Upper Peninsula Of Michigan Research Articles

Records of Canada Lynx, Lynx canadensis, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, 1940-1997

Records of Canada Lynx, Lynx canadensis, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, 1940-1997

MERCURY AIR/SURFACE EXCHANGE KINETICS OF BACKGROUND SOILS OF THE TAHQUAMENON RIVER WATERSHED IN THE MICHIGAN UPPER PENINSULA ?

Air/surface exchange of mercury was investigated over background soils at five sites in the Tahquamenon River watershed in the Michigan Upper Peninsula in the summer of 1998. Measurements of Hg fluxes were performed during middayperiods using the ORNL Teflon dynamic flux chamber. Mean Hg emission fluxes were 1.4±0.3–2.4±1.0 ng m-2 hr-1 for three shaded forest sites and 7.6±1.7 ng m-2 hr-1 for an open field site. Hg dry deposition was observed at a heavily shaded forest site overwet soils (mean = –0.3±0.2 ng m-2 hr-1). Theoverall mean Hg flux was 1.4±1.4 ng m-2 hr-1for the four shaded forest sites. The Hg fluxes observed at these sites are similar to those found at other northern background sites. Significant, rapid response of Hg emission to solar radiation was observed over these background soils. Artificial irrigation over these soils induced immediate andmeasurable increases in Hg emission. Soil temperature was found to be less influential to Hg air/surface exchange over these heavily shaded forest background soils than we have seen elsewhere.

Molecular Characterization and Taxonomy of a New Species of Caudosporidae (Microsporidia) from Black Flies (Diptera: Simuliidae), with Host-Derived Relationships of the North American Caudosporids

A new species of microsporidium, Caudospora palustris (Microsporidia: Caudosporidae), is described from 3 species of black flies (Cnephia ornithophilia and diploid and triploid cytospecies of Stegopterna mutata), bringing to 7 the total species of caudosporids recorded from North America. This new species of caudosporid is recorded from swamp streams of the Coastal Plain from New Jersey to Georgia, with single records from the New Jersey mountains and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Densities of patently infected larvae (up to 10,600/m2) and spore production (nearly 8×1011/m2) are the greatest recorded for any microsporidium of black flies. The ultrastructure of this new species is presented, along with the first molecular characterization for a microsporidium of black flies. The phylogenetic position of black fly microsporidia within the phylum Microsporidia is presented; however, the analysis does not support the inclusion of C. palustris in any clade. Key features of all North American caudosporids are provided, and possible evolutionary trajectories are proposed based on optimization of caudosporid species on the phylogeny of their 22 known host species, including 16 that represent new host species records.

A buried spruce forest provides evidence at the stand and landscape scale for the effects of environment on vegetation at the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary

Summary 1 Due to a unique set of circumstances, we were able to excavate an entire spruce (Picea) forest in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, USA, which was buried in the early Holocene (9928 ± 133 uncalibrated 14C years bp). Trees ranged from < 5 cm to > 50 cm in diameter, and dominants were approximately 9 m tall. The stand was multi‐aged, with a maximum tree age of 145 years. Well‐preserved stem cross‐sections (n = 140) were recovered and the entire stand was mapped. 2 Stand reconstruction combined with pollen and sediment analysis revealed a pure spruce forest in the sandy lowlands surrounded by hills dominated by pine, oak and birch. These results are consistent with the idea that topography and substrate played an important role in determining forest composition during Holocene plant migrations. 3 Very rapid climate fluctuations were occurring 10 000 bp. The extensive spruce forests that once dominated much of interior North America were being replaced by subboreal and temperate conifer and hardwood species migrating northward. During this dynamic period in the Earth's history, patterns of plant community change are usually inferred from the study of pollen assemblages, and lack of detailed stand level information has prevented the direct comparison of the composition, age, structure and growth rates of Holocene forests with those that exist today. 4 Our findings that the age‐class distribution, size, spatial distribution of trees and radial growth rates of white spruce (Picea glauca) can be remarkably similar between the two time periods suggest that forest population and growth processes responsible for today's advancing tree‐lines appear to have been at work 10 000 years ago.

Helminth parasites of the western painted turtle, Chrysemys picta belli (Gray), including Neopolystoma elizabethae n. sp. (Monogenea: Polystomatidae), a parasite of the conjunctival sac.

Neopolystoma elizabethae n. sp. is described from the conjunctival sac of the western painted turtle Chrysemys picta belli (Gray), from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This is the first species found in this location from chelonians in North America. The new species differs from all other species of Neopolystoma in possessing a circle of 8 genital spines that are recurved and possess a crescent-shaped base. Eight additional species of helminths were found in the 5 turtles examined in this study. All are common parasites of North American freshwater turtles. An additional species of Monogenea (Polystomoidespauli) was found in the oral cavity. Four species of Digenea (Eustomos chelydrae, Allassostomoides chelydrae, Spirorchis kirki, and Spirorchis parvus) and 3 species of Nematoda (Spiroxys contorta, Serpinema trispinosus, and Amphibiocapillaria serpentina) were also found. The following are reported from Michigan for the first time: P. pauli, S. kirki, and A. serpentina.

Northern flights: tracking the birds and birders of Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Northern flights: tracking the birds and birders of Michigan's Upper Peninsula

An evaluation of the JPL TOPSAR for extracting tree heights

The accuracy of the digital elevation model (DEM) generated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) TOPSAR for extracting canopy height is evaluated. For this purpose, an experiment using C-band TOPSAR at the Michigan Forest Test Site (MFTS) in Michigan's Upper Peninsula was conducted. Nearly 25 forest stands were chosen in MFTS, which included a variety of tree types, tree heights, and densities. For these stands, extensive ground data were also collected. The most important and difficult-to-characterize ground truth parameter was the forest ground level data, which is required for extracting the height of the scattering phase center from the interferometric SAR (INSAR) DEM. To accomplish this, differential Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements were done to accurately (/spl plusmn/5 cm) characterize the elevation of: (1) a grid of points over the forest floor of each stand and (2) numerous ground control points (GCPs) over unvegetated areas. Significant discrepancies between GPS and TOPSAR DEM and between the two TOPSAR DEMS of the same area were observed. The discrepancies are attributed to uncompensated aircraft roll and multipath. An algorithm is developed to remove the residual errors in roll angle using elevation data from: (1) 100-m resolution U.S. Geological Survey DEM and (2) the GPS-measured GCPs. With this: algorithm, the uncertainties are reduced to within 3 m. Still, comparison between the corrected TOPSAR DEMs shows an average periodic height discrepancy along the cross-track direction of about /spl plusmn/5 m.

Historical Changes in the Forests of the Luce District of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Abstract General Land Office (GLO) survey notes (1840–1856), current land cover generated from Landsat TM Imagery (1991) and the Forest Inventory and Analysis plots (1991–1992, US Forest Service) were used to examine changes in forests of the Luce District in Upper Michigan over the past 150 y. Historical changes in two subdistricts, Grand Marais and Seney, were also analyzed. Interpretation of GLO notes showed that the presettlement landscape was a mixed conifer matrix (39% of total area), interspersed primarily with northern hardwoods (29%), wetlands (14%) and fire-susceptible pinelands (13%). Estimates of pre-European settlement stand density ranged from 81 trees/ha in open lands to 408 trees/ha in northern white cedar stands (Thuja occidentalis), and estimates of basal area ranged from 3.5 m2/ha in wetlands to 27.7 m2/ha in mixed hardwood/conifer forests. Notable changes in species composition over the last 150 y are the increase of red maple (Acer rubrum; +14%) and the decline of tamarack (Larix lari...

White-tailed deer management options model (DeerMOM): design, quantification, and application

The deer management options model (DeerMOM) is a computer simulation model designed to assess the effects of management options on population size, sex and age structure of white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus). In this model, we grouped deer into three age classes: fawn, yearling, and adult. Reproductive rates and fetal sex ratios were age-specific, while natural and harvest mortality rates were both age- and sex-specific. DeerMOM was parameterized to represent the deer population in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA. Effects of winter severity were incorporated into the model. Population estimates derived from annual pellet group surveys were used to validate the model. Different management options were evaluated using two criteria: a quantity goal (number of deer) and a quality goal (percentage of antlered bucks in the deer population). Simulation results indicated that current management practices (with a high rate of buck harvest) resulted in high deer numbers with a low percentage of antlered bucks. Under the condition of high buck harvest rate, increasing doe harvest did not achieve both the quantity and the quality goals simultaneously. Moderate harvest of both sexes would control population growth and increase the percentage of antlered bucks. The simulations also showed that winter weather conditions and doe harvest shaped deer population trends but buck harvest determined the percentage of antlered bucks. Our findings indicated that quality deer management objectives can be reached only by lowering buck harvest rates while simultaneously increasing the doe harvest. The best option for achieving both the quantity and the quality goals was moderate harvest of bucks and does without sex bias.

Space Use in Response to Conspecifics by the Red‐backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus, Plethodontidae, Caudata)

The presence of conspecifics, as well as the distribution and quality of resources, can influence habitat settlement decisions of animals. We studied the habitat preference and group size of the red‐backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus, from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In contrast to previous work with P. cinereus from Virginia, we found groups of P. cinereus within higher quality habitat than solitary individuals and these groups contained both small and large individuals. Under identical conditions in the laboratory, salamanders from Virginia formed a uniform spatial distribution and individuals from northern Michigan displayed an aggregated spatial distribution. Our results suggest that P. cinereus from northern Michigan preferentially settle near conspecifics, while P. cinereus from Virginia avoid them. Our laboratory experiments also suggest that the aggregation behaviour of P. cinereus from northern Michigan may be the result of attraction to conspecifics rather than attraction to habitat features.

Long-term effects of jack pine budworm outbreaks on the growth of jack pine trees in Michigan

Growth of jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) trees from the Raco Plains area in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was examined over an 18-year period (1978-1995) that included two jack pine budworm (Choristoneura pinus pinus Freeman) outbreaks. Specific volume increments were calculated for 84 trees grouped into three classes based on their status in 1996; 36 trees were undamaged, 24 trees had been recently top-killed, and 24 trees had been recently killed. Average growth was converted to proportion of previous years' growth for three periods: before the 1983-1985 outbreak, between the 1983-1985 and 1991-1993 outbreak, and after the onset of the 1991-1993 outbreak. Differences in growth over these periods among undamaged, recently top-killed, and recently killed trees were evaluated. Growth did not differ among the three groups before the 1983-1985 outbreak. From 1983-1990, undamaged and recently top-killed trees grew significantly more than recently killed trees. There was no difference in average growth from 1983 to 1990 between undamaged and recently top-killed trees. Growth of undamaged trees was significantly greater than growth of recently top-killed trees following the onset of defoliation from the 1991-1993 outbreak. Patterns of growth loss suggest that a history of defoliation stress from multiple budworm outbreaks was an important determinant of tree mortality.

Intraspecific Variation in Feeding Preference and Performance of Galerucella nymphaeae (Chrysomelidae:Coleoptera) on Aquatic Macrophytes

The feeding preferences and performance of a freshwater macrophyte-feeding chrysomelid beetle (Galerucella nymphaeae) were assessed in laboratory experiments. Populations of Galerucella had a relatively narrow diet breadth, preferring species of Nuphar, Polygonum, and in 1 case Brasenia, while largely ignoring the remaining macrophytes offered in assays. However, because of interpopulation variation in host preferences, the species G. nymphaeae should be considered polyphagous. Distant populations from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Indiana, and North Carolina collected from Nuphar spp. all readily consumed Nuphar spp. and Polygonum spp., but beetles from a site in south Michigan collected from P. amphibium or from Brasenia schreberi treated Nuphar as a low-preference host. The performance of Galerucella in no-choice assays was clearly related to the behavioral preferences of the larvae: larvae performed well on 3 macrophyte species that they willingly consumed, but performed poorly when they refused to consume alternative host plants and presumably starved to death. It is unknown if the starved beetles could have performed well physiologically if they had eaten alternative hosts. Performance was also related to the quality of host plant, given that beetles collected from Nuphar luteum or N. advena reached a larger adult mass on N. luteum than on N. advena. The feeding preferences of Galerucella were largely non-plastic within a single generation, although there were sometimes behavioral differences among clutchmates raised on different host plants. Morphometric and preliminary allozyme data suggest the North American populations used in this paper are conspecific, but they probably represent a different species than European G. nymphaeae. The intraspecific variation of our North American G. nymphaeae in host preferences and performance suggests that at least 2 different ecotypes occur in North America.

Catastrophic disturbance in the presettlement forests of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Catastrophic disturbance in the presettlement forests of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

The history and architecture of lacustrine depositional systems in the northern Lake Michigan basin

The post-glacial history of the Great Lakes has involved changes in lake levels that are equivalent in vertical extent to the Pleistocene changes in global sea level and changes in sediment accumulation by at least two orders of magnitude. In the sediments of the northern Lake Michigan basin, these radical changes in base level and sediment supply are preserved in detailed records of changing depositional environment and the impact of these changes on depositional architecture. The seismic sequences of the sediment fill previously described in Lake Huron have been carried into northern Lake Michigan and used to map the history and architecture of basinal deposition. As the Laurentide Ice Sheet retreated northward in the early Holocene, it opened progressively deeper channels to the east that allowed the larger lakes to drain through the North Channel, Huron, and Georgian Bay basins. At the end of the Main Algonquin highstand, about 10,200 (radiocarbon) yrs ago, the eastern drainage passage deepened in a series of steps that defined four seismic sequences and lowered lake levels by over 100 m. Near the same time a new source of sediment and meltwaters poured across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and into the northern Lake Michigan basin from the Superior basin ice lobe. A marked increase in deposition is seen first in the northern part of the study area, and slightly later in the Whitefish Fan area at the southern end of the study area. Accumulation rates in the area gradually decreased even as lake levels continued to fall. Drainage directly from the Superior basin ended before the beginning of the main Mattawa phase about 9,200 (radiocarbon) yrs ago.

Interesting bryophyte in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Interesting bryophyte in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

PATCHY INVASION AND THE ORIGIN OF A HEMLOCK–HARDWOODS FOREST MOSAIC

The record of forest invasion by eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) during the course of Holocene migration provides useful information about invasion processes in temperate forest, a system that has been invaded by few exotic species. We used fossil pollen preserved in small forest hollows, which record forest composition on the scale of 1-3 ha, to study hemlock invasion of forests in the Sylvania Wilderness in the upper peninsula of Michigan, where there is now a mosaic of 3-30 ha stands dominated either by hemlock or by sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and basswood (Tilia americana). Fossil pollen was interpreted by comparison with 66 surface samples from small hollows in Michigan and Wisconsin, using three different statistical methods: pollen ratios, a dissim- ilarity index, and canonical variates analysis (CVA) ordination. We found that four hemlock stands along a 10-km transect across Sylvania originated as patches of white pine (Pinus strobus) forest that were invaded by hemlock -3000 yr ago (calibrated 14C dating) when hemlock expanded its range in northern Michigan. Invasion occurred at about the same time (within 800 yr) at all sites but was not associated with disturbance at any site. Over the next several thousand years hemlock coexisted with white pine, but eventually, at a time that differs from site to site, hemlock became dominant, and white pine disappeared from all but one of the four stands. These changes were apparently driven by climate changes over the last 4000 yr that caused the water table to rise (Brugam and Johnson 1997). The history of four nearby maple stands is more variable and less well understood. Unlike the hemlock stands, three of the four maple patches were not dominated by pine at the time of hemlock invasion, but instead had abundant oak (Quercus) and/or maple. Two of these stands were not invaded by hemlock, and the third, if invaded at all, was invaded for a few centuries by low densities of hemlock trees. Thus invasion by hemlock was sensitive to the species composition of the resident forest. Sugar maple and basswood increased in these stands, and by 2000 to 800 yr ago, depending on site, they resembled modern maple stands. The fourth patch was invaded by hemlock, but it was converted to a maple stand 1000-500 yr ago. A wood layer in the sediment is evidence that a catastrophic windstorm may have been responsible.

REGRESSIVE PEDOGENESIS FOLLOWING A CENTURY OF DEFORESTATION: EVIDENCE FOR DEPODZOLIZATION

After the logging and fires of the late nineteenth century, the upland stump prairies of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, which had previously supported dense forest, have remained deforested. Surrounding areas in similar geomorphologic settings have returned to forest. We investigated whether soil B horizon properties have degraded in response to the removal of podzolization-promoting vegetation by studying pedons under forest and stump prairie. Active soil processes were examined by analyzing ions sorbed on cation exchange resins and chelating resins that had been buried in the pedons, at three depths, for approximately 1 year. In both vegetation types, patterns of sorbed Fe and Al indicate that podzolization is on-going, with active translocation of sesquioxides into the B horizon. Larger absolute amounts of sesquioxides were sorbed on resins in forested pedons compared with stump prairie pedons, however, suggesting that podzolization processes are more active in forested than in stump prairie environments. The chemical and morphological properties of forested and stump prairie pedons were examined by analyzing the organic C and extractable Fe and Al content of horizon-based samples. Strength of podzol development was greater, in general, for forested than for stump prairie soils. The primary chemical difference between the two types was found in organic C content and in properties associated with organic C, including pyrophosphate-extractable Fe and Al. Differences between forested and stump prairie soils were much smaller for inorganic constituents. Depodzolization (the degradation of existing podzol features) in stump prairie B horizons is most evident in morphological properties associated with organic C, which are dependent on continued input of organometallic complexes. Depodzolization has occurred in the stump prairie soils because the balance between progressive development (podzolization) and regressive development (depodzolization) has been altered under stump prairie vegetation.

Comparative feeding selectivity of herbivorous insects on water lilies: aquatic vs. semi‐terrestrial insects and submersed vs. floating leaves

1. The rate of grazing damage experienced by submersed and floating leaves of water lilies (Nuphar variegata and Nymphaea odorata) was monitored in lakes in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S.A. Herbivores damaged 0.2–1.7% of the leaf surface of water lilies per day. These grazing rates differed between plant species, between submersed and floating leaves, and between lakes. Some leaves had more than 60% of their surface damaged and an overall mean of 16% damage occurred during the 2–3 week monitoring period of this study.2. Snapshot measurements of grazing damage on randomly collected submersed and floating leaves of Nuphar showed that submersed leaves were more damaged (11.0 ± 1.6%, n = 84) than floating leaves (3.8 ± 0.6%, n = 92). Overall, these 176 Nuphar leaves had 7.2% of their area damaged.3. Five species of herbivorous insects were commonly found on water lilies (Nymphaeacea). One primarily aquatic insect (sensuNewman 1991), a caddisfly larva (Trichoptera: Limniphilidae), had a generalized diet of water lilies, other macrophytes, algae, and detritus. Four of the five insects were from primarily terrestrial insect groups (Coleoptera and Diptera;‘secondary invaders’, sensuNewman 1991) and consumed only water lilies in food preference experiments.4. The feeding preferences of the generalist trichopteran were altered when the macrophytes were freeze‐dried, ground into a powder, and reconstituted in an alginate gel. This suggests that plant structure may be an important feeding determinant for this insect. In contrast, a specialist weevil preferred its host plant in choice assays, regardless of whether fresh tissue or reconstituted macrophytes were used, suggesting this insect cued on a unique, non‐structural property of its host plant.5. These results suggest that herbivory on freshwater macrophytes is of a similar magnitude to that on terrestrial plants. The findings of this study are consistent with the hypothesis that herbivorous insects of primarily terrestrial groups have a narrower diet breadth than insects of primarily aquatic groups.

Concentrations and hazard assessment of organochlorine contaminants and mercury in smallmouth bass from a remote lake in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Concentrations of PCBs, DDTs, toxaphene, chlordanes, dieldrin, and mercury were determined in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui) collected from Fumee Lake, a remote lake in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. An ecological hazard assessment was conducted to determine potential impacts of contaminants on bald eagles and mink eating fish from this lake. Concentrations of organochlorines, except toxaphene, and mercury in smallmouth bass were similar to those found in fish from Lake Superior, where atmospheric inputs are the primary sources. Bioaccumulation was indicated by a positive correlation between fish weight and contaminant concentrations for organochlorines, while mercury concentrations did not appear to correspond predictably to body weight. Concentrations of mercury and PCBs in smallmouth bass were sufficiently great to be of concern regarding their consumption by eagles or mink.

A diatom-inferred water depth reconstruction for an Upper Peninsula, Michigan, lake

Transects of surface sediment samples were taken in 4 lakes from the Sylvania Wilderness Area, Upper Peninsula of Michigan. These surface samples were compared with diatom samples from a core taken in the Northwest basin of Crooked Lake, also from the Sylvania Wilderness Area. Weighted Averaging calibration was used to reconstruct lake depths in Crooked Lake using the diatom microfossils from the core and the surface samples to infer past lake depth. During the early Holocene the lake was dominated by planktonic species and diatom-inferred water depth was large – approx. 13 m. At about 6700 BP inferred water depth was 2 m and samples were dominated by Fragilaria construens var. venter – a species characteristic of shallow parts of the surface sample transects. From 6700 to 5000 BP reconstructed water level was at its shallowest. From 5000 to 3000 BP it increased. This rise in water level was marked by increasing abundances of Aulacoseira ambigua and occurred at the same time increasing percentages of hemlock pollen indicate increasing available moisture. Modern water depth was reached about 3000 BP. The water level changes at Crooked Lake are consistent with regional climate changes in the Upper Midwest during the Holocene. The lake was shallowest during the mid-Holocene warm period documented by other investigators. It deepened as the Midwestern climate became cooler and wetter during the late Holocene.