lower Mississippi Area near the proposed start date of the North Zone season.  The Upper Mississippi area, which includes Keokuk, Iowa, Nauvoo and the Keithsburg Refuge, showed 1,160 ducks on Oct. 11 and 2,335 ducks on Oct. 18, according to the 2010 survey. On Nov. 2, just days after the Central Zone opener, surveys showed 22,470 ducks in the area.

The same movements are reflected in the Lower Mississippi region, which includes Swan Lake, Cannon Refuge and Shanks Refuge. On Oct. 11, there were 10,280 ducks counted. On Oct. 18, there were 35,555 ducks. On Nov. 2 there were 81,765 birds. On Nov. 16, there were 171,970.
One reason hunters would favor an earlier start to the season would be to avoid the late-season freeze that often negates the final week or two of hunting."



Herad-Whig story on IDNR Proposal

For more information on INHS Aerial Surveys

A team of University of Illinois researchers, including INHS Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiologist Nohra Mateus-Pinilla and Mammalogist Ed Heske, conducted a two-year radio telemetry and activity tracking project on 42 adult cats in Central Illinois to answer that question.

They found that pet cats spent only 3 percent of their time engaged in highly active pursuits, such as running or stalking prey while un-owned (feral) cats were highly active 14 percent of the time.

Even feral cats stayed near human structures, according to Mateus-Pinilla. "That shows that even though they're feral, they still have a level of dependency on us."

Co-author Richard Warner told the U of I News Bureau that although pet cats had relatively small ranges and were active less of the time, their impact on wildlife in the immediate vicinity of their homes is likely much more intense than that of a feral cat that wanders over a larger territory.

Read the Press Release

Watch Duncan the Cat get a radio collar

The study, "Home range, habitat use, and activity patterns of free-roaming domestic cats"
by Jeff A. Horn, Nohra Mateus-Pinilla, Richard E. Warner, and Edward J. Heske, was published in The Journal of Wildlife Management.

Read the Article in Journal of Wildlife Management

The Why Files

Discovery News

According to INHS Medical Entomology Director Ephantus Juma Muturi, despite the large number of mosquitoes out now, the level of West-Nile Virus is still very low.  The optimal breeding environment for West-Nile Virus bearing mosquitoes is dry, warmer weather, when the larvae are not washed away by heavy rains.

Chicago Tribune Article

INHS Ornithologist TJ Benson was quoted in a Chicago Tribune article about migratory birds and bird habitat restoration projects in the Chicagoland area.  Benson says that there has been a decrease in shrub land birds over the past century and that studies are currently being done with miniature video cameras to document predation on these birds.

Chicago Tribune Article

INHS Entomologist Dave Voegtlin conducted his annual spring survey for soybean aphids on buckthorn in Indiana and Michigan. He found the majority of locations had no soybean aphids and only a few sites had low numbers of colonies.

Read about Soybean Aphid numbers in other states

INHS Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiologist Nohra Mateus-Pinilla and graduate students Shannon Fredebaugh recently published a study that found that even in remote parts of a natural area, cats spread disease to wildlife.  Their study, Allerton Park in Monticello, does not have bobcats which strongly suggests feral house cats are responsible for spreading the feline dependent Toxoplasma gondii parasite.  Infection by the parasite causes neurological problems and possible death in humans and other animals.

"If one infected cat defecates there, any area can become infected," Fredebaugh said. "It just takes one cat to bring disease to an area."

For more information:

Read the paper in Journal of Wildlife Disease

Read the News Release

View a slideshow of the research project

Other sources picking up the story:

Eureka Alert
Science Daily
My Science
Physorg
Free Republic