Grand Prairie Region Research Articles

Near-Surface Soil Nutrient Changes over Time under Native Prairie and Managed Agriculture in Arkansas

Landuse change from native prairie to managed agriculture can have substantial impacts on soil nutrient properties. Nutrient release from soil organic matter decomposition is the soil’s inherent source of long-term fertility; thus it is imperative to understand the effects of continued landuse over time to avoid mistaking actual soil property changes with simple inter-annual variability from one year to the next. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of landuse (i.e. managed agriculture and native prairie) in two contrasting physiographic regions (i.e. the Ozark Highlands region of northwest Arkansas and the Grand Prairie region of east-central Arkansas) on the change in extractable soil nutrients over a 15-yr period from 2001 to 2016. Extractable soil Ca, Mg, and Zn increased at least two times more over time (P Averaged across landuse, extractable soil S increased nine times more over time (P P Averaged across region, extractable soil Mn increased 2.5 times more over time (P < 0.05) under native prairie than under agricultural landuse. Results from this long-term field study clearly demonstrate how landuse and regional soil characteristics can affect near-surface soil nutrient contents, which should be taken into consideration when implementing conservation and/or ecosystem restoration activities.

Soil C and N stocks of Alfisols under native tallgrass prairie in the mid-Southern, USA

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of soil moisture regime (i.e., aquic and udic) and physiographic region (i.e., Ozark Highlands of northwest Arkansas and Grand Prairie region of east-central Arkansas) on the change in soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage and other soil properties over a 15-year period. Soil samples were collected from the top 10 cm in 2001/2002 and again in 2016/2017 and the change over time was directly quantified for numerous soil properties. Averaged across soil moisture regime, TC content and concentration, C:N ratio, and TC fraction of soil organic matter all increased (P < 0.05) over time in the Ozark Highlands, as well as the Grand Prairie region, with the exception of total C (TC) content and concentration, which both decreased in the Grand Prairie. Despite the Grand Prairie region losing soil C at a rate of 0.23 Mg ha−1 yr−1 or 0.02% yr−1 over the 15-year duration of this study, soil C storage in 2016 did not differ between physiographic regions when averaged across soil moisture regime. The TC fraction of SOM changed more over time (P < 0.01) in the Ozark Highlands under aquic soil moisture conditions (1.3% yr−1) compared to the other three soil moisture regime/region combinations. This study demonstrates the value of direct measurements over time for assessing temporal changes in soil properties so that results can be used to guide expectations of the effects of physiographic region and soil moisture regime for future restoration activities to be as successful as possible.

A Market-Based Solution to Arkansas's Groundwater Crisis

In the southern United States, prolonged over-extraction of groundwater has resulted in a lowering of the water table in major aquifer systems that are relied on as sources for irrigation water and, in some cases, municipal water. Among the areas most affected by over-extraction is the Grand Prairie region in eastern Arkansas. Using the Grand Prairie as a case study, this paper examines historical and current environmental policy in Arkansas and offers a new solution to the persistent problem of over-extraction. The solution: to create a groundwater market – a cap and trade system aimed to decrease reliance on groundwater and promote sustainability.

A Dendroecological Investigation of an Upland Oak-Dominated Forest within the Grand Prairie Region of Illinois

ABSTRACT We studied an upland forest located within the Grand Prairie region of Illinois and utilized tree-ring analysis to document tree cohort development and radial growth in relation to stand disturbance and climate. The overstory within the Humiston Woods Nature Center (Livingston County, Illinois) study area was dominated by oak (Quercus spp.), hickory (Carya spp.), and ash (Fraxinus spp.), while the subordinate crown classes were principally composed of elm (Ulmus spp.) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum). The study area contained tree cohorts originating during two recruitment periods. Overstory oaks and hickories primarily established between 1865 and 1900. A second tree cohort was associated with a timber harvest occurring in the late 1960s. In contrast to the 1865–1900 recruitment period, trees within the 1965–1980 cohort were primarily ash, elm, sugar maple, and black cherry (Prunus serotina). RWI values were most strongly correlated with Palmer Drought Severity Index, precipitation, and temperat...

Taphonomy, age, and paleoecological implication of a new Pachyrhinosaurus (Dinosauria: Ceratopsidae) bonebed from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Wapiti Formation of Alberta, Canada

The Grande Prairie region (Alberta, Canada) includes some of the richest Cretaceous fossil sites in North America, including the recently described bonebed of Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai at the Pipestone Creek locality. Here we describe a new multi-taxa, ceratopsian-dominated bonebed from the region, integrating taphonomic, radioisotopic, and paleoecological data. The bonebed can be traced for 107 m and has been excavated over an area of 40 m2 with an average bone density of 30–50 elements/m2. The new bonebed occurs within Unit 4 of the upper Campanian Wapiti Formation, and 40Ar/39Ar dating provides an age of 71.89 ± 0.14 Ma, thus making the site equivalent in age to the upper Drumheller Member of the lower Horseshoe Canyon Formation of central Alberta. About 88% of vertebrate remains are ceratopsian, and dromaeosaurid, hadrosaurid, troodontid, and tyrannosaurid remains have also been identified. Juvenile material, although scarce, indicates an assemblage of individuals of different ages. Specimens showed no strong preferred two-dimensional orientation but are clearly sorted vertically. Taphonomic and sedimentological interpretation support a complex pre-burial history of preserved elements as well as a depositional setting characterized by persistent waterlogged conditions as those typical of large oxbow lakes or marshy/swampy areas, as well as lacustrine settings within an alluvial plain. Being located more than 450 km inland from the paleo-coastline, the new bonebed represents one of the farthest-known inland occurrence of centrosaurines in North America, further supporting the presence of large aggregations of ceratopsian far from the coastal lowlands of the Western Interior Seaway.

Stratigraphy of the Danek Bonebed (Upper Cretaceous Horseshoe Canyon Formation, central Alberta) and correlations with strata in the Drumheller and Grande Prairie regions

Although considerable work has been conducted on the stratigraphy and dinosaur assemblages of the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of southern Alberta, equivalent strata and assemblages in central Alberta remain poorly understood. Data from the Danek Bonebed (Edmonton, Alberta) are beginning to fill this gap. The bonebed occurs 4 m above the #9 Big Island Coal Seam. This stratigraphic position lies just below the middle of the Horseshoe Canyon Formation in the Edmonton region, and also lies below a thick, stratigraphically significant non-coaly interval that is expressed throughout central and southern Alberta. The stratigraphic position of the Danek Bonebed equates best with the uppermost Horsethief Member of the Horseshoe Canyon Formation in the Drumheller region and the upper part of Unit 4 of the Wapiti Formation in the Grande Prairie region. In both Drumheller and Grande Prairie, the correlated position of the bonebed underlies a zone of marine transgression (Drumheller Marine Tongue), which, in turn, includes the Campanian–Maastrichtian boundary. In the context of Geologic Time Scale 2004, we infer a late Campanian age of 71.0–71.3 Ma for the bonebed. The Danek’s dinosaurian assemblage is limited taxonomically, but compares well with the Edmontosaurus regalis – Pachyrhinosaurus canadensis fossil assemblage zone in the Drumheller region. We propose that a mega-herbivore faunal assemblage, characterized by Edmontosaurus and Pachyrhinosaurus, extended continuously across the climatically wet coastal plain of latest Campanian southern and central Alberta, and likely extended northwest into the North Slope of Alaska, where it persisted into the early Maastrichtian.

Effects of flooding and riparian buffers on survival of muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) across a flashiness gradient

Increased agricultural production within the Grand Prairie region, USA, has resulted in drainage of most natural wetlands within the landscape. Muskrats ( Ondatra zibethicus (L., 1766)) in this region have shifted much of their distribution to riparian habitats that have unstable flow regimes and flood inundation times that could be related to position within watersheds. We investigated predation risk of radio-marked riparian muskrats during flooding events in relation to landscape position. We used known-fate models and an information–theoretic approach to examine effects of age, season, hydrology, and riparian width on weekly survival rates. During flooding events, muskrats positioned farther from headwaters were displaced for longer, as well as exposed to predation from terrestrial predators for longer, than those positioned closer to headwaters. However, this increased exposure during floods did not translate into lower survival because most mortalities were due to predation by American mink ( Neovison vison (Schreber, 1777)) along stream edges during nonflooding periods. Weekly survival of muskrats was lower in winter (mean = 0.9377, SE = 0.1793) than in nonwinter (mean = 0.9770, SE = 0.0116) and was positively related to riparian width. Larger riparian buffers can increase muskrat survival in small streams and agricultural ditches within highly altered, human-dominated agroecosystems. Our study provides a rare example of linking riparian buffers to fitness for a stream-associated organism.

Regional Differences in Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Storage as Affected by Land Use and Soil Moisture Regime

Climate, particularly precipitation and to a lesser degree temperature fluctuations, and land use have often been shown to affect soil organic matter (SOM), carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) storage and cycling. Soil moisture regime has been suggested as a potentially important factor in determining soil organic C (SOC) content. However, few studies have specifically investigated soil moisture regime effects on SOM, SOC, or N storage or sequestration. The objective of this study was to evaluate potential regional differences in the effects of land use and soil moisture regime on changes in near-surface SOM, SOC, and total N (TN) contents and C:N ratio during a 6-year period in a silt-loam soil. Soil bulk density, SOM, and SOC, and TN changes during a 6-year period were measured on replicate samples collected from the top 10 cm in udic and aquic soil moisture regimes representing both managed agriculture and native grassland in the Ozark Highlands region of northwest Arkansas and in the Grand Prairie region of east central Arkansas. All treatment factors examined affected soil bulk density over time. Soil OM and SOC storage were affected by region, land use, and soil moisture regime, but SOM and SOC sequestration were unaffected by soil moisture regime. However, TN content increased by 0.03 kg m−2 over time in the aquic moisture regime in the Ozark Highlands and decreased by 0.03 kg m−2 in the Grand Prairie. Total N content also increased over time in the udic moisture regime by 0.03 kg m−2 under native prairie and decreased by 0.03 kg m−2 under agricultural land use. It is clear that the average degree of wetness a soil experiences, as indicated by soil taxonomy's soil moisture regime, directly affects N storage, cycling, and sequestration, and indirectly affects SOM and SOC cycling through effects on the soil C:N ratio. Soil moisture regime differences that may exist among sites and/or treatments should be at least examined and accounted for when necessary in future studies.

Mountain pine beetle‐associated blue‐stain fungi in lodgepole × jack pine hybrids near Grande Prairie, Alberta (Canada)

SummaryThe mountain pine beetle (MPB), the most serious pest of lodgepole pine in mountainous western Canada, spread northeastward into lodgepole × jack pine hybrids in the boreal forest of Alberta in 2006. The MPB vectors three species of blue‐stain fungi, which contribute to the success of the beetles. These fungi were isolated from MPB larvae and galleries in several lodgepole × jack pine stands in the Grande Prairie region of northwestern Alberta in autumn 2006 and winter and spring 2007. Fungi were recovered from more than 95% of gallery systems. The three fungi were similarly prevalent but Ophiostoma montium was the most frequently isolated fungus at each sampling point, isolated from 72% to 90% of gallery systems compared with 63% to 78% for Grosmannia clavigera, and 61% to 86% for Leptographium longiclavatum. Ophiostoma montium and G. clavigera were isolated from more larvae than gallery samples, with the opposite true for L. longiclavatum. Most gallery systems contained multiple fungi with three fungi per gallery system being more common in autumn and winter and two fungi more common in the spring. The combination of G. clavigera and L. longiclavatum was less common among gallery systems with two fungi than either of the pairwise combinations containing O. montium. Fungal prevalence was the same above and below snow level. The prevalence of the three fungi did not differ significantly among stands sampled in the spring but stands with more G. clavigera tended to have less L. longiclavatum. The winter of 2006–2007 was colder than average throughout Alberta with temperatures below −30°C in November, January and February, and all three fungi were present after the cold winter while most larvae had died, suggesting that overwintering mortality of the fungi will not limit persistence and spread of MPB in the boreal forest.

Crop Nitrogen Uptake and Soil Phenols Accumulation under Continuous Rice Cropping in Arkansas

Soil C stocks in the Grand Prairie region of eastern Arkansas have declined under the prevalent 2‐yr rotation of rice (Orzya sativa L.)–soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. Continuous rice cropping could promote soil C sequestration, but in previous work continuous rice averaged 19% less grain yield than rice following soybean, apparently due to N deficiency. To further study N cycling, microplots were imbedded during the rice phase of a crop rotation field study in 2002 and 2004. Urea labeled with 15N was applied preflood, when all N fertilizer is conventionally applied. Crop biomass was often smaller with continuous rice than with rice following soybean (sampled both years) and rice following corn (Zea mays L.) (sampled only in 2004), although the difference varied by growth stage. Crop uptake of native 14N, presumably mineralized from soil organic matter, was inhibited with continuous rice in both years. This trend was clearest at harvest (P = 0.02), when continuous rice averaged 40 kg 14N ha−1 less uptake than rice in the two rotations. Fertilizer 15N averaged only 30% of total crop N and its uptake differed among cropping treatments only in 2002. At harvest, soil C with continuous rice cropping was enriched by 42% with syringyl phenols and by 83% with cinnamic phenols compared with the rotations. These enrichments appear unrelated to estimated input rates of lignin‐derived phenols. Results support the hypothesis that continuous rice cropping promotes the binding of soil N by lignin‐derived phenols, thereby inhibiting N mineralization and late‐season crop growth. Similar observations were reported for tropical rice production, suggesting that the responsible soil processes might be common in continuous rice cropping.

Stratigraphy of the Upper Cretaceous Wapiti Formation, west-central Alberta, Canada

The lithostratigraphic interval between the marine Puskwaskau Formation (Smoky Group, Santonian–Campanian) and the fluvial Scollard Formation (early Maastrichtian) in west-central Alberta and easternmost British Columbia (Canada) is represented by the nonmarine deposits of the Wapiti Formation. Its subdivision into regionally mappable stratigraphic units and the correlation of such units with the better known successions of central and southern Alberta are the main goals of this study. We present a detailed stratigraphic revision of the Wapiti Formation in the Grande Prairie region, where the entire succession crops out extensively and intensive oil and gas exploration activity provides excellent subsurface control. This study indicates that the Wapiti Formation consists in five stratigraphic units: their description has been based in particular on facies analysis and well-log signatures. In ascending order, units 1 to 5 record major differences in depositional architecture related to variation in accommodation and climatic conditions. Upper and lower contacts of these units are represented by regionally mappable subaerial unconformities or conformable facies contacts. Three major coal zones are identified within the Wapiti Formation, the Basal, Red Willow, and Cutbank: coals referred to these intervals have been documented in both outcrop and subsurface in the entire study area, thus representing a reliable tool for regional correlations. Furthermore, results presented here indicate that the maximum flooding surfaces of the Bearpaw seaway and the Drumheller Marine Tongue, both marine reference units in central and southern Alberta, lie, respectively, within coals of unit 3 and the Red Willow coal zone.

Native Soil Quality and the Effects of Tillage in the Grand Prairie Region of Eastern Arkansas

Soil properties were assessed to determine the effects of tillage agriculture on soil-quality-related parameters of former tallgrass prairie. Soil physical, chemical and biological properties were evaluated in the top 10 cm at six native grassland sites within the Grand Prairie region of east-central Arkansas and compared with adjacent tilled agricultural land in a total of 11 prairie-agriculture land-use combinations. Soil organic matter and total C and N concentrations were significantly lower and soil pH, electrical conductivity and extractable soil P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe were significantly higher under tilled agriculture than under native prairie land use. The introduction and continuance of intense mechanized agriculture and its associated practices have significantly, and for the most part negatively, impacted native soil quality in this region. These results will aid prairie restoration efforts by identifying soil properties most impacted by cultivated agriculture and those that may be desirable to restore and providing potential restoration targets based on native soil properties.

Laurentide, cordilleran, and montane glaciation in the western Peace River — Grande Prairie region, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada

Geological investigations over the last decade in the western Peace River-Grande Prairie district of northwestern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia have provided important chronostratigraphic information regarding Laurentide, Cordilleran and Montane Quaternary glacial events. Numerous 14C age determinations, as well as stratigraphic and sedimentological analyses of numerous exposures, indicate that this area was first glaciated by Cordilleran ice sometime before the Late Wisconsinan. During the Late Wisconsinan, ca. 22,000–14,000 BP, Laurentide glacier ice covered much of the area. Between approximately 15,000 and 10,000 BP, Montane ice affected only the western part of the Peace region. There is no evidence for synchroneity of the ice advances and, therefore, no evidence for ice coalescence in this region. The resultant ‘ice-free-corridor’ was most likely a laterally fluctuating zone which existed during a several thousand year period in the Late Pleistocene. Climatic conditions along the ‘corridor’ during this period were probably unfavorable for human migration, but adequate for some plants and small animals. Numerous isolated areas along the western foothills of the northern Rocky Mountains, west of the Laurentide glaciation limit, were never glaciated during the Late Wisconsinan.

Laurentide, cordilleran, and montane glaciation in the western Peace River ? Grande Prairie region, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada

Laurentide, cordilleran, and montane glaciation in the western Peace River ? Grande Prairie region, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada

Sedimentology and history of a Late Wisconsinan glacial lake, Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada

The Grande Prairie region of northwestern Alberta was partially covered by glacial Lake Peace, which was dammed against the retreating Laurentide ice sheet. Two levels of glacial Lake Peace are identified in the study are by closely spaced groups of strandlines and minor deltas lying at 805 to 840 m a. s. l., and 655 to 710 m a.s.l. Sedimentation associated with the upper of the two lake levels is marked by rhythmites of silt and clay deposited by turbid underflow, interbedded with diamicton deposited by debris flow. Dropstones and dump structures indicate common ice‐rafting. Thick sequences are only found on the axes of major valleys, where sediment gravity flows were concertrated. Thin sequences of ice proximal glaciolacustrine sediments reflect topographic setting and do not indicate a short‐lived lake. Retreat of the ice front resulted in a decrease in ice‐rafted material and diamicton in sediments. The fall in lake level to the second stage resulted in deposition of sequences of vaguely laminated silt and clay close to the modern Beaverlodge River. These sediments were deposited by suspension settling from interflow or overflow of the Beaverlodge River as it entered the lake. Lake sedimentation was dominated by inflow from unglaciated areas, rather than the ice front.

Laurentide glaciation in west-central Alberta: a single (Late Wisconsinan) event

The Grande Prairie region in west-central Alberta shows evidence of Late Wisconsinan Laurentide glaciation in the form of a widespread till, containing abundant erratic clasts derived from the Canadian Shield. Two sections, located on the Smoky River at Watino and on the Simonette River 80 km to the southwest, expose sediment lying stratigraphically below the till. A similar sequence is exposed in both localities: 5–10 m of coarse quartzite gravel overlain by a thick sequence of sand and silt. The gravel contains no Laurentide erratics and is thus preglacial. The contact between the basal gravel and the overlying sand and silt is sharp and conformable. 14C dates from the base of the Simonette section and throughout the Watino section suggest a Middle Wisconsinan age. Thus, the sediment exposed is interpreted as a conformable Middle Wisconsinan sequence. The sedimentary sequences were deposited in a moderate- to low-energy braided stream system flowing towards the north. The general fining-up trend in the sections was produced as a result of channel abandonment, rather than by a change in regional base level. The sand and gravel units contain no material derived from the Canadian Shield. Consequently, the surface till is Late Wisconsinan, and represents the only Laurentide glaciation in this area of Alberta.

Sustained‐Yield Ground‐Water Planning by Goal Programing

ABSTRACTA method for determining a spatially distributed set of ground‐water withdrawals that maintains a regionally “optimized” potentiometric surface is presented. A goal‐programing approach, in its quadratic form, is used to minimize the sum of squares of differences between the optimized surface and a “target” potentiometric surface. Constraints on withdrawals and recharge, imposed through a two‐dimensional ground‐water flow equation, and bounds on drawdowns assure that the withdrawal strategy developed is realistic and physically feasible. Application is demonstrated using data from the Grand Prairie region of Arkansas.

Soluble Salt Concentrations in Runoff Waters from Soils Previously Cropped to Rice

AbstractSoluble salt damage to rice in Arkansas has been evident in recent years. In order to adequately model salt balances for Crowley silt loam soil (Typic Aibaqualfs) cropped to rice (Oryza sativa L.) and soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) in the Grand Prairie region of Arkansas, a description of soluble constituents in runoff water was needed. Three fields were monitored for soluble salts in runoff and irrigation water as well as runoff volume. As cumulative runoff increased, a logarithmic decline in the concentration ratio of runoff water salt concentration to irrigation water salt concentration was found for electrical conductivity (EC), Ca, Mg, Na, SO4, and Cl for the first 10 cm of runoff after removal of the rice floodwater. The equation in which the logarithm of the concentration ratio was the dependent variable and cumulative runoff was the independent variable had a common slope among fields for the solution variables studied. A common intercept was found for Ca and Na but not for EC, Mg, SO4, and Cl. A second linear relationship was developed where the intercept in the above for SO4 and Cl was found to be a function of irrigation water concentration. At one field where sufficient data were available the concentration ratio stabilized after 10 cm of runoff and could be predicted using the concentration ratio equation where cumulative runoff was set at 10 cm.

Blood parasites of trumpeter swans, Olor buccinator (Richardson), from Alberta.

A total of 75 trumpeter swans (Olor buccinator (Richardson) from the Grande Prairie region of Alberta was examined for hematozoa; 26 (34.6%) swans were infected with Haemoproteus nettionis. A single infection of Leucocytozoon simondi and two of Plasmodium circumflexum also were recorded. Local, second year (SY) and adult (AHY) female swans had closely similar rates of hematozoan infection; the SY and AHY male swans had substantially higher infection rates than other subgroups.

Composition and Net Primary Production of Native Prairies in Eastern Arkansas

The Grand Prairie region of eastern Arkansas is representative of a series of native prairies that developed on terrace deposits in the lower Mississippi River Valley. Today almost all of the few uncultivated remnants are dominated by broom sedge (Andropogon virginicus) and splitbeard (A. terncarius). The composition and net aboveground primary production were determined for three prairie remnants of the Grand Prairie. Of these, two had been burned and hayed annually for at least 65 years, and the third had been protected for the last 16 years. Approximately 120 species were recorded on each prairie. On the burned and hayed prairies, broom sedge and splitbeard contributed approximately 50% of the annual aboveground yield. Broom sedge and splitbeard were believed to have become dominant in response to long-term burning and haying management. The protected prairie contained neither broom sedge nor splitbeard, and the major part of the annual net production was contributed by composites and legumes. Net primary aboveground production, estimated by summing the peak production of each species, was 623 and 628 g * m72 * yr-1 on the managed prairies and 1131 g * rn-2 * yron the protected prairie. Burning did not enhance production. The differences in aboveground production and the absence of a burn response were also attributed to long-term burning and haying. The seasonal pattern of herbage production revealed a primary peak in late June followed by a second peak in the early autumn corresponding to the maturation of the principal dominants. Preliminary soil data indicated reduced soil fertility for all three prairies, but slightly higher fertility on the protected prairie.