East-central Texas Research Articles

Morphology and vocalization comparison of the Houston Toad and the Dwarf American Toad: implications for their historic range.

Documenting changes in the distribution and abundance of a given taxon requires historical data. In the absence of long-term monitoring data collected throughout the range of a taxon, conservation biologists often rely on preserved museum specimens to determine the past or present, putative geographic distribution. Distributional data for the Houston Toad (Anaxyrus houstonensis) has consistently been confounded by similarities with a sympatric congener, the Dwarf American Toad (A. americanus charlesmithi), both in monitoring data derived from chorusing surveys, and in historical data via museum specimens. In this case, misidentification can have unintended impacts on conservation efforts, where the Houston Toad is federally endangered, and the Dwarf American Toad is of least concern. Previously published reports have compared these two taxon on the basis of their male advertisement call and morphological appearance, often with the goal of using these characters to substantiate their taxonomic status prior to the advent of DNA sequencing technology. However, numerous studies report findings that contradict one another, and no consensus on the true differences or similarities can be drawn. Here, we use contemporary recordings of wild populations of each taxon to test for quantifiable differences in male advertisement call. Additionally, we quantitatively examine a subset of vouchered museum specimens representing each taxon to test previously reported differentiating morphometric characters used to distinguish among other Bufonids of East-Central Texas, USA. Finally, we assemble and qualitatively evaluate a database of photographs representing catalogued museum vouchers for each taxon to determine if their previously documented historic ranges may be larger than are currently accepted. Our findings reveal quantifiable differences between two allopatric congeners with respect to their male advertisement call, whereas we found similarities among their detailed morphology. Additionally, we report on the existence of additional, historically overlooked, museum records for the Houston Toad in the context of its putative historic range, and discuss errors associated with the curation of these specimens whose identity and nomenclature have not been consistent through time. These results bookend decades of disagreement regarding the morphology, voice, and historic distribution of these taxa, and alert practitioners of conservation efforts for the Houston Toad to previously unreported locations of occurrence.

Investigating how relational values influence landowner participation in an endangered species conservation program

Research investigating landowner engagement in endangered species conservation (ESC) frequently cites value conflicts between landowners and ESC institutions, such as Voluntary Incentive Programs (VIPs), as driving landowner disinterest in VIPs. Existing ESC policy design mechanisms are incapable of resolving deficient engagement as they incorporate landowner values into decision-making without consideration of the meanings landowners attach to relationships with their land (i.e. Relational Values [RVs]). To identify RVs motivating ESC and points of alignment between landowner values and VIPs, we conducted 24 interviews with landowners about a VIP in East-central Texas. Results revealed that the program aligned with stewardship and management values but interfered with RVs of autonomy and social responsibility. Moreover, VIPs failed to provide incentives to compensate such losses. Bridging the rift between hegemonically designed VIPs and the values motivating ESC requires grassroots efforts to identify and incorporate landowner values into incentive structures that enhance and enable RVs motivating ESC.

Phenology and environmental predictors of Triatoma sanguisuga dispersal in east-central Texas, United States

Of 11 triatomine species in the United States (US), Triatoma sanguisuga has the widest distribution across a 23-state region encompassing the southeastern US. This species consistently feeds on humans and dogs and has a high infection prevalence with the Chagas parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, with over 30–60% of adults infected. Little is known about the phenology and environmental predictors of dispersal activity of Triatoma sanguisuga. Using manual searches standardized by effort, we sampled kissing bugs in east central Texas, US every other night from June to November 2020 to determine their phenology and environmental predictors of activity. We found 176 triatomines alive, all of which were T. sanguisuga, with peak collections in early August and cessation of activity by late October; the phenology as determined by this active surveillance matched what has been reported using a passive community science approach. Using a negative binomial regression, we found temperature to have a positive correlation with T. sanguisuga dispersal activity, while wind speed had a significant negative correlation. We identified increased collections during sampling sessions with precipitation during the preceding 22 h. Further, wind from the southwest - the direction of most of the sylvatic habitat in the study area - was correlated with an increased dispersal activity, suggesting wind-facilitated dispersal. Given concerns for human and animal Chagas disease within the distribution of T. sanguisuga, vector control strategies can be adapted based on the factors influencing dispersal behavior.

Viva Texas Rivers!: Adventure, Misadventures, and Glimpses of Nirvana along Our Storied Waterways ed. by Steven L. Davis and Sam L. Pfiester

Reviewed by: Viva Texas Rivers!: Adventure, Misadventures, and Glimpses of Nirvana along Our Storied Waterways ed. by Steven L. Davis and Sam L. Pfiester Chaney Hill Steven L. Davis and Sam L. Pfiester, eds., Viva Texas Rivers!: Adventure, Misadventures, and Glimpses of Nirvana along Our Storied Waterways. College Station: Texas A&M UP, 2021. 316 pp. Hardcover, $29.95. As Clayton Maxwell in “The Lower Guadalupe River: A Return to the River” reminds us, it’s “good to take into account where you are from,” and the narratives in Steven L. Davis and Sam L. Pfiester’s collection Viva Texas Rivers!: Adventure, Misadventures, and Glimpses of Nirvana along Our Storied Waterways do just this (264). Davis is the literary curator of the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University and the editor and author of eight books. Sam L. Pfiester is chair of the Wittliff Collections Advisory Council and has authored four novels. Pfiester and Davis, having met through their work with the Wittliff collections, both feel strongly that the waterways that support the life and lifestyle of Texans should be protected. Sponsored by the Wittliff Collections Literary Series in partnership with The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, Viva Texas Rivers! carries on the work John Graves started in 1960 with Goodbye to a River to educate, safeguard, and treasure Texas’s waterways. Pfiester and Davis put together this collection to bring to life the “‘spirit of place’ for dozens of Texas rivers and streams” and to highlight the unique qualities of each waterway (xvii). The collection of short stories, novel excerpts, republished periodicals, historical records, and poems is divided by region: East Texas, Central Texas, North Texas, West Texas, and South Texas. Viva Texas Rivers! begins with an “Invocation” by Chicana writer Carmen Tafolla entitled “This River Here” and closes with a “Benediction” by poet and author Pat Mora. Pfiester and Davis include texts from a diverse selection of writers, including Texas and national literary luminaries and historical figures such as John Graves, John James Audubon, Attica Locke, Billy Lee Brammer, Pat Mora, Edwin “Bud” Shrake, J. Frank Dobie, Larry McMurtry, Elmer Kelton, Frederick Law Olmsted, Sandra Cisneros, and Américo Paredes, among others. Each section opens with a fold-out map of [End Page 425] the region by artist and mapmaker Molly O’Halloran. These maps are worthy of praise and study on their own. Featuring the major and minor tributaries of many Texas rivers and streams, the cities built along their banks, and the highways that crosshatch them, these maps assist in the place-making the collection is invested in by showing the roots and routes of Texas’s many rivers and streams. Located at the end of the book is a useful appendix of local and national river and conservation advocacy groups. This list is a valuable tool for anyone looking to get involved in cleaning, protecting, and supporting their local or national waterways. Readers will gain a deep place-based understanding of the living routes that run in and out of Texas. As a reader, I began to see and understand the waterways that have sustained me every day, sometimes without me realizing it, in new ways. As Pfiester and Davis advocate in their introduction, these writings can help us learn “how to look, and how to see” Texas rivers and streams “not just [as] our present and past, but also our future” (xviii). Viva Texas Rivers! is for lovers of waterways and environmental advocates alike. Environmental justice scholars, organizations, and policymakers will find Pfiester and Davis’s collection inspirational and may even find a template for future work. This collection is also a great companion for instructors looking to teach on subjects related to critical regionalism, the formation of regional identity, environmental justice, river advocacy, or the intersection of western and southern literature. For readers of Western American Literature, Viva Texas Rivers! will prove to be an invaluable addition to the canon of Texas literature, bioregionalism, environmental literature, and western literature. [End Page 426] Chaney Hill Rice University Copyright © 2023 Western Literature Association ...

Effects of shading on the rare plant species, Physostegia correllii (Lamiaceae) and Trillium texanum (Melanthiaceae)

Rare plant species that are constrained by shading may be threatened by a lack of natural disturbance that removes overhanging vegetation. The original distribution of the study species Physostegia correllii (Lundell) Shinners included freshwater floodplains of large rivers in the southcentral U.S. (Colorado, Rio Grande, and Mississippi rivers). A second species, Trillium texanum Buckley was found in seep spring baygalls in east-central Texas and extreme northwestern Louisiana. Experiments to determine the effects of shading on P. correllii and T. texanum were conducted using short-term shade cloth treatments (full sunlight vs. 30% shading for 2–3 weeks), and a dryness treatment for T. texanum (moist vs. less moist). Mean height and cover responses of individuals for both species were determined in conservation gardens located in Lafayette, Louisiana. Physostegia correllii grown in shaded environments for 2.5 weeks had shorter mean height than if grown in full sunlight. Half of the shaded plants in shaded plots had died by the mid-summer. For T. texanum, shading reduced the mean height and cover of plants. Therefore, management to remove overhanging ground vegetation to mimic natural disturbance might revive P. correllii and/or T. texanum populations where overhanging vegetation is increasing due to lack of natural disturbance (e.g., flood pulsing, grazing, burning).

Paralia flatoniana sp. nov., a new species from the late Eocene of Texas with discussion on ecology and initial valves

A new Paralia Heiberg species, Paralia flatoniana sp. nov., is documented from a late Eocene diatomite and mudstone deposit in east central Texas. Paralia represents up to 63% of the assemblage in the diatomite samples and 34% in the mudstone. Numerous Paralia initial valves are present adding an unusual component to this assemblage as they are infrequently reported from samples containing populations of fossil Paralia. A third valve type observed attached to Paralia chains is also illustrated and discussed. Intact chains are common and preservation of the frustules is very good with limited indication of dissolution or transport. An average valve diameter of 19.0 µm (7.1–37.7 µm range), the presence of numerous initial valves and preservation of fine morphological structures suggest an environment with often high in situ productivity rather than a transported assemblage. Morphologically similar species Paralia crenulata and Paralia thybergii share many mantle characteristics with P. flatoniana while the valve face details of Paralia fausta are similar. Paleogeography and – ecology of the Eocene Gulf of Mexico and volcanism to the west provided a temperate coastal nutrient-rich shelf environment favourable for Paralia.

Simulating productivity of dryland cotton using APSIM, climate scenario analysis, and remote sensing

Assessing the potential of using process-based models combined with remote sensing and climate change scenarios to understand potential climate change impacts on rainfed cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) productivity is crucial for major production areas, such as the East-Central Texas. This study incorporated these methods to study the impacts of future climate on biomass production, crop development, lint yield, and water use efficiency in a Texas rainfed cotton system. Based on two-years of field data obtained from a rainfed cotton field (12 ha), APSIM accurately predicted cotton biomass and lint yield during the calibration (NRMSE: biomass, 17.6%; lint, 10.8%) and validation (NRMSE: biomass, 18.8%; lint, 13.1%) processes. The deviation between simulated and observed development stages as days after sowing was less than 6 days across squaring, flowering, and boll maturity stages. A partial least square model was constructed based on satellite NDVI data and development stage accurately predicted cotton biomass (R2 = 0.93, P < 0.05), and the results agreed well with the predicted values of APSIM (R2 = 0.96, P < 0.05), which was calibrated by the cotton biomass derived from NDVI. Decreased yield was detected in almost all RCP scenarios, with the greater reductions in end-century (29.9–82.4%) scenarios than mid-century (16.2–46.7%) scenarios. For precipitation productivity, 14–80.3% of reduction was found across all future scenarios. A great reduction in reliable yield (45.0–92.0%) and reliable precipitation productivity (37.6–84.7%) were projected by future scenarios. Slight differences were detected in model validation between the two dominant soil types present at the study location; however these differences were much greater under future projections (P < 0.05), largely caused by differences in water holding capacity during critical growth stages. The results from this study suggest that future managerial and breeding efforts that focus on water use efficiency enhancement should be promoted in the future.

Plasmodium relictum infection in Culex quinquefasciatus (Culicidae) decreases diel flight activity but increases peak dusk flight activity

BackgroundParasites are recognized for their ability to modify host physiology and behaviours in ways that increase parasite fitness. Protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium are a group of widespread vector-borne parasites of vertebrates, causing disease to a wide range of hosts, but most notably to human and avian hosts.MethodsThe hypothesis that infection with the avian malaria, Plasmodium relictum (GRW4 lineage) impacts flight activity in one of their natural vectors, Culex quinquefasciatus, was tested using both parasites and mosquitoes colonized from local populations in East-Central Texas, USA. Groups of Cx. quinquefasciatus were allowed to feed directly on canaries with active P. relictum infections and control canaries with no P. relictum exposure history. Additionally, how P. relictum sporozoite invasion of mosquito salivary glands impacts mosquito flight activity behaviour was tested using a Locomotor Activity Monitor for both control and infected females. Generalized linear mixed models were used to evaluate the influence of infection status on the response variables of flight activity (continuous) and probability of flight occurring (binomial).ResultsInfection status was a significant predictor of flight activity and flight probability and interactions between infection status and experimental period of infection as well as infection status and dusk were statistically significant predictors of flight activity. Plasmodium relictum infected mosquitoes had a mean flight activity of 3.10 and control mosquitoes had an overall mean flight activity of 3.13.DiscussionBased on these results, avian malaria parasites increase the flight activity of these mosquitoes at hours known for peak host-seeking behaviour but decrease overall diel activity.ConclusionAlthough the ramifications of this behavioural change for P. relictum transmission are unclear, these results provide additional empirical evidence suggesting that avian malaria can influence mosquito behaviour and modulate transmission potential.

Ecological Niche Model of Bacillus cereus Group Isolates Containing a Homologue of the pXO1 Anthrax Toxin Genes Infecting Metalworkers in the United States.

While Bacillus cereus typically causes opportunistic infections in humans, within the last three decades, severe and fatal infections caused by isolates of the B. cereus group harboring anthrax toxin genes have been reported in the United States. From 1994 to 2020, seven cases of anthrax-like illness resulting from these isolates have been identified. With one exception, the cases have occurred in the Gulf States region of the United States among metalworkers. We aimed to develop an ecological niche model (ENM) to estimate a spatial area conducive to the survival of these organisms based on the presence of known human infections and environmental variables. The estimated ecological niche for B. cereus was modeled with the maximum entropy algorithm (Maxent). Environmental variables contributing most to the model were soil characteristics (cation exchange capacity, carbon content, soil pH), temperature, enhanced vegetation index (EVI), and land surface temperature (LST). Much of the suitable environments were located throughout the Gulf Coast Plain, Texas Backland Prairies, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Cross Timbers, Mississippi Alluvial Plain, and Central Great Plains. These findings may provide additional guidance to narrow potential risk areas to efficiently communicate messages to metalworkers and potentially identify individuals who may benefit from the anthrax vaccine.

Modeling Carbon Uptake of Dryland Maize Using High Resolution Satellite Imagery

Quantifying carbon uptake or gross primary production (GPP) from agroecosystems is important for understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of carbon fixation by crops. The availability of high-resolution remote sensing data can significantly improve GPP estimation of small-scale agricultural fields. Multispectral satellite data with 3-m spatial resolution and frequent global coverage are available from the PlanetScope network of satellites. However, this data remains largely unexplored for studying the carbon dynamics of agroecosystems. The overarching goal of this study was to develop a simple empirical method for quantifying the GPP of dryland maize (Zea mays L.) using remotely sensed vegetation indices along with in-situ measurements of photosynthetically active radiation and leaf area index by linking it with carbon uptake data from an eddy covariance flux tower. Four vegetation indices were investigated: the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), the weighted difference vegetation index (WDVI), and the two-band enhanced vegetation index (EVI2). This study was conducted over a three-year period from 2017 to 2019 in East-Central Texas. A total of 12 GPP prediction models were developed using individual yearly data and were used for predicting GPP of the other 2 years. Predicted maize GPP values were then compared against tower-based GPP. The NDVI models were the least successful in predicting GPP and had the highest root mean square error (average: 10.1 3 gC m−2; maximum: 26.3 gC m−2). Models based on SAVI performed especially well with error ranging from 0.05 to 0.94 gC m−2. The slope of the regression between SAVI-based estimated GPP and measured GPP was not different from 1.0 in all combinations of years. The success of the SAVI-based GPP models for predicting dryland maize carbon uptake indicates that it was the least affected vegetation index by changing soil background condition in this row cropping system.

Medical management of dermatitis‐associated morbidity and mortality in endangered Houston toads (Anaxyrus houstonensis)

AbstractThe Houston toad (Anaxyrus [Bufo] houstonensis) is protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and is endemic to east central Texas. Since 2007, the Houston Zoo Inc. participated in Houston toad recovery through captive breeding, re‐introduction and maintenance of a captive assurance colony. During 2012 and 2013, the zoo's Houston toad colony experienced increased morbidity and mortality attributed to dermatitis of various aetiologies. An 8‐month time period, from September 2012 through April 2013, was selected to evaluate disease aetiology, treatments administered and success of therapy. A total of 248 toad records were reviewed. During this time, 52 toads that died with dermatitis associated with a fungal or bacterial aetiology or a combination of both were included in the review. Toads that survived (n = 196) had been treated with either oral enrofloxacin (10 mg/kg once daily), itraconazole baths (0.01% solution for 10–15 minutes once daily), enhanced nutrition or a combination of these therapies.

Body condition and molt chronology of waterfowl in east central Texas

Waterfowl undergo changes in body condition during migratory and wintering periods that can affect survival and reproduction. Understanding how condition varies among age and sex cohorts and temporally can inform habitat management during the post- and pre-breeding period. We examined changes in body composition and molt of three waterfowl species migrating and wintering in managed moist-soil units in east central Texas and determined the influence of season, age, and sex using Analysis of Variance. We examined age, sex, and season effects on body condition indices (body mass divided by wing chord) using mixed-effects models and determined the influence of molt score on body condition using linear regression. For specimens collected from 2004–2007, we found differences in body composition among age and sex groups for Blue-winged Teal (<em>Spatula discor</em>), a migrant through this study area, and for Green-winged Teal (<em>Anas crecca</em>), and Northern Shoveler (<em>Spatula clypeata</em>), which are wintering species. We found a mid-winter decline in body condition for Green-winged Teal. Blue-winged Teal were in worse condition in spring than in fall, which could be due to differences in energy accumulation prior to departure to wintering grounds in fall and post-arrival in spring. We did not find an effect of season for Northern Shoveler. For all species, adults were in better condition than juveniles. Molt score was greatest in late-winter for all species combined (x̄ = 11.60, SE = 2.45). We did not find an effect of molt score on body condition for any species. Wintering waterfowl in east central Texas appear to be in good condition and did not show molt-induced stress during the migratory and wintering periods. Changes in condition among specimens and across seasons indicate that there should be consideration in the timing and quality of management in regional approaches to moist-soil management for migrating and wintering waterfowl.

Phenology and Environmental Predictors of Triatoma Sanguisuga Dispersal in East-Central Texas, United States

Phenology and Environmental Predictors of Triatoma Sanguisuga Dispersal in East-Central Texas, United States

Assessing the impacts of projected climate changes on maize (

Context Investigating agronomic responses of dryland maize (Zea mays L.) systems under global change could provide important insights in designing climate-resilient cropping systems. Aims and methods In this study, we integrated Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) with Representative Concentration Pathways 8.5 and 20 Global Climate Models to systematically: (1) calibrate and validate APSIM using large-field study conducted in East-Central Texas; (2) evaluate the impacts of climate change on maize productivity and risks; and (3) investigate the variations in growth stage lengths. Key results Results indicated that APSIM simulated grain yield, biomass production, precipitation productivity (PP; kg ha−1 mm−1) and developmental stage transition agreed well with observation (NRMSE &lt; 14.9%). Changes in temperature and precipitation shortened growing seasons and affected available water, resulting in widely varied yield and PP. Mean grain yield changed from −34.8 to +19.7%, mean PP were improved 9.2–36.5%. The grain production could be maintained at least the standard of 75% of historical in most cases, but with greater risks for achieving higher threshold (50% of baseline). Finally, simulations indicated shortened days (4–13 days) for reaching key developmental stages for maize. Conclusions and implications The results advocate adoptions of management practice that incorporating early sowing, irrigations at sowing/VT stages, and selections of late-maturing cultivars for better sustainability and higher productivity.

Brazos Fellowship: A Case Study in Digitally Mediated Liturgical Design

This article examines how the liturgy in evangelical churches is influenced by digital media and digital culture. This was accomplished via an ethnographic study at a medium sized church in East Central Texas where participant observation was combined with qualitative interviews with four members of the church’s pastoral and media production team. Theorizing that decisions made about orchestrated liturgical design in churches of this type are strategic responses to social and technological developments rooted in the mediatization of society, the study revealed three key interconnected themes of significance. These are: media as intentionality, media as environment, and media as audience. A critical discourse analysis of these themes demonstrates that the unique liturgical approach in churches of this type is the result of an intentional, strategic orchestration of entertainment media and media techniques rooted in the mediatization of religion and the amplification of select elements of media logic.

Physalis macrosperma (Solanaceae: Physalinae), a new psammophyte endemic to the west Gulf Coastal Plain of the southeastern U.S.A., a global biodiversity hotspot

A new species of Physalinae (Solanaceae) is described and illustrated that is endemic to the West Gulf Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States, a global biodiversity hotspot. Physalis macrosperma sp. nov. is distinguished by its large obpyramidal fruiting calyx (35–70 mm in length), its large seeds [3.2–4.2(4.8) mm in length and 2.5–3.5(3.9) mm in width], and its coarsely pitted seed testa. The ecological and geographical setting of P. macrosperma and its morphological relationships with similar taxa are presented. Physalis macrosperma is an herbaceous perennial psammophyte inhabiting open sand barrens within pyrogenic savanna-woodlands of xeric sandhills. It occurs on droughty undulating Eocene-age quartzipsamments within south-central and east-central Texas and on younger xeric sands embedded within the fire-maintained pinelands of southwestern Arkansas, western Louisiana, and southeastern Texas.

Quantifying the Impacts of Land-Use and Climate on Carbon Fluxes Using Satellite Data across Texas, U.S.

Climate change and variability, soil types and soil characteristics, animal and microbial communities, and photosynthetic plants are the major components of the ecosystem that affect carbon sequestration potential of any location. This study used NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Level 4 carbon products, gross primary productivity (GPP), and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) to quantify their spatial and temporal variabilities for selected terrestrial ecosystems across Texas during the 2015–2018 study period. These SMAP carbon products are available at 9 km spatial resolution on a daily basis. The ten selected SMAP grids are located in seven climate zones and dominated by five major land uses (developed, crop, forest, pasture, and shrub). Results showed CO2 emissions and uptake were affected by land-use and climatic conditions across Texas. It was also observed that climatic conditions had more impact on CO2 emissions and uptake than land-use in this state. On average, South Central Plains and East Central Texas Plains ecoregions of East Texas and Western Gulf Coastal Plain ecoregion of Upper Coast climate zones showed higher GPP flux and potential carbon emissions and uptake than other climate zones across the state, whereas shrubland on the Trans Pecos climate zone showed lower GPP flux and carbon emissions/uptake. Comparison of GPP and NEE distribution maps between 2015 and 2018 confirmed substantial changes in carbon emissions and uptake across Texas. These results suggest that SMAP carbon products can be used to study the terrestrial carbon cycle at regional to global scales. Overall, this study helps to understand the impacts of climate, land-use, and ecosystem dynamics on the terrestrial carbon cycle.

A Comparison of Gahagan Biface Morphology across Caddo Features at the Gahagan Mound, George C. Davis, and Mounds Plantation Sites

This investigation follows a recent morphological study of the three largest samples of Gahagan bifaces, where a significant difference in biface shape was found to occur between Gahagan bifaces from the Mounds Plantation site (16CD12) and those recovered at the Gahagan Mound (16RR1) and George C. Davis sites (41CE19). This endeavor seeks to further characterize local morphological variation using 64 intact or reconstructed Gahagan bifaces from contexts where two or more specimens were recovered at the Gahagan Mound, George C. Davis, and Mounds Plantation sites. Gahagan bifaces are currently thought to be products of trade between east Texas Caddo groups and central Texas hunter-gatherers. The bifaces were scanned and analyzed using the tools of geometric morphometrics to identify whether Gahagan biface morphology differs between and among Caddo features. Results demonstrate significant differences in the shape and size of Gahagan bifaces recovered from different features. Gahagan bifaces from Burial Pit 2 at Mounds Plantation differ significantly from those in all features outside of the site, while the bifaces in Burial Pit 5 at Mounds Plantation did not differ significantly from Burial Pits 2 and 3 at Gahagan Mound. Gahagan bifaces from Burial Pit 3 at Gahagan Mound display greater size variation among individual bifaces relative to those from Burial Pit 2 at Mounds Plantation, and biface blade and base shapes were significantly integrated. These results provide a preview of the dynamic morphological relationships associated with Gahagan bifaces recovered from Caddo archaeological features. A preliminary sequence of geographic shape change is postulated for Gahagan bifaces that potentially indicates modifications employed by Caddo knappers, and not those of the hunter-gatherer groups thought to have manufactured them.

Culicoides species community composition and infection status with parasites in an urban environment of east central Texas, USA

BackgroundDespite their importance as vectors of zoonotic parasites that can impact human and animal health, Culicoides species distribution across different habitat types is largely unknown. Here we document the community composition of Culicoides found in an urban environment including developed and natural sites in east central Texas, a region of high vector diversity due to subtropical climates, and report their infection status with haemoparasites.ResultsA total of 251 individual Culicoides were collected from May to June 2016 representing ten Culicoides species, dominated by C. neopulicaris followed by C. crepuscularis. We deposited 63 sequences to GenBank among which 25 were the first deposition representative for six Culicoides species: C. arboricola (n = 1); C. nanus (n = 4); C. debilipalpis (n = 2); C. haematopotus (n = 14); C. edeni (n = 3); and C. hinmani (n = 1). We also record for the first time the presence of C. edeni in Texas, a species previously known to occur in the Bahamas, Florida and South Carolina. The urban environments with natural area (sites 2 and 4) had higher species richness than sites more densely populated or in a parking lot (sites 1 and 3) although a rarefaction analysis suggested at least two of these sites were not sampled sufficiently to characterize species richness. We detected a single C. crepuscularis positive for Onchocercidae gen. sp. DNA and another individual of the same species positive for Haemoproteus sacharovi DNA, yielding a 2.08% prevalence (n = 251) for both parasites in this species.ConclusionsWe extend the knowledge of the Culicoides spp. community in an urban environment of Texas, USA, and contribute to novel sequence data for these species. Additionally, the presence of parasite DNA (Onchocercidae gen. sp. and H. sacharovi) from C. crepuscularis suggests the potential for this species to be a vector of these parasites.

Aboriginal Ceramic Wares from Sites in the Yegua Creek Drainage of the Brazos River Basin, East Central Texas

Sherds from aboriginally-made ceramic vessels have been recovered on sites dating after ca. 2000 years B.P. in the Yegua Creek drainage of the Brazos River basin in the Post Oak Savannah of Burleson, Lee, and Washington counties in east central Texas (Figure 1). These sherds are from several different wares, including sandy paste Goose Creek Plain sherds made by Mossy Grove peoples, ancestral Caddo tempered and decorated wares made in East Texas, bone-tempered sandy paste wares that may be representative of a local ceramic tradition, and bone-tempered sherds from Leon Plain vessels made by Central Texas Toyah phase peoples. None of the ceramic sherd assemblages from the 18 sites discussed herein are substantial, ranging only from 1-72 sherds per site (with an average of only 13.3 sherds per site), indicating that the use (much less their manufacture) of ceramic vessels by Post Oak Savannah aboriginal peoples was not of much significance in their way of life, but may signify interaction, trade, and exchange between them and other cultures, such as the Caddo, inland and coastal Mossy Grove, and Toyah phase peoples that relied on ceramic vessel manufacture and use as key parts of their subsistence pursuits. It is likely that the benefits of trade (ceramics being just one of the items that was being traded) between these different peoples was to help establish cooperative alliances, and reduce competition and violence in the region, and such alliances were established and maintained by aboriginal peoples over a long period of time in the region.