Alumni

Current Position:
fixed term, Assistant Professor at Southwest Minnesota State University. I'm teaching biology for non-majors, ecology, animal behavior and ornithology. As part of the ecology class, students are conducting independent research projects in diverse areas of ecology including soil invertebrates, water quality, road kill surveys and tree surveys.

Time frame you were at KPBS: Fall 2002-Summer 2007

Your major advisor: Brett K. Sandercock

Degree earned and institution: Ph.D. Kansas State

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS:
Correlates of male mating success in the Greater Prairie-Chicken. J. K. Nooker, and B. K. Sandercock (2008) Phenotypic correlates and survival consequences of male mating success in lek-mating Greater Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus cupido). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 62: 1377-1388. DOI 10.1007/s00265-008-0566-8

Contact information:
Jackie Augustine
Southwest Minnesota State University
1501 State Street
Marshall, MN 56258
nookerja@southwestmsu.edu
507-537-7080

I'm honored to have received the Crimson Drip Torch Award twice during my Konza career. I'm glad I only had to chase one prescribed fire that got out of hand. I loved being out on the prairie at 5am and wondering whether lightning or wind would take out my prairie-chicken blinds. Lastly, I miss poking bison with electric prods to move them through the shoot.

Current Position: Research Scientist at NREL, Colorado State University

Time frame you were at KPBS: June 2007

Your major advisor: PIs on the project are Diana Wall (Colorado State University), Jim Garey (University of South Florida), and Richard Bardgett (Lancaster University, UK)

Degree earned and institution: NA

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS:This was part of a global assessment of soil animal biodiversity. Soil samples were collected along a North and South American transect and a European-African transect to determine the latitudinal pattern of soil animal biodiversity and relate it to ecosystem properties and processes.

WWW site: http://www.nrel.colostate.edu/projects/soil/gsb/index.html

Contact information: edayres@nrel.colostate.edu

Current Position: Graduate Student, Ecology, Colorado State University

Time frame you were at KPBS: Summer 2006

Degree earned and institution: BS Beloit College 2007, MS Colorado State University (expected) 2009

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS:
NSF REU with Dr. John Blair. Project on temporal dynamics of nitrogen deposition on tallgrass ecosystems.

WWW site: http://aaronberdanier.shorturl.com

Contact information: aaron.berdanier@gmail.com

Current Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, South Dakota State University; My position is 40% research and 60% teaching, and my primary courses are Ichthyology, Integrated Natural Resource Management, and Stream Ecology.

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area): 2002-2007

Your major advisor: Keith Gido

Degree earned and institution: Ph.D. Kansas State University

Brief description of your research project including up to three (your top three!) publications that resulted from your time at KPBS: We studied the interactive effects of disturbances (e.g., floods) and consumer functional identity (e.g., functional feeding groups of fishes) on prairie stream structure and function, using experimental stream mesocosms and field enclosures in Kings Creek.

• Bertrand, Katie N. , Keith B. Gido, Walter K. Dodds, Justin N. Murdock, and Matt R. Whiles. In press. Disturbance frequency and assemblage functional composition mediate ecosystem processes in prairie streams. Oikos DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2008.16849.x.
• Bertrand, Katie N. and Keith B. Gido. 2007. Effects of the herbivorous minnow, southern redbelly dace (Phoxinus erythrogaster), on stream productivity and ecosystem structure. Oecologia 151: 69 – 81.
• Bertrand, Katie N. , Keith B. Gido, and Christopher S. Guy. 2006. An evaluation of single-pass versus multiple-pass backpack electrofishing to estimate trends in species abundance and richness in prairie streams. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 109 (3-4): 131 – 138.

WWW site (if applicable): http://wfs.sdstate.edu/wfsdept/faculty/kbertrand.htm

Contact information:
Katie N. Bertrand
Assistant Professor
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences
College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences
South Dakota State University
Box 2140B, SNP 142A
Brookings, SD 57007

office: 605-688-4777
fax: 605-688-4515
katie.bertrand@sdstate.edu

Any thing you would like to share with others: Konza is a unique place, where you can lose yourself (even in the middle of an exhausting day of field work) imagining that you are surrounded by the same landscape that persisted for hundreds of years in the Great Plains…and then the heavy artillery echoes from Fort Riley and you get back to reality: try to get your samples from N4D before the bison (that are also hot and irritable, like yourself) surround you.

Current Position : Director, Marine Science Station, University of Jordan, Aqaba-Jordan, basically running the daily business of the marine science station , in addition I'm an associate professor at the Department of Biology, University of Jordan, Amman-Jordan. Also I worked as the chairman of the Department of Biology, University of Jordan, Amman-Jordan. For 2 years

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area): 1994 till 1999 where I did my masters and PhD in plant ecology.
Your major advisor: Dr. David Hartnett

Degree earned and institution: Masters and PhD in plant ecology from Kansas State University

Brief description of your research project including up to three : My major research interest is the effects of herbivory on vegetation, mainly at the population level. My doctorate research focused on the regrowth dynamics and population abundances of some selected tallgrass prairie plant species (forbs and grasses) in response to bison grazing. Two major publications are:

Publications that resulted from your time at KPBS:

• Damhoureyeh, S.A. and D.C. Hartnett. 2002. Variation in grazing tolerance among three tallgrass prairie plant species. Amer. J. Botany, 89(10): 1634-1643.
• Damhoureyeh, S. A. and D. C. Hartnett. 1997. Effects of bison and cattle on growth, reproduction and abundance of five tallgrass prairie forbs. Amer. J. Botany, 84(12): 1719-1728.

WWW site: www.ju.edu.jo

Contact information:
Said A. Damhoureyeh, Ph.D.
Division of Biological Sciences
Faculty of Science, University of Jordan
Amman 11942 Jordan
E-mail: saidd@ju.edu.jo
Tel (office): +962-6-535-5000 ext. 22222/ 22213
Tel (home): +962-6-560-2259
Mobile: +962-7-77498849
Fax (office): +962-6-534-8932

I miss a lot Konza as a whole; miss the code orange sheet, the evening burns, the bison round up and on top of all the people.

Current Position: Professor, Department of Biology, Utah State University

Time frame you were at KPBS: 1981-1987 (as an LTER postdoctoral research associate and assistant scientist)

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS:
LTER studies of plant-insect interactions (including grasshopper community dynamics)

• Evans, E.W. 1983. The influence of neighboring hosts on colonization of prairie milkweeds by a seed‑feeding bug. Ecology 64: 648‑653
• Evans, E.W. 1984. Fire as a natural disturbance to grasshopper assemblages of tallgrass prairie. Oikos 43: 9‑16
• Evans, E.W., C.C. Smith, and R.P. Gendron. 1989. Timing of reproduction in a prairie legume: seasonal impacts of insects consuming flowers and seeds. Oecologia 78: 220-230

Contact information:
Edward W. Evans, Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5305; ewevans@biology.usu.edu

Most memorable experiences: Working with great people!

Current Position: Research Ecologist, USDA ARS, Temple, TX Research Duties: impacts of global change on grassland ecosystems

Time frame you were at KPBS: 1987 - 2003; collaborations continue

Your major advisor: David Hartnett

Degree earned and institution: PhD, KSU

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS:

• Rainfall Manipulation Plot Experiment (effects of altered precip patterns and warming on grassland)
  Rainfall Mesocosm Project (effects of altered precip patterns on grassland)
• Fay PA, Carlisle JD, Knapp AK, Blair JM, Collins SL (2000) Altering rainfall timing and quantity in a mesic grassland ecosystem: Design and performance of rainfall manipulation shelters. Ecosystems 3:308-319
• Fay PA, Carlisle JD, Knapp AK, Blair JM, Collins SL (2003) Productivity responses to altered rainfall patterns in a C4-dominated grassland. Oecologia 137:245-251
• Fay PA, Kaufman DM, Nippert JB, Carlisle JD, Harper CW (2008) Changes in grassland ecosystem function due to extreme rainfall events: implications for responses to climate change. Glob. Change Biol. 14:1600-1608

Contact information:
Philip A. Fay
Research Ecologist
USDA-ARS Grassland Soil and Water Lab
808 E Blackland Rd
Temple, TX 76502
254 770 6533
philip.fay@ars.usda.gov

Current Position: Chair and Professor of the Department of Biological Sciences at Fort Hays State University

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area): 1977 -1989

Your major advisor and degree earned and institution: Dr. John L. Zimmerman, PhD, 1983, KSU; Drs. Ted Barkley, Don Kaufman, Bob Robel, and John Zimmerman. Post-doc 1981 -1989,

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS: For my PhD I study female choice in the dickcissel (Spiza americana). For my post-doc I studied the effects of burning on small mammals and birds for LTER. I was instrumental in establishing the first bison (Bison bison) herd at Konza Prairie. I was Associate Director under Dr. Barkley. My wife, LaVonne, is the person who suggested the Code Orange system. See the list of publications for my contributions.

WWW site: http://www.fhsu.edu/biology/finck.shtml

Contact information: efinck@fhsu.edu, 785-628-4214

Anything you would like to share with others; I have very fond memories of Konza Prairie beginning with the early burning with relatively no equipment under the direction of Dr. Hulbert. I remember how calm he was when things seemed to go very wrong. It helped me when I was in charge of burning on the Emporia State University Natural Areas. I remember the lonely winter bird counts and the beauty of the calm. The camaraderie of the people is something I always will cherish. The beauty of the site is another thing that will be implanted in my brain forever.

Current Position: Research Ecologist, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Cincinnati, OH. Currently my main duty is as a principal investigator heading up research projects that provide scientific information for policy and decision makers. Areas of my current research include headwater stream protection, assessing the effects mountaintop mining and valley fill coal mining on Central Appalachian stream ecosystems, and predicting ecosystem services and benefits provided by alternative future landscapes in the Midwest.

Time frame you were at KPBS:1995-1997

Your major advisor: Walter Dodds

Degree earned and institution: MS KSU, Biological Sciences (then went onto get a doctorate in Biological Sciences at Auburn University)

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS:
My masters thesis described field studies that measured the effects of natural disturbances (bison, drying and flood) on stream invertebrates and fish assemblages in streams of the Kings Creek drainage. I was interested in quantifying assemblage resistance and resilience from disturbances that varied in magnitude, frequency, and predictability.

• Fritz, K.M., W.K. Dodds, and J. Pontius. 1999. The effects of bison crossings on the macro invertebrate community in a tallgrass prairie stream. American Midland Naturalist 141:253-265
• Dodds, W.K., K. Gido, M.R. Whiles, K.M. Fritz, and W.J. Matthews. 2004. Life on the edge: the ecology of Great Plains prairie streams. BioScience 54:205-216.
• Fritz, K.M. and W.K. Dodds. 2005. Harshness: characterizations of intermittent stream habitat over time and space. Marine and Freshwater Research 56:13-23.

WWW site (if applicable): http://www.epa.gov/eerd/

Contact information: 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Mailstop 642, Cincinnati, OH 45268 fritz.ken@epa.gov, 513.569.7092

Any thing you would like to share with others; most memorable experience at KPBS: I really enjoyed my time at KPRNA (now KPBS), this was where I really first learned how to do ecological field research (from the KSU faculty and the senior graduate students alike). I liked that there was a wide variety of individual studies being conducted, but there was also a group-oriented mission to maintain a larger, all encompassing study where we could all make a contribution. One of my most memorable experiences was when I gave my dad a tour of Konza. I was excited to show him a beautiful and rare ecosystem with charismatic bison grazing in the distance. When we stopped to admire the view from the road overlooking N1B, my dad said “Man, this would make a great golf course.” Ouch. Another memorable moment was when a group of us were hiking into N1B to survey fish and we unwittingly got in between a bison cow and calf. Fortuitously there was a nearby enclosure pen that afforded us protection from the rather irate cow.

Current Position: Post Doc on the Savanna convergence experiment

Time frame you were at KPBS: 2005 – 2008

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS: Examining convergent or divergent effects of fire and grazing on community organization in African and North American grasslands

Contact information:
Dr Richard Fynn
Grassland Science
School of Biological and Conservation Sciences
University of KwaZulu-Natal (Pietermaritzburg)
Private Bag X01
Scottsville 3209
South Africa
Tel 27 33 2605505
Fax 27 33 2605708
e-mail fynn@ukzn.ac.za

Good points: Prairies are beautiful and love working with the bison.

Current Position: Professor of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL

Time frame you were at KPBS: LTER Post-doc 1986-1988
Your major advisor: n/a
Degree earned and institution: n/a

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS:
* I was primarily responsible for a number of plant vegetation data sets including species composition, ANPP, and mapping woody vegetation.

• Gibson, D.J. & Hulbert, L.C. 1987. Effects of fire, topography and year-to-year climatic variation on species composition in tallgrass prairie. Vegetatio, 72:175-185.
• Gibson, D.J., Seastedt, T.R., & Briggs, J.M. 1993. Management practices in tallgrass prairie: large- and small-scale experimental effects on species composition. Journal of Applied Ecology, 30: 247-255.
• Gustafson, D.J., Gibson, D.J., & Nickrent, D.L. 2004. Competitive relationships of Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem) from remnant and restored native populations and select cultivated varieties. Functional Ecology, 18: 451-457.

WWW site (if applicable): http://www.plantbiology.siu.edu/faculty/gibson/

Contact information: David Gibson, Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901-6509. Email: dgibson@plant.siu.edu. Tel: 618-453-3231.

Any thing you would like to share with others; most memorable experience at KPBS
1) The release of the bison herd on Konza, 2) seeing a fire tornado develop when we were burning 001C, and 3) I’ll never forget the all-night drive to the Ohio State ESA meeting.

Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia

Time frame at KPBS: May 1996-December 1998

Degree earned: 1998 BSc in Wildlife Biology, Kansas State University
2002 MSc in Wildlife Science, Purdue University
2006 PhD in Biology, University of New Mexico

Research Projects:

1. Assisted graduate students in Don and Glennis Kaufmans’ group with small mammal sampling.
2. Worked with Diane Post on sexual segregation and forage selection of bison.
3. Worked with John Cavitt on nest predation of grassland songbirds.
4. Worked with REU student of Loretta Johnson’s on redistribution of soil nutrients by bison.

Website: http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~goheen/

Contact information:
Jake Goheen
Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z4
Phone: 604-822-4549
goheen@zoology.ubc.ca

Any thing you would like to share with others:I benefited immensely from working with the scientists listed above, and work with Don, Glennis, and their graduate students (Brock MacMillan, Ray Matlack, Ryan Rehmeier) probably was the formative experience that led me to ecology as a profession.

Current Position: Post-doctoral Research Scientist (University of Wyoming)
I am currently working as a post-doctoral research scientist with the USDA’s Prairie Heating and CO2 Experiment (PHACE) in Cheyenne, Wyoming. This experiment focuses on the independent and interactive effects of elevated CO2 and warming on the northern mixed grass prairie ecosystem. My research is focused on carbon flux measurements and soil water dynamics as they relate to plant processes.

Major Advisor: MS – John Briggs; PhD – Alan Knapp

Degree Earned and Institution: MS – Arizona State University (Plant Biology); PhD – Colorado State University (Ecology)

Brief Description of Research & Pubs
I conducted research for both my masters and doctoral degrees at the Konza Prairie Biological Station. The research for my master’s degree focused on patterns and mechanisms of shrub expansion/encroachment in the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. For my PhD research, I evaluated the effects of more extreme rainfall events in grasslands within the Great Plains of North America. This research was a multi-site experiment in which I compared the sensitivity of semi-arid steppe, mixed grass prairie, and mesic tallgrass prairie ecosystems to a forecast climate change (a shift to larger, but less frequent, rainfall events).

• Heisler, J.L. and A.K. Knapp. 2008. Coherence of aboveground net primary productivity in mesic grasslands. Ecography 31:408-416.
• Heisler, J. L., J. M. Briggs, A. K. Knapp, J. M. Blair, and A. Seery. 2004. Direct and indirect effects of fire on shrub density and aboveground productivity in a mesic grassland. Ecology 85(8): 2245-2257.
• Heisler, J. L., J. M. Briggs and A.K. Knapp. 2003. Long-term patterns of shrub expansion in a
  C4-dominated grassland: fire frequency and the dynamics of shrub cover and abundance. American Journal of Botany 90(4): 423-428.

WWW Site: None yet…stay tuned!

Contact Information:
Dr. Jana Heisler White
Post-doctoral Research Scientist
Department of Renewable Resources
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming 82071
307-766-5444
jheisler@uwyo.edu

Current Position: Professor of Biology and Geography & Senior Research Scientist in the Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence (GIScCE) at South Dakota State University. Also Coordinator of the Geospatial Science & Engineering Ph.D. program. Much of my current research focuses on the investigation of phenology and its role in integrating biogeophysical responses across scales.

Time frame you were at KPBS: 6/1989-6/1996

Your major advisor: Tim Seastedt, then Alan Knapp

Degree earned and institution: NA

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS: How modeling and analysis of time series of remote sensing data enable to investigation of ecological patterns and processes.

• (1) Henebry, G.M. 1993. Detecting change in grasslands using measures of spatial dependence with Landsat TM data. Remote Sensing of Environment 46:223-234.
• (2) Henebry, G.M. 1995. Spatial model error analysis using autocorrelation indices. Ecological Modelling 82:75-91.
• (3) Goodin, D.G., and G.M. Henebry. 1997. Monitoring ecological disturbance in tallgrass prairie using seasonal NDVI trajectories and a discriminant function mixture model. Remote Sensing of Environment , 61:270-278.

WWW site: http://globalmonitoring.sdstate.edu; http://globalmonitoring.sdstate.edu/LTER-phenology

Contact information:
Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence (GIScCE)
1021 Medary Ave., Wecota Hall 506B
Brookings, SD 57007-3510, USA
voice: 1-605-688-5351 (-5227 FAX)
email: Geoffrey.Henebry@sdstate.edu

MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE? the process of writing the LTER III renewal.

WHAT I MISS: Spring burns; the autumnal coloring of the big bluestem.

WHAT I DON’T MISS: Chiggers.

Current Position: PhD Student at Virginia Tech

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area): Summers 2004, 2005

Your major advisor: Dr. Brett Sandercock

Degree earned and institution: B.S. Biology, Cornell University

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS: Brown-headed Cowbird brood parasitism in Dickcissels. Publication in print: Sandercock, B.K., E.L. Hewett, and K.L. Kosciuch. 2008. Effects of experimental cowbird removals on brood parasitism and nest predation of a grassland songbird. Auk 125:820-830.

WWW site: http://www.biol.vt.edu/faculty/walters/Erin/index.html

Contact information: elhewett@vt.edu

Current Position: Associate Professor of Natural Resource Ecology and Management. 75% Teaching (rangeland ecology and management, ecology of invasive species), 25% Research

Your major advisor: David Hartnett

Degree earned and institution: Ph.D. 1996 K-State Biology

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS:

• Hickman, K.R. and D.C. Hartnett. 2002. Effects of grazing intensity on growth, reproduction, and abundance of three palatable forbs in Kansas Tallgrass Prairie. Plant Ecology. Vol. 159:23-33.
• Hartnett, D.C., A. Steuter and K.R. Hickman. 1997. Comparative ecology of native and introduced ungulates. IN: Ecology and Conservation of Great Plains Vertebrates. Springer-Verlag.
• Hartnett, D.C. , K.R. Hickman, L.E. Fischer Walter. 1996. Effects of bison grazing, fire, and topography on floristic diversity in tallgrass prairie. Journal of Range Management. Vol. 49:413-420.

WWW site: http://nrem.okstate.edu/faculty/hickman.html

Contact information:
Karen R. Hickman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Dept. of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
008C Ag Hall
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078
405-744-9579
Karen.hickman@okstate.edu

Current Position: Post-doctoral Researcher. I am currently working on a project for the USGS to examine the long-term responses of grassland plant communities to climate, fire, grazing, and nutrient addition using datasets from sites in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Kansas.

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area): 1998-2000, 2003-2007

Your major advisor: Ph.D. advisor: Tony Joern; M.S. advisors: Matt Whiles and Ralph Charlton

Degree earned and institution: Ph.D. Biology, KSU (2007), M.S. Entomology, KSU (2000)

Brief description of your research project including up to three (your top three!) publications that resulted from your time at KPBS:

• 2008. Host plant quality alters grass:forb consumption by a mixed-feeding insect herbivore, Melanoplus bivittatus (Orthoptera: Acrididae). Ecological Entomology 33:546-554.
• Jonas, J.L., A. Joern. 2007. Grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae) communities respond to fire, bison grazing and weather in North American tallgrass prairie: A long-term study. Oecologia 153(3):699-711.
• Jonas, J.L., G.W.T. Wilson, P.M. White, A. Joern. 2007. Consumption of mycorrhizal and saprophytic fungi by Collembola in grassland soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 39(10):2594-2602.

Contact information: jaynejonas@hotmail.com

Any thing you would like to share with others: Konza is a special place and will always hold a special place in my heart.

Current Position: Biologist, Tetra Tech EC. I design studies and manage projects that evaluate the potential impacts of renewable energy projects on plants and wildlife.

Time frame you were at KPBS: 2002-2006

Your major advisor: Brett Sandercock

Degree earned and institution: Ph.D., Kansas State University

Brief description of your research project including up to three (your top three!) publications that resulted from your time at KPBS:

My multifaceted research project examined the response of Bell's Vireos to cowbird parasitism, the effects of cowbird removal on Bell's vireo demography, and the stable isotope signatures of cowbird and host features to determine if parasitic cowbird offspring could be assigned to hosts.

• Kosciuch, K. L., J. W. Rivers, and B. K. Sandercock. 2008. Stable isotopes identify the natal origins of a brood parasite. Journal of Avian Biology 39:364-367
• Kosciuch, K. L. and B. K. Sandercock. 2008. Experimental removal of Brown-headed Cowbirds increases productivity of the parasite and their songbird host. Ecological Applications 18: 537-548.
• Kosciuch, K. L., T. H. Parker, and B. K. Sandercock. 2006. Nest desertion by a cowbird host: anti-parasite behavior or a response to egg loss? Behavioral Ecology 17:917-924.

Contact information: karl.kosciuch@tetratech.com

Current Position: Graduate Student, Department of Biology, CSU

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area): spring 2008-present

Your major advisor: Alan K. Knapp

Degree earned and institution: working towards Masters

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS:
I am comparing core and edge populations of Bouteloua gracilis and Andropogon gerardii, dominant species of the shortgrass and tallgrass prairies, respectively. Representative populations of these species have been placed in common gardens at Konza (KS) and the Shortgrass Steppe (CO), and differences in population responses to both ambient conditions and predicted climate extremes will be assessed.

Contact information: amalease@lamar.colostate.edu

Current position: Water Resources Specialist with the Arizona Department of Water Resources (I work with turf-related facilities like golf courses and parks to assign them a water conservation allotment based on their size and type of landscaping. I also work on permitting cities and companies to allow them to “recharge” water into the aquifer for storage and/or later use.)

Time frame you were at KPBS: August 2002-July 2005

Your major advisor: Dr. Walter Dodds

Degree earned and institution: M.S., KSU

Brief description of your research project and resulting publications: I used oxygen microelectrodes to measure small-scale dissolved oxygen dynamics in pristine (KPBS), agricultural and urban streams. Thesis title: Hyporheic oxygen flux and substratum spatial heterogeneity: effects on whole-stream dynamics.

• Wilson KC, Dodds WK (2008) Centimeter-scale stream substratum heterogeneity and metabolic rates. Hydrobiologia (in press). DOI 10.1007/s10750-008-9647-y

Contact information: Arizona Department of Water Resources, 3550 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85012

Any thing you would like to share with others: I miss the excellent group of people I worked with at KSU and Konza and the thunderstorms. I don’t miss the chiggers!

Current Position: Assistant Professor in Department of Biology & Natural Resources, Principia College, Elsah Illinois. Main duties: teaching (botany, scientific writing, grassland ecology, genetics)

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area):
1994-1997

Your major advisor: Alan Knapp

Degree earned and institution Master's in Biology
(KSU)

Brief description of your research project including up to three: My thesis focused on the relationship between photosynthetic rates and success in tallgrass prairie plant species ("success" defined as percent cover).

• Maragni, LA, AK Knapp and CA McAllister. 2000. Patterns and determinants of potential carbon gain in the C3 evergreen Yucca glauca (Liliaceae) in a C4 grassland. Am.J.Bot. 87: 230-236
• Knapp, AK, N Bargmann, LA Maragni, and CA McAllister. 1999. Elevated CO2 and leaf longevity in the C4 grassland-dominant Andropogon gerardii. Int.J.Plant Sci. 160: 1057-1061
• McAllister, CA, AK Knapp, and LA Maragni. 1998. Is leaf-level photosynthesis related to plant success in a highly productive grassland? Oecologia 117: 40-46.
• Hamerlynck, EP, CA McAllister, AK Knapp, JM Ham, and CE Owensby. 1997. Photosynthetic gas exchange and water relation responses of three tallgrass prairie species to elevated carbon dioxide and moderate drought. Int.J.Plant Sci. 158: 608-616.

Contact information: Chrissy.mcallister@princpia.edu; 618-374-5273; 1 Maybeck Place, Principia College, Elsah, IL 62028

Any thing you would like to share with others; most memorable experience at KPBS: I DON'T miss the heat, humidity, and humongous cicadas of Konza. But I do miss the wide open spaces and the beauty of it in all different seasons. I teach a course in grassland ecology now, and I bring my students back for field trips. We stay in the bunkhouse and meet with graduate students and researchers. Although the students are not initially thrilled about driving 6 hours from Illinois to Kansas for a field trip, they come home raving about the prairie, the research, etc. It's become a favorite field trip in our department!

Current Position: AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow (host: USDA Forest Service)
I provide rapid synthesis and decision support on a broad range of current and emerging issues, mainly centered on climate change, affecting national interests in public and private forests and grasslands.

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area): I was a doctoral student at KSU and worked at KPBS from 2002-2006.

Your major advisor: John M. Blair

Degree earned and institution: Ph.D.; KSU

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS:I developed a research program that addressed the biogeochemical consequences of forest expansion in the Great Plains, an unintended result of land-use change. Specifically, I studied the feedbacks between soil nutrient cycling and the accrual and storage of carbon in newly established forests.

• McKinley, D.C. and J.M. Blair. 2008. Woody plant encroachment by Juniperus virginiana in a mesic native grassland promotes rapid carbon and nitrogen accrual. Ecosystems 11:454-468.
• McKinley, D.C., C.W. Rice and J.M. Blair. 2008. Conversion of grassland to coniferous woodland has limited effects on soil nitrogen cycle processes. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 40:2627-2633.
• McKinley, D.C., M.D. Norris, L.C. Johnson, and J.M. Blair. 2008. Biogeochemical changes associated with Juniperus virginiana encroachment into grasslands. Pages170-187 In Ecological Studies Series 196 -Western North American Juniperus Communities: A Dynamic Vegetation Type (O.W. Van Auken ed.), Springer-Verlag, NY.

Contact information:
USDA Forest Service
1400 Independence Ave, SW
Washington DC, 20250
Duncanmckinley@fs.fed.us
Office:202-205-9968

The one thing that I miss most about KPBS is having WIDE OPEN SPACES!

Current Position: Senior Ecologist / Project Manager for E2M Inc. Technical / project lead working with military, National Park Service, USDA/USFS, and other government agencies, on various topics from vegetation mapping, fire management, invasive species management, and T&E species, to other general environmental management issues.

Time frame you were at KPBS: From 1997 through 2006

Your major advisor: Alan Knapp

Degree earned and institution (if applicable): PhD and two post-docs - KSU

Brief description of your research project: Studied the ecology and ecophysiology of encroaching shrub in grasslands under various stressors (fire, grazing and fungal pathogens (post-doc)).

• McCarron, J. K. and A. K. Knapp. 2003. C3 woody plant invasion of a C4 grassland: positive post-fire responses in resource and shoot growth. American Journal of Botany. 90 (10): 1496-1501
• McCarron, J. K., A. K. Knapp, and J. M. Blair. 2003. Soil C and N responses to woody plant expansion in a mesic grassland. Plant and Soil. 257: 183-192
• McCarron, J. K. and A. K. Knapp. 2001. C3 woody plant invasion of a C4 grassland: are grasses and shrubs functionally distinct? American Journal of Botany 88(10): 1818-1823.

Contact information:
Home:
10130 Highland Meadow Circle Apt. 204
Parker, CO 80134
jkmccarron@yahoo.com
Per Cell: 719-588-8416

Work:
E2M (engineering-environmental Management), Inc.
9563 S. Kingston Court, Suite 200
Englewood, CO 80112
Ken.mccarron@e2m.net
Phone: 303.754.4200, ext. 290
Cell: 720-345-4076
Fax: 303.721.9202

Anything you would like to share with others; most memorable experience at KPBS: My most memorable experience at KPBS: Has to be the people! Although, my favorite memories, are the long days working in the field under every possible condition (both good and bad). I now spend way too much time writing proposals / contracts and sending others people into the field to do all the cool stuff I use to do. The thing I hated the most was pre-dawn water potential measurements and running around like mad in the heavy cold dew and dark to get the measurements done before the sunrise. However, it was always followed by one of my favorite activities; sitting on the hood of the blue-door jeep and watching the sunrise over the Konza hills.

Current Position: Assistant Professor of Grassland Agroecosystem Ecology (85%/15% research vs. teaching) at the University of Kentucky

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area): 1999-2001

Your major advisor: at Colorado State – Ingrid Burke, Bill Lauenroth, Gene Kelly; at KSU – Alan Knapp

Degree earned and institution: PhD in Ecology from Colorado State University

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS: I quantified the biogeochemical differences and responses to interannual rainfall variability across three Great Plains grassland communities: shortgrass steppe, southern mixed grass prairie, and tallgrass prairie.

• McCulley, R. L. and I. C. Burke. 2004. Microbial community composition across the Great Plains: Landscape versus regional variability. Soil Science Society of America Journal 68: 106-115.
• McCulley, R. L., I. C. Burke, J. A. Nelson, W.K. Lauenroth, A.K. Knapp, and E.F. Kelly. 2005. Regional patterns in carbon cycling across the Great Plains of North America. Ecosystems 8: 106-121.
• McCulley, R.L., I.C. Burke, and W.K. Lauenroth. In Press. Conservation of nitrogen increases with precipitation across a major grassland gradient in the central Great Plains of North America. Oecologia.

WWW site: http://rebecca.mcculley.googlepages.com/

Contact information:
Dr. Rebecca McCulley
N-222D Ag Sci North
Dept. of Plant & Soil Science
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40546-0091
Phone: (859) 257-6388
Fax: (859) 323-1952
Email: rebecca.mcculley@uky.edu
Website: http://rebecca.mcculley.googlepages.com/

Most memorable experience: Unintentionally, letting a bison out of the enclosure into an ‘ungrazed’ watershed and watching with horror as she eagerly devoured grass left and right. I tried to round her up, by myself – which didn’t work of course. I gave up when the animal starting pawing the ground and huffing at me, and I realized I couldn’t both herd and open the gate. I had to recruit professional help (during a Saturday KSU home football game). They were nice, brought the feed truck, and my surly animal followed it without hesitation right back into her enclosure. Like everyone else who has worked at Konza, I do not miss the ticks and chiggers (maybe because I still get plenty of them - just at other places).

Current Position: Assistant Professor

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area): 2004-2008

Your major advisor: Carolyn Ferguson

Degree earned and institution: Ph.D.

WWW site: http://www4-auth.sdstate.edu/biomicro/people/faculty/madhav-nepal/index.cfm

Contact information: Madhav.Nepal@sdstate.edu

Current Position: Post-doctoral Research Associate

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area): 2002-07 (summers)

Your major advisor: Dr. Stephen I. Rothstein, (UCSB)

Degree earned and institution: Ph.D. (Dept. Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, UCSB)

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS:
The Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) is the most generalist brood parasite in the world, having been raised by 140 host species. At Konza Prairie, cowbirds parasitize at least 24 host species that vary markedly in their body size relative to the cowbird, and the different competitive environments in which cowbirds are raised have important implications for cowbird survival. The first part of my research program on cowbirds at Konza Prairie has focused on how host size influenced cowbird begging behavior and the amount of food it receives from hosts of distinctly different sizes. Work related to this topic also focused on understanding the extent to which cowbirds make begging errors and how those errors are influenced by nestmate size and short-term need, as well as how cowbird nestlings influence the behavior of provisioning adults and host nestlings. With the second part of my research, I have investigated whether the cowbird’s begging behavior was more intense than a closely-related nonparasitic relative, the Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) when raised in two distinctly different host nest environments and whether begging behavior is constrained by high relatedness between cowbird nestmates on Konza Prairie. Finally, I have examined the community-level host use of cowbirds across the study site and investigated how stable isotope analysis can be used as a technique to assign fledgling cowbirds to individual host species and/or habitats.

• 2007 Rivers, J. W. Nestmate size, but not short-term need, influences the begging behavior of a generalist brood parasite. Behavioral Ecology 18:222-230.
• 2008 Kosciuch, K. L., J. W. Rivers, and B. K. Sandercock. Stable isotopes identify the natal origins of a generalist brood parasite, the Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater. Journal of Avian Biology 39:364-367.
• In revision Rivers, J. W., W. E. Jensen, K. L. Kosciuch, and S. I. Rothstein. Community-level patterns of host use by the Brown-headed Cowbird, a general brood parasite. Auk.

WWW site: www.lifesci.ucsb.edu/~rivers

Contact information:
Jim Rivers
Dept. Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology University of
California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9610
Office: +1 805 893-2532
Fax: +1 805 893-4724

Current Position: Schmitt Presidential Research Fellow, Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556. I am currently working on a project studying the nutrient cycling dynamics of large rivers. There has been minimal research on large river nutrient cycling and large rivers were previously thought to function as pipes, exporting a large amount of nutrient and having minimal nutrient retention. Recent data have shown that this may not be the case, and I am working with a large, inter-University research team studying the uptake kinetics of large rivers from a multitude of ecosystems across the United States.

Time frame at KPBS:August 2008 - July 2010.

Major Advisor: Walter Dodds

Degree: MS from Div. of Biology, Kansas State University

Brief description of research project: I studied various factors impacting denitrification in pristine headwater prairie streams. I used the experimental stream complex to study the degree of impact native fish have on benthic denitrification, and I also studied the effects of woody encroachment in the riparian area on riparian soil and benthic denitrification rates. Pubs:

• Reisinger, A.J., D.L. Presuma, K.B. Gido, and W.K. Dodds. Submitted. Influence of a macroconsumer (Campostoma anomalum) and NH4+ additions on structural and functional recovery of stream mesocosms following a flood. Submitted to J. N. Am. Benth. Soc. in July 2010.
• Reisinger, A.J., J.M. Blair, C. W. Rice, and W.K. Dodds. In prep. Encroaching riparian woody vegetation and its subsequent removal from prairie streams; influence on denitrification associated with riparian soils and stream bottoms. To be submitted to Ecol. Appl. by Sept 2010.

Website: N/A (yet, will send this info along if/when I get a personal page here at ND)

Contact info: email: areisin1@nd.edu

Experiences: My most memorable experience at KPBS was when I was helping with a controlled burn of K2A that, when the wind shifted, quickly turned into an uncontrolled burn. This was a very difficult burn, but provided me with a new-found respect of how quickly fires can get out of hand. I really miss the close proximity of KPBS to KSU (my current research sites are ~24 hrs drive away from my home university, as well as the congenial atmosphere at Kansas State between not only aquatic researchers, but ecologists in general.

Current Position: Associate Professor, Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area): 1993-1998

Your major advisor: David C. Hartnett

Degree earned and institution: PhD, Kansas State University

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS:
Assessing the effects of fire and pocket gopher generated soil disturbances on resource distribution, plant demography and productivity, and plant community dynamics across multiple spatial and temporal scales.

• Rogers, William E., & David Hartnett (2001) Temporal vegetation dynamics and recolonization mechanisms on different-sized disturbances in tallgrass prairie. American Journal of Botany 88:1634-1642.
• Rogers, William E., & David C. Hartnett (2001) Vegetation responses to different spatial patterns of soil disturbance in burned and unburned tallgrass prairie. Plant Ecology 155:99-109.
• Rogers, William E., David C. Hartnett & Bradley Elder (2001) Effects of plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) disturbances on tallgrass-prairie plant community structure. American Midland Naturalist 145:344-357.

WWW site: http://rangeland.tamu.edu/people/wer/

Contact information:
William E. Rogers
Associate Professor
Texas A&M University
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
2138 TAMU
College Station, Texas 77843-2138

Current Position: Lab manager for Dr. John Drake, Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia (website: http://dragonfly.ecology.uga.edu/drakelab/)

Time frame at Konza: 1997-2000

Major Advisor: Alan Knapp

Degree: M.S. Biology, Kansas State

Brief description of research project: Thesis title - "Comparative ecology of the grassland C4 dominants Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans."

Publications (my three) -

• Silletti, A. M. and A. K. Knapp. 2004. Competition and coexistence in grassland co-dominants: responses to neighbor removal and resource availability. Canadian Journal of Botany 82:450-460.
• Silletti, A. M. and A. K. Knapp. 2002. Assessing the ecological equivalence of the grassland dominants Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans. Plant Ecology 163: 15-22.
• Silletti, A. M. and A. K. Knapp. 2001. Responses of the codominant grassland species Andropogon gerardii andSorghastrum nutans to long-term manipulations of nitrogen and water. American Midland Naturalist 145:159-167.

Current Position: Aquatic Ecologist @ the Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT
Involved in the Management and Research of Aquatic Native Species in Montana, focusing on those species of special conservation concern.

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area): 5/1998-5/2000

Your major advisor: Dr. Matt Whiles & Ralph Charlton

Degree earned and institution: MS Entomology, KSU

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS: Aquatic Insect Production & Bioenergetics. Using King’s Creek as a reference stream for a biomonitoring study of small priairie streams.

• Stagliano, D.M., and M.R. Whiles. 2008. Life history and production of the riffle beetle, Stenelmis crenata (Say, 1824) (Coleoptera: Elmidae), in a tallgrass
  prairie stream. Aquatic Insects 30(3):197 – 204.
• Stagliano, D.M., and M.R. Whiles. 2002. Macroinvertebrate production and trophic structure in a tallgrass prairie headwater stream. Journal of N. American Benthological Society 21(1): 97-113.
• Stagliano, D.M., 2001. Fish and macroinvertebrate communities of headwater prairie streams: bioindicators, bioenergetics and production. M.S. Thesis, Kansas State University. 140 pages.

WWW site: www.mtnhp.org

Contact information:
David Stagliano
Montana Natural Heritage Program
Aquatic Ecologist
1515 E. 6th Avenue
Helena, MT 59620-1800
email: dstagliano@mt.gov
website: www.mtnhp.org
phone: 406-444-7329

Any thing you would like to share with others; most memorable experience at KPBS: Camaraderie of working on a shared research area Bison round-up, bison chewing up my flagging tape in N4D. Seeing the abundant wildlife first thing on a frosty morning while driving to the study sites. Don’t miss the ticks and humidity.

Current Position: Asst Prof, New Mexico State University, Dept of Biology

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area): June-Aug 1995

Your major advisor: Phil Fay

Degree earned and institution: BA, Carleton College (during REU days) PhD, State University of New York at Stony Brook (after my REU)

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS: I conducted a project assessing the influences of browsing by white-tailed deer, galling by a lepidopteran stem galler, and fire on stem growth, branching patterns, and reproduction of New Jersey Tea.

• Throop, H.L. and P.A. Fay. 1999. Effects of fire, browsers, and gallers on New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus herbaceous) growth and reproduction. American Midland Naturalist 141:51-58.
• Fay, P.A. and H.L. Throop. 2005. Branching in Silphium integrifolium (Asteraceae) with meristem damage and competition. American Journal of Botany 92:954-959.

WWW site: http://biology-web.nmsu.edu/throop/

Contact information:
Heather Throop
Assistant Professor
Biology Department
New Mexico State University
MSC 3AF
Las Cruces, NM 88003
575-646-5970 **note new area code**
throop@nmsu.edu

My experience as an REU at Konza is probably the single-most important reason that I'm an ecologist today. It was a fantastic experience, made me think about a career in ecology, and gave me research experiences that positioned me to apply to graduate school.

Current Position: Professor of Zoology at Southern Illinois University. I am directing a freshwater ecology graduate research program and teaching related courses

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area): Undergraduate worker: 1985-1988, Soft money faculty at KSU: 1997-2000, LTER subcontract researcher: 2001-present

Your major advisor: BS in Biology from KSU in 1988

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS: My projects at KPBS focus on the roles of consumers in ecosystem function and the influence of natural disturbance regimes. Most of my investigations at KPBS have been in prairie streams, but I have also worked with tallgrass prairie insects, particularly grasshoppers and cicadas.

• Whiles, M. R., and R. E. Charlton. 2006. The ecological significance of tallgrass prairie arthropods. Annual Review of Entomology 51: 387-412.
• Dodds, W. K., K. Gido, M. R. Whiles, K. M. Fritz, and W. J. Matthews. 2004. Life on the Edge: Ecology of Prairie Streams. Bioscience 54: 205-216.
• Stagliano, D. M., and M. R. Whiles. 2002. Macro invertebrate production and trophic structure in a tallgrass prairie headwater stream. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 21: 97-113.

WWW site:
http://www.zoology.siu.edu/whiles/index.html
http://www.zoology.siu.edu/people/whiles.html

Contact information:
Matt Whiles
Professor of Zoology
Department of Zoology and Center for Ecology
Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, IL 62901-6501
office: 618 453-7639
lab: 618 453-4645
email: mwhiles@zoology.siu.edu

I lived on KPBS in the old Hokansen place, which was eventually demolished in the early 90s, from 1986-1988 – a very memorable experience.

Current Position: Ph.D. Candidate, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Group. I plan to graduate by August 2011.

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area): 2003-2005

Your major advisor: Eva Horne

Degree earned and institution: Master of Science

Brief description of your research project including up to three (your top three!) publications that resulted from your time at KPBS: I investigated the community and some population-level responses of reptiles and amphibians to various burn regimes on Konza Prairie.

• Wilgers, D. J., and E. A. Horne. 2009. Differential responses to chemical stimuli in conspecific fecal pellets by an iguanid lizard Crotaphytus collaris. Journal of Ethology 27:157-163.
• Wilgers, D. J., and E. A. Horne. 2007. Spatial variation in predation attempts on artificial snakes in a fire-disturbed tallgrass prairie. Southwestern Naturalist 52: 263-270.
• Wilgers, D. J., and E. A. Horne. 2006. Effects of different burn regimes on tallgrass prairie herpetofaunal species diversity and community composition in the Flint Hills, Kansas. Journal of Herpetology 40:73-84.

WWW site: www.wilgers.spider.googlepages.com

Contact information: 348 Manter Hall, School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118

Anything you would like to share with others; most memorable experience at KPBS (good or bad!); what you miss and what you don’t. This is your chance to express yourself. The scenery of the King's Creek watershed units will always have a special place in my heart. The thing I'll miss the most is lighting the prairie ablaze every spring, summer and fall. Burning prairie is what got me through the writing process in finishing my thesis. I take almost as much pride in my Crimson Drip Torch Award as I do my Master's degree... almost.

Current Position: Associate Professor, Department of Natural Resource Ecology & Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK. I am in a 70% research/ 30% teaching position. My research interests remain in grassland ecology, with an emphasis on belowground processes such as the role of mycorrhizal ecology and belowground populations of meristems at the plant population and the ecosystem level.

Time frame you were at KPBS (or Konza Prairie Research Natural Area): Almost forever. 1990-2007

Your major advisor: David Hartnett

Degree earned and institution: 2003: PhD – also employed as research associate (1990-2003) and research assistant professor (2003-2007)

Brief description of your research project including up to three publications that resulted from your time at KPBS:

• Wilson, G.W.T., D.C. Hartnett, and C.W. Rice. 2006. Mycorrhizal-mediated phosphorus transfer between the tallgrass prairie plants Sorghastrum nutans and Artemisia ludoviciana. Functional Ecology. 20: 427-435.
• Hartnett, D.C. and G.W.T. Wilson. 1999. Mycorrhizal mediation of plant species composition and diversity in tallgrass prairie. Ecology. 80: 122-130.
• Wilson, G.W.T. and D.C. Hartnett. 1998. Interspecific variation in plant responses to mycorrhizal colonization in prairie grasses and forbs. American Journal of Botany. 85:1732-1738.

WWW site:
http://nrem.okstate.edu/faculty/wilson.html

Contact information:
Gail W. T. Wilson
Associate Professor
Natural Resource Ecology & Mngt
008C Agricultural Hall
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405-744-5539