SOUTHEASTERN QH301 IOLOGY no. 3 Sep 2004 Volume ol September, 2004 Number 3 ONLY CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THE 66th MEETING Abstract Submission - See Page 313 J. Kenneth Shull addresses the banquet audience as Past President of the Association The Official Publication of The Association of Southeastern Biologists http://www.asb.appstate.odu/ SOUTHEASTERN BIOLOGY (ISSN 1533-8436) SOUTHEASTERN BIOLOGY (ISSN 1533-8436) is published quarterly in January, April, September, and December by the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Inc., Carolina Biological Supply Co., 2700 York Road, Burlington, NC 27215. Periodicals postage paid at Burlington, NC, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: please send address changes to the SOUTHEASTERN BIOLOGY business manager, Tim Atkinson, Carolina Biological Supply Co., 2700 York Road, Burlington, NC 27215 ASB members receive the SOUTHEASTERN BIOLOGY as part of their membership dues. For non-members, the cost is $7.00 per issue. All contributions, inquiries about missing numbers and other matters should be addressed to the Print Editor. News items should be sent to the News Editor. Send books to be reviewed to the Book Review Editor. Printed by Allen Press, 810 East 10th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044. Print Editor . James D. Caponetti, Dept, of Botany, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1100; (865) 974-2256; FAX (865) 974-2258; jcaponet@utk.edu. Associate Editor . Terry Richardson, Dept, of Biology, UNA Box 5212, University of North Alabama, Florence, AL 35632-0001; (256) 765-4429; FAX (256) 765-4430; tdrichardson@una.edu. Web Editor . Terry Richardson, Dept, of Biology, UNA Box 5212, University of North Alabama, Florence, AL 35632-0001; (256) 765-4429; FAX (256) 765-4430; tdrichardson@una.edu. Business Manager . Tim Atkinson, Carolina Biological Supply Co., 2700 York Road, Burlington, NC 27215; (336) 538- 6224; tim.atkinson@carolina.com. News Editor . Leon Jernigan, Dept, of Biology, University of North Carolina, Pembroke, NC 28372-1510; (910) 521-6884; Leon.Jernigan@uncp.edu. Book Review Editor . .. Debbie Moore, Department of Natural Sciences, Troy State University, P.O. Box 8368, Dothan, AL 36304-8368; (334) 983-6556, ext. 250; FAX (334) 983-6322; dsmoore@troyst.edu. Meetings Coordinator . Scott Jewell, P.O. Box 4156, Glen Raven, NC 27215; (336) 538-6355; FAX (336) 538-6395; a2zconvention@yahoo.com. ASB Officers President . Claudia L. Jolls, Dept, of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858-4353; (252) 328- 6295; FAX (252) 328-4178; jollsc@mail.ecu.edu. President-elect . Dwayne A. Wise, Dept, of Biological Sciences, P. O. Drawer GY, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762; (662) 325-7579; FAX (662) 325-7939; daw1@ra.msstate.edu. Vice-President . A. Joseph Pollard, Dept, of Biology, Furman University, 3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville, SC 29613; (864) 294-3244; FAX (864) 294-2058; joe.pollard@furman.edu. Past President . AndrewN Ash, Dept, of Biology, University of North Carolina, Pembroke, NC 28372-1510; (910) 521-6418; andy.ash@uncp.edu Secretary . Terry Richardson, Dept, of Biology, UNA Box 5212, University of North Alabama, Florence, AL 35632-0001; (256) 765-4429; FAX (256) 765-4430; tdrichardson@una.edu. Treasurer . Tim Atkinson, Carolina Biological Supply Co., 2700 York Road, Burlington, NC 27215; (336) 538- 6224; tim.atkinson@carolina.com. Membership Officer. ... Deborah Atkinson, Office of Continuing Education, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, CB#8165, 400 Roberson Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8165; (919) 843-6892; FAX (919) 966-5692; datkinso@sph.unc.edu. Archivist . John Herr, Dept, of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208; (803) 777-8110; FAX (803) 777-4002; herr@mail.biol.sc.edu. Executive Committee Members-at-Large 2005: Zack E. Murrell, Dept, of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608-2027; (828) 262-2683; FAX (828) 262-2127; murrellze@appstate.edu. Thomas R. Wentworth, Dept, of Botany, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7612; (919) 515- 2168; FAX (919) 515-3436; tom_wentworth@ncsu.edu. 2006 Debbie Moore, Department of Natural Sciences, Troy State University, P.O. Box 8368, Dothan, AL 36304-8368; (334) 983-6556, ext. 250; FAX (334) 983-6322; dsmoore@troyst.edu. Jerry C. Ritchie, USDA-ARS Hydrology Laboratory, BARC-West Building-007, Beltsville, MD 20705; voice (301 ) 504-8717; secretary (301) 504-7490; FAX (301) 504-8931; jntchie@hydrolab.arsusda.gov. 2007: Elaine J. Davis, Dept, of Natural Sciences, Bowie State University, 14000Jericho Park Rd., Bowie, MD 20715; (301) 860-3876; edavis@bowiestate.edu. Scott Franklin, Dept, of Biology, University of Memphis, Ellington Hall, 3700 Walker Ave., Memphis, TN 38152; (901 ) 678-5539; FAX (901 ) 678-4746; sfrankli@memphis.edu Purpose The purpose of this association shall be to promote the advancement of biology as a science by encouraging research, the imparting of knowledge, the application of knowledge to the solution of biological problems, and the preservation of biological resources. The ASB has representation in Section G Committee of the AAAS. Varying types of membership are available to individuals and institutions. See inside back cover. Time and Place of Future Meetings 2005 April 13-16: Hosted by the University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama. 2006 March 29-31 , April 1 : Hosted by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee. 2007 April 18-21 : Hosted by the University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina. 2004 Meeting 241 The View from Here A Message from Claudia L. Jolls President of ASB It is a pleasure and privilege to address our ASB membership as your president for 2004-2005. Typical of most academics, I am a geographically- diverse product, trained in the upper Midwest, Rocky Mountain west and Southwestern United States, before I arrived in North Carolina nearly two decades ago. While those early years might argue I could not seem to stay put, the southeast has held me nearly as long as my native Michigan. The “warmth” of the southeast, professionally and personally, has been irresistible and irreplaceable, including this most unique of societies, the Association of Southeastern Biologists. My attendance at annual meetings and service to ASB has been more consistent than that to any of my other, larger professional societies, which speaks to how highly I value our organization. I know of nothing like it in this country at the regional level, ”to promote the advancement of biology as a science by encouraging research, the imparting of knowledge, the application of knowledge to the solution of biological problems, and the preservation of biological resources” (ASB Constitution Mission Statement). Walter S. Flory (1907-1998), of Wake Forest University and ASB President 1962-63, reflected on the origin, construct and vision of ASB for the 50th anniversary in 1987. Dr. Flory excerpted words of George H Boyd (1891- 1965), University of Georgia and founding President of ASB: “In this day of numerous meetings and abundance of travel I am sure professional isolation is a term that has lost much of its former significance... many of us... were keenly impressed with the need for easier and more frequent contacts with our colleagues in the region. Some of us attended national meetings more or less regularly, but we were largely lost from each other in the crowd” (The ASB Bulletin 34 (2) supplement: 1). ASB provides a much-needed venue between highly local and national/international meetings. We boast professional interactions on a par with much larger meetings and a more intimate, personal downright friendly atmosphere. My dear colleague, Mike Baranski, nearly dragged me to my first ASB meeting (USC-Columbia in 1986) as I struggled to find my footing as a rookie assistant professor; I instantly found a home. I first met some of my dearest colleagues and friends at ASB. ASB annual meetings are where I test the waters for my research and new ideas, debut my graduate students after presentations at state-level meetings, and introduce undergraduates to com¬ municating about science. While travel may be still abundant, funding is not: ASB is one of the few places I can afford to take students, both undergraduate and graduate, for professional exposure of the highest caliber (and a darn good time). The upcoming year promises to be an embarrassingly light duty, given the exemplary efforts of our previous officers and committees. The current Executive Committee and our service committees are full of familiar and some new faces 242 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 President-Elect Dwayne Wise and Vice-President Joe Pollard are veterans of the EC so I am comforted that several “somebodies” have my back covered. Tim Atkinson continues to serve as our Treasurer and support us as patron; Secretary Terry Richardson has added two hats, as Web Editor (www.asb.appstate.edu) is new, improved and up-to-date!) and chair of the Local Arrangements for 2005. Our EC is well-staffed, including our upperclassmen, Zack Murrell and Tom Wentworth (2005), Debbie Moore (who is also serving as Book Review Editor) and Jerry Ritchie (2006) and former members of local arrangement committees, Elaine Davis and Scott Franklin (2007). Leon Jernigan is entering year two as our News Editor, ready for you to share your news in the southeast with him, and Debbie Atkinson is awaiting your membership renewal. Our journal, Southeastern Biology, is running like a well-oiled machine, thanks to the skilled efforts of Jim Caponetti, who has agreed to another term as Print Editor. We are kept to task with the wise counsel and historical perspective from past presidents, including Ken Shull, Andy Ash and Archivist John Herr. Our society is in an unprecedented position, with places of meetings arranged through 2007, including the University of North Alabama at Florence in 2005 (Terry Richardson, chair of the local arrangements committee), at Gatlmburg, TN, hosted by the University of Tennessee in 2006 (Pat Cox and Randy Small, LAC co-chairs) and at the University of South Carolina at Columbia in 2007 (John Herr, LAC chair). Thanks to impressive efforts after a mere three months, the Place of Meeting Committee has letters of invitation in preparation for 2008, ideas for 2009 and interest expressed for 2010. Historically, our meetings have been held on college campuses, providing convenient, inexpensive venues. However, campuses are more complex and finances play a larger role on them. Academic calendar conflicts, our larger size and increasing needs, notably computer-aided presentation and social events, are placing us in the hands of for-profit convention centers, even on campuses. Other professional societies face the same challenge and have dealt with it by increasing dues. ASB continues to be one of the most economical societies for its size and larger regional and interdisciplinary focus, providing a quarterly journal, active web site, annual meeting and travel and research awards for $10 annually for students and $25 for regular members. The Executive Committee and the local arrangements committees continue to be committed to maintaining the quality of ASB meetings at the lowest possible cost. ASB member Scott Jewel, of A2Z Conventions, signed on as our Meetings Coordinator, indoctrinated at Memphis. Scott has been extremely active with the 2005 and 2006 meetings as well as through participation on Executive and our ASB committees. His efforts and perspective bring important historical memory, insight and professionalism to our meetings. Our affiliate societies continue to support us as “the ribs” of our umbrella society, including the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists- Southeastern Division, Beta Beta Beta Southeastern Districts I and II, the Botanical Society of America-Southeastern Section, the Ecological Society of America-Southeastern Chapter, the Society of Wetland Scientists-South Atlantic Chapter, the Southeastern Fishes Council and the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society. BSA-SE has a new award for the best student paper in plant science. ESA-SE also will be presenting a new award for the first time in 2005, Elsie Quarterman-Catherine Keever Award ($300) for the best poster in ecology presented by a student. We’re hopeful well see our colleagues of the 2004 Meeting 243 Southeastern Society of Parasitologists back with us soon. ASIH-SE will not hold their business meeting with ASB next year; their by-laws require they meet with the “parent" society when in the southeast (i.e., ASIH in Tampa for 2005 and in New Orleans during 2006). We are comforted in that many ASIH-SE members will be with us in 2005 and 2006 as members of ASB anyway and we look forward to their return in 2007. Our patrons, including Associated Microscope Inc, Burlington NO, Tim Atkinson of Burlington NO, Breedlove Dennis & Associates, Winter Park FL, Carolina Biological Supply Company, Burlington NO and Martin Microscope Company, Easley SC have been joined by Thomson-Brooks/Cole, Belmont, CA. The generosity of our patrons supports ASB in many ways, including the ASB Senior Research Award from Associated Microscope, Inc., the ASB Meritorious Teaching Award from Carolina Biological Supply and the ASB Student Research Award from Martin Microscope Company. Our new patron, Thomson- Brooks/Cole of Belmont, CA is sponsoring the Student Research Award in Aquatic Biology and another new award, the Research Award in Microbiology. Having our place of meeting defined years out allows us the much needed luxury of reflecting on some challenges, including 1) continuing strong ties with and service to our affiliates and soliciting new “cooperating societies” to use Dr. Flory’s term, 2) keeping our committees high functioning, 3) designing longer term goals for our ASB Enrichment Fund, 4) keeping meetings and the society affordable and 5) engaging an active membership. My challenge as your president this year is to keep us to task and represent you. Please let me hear from you, by e-mail, phone, even “snail mail” and in person when our paths cross, hopefully soon. On the other hand, my challenge to you, dear members, is to keep us busy, by 1) offering to serve ASB and 2) bring in new members. Our goal is to keep our membership rolls consistently high, despite the predicted turnover as careers and lives evolve. Many current ASB “senior” members were first introduced as undergraduates, through Beta Beta Beta. Current members on the Executive Committee first associated with ASB as graduate students. So, bring one new undergraduate, one new graduate student and one new colleague to Florence in 2005. Be sure they also join us at Gatlinburg in 2006, Columbia in 2007, through 2010 and the decades beyond. As I said at the close of our wonderful meeting in Memphis last April, “I'm in it for the long haul.” Join me in our long-term commitment to this most special of professional and personal experiences, the Association of Southeastern Biologists. 244 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Claudia L. Jolls (left) receives the gavel from Andrew Ash. THE STORY OF THE ASB GAVEL By J. Kenneth Shull Appalachian State University Boone, North Carolina Perry Holt was president in 1975-76. He was a professor of biology at VPI & SU (now Virginia Tech) and was an invertebrate biologist, specializing in crawfish. There was no gavel at the time, and John Herr remembers the president rapping on the podium with his or her knuckles or tapping on a drinking glass with a knife. Perry decided that ASB needed a gavel, and he made one of yellowwood and sassafrass, but may not have used it himself. He presented it to the officers of ASB on Thursday, April 14, 1977, at Middle Tennessee State University at the executive committee meeting. If Perry did not use it, then John Herr, president in 1976-1977, would have been the first to call the meeting to order with it. John thinks Perry used it first, but as I read the article that Perry wrote about it, it seems to me that he did not. John proceeded to pass it on to the next president, Madeline Burbanck, and that started the tradition. For several years the gavel was lost. Sometime later it showed up, but I don’t know when it was lost, who found it, nor when it was found. It has been passed on now for several years. 2004 Meeting 245 Perry wrote an article about it for the July, 1977 issue of the ASB Bulletin (Vol. 24, No. 3, p. 1 1 1 ) in which he tells why he made it, how he made it (with a pocket knife only) and that he chose yellowwood and sassafrass because the two are found in the Southeast and are the only two species of their genera in North America. He said that these two woods should remind the members of their "close relationship with wood and stream and simple rustic background and the good people who call (the Southeast) home." The ASB Gavel* Perry Holt Professor of Biology, VP1 & SU, Blacksburg Every organization of respectable duration and some importance in the affairs of men develops its traditions, rituals and symbolic objects. The Association is distinguished in its traditions and has as much ritual as is good for it, but is lacking in symbolic objects, having as such only a logo composed of an outline of the southeastern states. To remedy this latter lack, the writer, as one of the Past Presidents of the Association, has made with his own hands a gavel for the use of his successors. There is an extensive lore of gavels and their uses of which we remain mostly ignor¬ ant and are content to remain so: this gavel is intended to be used gently, to symbolize the minimum of power (hence, its small size) and to express something of the nature of the Associa¬ tion and its region. The Association is composed of biologists, ex¬ pansive in spirit, open minded, friendly people lacking in the narrow parochialism of the little- souled ones who proudly claim an obscure corner of their great field as theirs and do not see the beauty of the whole for concentrating so single- (?simple) mindedly on the not always beautiful piece of biology they so hubristically claim as their own specialty. The Founders were not as the latter. They studied algae and tapeworms, but their interests did not stop there. It seems appropriate, then, that one officially labeled as an invertebrate zoologist, using the simplest of tools, mainly his pocket knife, the only instru¬ ment he claims to wield with skill, should choose the wood of two plants (for the uses intended) as the materials of which the ASB gavel is made. The head is of yellowwood, Cladrastis lutea (Michx. f. ) K. Koch, which is a rare relict spe¬ cies of disjunct occurrence from the southern Appalachians to the Ozarks. The other four * The above treatise was read to the Officers of the Association on April 14, 1977, on the occasion of the presentation of our official gavel by Perry Holt. Editor. species of its genus are in eastern Asia. It is a member of the great family of the legumes. The maker knew it as a child, learning the beauty of its wood, its smell, its feel, as his father taught him the craft of the woods and their nearly al¬ ways gentle creatures. The precise tree from which this piece of wood came was one of a group that grew around the maker’s family spring. It was cut by his brother-in-law before the En¬ dangered Species Act was promulgated. The handle is of sassafras, Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees, of the almost equally great family of the laurels, with again only one species in eastern North America and two in China and Formosa. In our area, we all remember, unless we are unfortunately too young or are escapees from less fortunate regions, the fragrant and re¬ freshing drink — sassafras tea — made by steep¬ ing the roots of the tree and sweetening the brew. This piece came, again by way of Odell Long, the maker’s brother-in-law, from a fence post emplaced decades ago by Herman Eubanks. One need say little of his brother-in-law; this one is as he should be, a child of the woods and hills of the Eastern Highland Rim of Tennessee. Of one’s father one properly says little; the fa¬ ther’s merits may so easily, and unjustifiably, be unknowingly appropriated to the son by the son’s talk. Herman Eubanks was a tough little man who farmed the fields carved from the hillsides above the head of Eagle Creek. Famous, no, but notable in his neighborhood. The Association needs traditions, rituals and symbols, as do all societies of people. The hope is that the woods of this gavel, characteristic of, almost unique to, and well known in the region of the Association, beautiful in themselves with¬ out the skill of an artificer, with their own prov¬ enance, may always remind us of the close rela¬ tionship of so many of our members with wood and stream and simple rustic background and the good people who call such places home. Vol. 24, No. 3, July 1977 111 246 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Association of Southeastern Biologists EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING SATURDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2003 HILTON INN, KNOXVILLE AIRPORT ALCOA, TENNESSEE ATTENDANCE: 16 individuals attended the meeting. NAME Andrew Ash Claudia Jolls Ken Shull Kim Marie Tolson Terry Richardson Tim Atkinson Rebecca Cook Michael Dennis Tom Wentworth Debbie Moore Zack Murrell Jerry Ritchie John Herr Donald Roush Mel Beck Lafayette Frederick CAPACITY President President-Elect Past President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Member at Large Member at Large Member at Large Member at Large Member at Large Member at Large Archivist Tri-Beta Representative Local Arrangements 2004 Local Arrangements 2003 E-MAIL ADDRESS aash@nat.uncp.edu jollsc@mail.ecu.edu shulljk@appstate.edu bitolson@ulm.edu trichard@unanov.una.edu tim.atkinson@carolina.com cook-reb@lambuth.edu Mike@bda-inc.com tom_wentworth@ncsu.edu dmoore@tsud.edu murrellze@appstate.edu jritchie@hydrolab.arsusda.gov herr@biol.sc.edu droush@unanov.una.edu mbeck@memphis.edu lfrederick@howard.edu President Andrew Ash called the meeting to order at 9:00 AM: President’s Opening Remarks — Andy opened the meeting by welcoming all that attended. He noted that minutes of the Wednesday, April 9, 2003, Minutes of the ASB Executive Committee meeting and the Saturday, April 12, Minutes of the ASB Executive Committee meeting had been distributed by Terry electronically and that all EC members had ample time to review these. Andy then asked if there were any comments, additions, deletions, or corrections needed for the Wednesday, April 9, 2003, Minutes of the ASB Executive Committee meeting or for the Saturday, April 12, Minutes of the ASB Executive Committee meeting. Hearing none, he declared the minutes approved as electronically corrected. OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS President’s Report — Andy noted that ASB is much better off now than three months before with future annual meeting plans. He mentioned that we had letters of invitation for meetings at the University of North Alabama in 2005 and from the University of South Carolina for 2007. 2004 Meeting 247 Motion 1: Ken Shull moved that the letters of invitation be accepted. Claudia Jolls seconded. Approved. Andy mentioned that he and Kim Marie Tolson had an indication that Furman University may be interested in hosting the 2006 annual meeting. It was a general consensus of the EC that Furman University should be pursued. Motion 2: Terry Richardson moved that Furman University be pre¬ approved and that Andy be given permission to accept an offer from Furman should one be received. Tim Atkinson seconded. Approved. Fie mentioned that he had yet to send letters to patron members keeping them informed, but given current confusion regarding patrons, he wanted to wait until after this meeting in hopes we could straighten out some of the confusion. Also, Andy mentioned he still needed to send letters to emeritus members notifying them of their status. Andy pointed out changes in News in the Southeast Editor and Book Review Editor of Southeastern Biologist due to resignations of the current editors. Fie proposed Leon Jernigan of UNC, Pembroke, to take over as the News in the Southeast Editor and Debbie Moore of Troy State University, Troy, to take over as Book Review Editor. Motion 3: Terry moved these recommendations be accepted. Claudia seconded. Approved. Andy further pointed out that Ken Shull had informed the EC that Jon Fortman had been the News in the Southeast Editor for the ASB Bulletin and Southeastern Biologist for 30 years. Motion 4: Ken moved we buy Jon a ticket for the banquet and prepare for Jon a plaque to present at the 2004 ASB Banquet recognizing Jon for his years of service to ASB. Jerry Ritchie seconded. Approved. Action Item 1: Andy asked Ken to take care of getting the plaque for Jon. Andy mentioned that he would take care of making contact with Jon and arranging the banquet ticket. Andy turned the floor over to Debbie Moore. She asked for assistance and help from the EC to determine who would be good candidates for book reviews. Terry suggested that she email all the EC when she has a book of a given topic and that one of the EC could refer her to someone with that expertise. Andy mentioned a failure in communication with the ASB Senior and Student Research awards as well as the Meritorious Teaching Award with regards to having plaques made for the recipients. Andy is now having plaques made for the winners. 248 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Action Item 2: Andy needs to get the plaques made for the ASB Senior, Student Research Award winners and for the Meritorious Teaching award winners. Tim added that the problem was that someone failed to let Jim Ross know who the winners were so that plaques could be made. Similarly, Tim added he could not make out a check for the recipient if he is not notified who the winner is. Action Item 3: Ken Shull will look into taking over having plaques made for the annual meeting, but would first like to check out the quality of the work done by the business in Boone, NC, before committing. Andy mentioned that he would check with Ken on this. Andy brought up that he had been in minimal contact with the people in charge of the Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference about maybe having them have their conference at the ASB meetings. Discussion ensued. Andy wants to know if the EC was in favor of having them meet with us. Claudia thinks we should get more information about this group before we take them in. Action Item 4: Andy will get more information on the Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference. Ken mentioned that the Southeastern Electron Microscopy Society apparently did not know about ASB. He indicated Dwayne Wise had contacts in SEEMS and that maybe he could talk to them to see if they would like to become ASB affiliates. Action Item 5: Andy will find out more about SEEMS from Dewayne Wise. Symposia Proposals (1) From the ASB Committee on Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities: “Women in Science” Motion 5: Terry moved we accept the symposium proposal and allot $300.00 for expenses. Ken seconded. Approved. Discussion concluded that the Committee needs to provide the 2004 Local Arrangements Committee more detail as the meeting date approaches. (2) From Ecological Society of America — Southeastern Chapter and the Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council: “Invasive Plant Awareness and Research: The Priority Status” 2004 Meeting 249 Motion 6: Ken moved to accept the proposal. Jerry seconded. Approved. (3) From Mike Ferkin of the University of Memphis: “Social Behavior in Animals’’ Motion 7: Ken moved that the proposal be accepted with 2004 Local Arrangements putting in the time requirements. Jerry seconded. Some discussion ensued. Approved. (4) From patron member Thomson Learning Brooks/Cole: “Microbiology Practitioners and Educators” Motion 8: Terry moved we accept the proposal and include up to $700.00 to be used for lodging of invited speakers and 2004 Local Arrangements will set the times. Tim seconded. Discussion ensued regarding lodging funding and making contact with ASB members asking members to ask their microbiologists to attend. Action Item 6: Ken will write up a “tear-out” advertisement for Jim to place in the bulletin for all our symposia which will include mention of “inviting your microbiologists.” (5) From Lytton Musselman for 2005: “Advances in Isoetes Biology in the Southeast: Quillwort Conference II” Motion 9: Claudia moved that Dr. Musselman be encouraged to submit more detail and that the EC welcomes additional details for this symposium for 2005 meeting. Ken seconded. (6) From the ASB Education Committee: Simply wants to have an education “round-table” discussion session. Approved. Motion 10: Jerry moved to allot up to $500 for expenses. Claudia seconded. Approved. Action Item 7: Tim is to send a check to the committee chair for an honorarium and expenses for the moderator. Action Item 8: Terry will notify those submitting proposals that their respective proposals were accepted. Andy wants to see the portfolios completed by the Wednesday meeting in April. 250 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 President-Elect’s Report — Claudia Jolls reported. She indicated she had arranged for Dan Simberloff to be our 2004 plenary speaker with the title “Biological Invasions: A war we can win.” Claudia mentioned she had been encouraged to arrange for a back-up due to the recent “trend” of last minute cancellations by speakers. It was mentioned it should be someone that would be at the meeting. Mike suggested that she contact Pat Parr in order to secure someone that could speak on the given topic of invasive species. Action Item 9: Claudia will contact Pat Parr to see if she knows someone that could willingly serve as a back-up. It was mentioned we usually pay $1,000.00 for an honorarium plus expenses up to $1,800.00 total. Claudia discussed revision of membership brochure and how to expand our membership. She suggested finding “point people” in each state to serve as ASB membership liaisons with whom to communicate and keep state by state rolls. Claudia’s goal is to complete her committee assignments by April. She commented that upon historical review of who served on which committees that the same names keep coming up over and over and she would like to change that. She also wants to start adding younger members to those that serve the Association. Past President’s Report — Ken Shull gave a report. Ken mentioned we had no official resolutions submitted so far. He did point out that he had received some information from a group supporting Roan Mountain, TN, which appears to be near development. His concern was the issue being a local one. Terry pointed out that “local issues” are indeed appropriate. Andy recommended Ken forward this to the Conservation Committee for a draft resolution. Mike pointed out that we need to be sure we investigate this issue and get the facts from both sides. Action Item 10: Ken will forward this to the Conservation Committee for further investigation and, if worthy, a draft resolution. Ken pointed out that the Past Presidents suggested the EC look into considering hiring an Executive Secretary/Executive Director. Andy concurred and pointed out how important such a position will be to the future of ASB and its growth. Action Item 11: Andy will appoint an ad hoc committee to look into this and ask for a report of their findings at the Wednesday EC meeting in Memphis, April 2004. (More detail provided in Action Item 22) Vice President’s Report— Kim Tolson presented her report. She said she had contacted the representative societies to which we belong inviting them to the meeting. She also contacted Mel to let him know that she would be in charge of the ASB booth at the 2004 meeting. She has also been in touch with the news editor. Secretary’s Report — Terry Richardson gave the report. He indicated the year had been a busy one. He had prepared Friday’s Business Meeting Minutes for Jim for the September issue of the Bulletin, prepared Wednesday, 9 April 03 and 2004 Meeting 251 Saturday, 12 April 03 Executive Committee meeting minutes and distributed to EC members for comments, updated AAAS officer information, looked up patron member benefits as determined previously by EC and distributed to the EC, took over as Web Editor, updated ASB Constitution and Bylaws where needed, extended an invitation to all committee chairs to attend the Fall interim meeting, mailed Mike Dennis his notes from a previous meeting that were used to confirm patron status and benefits, updated ASB Officer’s Handbook where necessary and distributed via email to all officers and committee chairs, notified all officers and committee chairs of their respective presidential charge to develop and keep a portfolio to pass from chair to chair and guidelines and provisions for the portfolio were distributed to all pertinent individuals. He also sent Tim a reminder to send Scott tax exempt information, Action Item 12: Tim should forward Terry a copy of this letter as well. Print Editor — Jim Caponetti was unable to attend. Terry indicated there was no report. Web Editor’s Report — Terry gave a report. He indicated he had taken over the duties from Howard Neufeld and had been officially appointed ASB Web Editor by Andy. Terry said the ASB web page is updated for everything for which he had electronic files. Terry requested $500.00 to pay UNA’s IT technician for his continued support. Motion 11: Ken moved ASB provide John McGee, UNA IT technician, a $500.00 consulting fee for work on our web page. Tom Wentworth seconded. Approved. Action Item 13: Terry will construct a “Patron’s page” that will describe how to become a patron, what ASB expects from patrons and what patrons can expect from ASB. This is intended for those visiting the site that may be interested in becoming a patron. Treasurer’s Report — Tim gave a report. He said there was little to report and that our finances had not changed much since April. He mentioned that membership had declined somewhat as is normal for this time of year. He pointed out that the financial management of our funds has been good. He said that while we had gained little, we had not lost any of our prior gains. John Herr wondered if itemized copies of meeting expenses from previous Local Arrangements Committees (L.A.C.) were available. Discussion followed regarding the variation in detail found in L.A.C. final reports. Tim reported that membership currently stands at around 900. Archivist’s Report — John gave a report. He mentioned that all of the archiving is mostly current and up to date. John pointed out he had several boxes and packets that yet needed to be checked against the archives to see whether or not 252 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 these documents had already been archived. He felt he would be going to UGA 1-2 times a semester until this is cleared up. Local Arrangements Committee, 2003 — Lafayette Frederick gave a summary report of meeting statistics. There were 566 total registrants with 81 colleges and universities and 23 other institutions represented. There were 19 exhibitors present. The meeting produced a negative balance falling short of breaking even by approximately $9,303.69, if all outstanding balances are paid the short-fall is $7,528.69. Motion 12: Ken moved to pay the final invoice balance for the 2003 Local Arrangements Committee shortfall. Claudia Jolts seconded. Some discussion ensued. Approved. Local Arrangements Committee, 2005 — Terry gave a report of details of the upcoming 2005 meeting in Florence, AL, hosted by the University of North Alabama. He mentioned he had the L.A.C. members and assignments in place and that things were coming along well. The Florence Conference Center will be the meeting site and Holiday Inn, Sheffield will serve as the host hotel. Rooms are $60. 00/night up to 4 per room. There are a total of 204 rooms available at the Holiday Inn and they are expecting full booking Thursday and Friday nights. No other hotels are to be listed and Holiday Inn will handle all over flow with local hotels at the same $60.00 night rate, i.e., even if the Holiday Inn is full they will still make the reservations elsewhere for members and contact the individual with directions and confirmation. All luncheons and breakfasts for affiliates, etc. will be held at the Holiday Inn. Luncheons are simple with sandwiches, chips, fruit, etc. Breakfasts are buffet, but with the works. All other meals (lunches, etc.) will have to be off-site of the Conference Center. Several lunch places are within a 5 minute drive of the Conference Center. Outside food absolutely cannot be brought into the Conference Center. The University of North Alabama will provide 4-6, 23-passenger shuttle buses to and from the Conference Center and all hotels. There should be no longer than a 15 minute wait between buses. Ample parking is available at the conference center for those wishing to drive. Four of the larger “over-the-road” buses will provide transportation to and from the Thursday night social. UNA Continuing Education is handling all pre-registration and on-site registration. All preregistration will be online using MC, VISA, AmEx, or Discover; or the form can be printed and mailed with a check if desired. UNA Continuing Education will provide a “welcome packet” and name badges for the meeting participants. Exhibitors will be in the main foyer of the Conference Center and all registrants will have to pass through the exhibit hall to reach the registration desk and the meeting rooms. Exhibitors and vendors are being provided ample opportunity to sponsor events to reduce our costs. All breaks and some socials will be held in the exhibitors’ hall Exhibitors and vendors will be able to set up Wednesday morning before 12:00 noon. Someone will be on site to help exhibitors and address their questions and needs. Vendors will have the opportunity to have box lunches catered to them, but only through the conference center facility. All presentations shall be PowerPoint presentations and UNA is 2004 Meeting 253 providing 12 computers and projectors. Those wishing to use traditional 2x2 slides will need to bring their own projector. At least one technician (likely more) will be on site daily to assist with any AV problems. Overhead projectors will be provided as back-up. Additional AV materials such as video can be made available with advanced notice. There are only four or five field trips with limited seating available. One will be to the Nature Conservancy’s Prairie Grove Glade and/or to the Sipsey Wilderness Area. One may be to the U S. Space and Rocket Center. Another is planed to Cane Creek Canyon Preserve. Since AIHS meets with us that year there may be a local fish fauna seining trip. Many of these are hiking/strolling type trips lasting from 4-8 hours. Lunches will be included in the trip price for those of longer duration. Most trips will be limited to about 20 people each. Security will be provided at the conference center around the clock starting Wednesday at noon through Friday night’s banquet. Badges will be checked after participants have had ample time to register/pick up packets and those without badges will be escorted from the premises. The Thursday night social is dubbed the "ASB Barn Bust.” The site will remain undisclosed and four buses will carry participants to and from hotels. The food features the local specialty of southern fried catfish with all the trimmings (coleslaw, hushpuppies, and “freedom” fries) along with boiled crawfish and/or shrimp with potatoes and corn. Beverages will include soft drinks, iced tea, and unlimited beer. Live entertainment will be provided by a great local dance band called the Midnighters specializing in a mix of 60’s thru modern rock and roll dance music. The banquet will include choice of fillet mignon, chicken breast, or salmon fillet and comes with vegetables, roll, dessert, water, and iced tea. Wine will be available with the meal at $20.00 per bottle. Business Luncheon will be at the Holiday Inn. Tri-Beta poster accommodations are along with regular ASB poster sessions. Meeting rooms for Tri-Beta talks are arranged as are box lunches for Thursday field trip at $6.00 each. These lunches include sandwich, chips, fruit, cookie, and soft drink. Terry also presented a tentative schedule and mentioned that UNA’s President Potts has invited the ASB EC to a cocktail hour Tuesday evening prior to the meeting. Other details will be presented as they develop. Local Arrangements Committee, 2007 — John Herr gave a brief report. He presented a brochure of the convention center that is to be built in time for the 2007 meeting; the convention center is to be completed in 2004 and the adjacent hotel in 2005 which should give plenty of time for completion prior to the 2007 meeting. John had presented the convention center personnel with information from previous meetings and they arranged some tentative prices and a time schedule based on those numbers. General discussion ensued. Claudia raised concern about a contingency plan in case the convention center was not completed in time. John responded that he did not think that should be a problem as there is a two year window between projected completion date and the meeting. Local Arrangements Committee, 2004 — Mel Beck passed out a packet and presented the report. The meeting will be at the Fogleman Executive Center and on-campus Holiday Inn just across the street. The Holiday Inn has a large central ball room where exhibitors and things like the Wednesday evening social and Friday night banquet will be held. The Fogleman Executive Center has the large auditorium for the plenary speaker. They have over 500 rooms contracted Ken 254 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 mentioned they need to look into this as this was too many rooms to guarantee. Terry mentioned they may need to get clarification as to whether this is 500 rooms or 500 room nights. Thursday night’s social will be at the Gibson Guitar Factory downtown and a band has already been secured. It will consist of a buffet dinner with pulled pork or chicken barbeque, vegetarian spaghetti, baked beans, slaw, roasted potato salad, cookies, and two drink tickets for liquor, beer, or wine with a cash bar available. Anticipate 400-500 people. Mel mentioned the web page was up, but that the abstract submission and registration forms are not yet ready. There was some discussion of a BSA-SE award and entering it as an official ASB award. Andy suggested and it was generally agreed that if BSA-SE wish to run the award through ASB then EC needs a proposal submitted from BSA-SE detailing the award. Action Item 14: Zack Murrell will contact BSA-SE relaying to them our decision that we would like to see them contribute an award, but if they want to do this as a part of ASB with ASB playing a role in it (e.g., at the Banquet), then the appropriate channel is to submit a proposal to the EC. Andy also asked Zack to convey that monetary value and submission deadlines should conform to other, similar awards and deadlines. Discussion ensued regarding format of submission standards. Andy asked that Terry contact the print editor and request a set of standards be developed for electronic submissions. Action Item 15: Terry will contact Jim requesting that he put together a set of electronic submission standards to be used hence forth in all electronic submissions and that he and Don Roush should coordinate on this since Don has had to deal with Jim on this issue with Tri-Beta submissions. Additional general meeting discussion continued especially regarding the sizes of the various luncheons and breakfasts needed. Mel mentioned that the symposia approved today will be added to the program Transportation has been taken care of. There have been 4 field trips arranged with costs approximated. There was some discussion centered on having fewer fieldtrips rather than more. He pointed out there had been 78 contacts with exhibitors, 22 publishers, 38 scientific products companies, 10 agencies and the Patron members. Some discussion ensued. Posters and the numbers of slots available were discussed. Mel next brought up overall meeting facility costs with discussion following. Andy specifically focused on student registration fees. Currently it is set at $125 for regular and $75 for students. Andy suggested adjusting registration fees to around $140-150 for regular and lowering students to closer to $60. Some discussion followed with general consensus that all efforts should be made to keep registration costs down for everyone, but especially for students. However, Mike pointed out that meetings must be planned in order to financially break even while trying to keep costs down, again, especially for students. 2004 Meeting 255 Action Item 16: Andy asked Mel to look into lowering the overall cost for student registration. PowerPoint presentations were discussed with respect to time of submission. Ken mentioned they required the CD’s or zip disks to be in two weeks in advance. This is in order for the presentations to be installed on the computers. Auditing Committee Report — No report Committee on Women, Minorities and Persons with Disabilities — Andy gave their report. The presented a symposium proposal which was approved. Conservation Committee — No report. Education Committee — A proposal for a workshop was submitted, discussed and approved. Enrichment Fund Report — Kim gave a brief report. She reported that since there had been discussion about out-sourcing the upkeep of the website that the Enrichment Fund pay for it. Terry mentioned that everything is fine now with the web site. Kim brought up needing vote of membership to set up objectives. Discussion ensued about clarification of Bylaws IX. Section 1. It was generally accepted that the “objectives” had already been set and that we could spend the Enrichment Fund as long as it was towards those previously approved objectives. Finance Committee — No report. Graduate Student Support Award — Zack Murrell gave the report. He said evaluation procedures were now set. Zack mentioned he needed to get Mel a time line for graduate student support. Meritorious Teaching Award — Tom Wentworth had mentioned there had not yet been any new submissions. Nominations Committee — Robert was not present, but Kim Marie reported that a slate of officer nominees was being developed. Past President’s Council — No report Resolutions Committee — Ken mentioned that there were no resolutions at present. Patron Members and Exhibitors Committee — Rebecca Cook gave the report. She said a list is being developed and passed around among local arrangements chairs. She mentioned this list needs to be kept and updated regularly and patrons and exhibitors need to be separated. She mentioned we need to get on track with the patrons as to what are their fees, what do they get in return, etc Andy mentioned he needed to send a letter to patrons to update them on fees, etc. Kim Marie mentioned we had four ASB positions that actually contact 256 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 patrons: President, Vice President, Chair of the Patron Members and Exhibitors Committee, and the Chair of the Local Arrangements Committee. Place of Meeting Committee — Andy mentioned that since we are set through 2007 with an offer pending for 2006 no further report was necessary. Poster Awards — No report. Publications Committee — Terry stated there was nothing to report. Senior Research Award Committee — A written report was sent to Terry from Committee Chair Cliff Hupp. He stated he was working on the portfolio and that a couple of papers had already been submitted for consideration. Action Item 17: Cliff Hupp needs to contact Tim Thompson of Associated Microscope to see if they would be willing to take over sponsorship of the ASB Senior Research Award at the higher rate of $1 ,000.00. Student Research Award — Ken Shull brought up the issue again of raising the award amounts and he mentioned that Bobby Martin of Martin Microscope Company was more than willing to raise it to $1 ,000.00. OLD BUSINESS Ad Hoc Committee on Exhibitors and Patrons — Kim gave a report and handout regarding the ad hoc committee’s findings. The first finding was that Patron Members and Exhibitors are and should be treated and dealt with separately. Kim pointed out that the President, Vice President, Chair of the Patron Members and Exhibitors Committee, and the Chair of the Local Arrangements Committee all have contact with exhibitors and patrons. The committee identified a list of items that are available to patron members as Kim pointed out that no where could be found such a list. Action Item 18: Terry will create a page on the ASB web site for patron membership listing benefits and stating why one would want to become a patron. Action Item 19: Andy suggested with general consensus that all communications to patron or exhibitors first be run past the Chair of Patron and Exhibitors Committee, now Rebecca Cook, leaving all the responsibilities essentially with the committee. Action Item 20: Andy also asked Rebecca to put together a guide book. This guide book should state not only the needs and benefits of patrons, exhibitors and vendors, each separately, but also contain what each ASB officer and committee chair should do and when and clearly indicate that the Chair of the Patron and Exhibitors Committee be the point on all contacts. 2004 Meeting 257 Tim mentioned that Scott Jewell could not be here but would like to submit a more formal proposal stating what he could do in terms of helping with exhibitors, meeting setup, etc. Tim mentioned that this person could be the “contact person” we have been talking about that would provide the continuity and experience and be the resource person to go when dealing with the issues. He provided Tim a list of essentially "pre-show," “show,” and “post-show” things he could do. Pre¬ show he would work way ahead with site selection and Place of Meeting Committee, he would work with setting up hotel and meeting space, he would work with the L.A.C. telling them what to do, food and beverage arrangement, electrical, getting sponsors, etc. He would arrange special events like the social, banquet, fieldtrips, etc. Post-show he would do a survey giving a critique to help improve things. Cost would depend on how much he actually does for us. Motion 13: Claudia moved that we have Scott Jewell submit to ASB, through Andy, as soon as possible a proposal outlining costs for providing exhibitors for the 2005 meeting and at that same time or shortly thereafter present a list of costs for the handling the 2006 meeting. Mike seconded. Some discussion ensued. The motion passed. Tim brought up the idea of adding a “Commercial Member” category to help alleviate some of the confusion between Patron Members and Exhibitors. Commercial Members for one price might get a free booth, etc. Kim Marie suggested Tim write up something outlining, as the ad hoc committee did for Patrons, what a Commercial Member would get for their dues and present it at the Wednesday meeting in Memphis. Action Item 21: Tim will bring a written proposal detailing the Commercial Member status, price, and benefits. Ken Shull addressed the issue of cost related to having PowerPoint projectors and computers at each meeting. His research revealed that the costs range from $300-600 per day per projector/computer setup (average was $345). He mentioned that at universities’ costs range from free to about $75 per day. He suggested that going to this “permanently” would be too costly unless we bought our own systems and then we would occasionally run into hotels and convention centers that would not let us bring in our own system. Ken's suggestion was to simply let the Local Arrangements Committee weight the cost of renting such units versus more traditional methods or presentation. Ken also talked about adding diversity to ASB disciplines. The weak areas are animal behavior, bacteriology, virology, mycology, cryptogamic botany, physiology, developmental biology, genetics and molecular biology. He began contacting some companies to see if they were interested sponsoring something in these areas and pointed out that he was pleased to see Brooks/Cole was sponsoring a symposium in Microbiology. Terry said he had spoken with representatives from Brooks/Cole will indeed be sponsoring an award in the 258 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 categories Ken mentioned and want to do it as a cash prize at a minimum of $500. Motion 14: Terry moved that the ASB Senior Research Award be raised from $600 to $1,000.00 effective immediately. Ken seconded. Motion passed. Mike presented some suggested designs for an ASB banner to be used at the ASB booth during the meetings. Andy suggested we get two, one for in front of the table and one for above and behind the table. Mike agreed he would have two made and present to Andy for the 2004 meeting. Some discussion of the various designs ensued. Motion 15: Terry moved that Mike get two banners, the third design down and forth design down, both in green. Ken seconded. Motion passed. The EC thanked Mike for contributing the banners and having them designed. NEW BUSINESS Andy said he had been given a request from the Past Presidents’ Council to look into hiring an Executive Secretary or Director. Andy said he wanted to appoint an ad hoc committee to look into the feasibility of such a position. Action Item 22: Andy will appoint an ad hoc committee to look into the feasibility of ASB hiring an Executive Secretary or Director and report back at the Wednesday EC meeting in Memphis. John pointed out that this ad hoc committee should also take into consideration the previously discussed idea of hiring someone to set up and arrange our meetings. Andy presented the idea of eliminating the Auditing Committee because we now pay to have external audits conducted annually. Andy passed around a list of Constitution, By Laws, and Handbook changes that would need to be made in order to eliminate the Auditing Committee. Motion 16: Kim Marie moved we accept Andy’s proposed changes in the Constitution, By Laws, and Handbook along with any necessary subsequent editorial changes in numerology, etc. Ken seconded. Action Item 23: Terry will need to get these proposed changes published in the January issue by sending these to Jim. Ken mentioned he wants us to start thinking about eliminating the Friday night Banquet, and hold the Annual Business meeting Thursday night just before the Plenary session, and have the traditional Thursday night social on Friday night. He added the awards would be presented during intermission at the Friday night social. The traditional Past President’s Address would be eliminated. He believes 2004 Meeting 259 this would alleviate our concerns about lack of attendance at the Business meeting and the Banquet. Several members commented favorably on the idea. Ken said he would email everyone a proposal on the entire concept. Action Item 24: Ken will email all EC members a proposal detailing eliminating the ASB Friday Banquet and Past President’s Address, moving the Plenary Talk to Thursday night immediately preceded by the ASB Annual Business Meeting and moving the traditional Thursday night ASB Social to Friday night with awards given at intermission. Don Roush, representing Tri-Beta, thanked ASB for all ASB does for Tri-Beta and its members. Terry said Brooks/Cole wants to take over the $200 Student Research Award in Aquatic Biology immediately. Motion 17: Terry moved we accept Brooks/Cole’s offer of sponsorship for the Student Research Award in Aquatic Biology. Rebecca Cook seconded. Some discussion ensued and it was decided the award would be renamed the Brooks/Cole Student Research Award in Aquatic Biology. Motion passed. Action Item 25: Tim suggested Terry write small piece welcoming our newest patron Brooks/Cole stating what they are doing for ASB and that they are sponsoring aquatic award. Terry also said Brooks/Cole wants to start providing book prizes for up to three honorable mentions for the ASB Student Research Award sponsored by Martin Microscope Company. Each honorable mention would be for $200 worth of books at retail value. Ken mentioned we should first talk to Martin Microscope to make sure they are fine with this. Motion 18: Terry moved that we accept Brooks/Cole’s offer of honorable mention book prizes pending Martin Microscope Company's approval. Zack seconded. Motion passed. Adjournment — 5:00 P.M Respectfully Submitted, Terry D. Richardson, Secretary 260 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEASTERN BIOLOGISTS EXECUTIVE MEETING WEDNESDAY, 14 APRIL 2004 MEMPHIS, TN The 2003 AIBS Representative Report The annual report of the AIBS Public Policy Office is available online at http://www.aibs.org/public-policy/annual__reports.html. Notes and the AIBS Council meeting report from 2003 are also available online at http://www.aibs.org/announcements/030325_aibs_council_news.html The 2004 AIBS Council meeting began on Monday, March 14, and concluded on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. Using an entirely different format, the Council members were given opportunities to engage collaboratively on research, education, and public policy issues. Greg Dotson, Counsel on Energy and Environmental Issues for the office of Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D. CA) gave the plenary address. The address provided an assessment of the treatment of science and scientists by the Bush Administration. The session also addressed the White House Office of Management and Budget’s proposed Bulletin on Peer Review and Information Ouality. Additionally, there were breakout/group discussions on Biological Research Priorities and Funding; Big Science for Biologists: Status and Future of NEON, the Department of Interior’s Misconduct of Science Policy, and Education (with emphasis on the status of evolution). Future plans include an AIBS evolution-education symposium (2004 NABT meeting 10-13 November 2004 in Chicago) and a Presidents’ Summit and Strategic Planning Conference. The theme of the AIBS 2004 Annual Meeting was: “ Invasive Species — The Search for Solutions." Meeting highlights are available online http://www.aibs.org/ annual-meeting/aibs_presidents_summit.html. The student poster session culminated in a Diversity Scholars luncheon where mentoring was encouraged. A selected group of twenty-seven conference participants attended a NEON workshop on the final day of the meeting. This National Ecological Observatory Network is intended to be a continent-wide research platform, composed of networked state-of-the-art analytical and communication technologies. The goal of the workshop was to create the reference design for the invasive species component of the project. _ ,, , itative to AIBS 2004 Meeting 261 Association Of Southeastern Biologists 65th ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING FRIDAY, 16 APRIL 2004 FOGELMAN EXECUTIVE CENTER MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE Call-to-Order — President Andrew Ash called the 65th Annual Business Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists to order at 11:18 AM with 97 voting members in attendance. Andy asked members to complete the meeting evaluation distributed by the convention center and to pick up handouts on the table at the rear of the auditorium. Andy reminded the membership that nominations for the various ASB awards, especially the ASB Meritorious Teaching Award, are needed and he encouraged members to nominate those worthy of the award. Andy asked for approval of the minutes of the 64th Annual ASB Business Meeting. Terry requested any editorial corrections be given to him following the meeting. Motion 1: A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes. Motion 1 passed. Election of Officers — Robert Haynes, chair of the Nominations Committee, announced the following slate of officer candidates presented by the Nominations Committee: President-Elect — Dwayne Wise and Gerhard Kalmus. Robert asked for nominations from the floor. There were none. Motion 2: A motion was made and seconded to close nominations. Motion 2 passed. Vice President — Joe Pollard and George Cline. Robert asked for nominations from the floor. There were none. Motion 3: A motion was made and seconded to close nominations. Motion 3 passed. Executive Committee — Scott Franklin, Elaine Davis, Edward Mills, and Don Roush. Robert asked for nominations from the floor. There were none. Motion 4: A motion was made and seconded to close nominations. Motion 4 passed. Voting proceeded and ballets were collected by tellers and removed for tallying. Election Results: [Note from the Secretary: Results of the election of officers are presented herein as a matter of record. Election 262 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 results are not announced at the Annual Business Meeting, but rather are held for announcement at the Annual ASB Banquet.] Dwayne Wise Joe Pollard Elaine Davis Scott Franklin President-Elect Vice President Executive Committee Member-at-Large Executive Committee Member-at-Large. Local Arrangements 2004, Memphis, TN — No one from the 2004 Local arrangements Committee could be present. Andy, however, mentioned that a report would be given at the Saturday morning Executive Committee meeting. Local Arrangements 2005, Florence, AL — Terry gave an overview on the upcoming 2005 meeting to be held in Florence, AL. He outlined the program, the meeting costs, and field trips. He encouraged all to attend April 13-16, 2005. Andy introduced Scott Jewell, the new ASB meeting coordinator who will begin duties with the planning of the 2005 meeting. President’s Report — Andy Ash gave the report. He was glad to report that ASB was in good shape with sound financial standing and had meetings locations lined up through 2007 and possibly 2008. Secretary’s Report — Terry Richardson read the following names as those having applied for emeritus status with ASB: Jerry A. Clonts, Donald J. Drapalik, E. Lloyd Dunn, Raymond O. Flagg, Robert Y. George, Sheila Hanes, Robert Powell, and Sandra Powell. Motion 5: George Cline moved that these members be awarded emeritus status with ASB. Gerhard Kalmus seconded. Motion 5 passed. Terry also announced news received of deceased members over the past year and asked if there were any additions. The following deceased members' names were read: Virginia E. Crouch, John A. Fincher, Catherine Keever, William Reese, W. James Smith, Harvey L. Stirewalt, Tiana Williams, and Rhona D. Zager. Terry called for a moment of silence for the deceased members. Terry also asked that anyone having information and/or photographs of the deceased suitable for an obituary please contact Jim Caponetti, Print Editor. Changes to the Constitution and Bylaws — Andy presented the amendment to change the Constitution and Bylaws by deleting the Auditing Committee and all references thereto. Motion 6: Howard Neufeld moved and Jerry Ritchie seconded that the amendment be accepted. There was some discussion regarding selection of the external auditor. A friendly amendment to the amendment was offered. The amendment to the amendment was to insert “. . .approved by the Executive Committee. . into Article VIII, Sec. 2 following “...an external auditor...” The new Article VIII, Sec. 2 as amended will read “...The financial records of the Treasurer and of the Board of Trustees of the Enrichment Fund shall be audited at least once each year by an 2004 Meeting 263 external auditor approved by the Executive Committee and which audit will then be approved and signed by the president at the annual meeting in April. Motion 7: Dwayne Wise moved we accept the amendment with the friendly amendment. It was seconded by Gerhard Kalmus. Motion 7 passed. Treasurer’s Report — Tim Atkinson presented the treasurer’s report with the financial details of the Association and the proposed 2005 budget. He asked for any questions or discussion. There were some questions from the floor regarding some costs. Andy called for a motion to accept the proposed budget for 2005. Motion 8: The motion was made and seconded that the proposed 2005 budget be accepted. Motion 8 passed. Tim also spoke on membership. He said we are hovering around 1,100-1,200 range. He mentioned he did not yet know the number who had paid with registration and that would likely add a few hundred to the list. Print Editor’s Report — Jim Caponetti gave the print editor’s report. Jim mentioned that everything was going well with Allen Press and the U.S. Postal Service. He also added that he intended to run up to 4 patron ads per year if page layout permits. Resolutions Committee Report — Chair Kenneth Shull gave the report. Kenneth read a resolution of appreciation to the University of Memphis, Christian Brothers University, Rhodes College and the Local Arrangements Committee. Motion 9: The Resolution of Appreciation was presented for acceptance as a motion from the committee. The motion requires no second. Motion 9 passed. Kenneth read a second resolution entitled “Resolution to approve a statement concerning the teaching of creationism and intelligent design.” The statement accompanied the resolution. Ken asked for questions or amendments. Motion 10: It was moved and seconded that in the fourth statement of the resolution the word “ontogeny" be stricken and replaced with the word “development.” The motion was seconded. Motion 10 passed. Motion 11: It was moved and seconded that in the fourth statement of the resolution the word “false” be replaced with “non- scientific.” The motion was seconded. Motion 1 1 passed. Motion 12: It was moved and seconded that in the fifth statement of the resolution “...and approved teacher organizations as determined by the Executive Committee of ASB, ..." be 264 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 inserted immediately following “...statement shall be sent to the education commissioners....” The motion was seconded. Motion 12 passed. Motion 13: The resolution as amended was presented with a motion to approve as amended from the committee. The motion requires no second. Motion 13 passed. Old Business — None New Business — Mike Baransky questioned what had become of the practice of the Conservation Committee presenting a resolution with respect to some relevant issue in the southeast. Andy followed with some comments and general discussion ensued. Terry made some announcements about the ASB website. Adjournment: The 65th Annual Business Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists adjourned at 12:00 noon. Respectfully Submitted, Terry D. Richardson Secretary ASB Executive Committee at the annual meeting. From left to right: Claudia Jolls, Tom Wentworth, Debbie Moore, Elaine Davis, Dwayne Wise, Jerry Ritchie, Joe Pollard, Andy Ash, Terry Richardson, Jim Caponetti, Scott Franklin, and Scott Jewel Not shown: Tim Atkinson, Debbie Atkinson, and John Herr. 2004 Meeting Amendments to the ASB Constitution and Bylaws 265 On the recommendation of the Executive Committee, the Membership approved the following changes to the ASB Constitution and Bylaws at the annual meeting. These changes eliminate the Auditing Committee, any reference to said committee, and all necessary subsequent numeration and alphabetical changes required. The Auditing Committee has been dormant for many years except for having an annual external audit performed with the permission of the Executive Committee. These changes require an external audit that will be presented to and signed by the president at each annual meeting. Deletions are marked with strikethrough and additions are in bold. Amendment to the ASB Constitution Article VIII - Audit Section 1. The fiscal year for the Association is January 1 through December 31. Section 2. The financial records of the Treasurer and of the Board of Trustees of the Enrichment Fund shall be audited at least once each year by the Auditing Committee an external auditor approved by the Executive Committee and which audit will then be approved and signed by the president at the annual meeting in April. Amendments to the ASB Bylaws Article III - Duties of Officers Section 1. The President shall be the executive officer of the Association, shall perform the duties usual to the office, and shall appoint, with the advice of the Executive Committee, regular committees, special committees authorized by the Executive Committee, and where appropriate, Association Representatives to other organizations. The President shall notify Emeritus members of their election The President shall approve and sign the external audit at the annual meeting. Article VII - Standing Committees Section 1 . The following standing committees shall serve the Association A. Auditing Committee* *and adjust subsequent alphabetical listing accordingly. Section 2. Committee members, except for those who serve ex officio, shall be appointed by the President upon the approval of the Executive Committee. The composition and duties of the standing committees shall be as follows: At The Auditing Committee shaft examine the records of the Treasurer prior-to the Annual Meeting of the Association and 266 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 shall report the condition of the accounts to the membership at the business session of this meeting. In accordance with Article VIII, — Section — 7^ — the committee shall audit the accounts of the Enrichment- Fund. The committee shall consist of three members appointed for terms of 3 -years, with a member appointed annually and serving as Chair in the third year.’ *and adjust subsequent alphabetical listing accordingly. Article IX - The Enrichment Fund Section 7. An audit of the Enrichment Fund shall be made at the close of each fiscal year by the Auditing Committee an external auditor and which audit will then be approved and signed by the president at the annual meeting in April. The committee's report shall be presented to the Association at each Annual Meeting. oa Thank you, Local Arrangements Committee! Dr. Jack Grubaugh, U of M; Brother Edward Salgado, CBU; Dr. Alan Jaslow , Rhodes College; Dr., Melvin Beck; U of M; Dr. Mary Ogllvie, CBU; Dr. Scott Franklin, U of M; Dr. Bill Simco, U of M; and Dr. Mike Kennedy, U of M. Not shown: Dr. Melinda Fitzgerald, CBU; Dr. Charles Diggers, U of M; Dr. Steve Conlee, U of M; and Dr. Matthew Parris, U of M. 2004 Meeting 267 Events of the 2004 Annual Meeting in Memphis, Tennessee Co-Hosted by the University of Memphis, Rhodes College and Christian Brothers University ASB Meritorious Teaching Award The ASB Meritorious Teaching Award is sponsored by Carolina Biological Supply Company, Burlington, North Carolina. Award committee chair, Thomas R. Wentworth, reported that no award was made this year. We encourage all members of ASB to consider nominating an outstanding teacher for this award. Please refer to the announcement printed later in this issue of Southeastern Biology tor details. ASB Enrichment Fund Award The ASB Enrichment Fund Award is supported by private donations to ASB. Award board chair, Kim Marie Tolson, presented the following report. The Enrichment Fund has, in the past, recognized the Outstanding Biology Teacher from the host state and invited them to the ASB Annual Meeting and presented them with a $500 check. However, in the year 2003, the state of Tennessee did not award an OBT; therefore, no such presentation will be made at this year’s meeting in Memphis, Tennessee. ASB Special Service Award President Andrew N. Ash presented a special award of appreciation for 30 years (1973-2003) of service as ASB News Editor to Dr. Jon Fortman, Division of Science and Math, Mississippi University for Women, Columbus, Mississippi. Jon Fortman (left) receives the special ASB award from President Andrew N. Ash 268 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 2004 Research Award Recipients ASB Senior Research Award The ASB Senior Research Award sponsored by Associated Microscopes, Inc., Elon College and Haw River, North Carolina, was presented by Cliff R. Hupp (award committee chair) to J. Whitfield Gibbons of the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina, and the University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, for his manuscript entitled “Terrestrial Habitat: A vital component for herpetofauna of isolated wetlands.” His paper presentation at the annual meeting is entitled “How productive can an isolated wetland be?” SE Biology Abstract 73, 51 (2). Award committee chair, Cliff R. Hupp, submitted the following biography of J. Whitfield Gibbons. Whit Gibbons is Professor of Ecology at the University of Georgia and former Head of the Environmental Outreach and Education program at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. He received degrees in biology from the University of Alabama (B.S.-1 961 ; M S. -1963) and his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1967. Whit has been a member of ASB since 1968, received the Meritorious Teaching Award in 1995, and served as ASB President in 1997. His research focuses on herpetological population dynamics, wetlands ecology, and conservation biology. He is author or editor of 11 books on herpetology and ecology and has published 200 articles in scientific journals and 300 popular articles in magazines and newspapers, including a weekly environmental column distributed by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group. Whit has had commentaries on National Public Radio (Living on Earth, Science Friday, and others) and has had encyclopedia articles in World Book, Compton's, and Encyclopaedia Britannica. J. Whitfield Gibbons (left) receives the ASB Senior Research Award from award committee chairperson, Cliff R. Hupp. 2004 Meeting 269 ASB Student Research Award The ASB Student Research Award sponsored by the Martin Microscope Company, Easley, South Carolina, was presented by Debbie Moore in the absence of award committee chair Larry J. Davenport to Christopher Winne, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina, for his paper presentation entitled “Daily activity patterns of whiptail lizards (Squamata: Telidae:Aspidoscelis): a proximate response to environmental conditions or an endogenous rhythm?” co-authored with Michael Keck of Grayson County College, Denison, Texas, SE Biology Abstract 113, 51(2). Christopher Winne receives the ASB Student Research Award from Debbie Moore. The committee also awarded two honorable mentions. Debbie Moore also presented an Honorable Mention of $200.00 worth of books from Thomson Learning Brooks/Cole Publishing to Christopher Winne and to Nathan Grassi, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savanah, Georgia, for his paper presentation entitled “The effects of temporary contraception on group dynamics in the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta)" co-authored with J. Parga of the University of Texas, Austin, Texas, SE Biology Abstract 105, 51(2). 270 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Nathan Grassi receives a Thomson Learning Brooks/Cole Publishing Company Honorable Mention from Debbie Moore. Tom Ash (center), executive sales representative from Thomson Learning Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, is pictured with Brooks/Cole Honorable Mention winners Nathan Grassi (left) and Christopher Winne. 2004 Meeting 271 ASB Student Research Award in Aquatic Biology The ASB Student Research Award in Aquatic Biology sponsored by Thomson Learning Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, Belmont, California, was presented by Debbie Moore in the absence of award committee chair Larry J. Davenport to Molly Keaton, Department of Biology, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina, for her paper presentation entitled “Impact of drought upon fish assemblages in two South Carolina piedmont streams,” co-authored with Julio Bonillo (Universidad Metropolitano), Dennis Haney, and C. Brannon Anderson also of Furman University, SE Biology Abstract 54, 51(2). Thomson Learning Brooks/Cole Publishing Company also awarded Molly Keaton $200.00 worth of books as an honorable mention. Molly Keaton (right) receives the ASB Student Research Award in Aquatic Biology from Debbie Moore. 272 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Tom Ash, executive sales representative from Thomson Learning Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, is pictured with Brooks/Cole Honorable Mention winner Molly Keaton. ASB Student Poster Award The ASB Student Poster Award is sponsored by ASB. Award committee member Dennis C. Haney presented the committee’s report in the absence of both award winner and committee chair Rick Duffield. The poster winner is N. Elizabeth Saunders, Department of Botany, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, for her poster entitled “Pollination Ecology of the rare Wyoming endemic Abronia ammophila (Nyctaginaceae),” co-authored with Sedonia D. Sipes also of SIU, SE Biology Poster P89, 51(2). Dennis Haney also reported that the committee singled out the following three posters for honorable mention: 1 Jared Herr, Arthur Strunk, and Darwin Jorgensen Roanoke College. “The relationship between respiratory pump function and the gill circulation in the American lobster, Homanus americanus ,” SE Biology Poster P2, 51(2). 2 Elisa Cook, Robert Campbell, Michael Krasilobsky, and Min-Ken Liao Furman University and Oberlin University. “Characterizing antibiotic resistant Serratia marcesens in watersheds of upstate South Carolina,” SE Biology Poster P56, 51(2). 3. Jennifer Jones, Jason Hunt, Matt Wilson, and T. Wayne Barger Tennessee Technological University and University of West Georgia. “Various Pteris species as possible bioremediators of arsenic contamination,” SE Biology Poster P95, 51(2). 2004 Meeting 273 Dennis Haney announces the winner of the ASB Student Poster Award and the recipients of the three honorable mentions. Eugene P. Odum Award The Eugene P. Odum Award sponsored by the Southeastern Chapter of the Ecological Society of America was presented by James S. Fralish (award committee chair) at the Friday lunch to Nichole M. Hughes, Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, for her paper entitled “Biochemical and ecophysiological functions of anthocyanins in leaves of the evergreen herb Galax urceolata (or, why Galax turns red in the winter),” co¬ authored with Howard S. Neufeld also of ASU, SE Biology Abstr. 89, 51(2), and to Christopher Winne, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina, for his paper entitled “Daily activity patterns of whiptail lizards (Squamata:Telidae:Aspidoscelis): a proximate response to environmental conditions or an endogenous rhythm?” co-authored with Michael Keck of Grayson County College, Denison, Texas, SE Biology Abstract 113, 51(2). The North Carolina Botanical Garden Award The North Carolina Botanical Garden Award sponsored by the NCBG was presented by Johnny Randall (award committee chair) to Sarah E. Johnson, Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, for her paper entitled “Success of the federally threatened seabeach amaranth {Amaranthus pumilus, Raf.) at two elevations,” co-authored with Claudia L. Jolls, and Cass A. Wigent also of ECU, SE Biology Abstract 86, 51(2). 274 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Sarah Johnson (left) receives the North Carolina Botanical Garden Award from Johnny Randall. Southeastern Division of American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Outstanding Student Paper Awards The Southeastern Division of the ASIH Award was presented by the society’s Division President Martin O’Connell for herpetology to Christopher Winne, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina, for his paper entitled “Dailey activity patterns of whiptail lizards Squamata:Telidae:Aspedoscelis): a proximate response to environmental conditions or an endogenous rhythm?” co¬ authored with Michael Keck of Grayson County College, Denison, Texas, SE Biology Abstract 113, 51(2). An ichthyology award was not made this year. President O’Connell was also pleased to report that the following two students presenting a paper at the annual meeting were each awarded a $50 travel grant: Christopher Winne, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina. Michael S. Osbourn, Department of Biologicla Sciences, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia. 2004 Meeting 275 UtlMOtt'" Cu,U'' nctl,ttol09<“"> f3^»'”9'8l60"i' (£ljriB»0^cr 3lfCpewlo8D Christopher Winne holding the SE Division of the ASIH award in herpetology. ©LIU 0-ocictU jOn cnton Winne Society of Wetland Scientists South Atlantic Chapter Student Travel Award The South Atlantic Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists Student Travel Award sponsored by the chapter was presented to two students by Cliff R. Hupp (award committee chair) at the annual chapter luncheon as follows: 1. Colleen Iversen, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, for her paper entitled “Effects of nutrient availability on nutrient-use efficiency at multiple levels of ecological organization in peatlands,” co-authored with Scott D. Bridgham, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, SE Biology Abstract 145, 51(2). 2. Sherry Holmes, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, for paper entitled “The status of the populations of the flattened musk turtle ( Sternotherus depressus) in Bankhead National Forest and Smith Lake, Alabama, and the possible effects of stream conditions on trapping success," co-authored with Ken Marion also of UAB, SE Biology Abstract 74, 51(2). 276 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Coleen Iversen (left) and Sherry Holmes (right) receive the South Atlantic Chapter Society of Wetland Scientists Student Travel Award from Cliff R. Hupp (center) at the annual chapter luncheon. Southern Appalachian Botanical Society Awards Zack E. Murrell, President of SABS, presented awards in three categories at the SABS Friday morning breakfast meeting, and incoming President Michael E. Held announced the names of the awardees at the ASB Friday night banquet. Earl Core Student Award Dr. Earl Core was a major force in the founding of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Club in 1936. The annual Core Student Award was established by the Society to provide financial assistance in support of student research projects in plant taxonomy, systematics, and ecology. The application deadline is February 1st each year. Three awards were presented this year. 1. Megan Burns (Warren Wilson College) — The effect of removal of invasive plant species on native plant diversity. Advisor: Dr. Amy Boyd. 2. Ryan Walker McEwan (Ohio University) — A dendroecological fire-history reconstruction of Dysart Woods, an old-growth mixed mesophytic forest. Advisor: Dr. Brian McCarthy 3. Tyler Smith (McGill University) — Systematics and ecology of the Carex vlrescens clade. Advisor: Dr. Marcia Waterway. 2004 Meeting 277 Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award The Society annually presents this Award in memory of Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew's untiring service to the public, to plant systematics, and to this organization. This award is presented to individuals who have also distinguished themselves in professional and public service that advances our knowledge and appreciation of the world of plants and their scientific, cultural, and aesthetic values, and/or exceptional service to the society. The 2004 award goes to B. Eugene Wofford, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. A detailed presentation of Dr. Wofford’s accomplishments will be presented in the September 2004 issue of Castanea. Richard and Minnie Windier Award The Richard and Minnie Windier Award was established in 1990 at the annual meeting of the SABS by Dr. Donald R. Windier of Towson University as a memorial to his parents. The award is presented annually to the author or authors of the best systematic botany paper published in Castanea during the previous year. The eligible papers may fall into the broad area of plant systematics, including floristic, experimental, revisionary, and nomenclatural studies. The recipients of the award this year are: Robert G. Downer and Philip E. Hyatt, for their paper “Recommendations concerning the identification of Carex retroflexa and Carex texensis (Cyperaceae; section Phaestoglochin Dumort),” published in Castanea 68(3): 245-253. Beta Beta Beta Biological Society Southeastern Region Outstanding Paper and Poster Awards District I Paper Session Frank G. Brooks Paper Award Winner Van Dyke, James U., Sigma Psi, Florida Institute of Technology. “The role of thermal contrast in infrared-based targeting by copperheads.” District II Paper Session Frank G. Brooks Paper Award Winner Cheruiyot, Dorothy J., Mu Omicron, Columbus State University. "Conversion of males to hermaphrodites in C-Ferns." 278 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 District I & II Paper Session Frank G. Brooks Paper Award Winner Champagne, Caroline, Eta Lambda, Loyola University New Orleans. “Survival of the finless: Effects of fin clipping on brown darters (Etheostoma edwini)." District I Poster Session John C. Johnson Poster Award Winner Johnson, Christy E., Psi, Winthrop University. “Antifeedant effects of pawpaw (. Aslmina triloba ) on milkweed bugs ( Oncopeltus fascinatus).” District II Poster Session John C. Johnson Poster Award Winner Miller, Melissa, Mu Jota, Northern Kentucky University. “Food resource and microhabitat use by the tadpoles of the Wood Frog ( Rana sylvatica ).” na Past Presidents of ASB at the annual meeting. From left to right: Kenneth Shull, Howard Neufeld, Joseph Winstead, Patricia Parr, James Ross, Andrew Ash, John Herr, Eloise Carter, and Robert Haynes. 2004 Meeting 279 The Pembroke Group at Memphis, Tennessee Pictured are student and faculty of the University of North Carolina, Pembroke, Department of Biology, who attended the 65th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists in Memphis, Tennessee. Top row left to right: Allen Derks (student), William Bruce Ezell, and Leon Jernigan. Seated left to right are Lisa Kelly and Bonnie Kelley. 280 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS, RHODES COLLEGE AND CHRISTIAN BROTHERS UNIVERSITY Whereas Dr. Shirley Raines, President of the University of Memphis, Dr. William Trouff, President of Rhodes College and Bro. Stan Sobczyk, President of Christian Brothers University, did agree to make all local arrangements for the Association of Southeastern Biologists to hold its annual meeting on April 14 through 17, 2004 in Memphis Tennessee, and Whereas Local Arrangements Co-Chairs Mel Beck and Scott Franklin and Program Chair Scott Franklin did an admirable job of orchestrating the events and organizing the paper and poster sessions, and Whereas Mike Kennedy and Mel Beck organized audiovisuals and posters and coordinated commercial exhibits and corporate sponsorships, Jack Grubaugh planned field trips, Bill Simco handled registration and meeting statistics, Alan Jaslow and Malinda Fitzgerald made social arrangements and Mary Ogilvie coordinated Beta Beta Beta, Matthew Parris coordinated symposia and workshops, Alan Jaslow and Malinda Fitzgerald arranged transportation, Steve Conlee managed the web page, and Charles Biggers managed promotions, and Whereas the citizenry of Memphis and the administrators at the University of Memphis, Rhodes College and Christian Brothers University cooperated to welcome ASB to the city of Memphis, and Whereas the students of the University of Memphis, Rhodes College, and Christian Brothers University volunteered to assist with local arrangements, Therefore, let it hereby be resolved that the members and officers of the Association of Southeastern Biologists give their sincere thanks and appreciation to all involved in making this the excellent and memorable ASB meeting that resulted from the cumulative efforts of these individuals and organizations. 16 April 2004 2004 Meeting 281 Wednesday Evening at the Plenary Session President Andrew Ash welcomes the audience. Co-chair of Local Arrangements, Scott Franklin introduces Dr. Ralph Faudree, Provost of the University of Memphis. Dr. Ralph E. Faudree welcomes the audience to the University of Memphis campus. 282 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Wednesday Evening at the Plenary Session President-elect Claudia Jolls introduces the Plenary Speaker. Plenary Speaker Daniel Simberloff, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, addresses the audience. 2004 Meeting RESOLUTION TO APPROVE A STATEMENT CONCERNING THE TEACHING OF CREATIONISM AND INTELLIGENT DESIGN 283 Whereas many states have recently considered deleting the word “evolution” in their public school science curricula, and Whereas other states have considered including the teaching of creationism and/or intelligent design in their public school science curricula, and Whereas many local school boards have considered the same actions, and Whereas, as scientists, we are concerned that such actions teach non-scientific explanations of the formation of the universe and the development of life on Earth, Therefore, be it resolved that the membership of the Association of Southeastern Biologists adopt the position set forth herein as the official position of the Association on these matters, and be it further resolved that this position statement shall be sent to the education commissioners of the several states in which we are well represented and such teaching organizations in those states as approved by the executive committee of the Association, as well as any appropriate state officials when the need arises. Statement of the Position of the Association of Southeastern Biologists Regarding the Teaching of Evolution in the Classroom April 16, 2004 The Association of Southeastern Biologists is a regional association devoted to the promulgation of biology in all its myriad forms to scientists, students, and the general public. As part of its duties, the Association represents biological scientists from throughout the southeastern region of the United States on various issues of concern. This statement contains the Association's recommendations concerning the teaching of evolution in the classroom. Evolution is the only currently acceptable scientific theory for the development of life on earth, and is supported by an enormous body of evidence from a wide variety of disciplines, including, but not limited to, biology, chemistry, geology, and physics. Across all of these scientific disciplines, the data are in congruence with regards to the theory of evolution, and there are no data that contradict the fundamental truth of evolution. Such consilience gives credence and support to the concept that all life is related and that it has evolved over time primarily through the process of natural selection. The Association believes that the study of evolution is crucial if students are to gain a proper understanding of life on earth. 284 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 In recent years, the public schools have been pressured to teach “alternative” theories to evolution, most notably, creationism and intelligent design. However, both creationism and intelligent design are based in faith and do not follow acceptable scientific principles. Both movements are rooted in preconceived notions about the development of life and its origins, yet fail to present any credible scientific evidence to support those claims. In contrast, the evidence in support for evolution is being added to on a daily basis, and is now so overwhelmingly strong that we can state with certainty that evolution occurs. Because creationism and intelligent design do not operate within the definitional limits of science, they cannot and should not be treated as such. Neither movement can satisfy the aims of science, which are to make observations and develop questions to explain natural phenomena, to design tests of those hypotheses, and then to either accept or reject those hypotheses, based on a fair and objective evaluation of the evidence accumulated. Creationism and intelligent design offer a mixture of empirically untestable and empirically non-scientific hypotheses, which their proponents fail to retract or modify in the light of contrary evidence. Thus, they do not conform to accepted scientific protocols. Therefore, since neither creationism nor intelligent design is a scientific endeavor, we oppose any attempts to insert them into the science curricula of any public schools. While religion has played and continues to play a significant role in many people’s lives, and in schools’ curricula, we object to any attempts to insert religious dogma, such as creationism or intelligent design, into science classes. Furthermore, we strongly oppose attempts to undermine or compromise the teaching of evolution, whether by eliminating the word ‘evolution’ from state science standards, requiring textbook disclaimers that misleadingly describe evolution as “merely” a theory, or by encouraging scientifically unwarranted criticism of evolution under the guise of “analysis,” “objectivity,” “balance,” or “teaching the controversy.” Such tactics are clearly intended to leave the false impression that evolution is scientifically precarious and will thus deprive students of a sound scientific education. In conclusion, the Association of Southeastern Biologists strongly opposes the teaching of any alternative non-scientific theories to evolution that are not based on established scientific concepts, endorses the meaningful teaching of evolution in science classrooms, and opposes any attempts to water down the teaching of evolution by singling out the subject for special treatment not given any other sciences. 2004 Meeting 285 Wednesday Evening at the Plenary Reception 286 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Wednesday Evening at the Plenary Reception 2004 Meeting 287 OMITTED ABSTRACTS These abstracts were either received too late for or were accidentally omitted from the April, 2004, abstract issue listing. ORAL PRESENTATIONS 208 WINSTEAD, JOE E.1, MICHAEL E. HELD2, LARRY ELLIOTT3, and MARK CLAUSON3. 'Department of Biology, Southern Arkansas University, department of Biology, St. Peter's College, department of Biology, Western Kentucky University - Plant succession on strip mine spoil over a forty-five year period in southern Ohio. Prior to Federal reclamation laws in the 1970's tremendous acreage in Ohio and other states was strip mined for coal and subsequently abandoned. Successional development by native species would be limited due to soil un-stability, erosion, acidic soil conditions and anthropogenic influence. A periodic examination and sampling of the vegetation development of coal mine spoil developed in 1958 has been conducted since 1962 in southeastern Ohio's Vinton County. The most recent analysis in 2002 and 2003 sampled a 400 m2 plot initially colonized by Andropogon virginicus and other herbaceous species. Thirty hardwood trees greater than 10 cm dbh have developed after 45 years. The dominate species are Acer rubrum (40%), Liriodendron tulipifera (20%) and Quercus spp. (17%). Since 1971 to 2002 both tree density and diversity have increased significantly. Coal strip mined spoil characteristically has very acidic pH and after 45 years 77% of samples tested had a pH range of from 2.8 to 3.9 and no samples were above 4.5. Ongoing examination of soil for patterns of the bacterium Thiobacillus ferroxidans in relation to the degree of vegetation development may provide reclamation strategies with emphasis on selective use of different plant species other than traditional use of non¬ colonizers. 209 JONES-HELD, S.1, ROBERT PAOLETTI1, DAVID GLICK1 and MICHAEL E. HELD2. ' Dept, of Biology, King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711. 2Dept of Biology, Saint Peter’s College, Jersey City, NJ 07306 - An Open-Ended Investigative Microbial Ecology Laboratory for Introductory Biology. We have been revising our second semester introductory Biology laboratories with the following goals. (1) To encourage active student involvement and participation in the lab to reinforce the importance of laboratory inquiry in the process of science. (2) To build upon the first semester learning experiences where students were introduced to the concept of experimental design and the development of their skills in various experimental techniques and computer assisted data analyses. (3) To encourage collaborative learning During the first three weeks of the laboratory, small groups developed an experimental design exploring the effects of various environmental factors on established soil microcosms. Students considered and evaluated treatment regimes, treatment duration and sample number. At the conclusion of the treatment periods, soil samples were collected and used for a variety of analyses including: 1) the impact of experimental treatment on a quantitative analysis of biotic nitrogen cycling (this lab component complements and expands upon experimental and computer skills developed during the first semester), 2) BIOLOG EcoPlates were used to assess microbial diversity in the soil microcosms which expands upon the importance of sample size and statistical analyses, and 3) the isolation and identification of specific bacteria from the EcoPlates using BIOLOG computer databases. Students learn the significance of aseptic technique and the serial process of microbial identification in the context of a continuous environmental study rather than discrete isolated lab exercises. The investigation continues for two 288 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 months. At the conclusion of the study the groups gave PowerPoint presentations and papers. This abstract was accidentally omitted from the September, 2003, issue of Southeastern Biology. BILLINGTON, NEIL1 AND DAVID YERK2. Troy State University' and Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks2 -Biological and genetic characteristics of the illegally introduced Canyon Ferry Reservoir, Montana, walleye population. Canyon Ferry Reservoir in southwestern Montana was impounded in 1954 and is the first, and largest of a seguence of three reservoirs on the upper Missouri River; downstream are Hauser and Holter reservoirs. The Canyon Ferry Reservoir fishery consists of rainbow trout that are stocked annually and yellow perch that were originally stocked, but now reproduce naturally. Walleye were never officially stocked into Canyon Ferry, but started to appear from 1989 onwards, with dramatic increases in numbers occurring during 1998. Managers were concerned about the effects of these illegally introduced walleye on the perch and trout populations. Surveys between 1994-1996 targeted at walleye produced 470 fish ranging from young-of-the year to 15 year-old fish. Age and growth analysis suggested that walleye had been established in Canyon Ferry since 1985. Genetic variation was surveyed in 100 Canyon Ferry walleye at 16 protein-coding loci including five loci that are usually highly polymorphic in walleye, and four loci that are diagnostic between walleye and sauger. Considerable genetic variation was found at three polymorphic loci, with 20/27 possible multi-locus genotypes being observed. In addition, 1 1% of Canyon Ferry walleye possessed some sauger alleles, so they should not be used as a source of brood fish for walleye stocking programs in the state. It is possible that the Canyon Ferry Reservoir walleye came from the Hauser and Holter reservoirs downstream that contain walleye, but they must have been introduced illegally because they could not have passed upstream of the dam naturally. POSTER PRESENTATIONS P98 GILLESPIE, EMILY L., L. COURT REECE and ZACK E. MURRELL. Appalachian State University - Morphometric Analysis of Species Boundaries in the Carex eburnea Complex The Carex eburnea complex (Carex section Albae) is comprised of two named species, C. eburnea and C. mckittrikensis. These two species, along with two apparently closely related species, C. alba and C. ussuriensis, were the subject of a morphological analysis to examine species boundaries in the complex and to explore evolutionary relationships in the Section Albae. Although little is known of relationships of other Carex to this section, we used C. brunnea ( Carex section Graciles) as an outgroup taxon for character polarization in the ingroup, based on molecular data. A distribution map was generated for the complex using 798 specimens from 11 herbaria. Analysis was performed on 124 specimens, with 91 from C. eburnea, and 6-10 from each of the other four taxa. Each specimen was measured for 28 characters. Univariate statistical analysis and analysis of missing data indicated that 14 of the measurements were useful in evaluating variation among the five taxa. Principle components analysis (PCA) was conducted on both the 14 raw variables and 12 ratios generated from the raw data. PCAs were used to compare variation within the section Albae and within the C. eburnea complex. PCA analysis using raw and ratio data showed that C. mckittrickensis could be easily differentiated from C. eburnea with the raw data, but was clustered with C. eburnea using the ratios. These results suggest that the differences between these two taxa are more a function of size (C. mckittrickensis is larger) than shape. Morphological and biogeographical analyses indicate 2004 Meeting 289 that the C. mckittrickensis population is no more divergent than any other population of C. eburnea and does not merit recognition as a segregate species. P99 FRYE, CHRISTOPHER. Maryland Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service, Annapolis, MD - Stoloniferous members of Amelanchier (shadbush, serviceberry, Rosaceae) The genus Amelanchier (Maloideae, Rosaceae) presents numerous nomenclatural and phytogeographical uncertainties. The stoloniferous members of Amelanchier in the eastern United States: A. humills , A. nantucketensis , A. obovalis, A. sanguinea, and A. stolonlfera constitute a particularly difficult group owing to a complex synonymy and outward morphological similarities. In the southeastern United States, where nearly all these taxa are rare, the ecology and distribution of these species is poorly understood. This study combines long term monitoring and intensive sampling of of marked populations, examination of hundreds of herbarium specimens and a review of the important monographs and historical literature. A preliminary analysis and highlights of research regarding nomenclature, morphology, and habitat is presented along with preliminary distribution maps and a key for these taxa in the eastern United States. P100 MICKLE, JAMES E.1 AND VINCE SCHNEIDER. 'Dept. Botany, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7612 and North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, 11 W. Jones St., Raleigh, NC 27601 - A fossil flora of probable Pleistoceneaqe from southeastern North Carolina. Aggregate mining at a quarry operated by the Martin Marietta company located in New Hanover county, NC (N 34° 22. 368’ N, W 77 ° 50.356’) has exposed abundant plant megafossils. Plant fossils were deposited in presumed channel fills or oxbow lakes in older (Eocene) marine sediments of the Castle Hayne formation. and are found as compressions and thin lenses of peat in clay sediments. Presumed Pleistocene age is based on previous geological reports on similar settings in other mines, and on the elements of the flora. The fossil flora includes abundant leaves, wood, fruits and seeds. Leaves and fruits tentatively identified as fagaceous form a dominant element of the fossil flora, with conifer remains represented as wood samples. This suggests that the ecosystem was a mixed hardwood - conifer lowland forest. CORRECTED ABSTRACTS These abstracts were corrected and re-submitted for the April, 2004, abstract issue listing. ORAL PRESENTATIONS 75 MAKOWSKY, ROBERT1, THOMAS PAULEY1, AND LAWRENCE WILSON2. ’Marshall University and 2Fernbank Science Center - Sexual dimorphism in the eastern hellbender, Cryptobranchus a. allepaniensis The Eastern Hellbender, Cryptobranchus a. alleganiensis, is a large, aquatic salamander found in higher order, cold-water streams in the Ohio River drainage. Males will commonly fight for possession of the best breeding sites (usually under rocks) and will also guard the eggs they fertilize. Past research has shown that when urodelan species practice male combat, the males normally reach a size as large if not larger than females. Based on these behaviors, it would be expected that males become larger than females. Contrary to this prediction, it is thought that females reach a larger overall length than males Due to tremendous size overlap though, determining gender based simply on total length (TL) 290 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 can be nearly impossible. This research examined whether there are other sexual dimorphic characters present all year. Preserved specimens (n=105, f=52, m=53) from different populations were measured for TL, snout-vent length (SVL), thoracic girth (TG), head width (HW), and mass. Gender was determined by checking for the presence of follicles. All measurements were then divided by the specimen’s TL or SVL, so size- corrected ratios were also compared. Pair-wise comparisons (t-tests) were made between males and females for each measurement and ratio. Males were found to differ significantly from females for the ratio TG/TL (P<. 05.) Principal component analyses showed no separation between males and females, but logistic regression did reveal that females are more variable than males. Based on these results, the dimorphism that exists in hellbenders is not great enough to positively determine the gender of specimens. 166 BELCHER, RICHARD AND SIGURDUR GREIPSSON. Troy State University - Role of cytochrome P-450BM-3 in the hydrooxylation of bensulide Bensulide is an herbicide that is used on agricultural crops. Unfortunately, bensulide binds strongly to soil, has a long half-life, bioaccumulates, and inhibits cholinesterase. Due to these factors, bensulide-sprayed farmlands purchased for remediation are not suitable for reintroduction of wildlife. Furthermore, no studies have determined the enzymes responsible for bensulide remediation. However, due to the diverse substrate specificity of cytochrome P450, there is a possibility that reactions can be carried out on the herbicide by this enzyme. In this study, we used cytochrome P450BM-3, which is found in Bacillus megaterium and is also known for carrying out hydroxylations. Using ultraviolet spectroscopy and HPLC, bensulide was added to cytochrome P450BM-3 to determine if hydroxylation occurs and if there is an end product. Peaks found in bensulide's HPLC results resembled some of those found in the final product except for one, which could account for a metabolite. Furthermore, ultraviolet studies confirmed that a hydroxylation most likely occurs. POSTER PRESENTATION P94 PARKER, ERICA E. AND HAROLD W. KELLER. Central Missouri State University - Correlation of pH with assemblages of corticolous myxomycetes in Big Oak Tree State Park, Missouri Big Oak Tree State Park (BOTSP) is located in the southeastern “Bootheel” region of Missouri. It is one of the most unique parks within the Missouri Division of State Parks. The 1029 acres represent all that remains of an ancient virgin bottomland hardwood deciduous forest now designated as a National Natural Landmark. The fertile soils of this area have helped the rapid growth of giant trees hence the name “park of champions”. The canopy of towering champion-sized trees provides the perfect environment for cryptogams such as mosses, liverworts, ferns, fungi, and especially the myxomycetes. Twenty trees were climbed over a two-week period in July of 2002. Bark from eight trees, representing five tree species, was cultured using the moist-chamber culture technique. The pH values were measured for the five tree species, and later compared to the recorded myxomycete species assemblages. Assemblages of myxomycete species were associated with narrow or broad pH ranges. Some species were found exclusively on tree species with a near neutral pH of 7.0, while others on trees with an acidic pH as low as 4.6. Some myxomycete species were found on all five tree species, showing a wide pH tolerance. One myxomycete species new to science was found on a bald cypress tree with an acidic pH. This is first tree canopy study in the state of Missouri, as well as the Midwestern United States. Forty myxomycete species were new records for BOTSP and the state of Missouri. Funded by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. 2004 Meeting 291 Thursday Evening at the Gibson 292 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No, 3, September, 2004 Thursday Evening at the Gibson 2004 Meeting 293 ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEASTERN BIOLOGISTS TREASURER’S REPORT, FY 1 JANUARY-31 DECEMBER 2003 I. BEGINNING BALANCE (Actual bank balance of 31 Dec. 2002) II. RECEIPTS Non-Patron Dues 19,120 Patron Dues 3,500 Meeting Revenue 0 Sales 0 Enrichment Fund 375 Interest 330 Carolina Biol. Supply Co., Merit. Teaching Award 1,500 TOTAL RECEIPTS TOTAL RECEIPTS AND BEGINNING BALANCE DISBURSEMENTS 1. Dues Notice 0 2. Publications SE Biology 50(1) 1,759 SE Biology 50(2) 6,380 SE Biology 50(3) 2,927 SE Biology 50(4) 2,547 Publications Total 13,613 3. Office Expenses 531 4. Official Travel 805 5. Awards and Honoraria Graduate Student Support Grants 6,923 Speaker Honorarium 0 Speaker Travel 0 Aquatic Biology Award 0 ASB Research Awards 1,200 Certificates/Plaques 0 ASB Poster Award 0 Carolina Biological Teaching Award 1,500 Outstanding Science Teacher 500 Total Awards 10,123 6. Interim Meeting 307 7. Affiliations 200 8. Local Committees 3,000 9. Symposia, Workshops 736 10. Bank Charges 301 11. WebSite 949 12. Liability Insurance 586 13. A2Z Convention Services 600 14. Meeting Revenue Loss (ASB 2003 DC) 2,673* TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS ENDING BALANCE (Actual bank balance of 31 December 2003) NET CHANGE (DECREASE) FOR 2003 $ 94,383 $ 24,825 $119,208 $ 34,424 $ 84,784 ($ 9,599) *PLEASE NOTE: The entire meeting loss for ASB 2003 DC is not shown here. Losses still are being paid off in 2004, and will be shown in 2004 report 294 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEASTERN BIOLOGISTS 2003 BUDGET ON 31 DECEMBER 2003 RECEIPTS Budget Actual Difference Non-Patron Dues $23,000 $19,120 ($ 3,880) Patron Dues 3,500 3,500 0 Interest 4,000 330 (3,670) Meeting Revenue 5,500 0 (5,500) Carolina Biological Supply Co. Teaching Award 1,500 1,500 0 Martin Microscope Student Research Award 600 0 (600) Aquatic Biology Award 200 0 (200) Enrichment 1,500 375 (1,125) TOTAL RECEIPTS $39,800 $24,825 ($14,975) DISBURSEMENTS 1. Dues Notice $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 2. Publications SE Biology 50(1 ) 3,000 1,759 1,241 SE Biology 50(2) 8,000 6,380 1,620 SE Biology 50(3) 5,000 2,927 2,073 SE Biology 50(4) 3,000 2,547 453 3. Office Expenses 300 531 (231) 4. Official Travel 1,600 805 795 5. Awards and Honoraria Graduate Student Support Grants 7,500 6,923 577 Aquatic Biology Award 200 0 200 Speaker Honorarium 1,000 0 1,000 Speaker Travel 1,000 0 1,000 Research Awards 1,200 1,200 0 Certificates/Plaques 200 0 200 Poster Award 300 0 300 Carolina Bio. Sup. Teaching Award 1,500 1,500 0 Outstanding Teachers 1,000 500 500 6. Interim Meeting 500 307 193 7. Liability Insurance 550 586 (36) 8. Affiliations 200 200 0 9. Local Committee (DC, Memphis) 1,000 3,000 (2,000) 10. Symposia, Workshops 2,000 736 1,264 1 1 . Bank Charges 250 301 (51) 12. Web Site 500 949 (449) 13. A2Z Convention Services 0 600 (600) 14. Meeting Revenue Loss (DC) 0 2,673 (2,673) TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS $39,800 $34,424 $5,376 $ 0 ($ 9,599) ($9,599) III. BALANCE 2004 Meeting ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEASTERN BIOLOGISTS 2005 PROPOSED BUDGET 295 I. II. III. IV. V. VI. BEGINNING BALANCE RECEIPTS Non-Patron Dues Patron Dues Interest Meeting Revenue (ASB 2005 Florence) Carolina Biological Supply Co. Teaching Award Martin Microscope Student Research Award Associated Microscope Sr Research Award (partial) Brooks/Cole Aquatic Biology Award Enrichment 21,000 5000 500 10,000 1,500 1,000 1,000 200 1,500 TOTAL RECEIPTS TOTAL RECEIPTS AND BEGINNING BALANCE DISBURSEMENTS 1. Dues Notice 0 2. Publication SE Biology 52(1 ) 1,800 SE Biology 52(2) 6,500 SE Biology 52(3) 3,000 SE Biology 52(4) 2,500 Total Publication 13,800 3. Office Expenses 500 4. Official Travel 1,000 5. Awards and Honoraria Graduate Student Support 7,000 Aquatic Biology Award 200 Speaker Honorarium 1,000 Speaker Travel 700 Research Awards 2,000 Certificates/Plaques 200 Poster Award 300 Carolina Bio Teaching Award 1,500 Outstanding Teacher 500 Total Awards and Honoraria 13,400 6. Interim Meeting 500 7. Affiliations 200 8. Local Committees 1,000 9. Symposia, Workshops 1,000 10. Bank Charges 200 11. Web Site 500 12. Liability Insurance 600 13. Meeting Loss (ASB 2005 Florence) 0 14. A2Z Convention Services 9,000 TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS NET BALANCE FOR YEAR ENDING BALANCE $ 0 $41,700 $41,700 $41,700 $ 0 $ 0 296 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEASTERN BIOLOGISTS ENRICHMENT FUND 1 JANUARY -31 DECEMBER 2003 I. BEGINNING BALANCE II. RECEIPTS 1. Contributions 375 2. Interest 298 Total 673 III. TOTAL RECEIPTS AND BEGINNING BALANCE IV. TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS V. ENDING BALANCE VI. NET CHANGE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEASTERN BIOLOGISTS BANK ACCOUNTS 31 DECEMBER 2002 I. MERRILL LYNCH II. WACHOVIA TOTAL 31 DECEMBER 2003 I. MERRILL LYNCH II. WACHOVIA TOTAL $38,620 39,293 500 $38,793 $ 173 $13,117 $81,266 $94,383 $30,893 $53,891 $84,784 DECREASE OF 2003 FROM 2002 $ 9,599 2004 Meeting 297 ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEASTERN BIOLOGISTS MEMBERSHIP OFFICER’S REPORT 2004 ASB DECEASED MEMBERS Virginia E. Crouch William Reese Tiana Williams John A. Fincher W. James Smith Rhona D. Zager Catherine Keever Harvey L. Stirewalt 2004 ASB EMERITUS STATUS REQUESTS Jerry A. Clonts Raymond O. Flagg Robert Powell Donald J. Drapalik Robert Y. George Sandra Powell E. Lloyd Dunn Sheila Hanes CURRENT MEMBERSHIP April 2004* April 2003 April 2002 Complimentary 18 11 11 Contributing 11 9 7 Emeritus 65 63 55 Family 29 28 29 Library 55 55 46 Life 8 6 0 Patron 7 5 5 Regular 614 655 513 Student 213 360 254 Sustaining 3 3 2 TOTAL 1,023 1,195 922 *NOTE: 2004 numbers do not include memberships paid with registration; 2003 and 2002 do. Respectfully submitted, Deborah K. Atkinson, ASB Membership Officer ENRICHMENT FUND REPORT Kim Marie Tolson, Chair Eighteen contributions were made to the Enrichment Fund during the 2003 calendar year for a total of $375.00. Earned interest on the Enrichment Fund account was $298.00, giving a combined total receipt of $673.00. A more complete history of the Enrichment Fund account is reflected in the Treasurer's Report. 298 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEASTERN BIOLOGISTS ENRICHMENT FUND CONTRIBUTORS 2003 Beaird, Janis University of West Alabama College of Natural Sciences & Math UWA Station 7 Livingston, AL 35470 205 652 3831 jbeaird@uwa.edu Bowers, Frank 71 Rock Creek Dr. Mountain Home, AR 72653-5851 870 425 0290 Brinson, Mark East Carolina University, Biology Greenville, NC 27858 252 328 6307 Fax 252 358-0144 brinsonm@mail.ecu.edu Brown, Les P.O. Box 856 Boiling Springs, NC 28017 704 434 7255 lbrown@gardner-webb.edu Cashner, Robert C. University of New Orleans Graduate School Administration 205 New Orleans, LA 70122 504 282-8240 rcashner@uno.edu De Steven, Diane USDA Forest Service 2730 Savannah Hwy Charleston, SC 29414 843 766-0371 xl 31 FAX 843 766-8734 ddesteven@fs.fed.us Dillard, Gary E. 338 Marylan Ave. Bowling Green, KY 42101-3733 gary.dillard@insightgb.com Fantz, Paul R. North Carolina State University Horticultural Science Box 7609 Raleigh, NC 27695-7609 919 515-1186 paul_fantz@ncsu.edu Franklin, Beryl C. 402 Beasley St Monroe, LA 71203-4006 318 343-1602 Holler, James R. 535 Southwest Rd. Platteville, Wl 53818 608 348-8831 May, Jeffrey D. Marshall University, Biology Huntington, WV 25755-2510 Moore, Debbie Troy State University Dothan P.O. Box 8368 Dothan, AL 36304 334 983-6556 Priestley, Mary 735 University Ave. Sewanee, TN 37383 931 598-1997 mpriestl@sewanee.edu Rozas, Lawrence P. NOAA Fisheries, EHCFC 646 Cajundome Blvd. Lafayette, LA 70506 337 291-2106 lawrence.rozas@noaa.gov 2004 Meeting 299 Sickel, James B. Murray State University, Biology 334 Blackburn Murray, KY 42071 270 762-6326 jim.sickel@murraystate.edu Spiers, Jessica 1851 John Wells Rd. Hinesville, GA 31313 pjspiers@clds.net Williams, James D. 4820 NW 15th Place Gainesville, FL 32605 352 378-8181 x304 jim_williams@usgs.gov Wright, Robert A. S. Parsons Corporation 10521 Rosehaven St. 2nd Floor Fairfax, VA 22030 703 385-1147 robert.wright@parsons.com Scott Franklin taking a break. 300 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Break Time at the Paper Sessions 2004 Meeting 301 Break Time at the Paper Sessions 302 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 ASB Banquet Address J. Kenneth Shull Department of Biology Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608-2027 WORDS Tonight 1 will not regale you with my research - I have been presenting my research at ASB since 1972, so those of you who wanted to hear about it already have, and for those who have not heard my research - well, there is probably a good reason. (I will sprinkle the PowerPoint presentation with examples of slides from my research that I think are fascinating, but they have nothing to do with the talk - only cartoons and quotes are significant to the talk). Tonight I want to talk about words. Words - how we communicate. What do we communicate? Most of us are teachers, and have been for some time, or many of us have been teachers at one time. We communicate ideas - or try to. We communicate information - or try to. We communicate techniques and procedures - or we try to. Sometimes we only think we communicate ideas, information or procedures, but just because we teach does not mean that students always learn. Sometimes what we say is clear to us, but not to others, and it is our fault by trying to teach too much too quickly, filling a blackboard and then asking: “Any questions?” There are times when we are appalled at what others hear, when we have been so very clear! (The following quotes are not from the internet - they are from my own students or from students of friends of mine) Question: What are algae? Answer: “Algae are photogenic animals." (Could he mean photosynthetic protists?) Question: “Where could you find pine trees?” Answer: “Pine trees are found in carnivorous forests.” (A very dangerous place to be!) Question: “What stains are used to examine bacteria?” Answer: “One stain that can be used is genital violent.” (Now, that is scary!) Question: “What part of the flower produces pollen?” Answer: “Pollen is produced in the antler." (I never knew that!) 2004 Meeting 303 Question: "Describe the conditions under which life likely originated on Earth Answer: . . when life came into existence the Earth was too hot for anything to live.” (That was part of an answer that was so bad that it could have made up this entire talk!) There are times when people almost understand us - but not quite, and their answers go far beyond the intent of what you said. This can lead to problems, as in the Peanuts cartoon, when Sally is going through the decimal system and writes: “Ten milligrams equals one centigram, ten decigrams equals one gram, ten grams equal one grampa.” Charlie Brown can hardly wait to see what comes next. And then there are times when we are so proud of what we have accomplished in teaching, only to be disappointed. Just before I went to Florida State University for my Ph D., a well-known Drosophila geneticist was there. When a Drosophila geneticist sets up to do an experiment, the entire morning or day is often set aside to pick virgin females and cross them with the appropriate males. One morning this geneticist was doing just that, but there was a problem with the air conditioning. In order to get to the crawl space to work on the problem, a repairman had to pass through the genetics lab and directly behind this geneticist. As he first passed by, he paused and asked the geneticist: “Whatcha doin’?” The geneticist replied that he was studying heredity by using the fruit flies and he might learn some things that could be applied to many other organisms, including humans. He further explained that he was isolating unmated females so that he could mate them with specific males so that he could study their heredity. The repairman began asking some questions, and during the day would stop and ask other questions, and the questions became more and more sophisticated. The geneticist became rather smug and thought to himself: “Here, I have taken this repairman, who knew nothing about genetics and I have him to the point of asking some pretty good questions, all in the space of one day!” His smugness dissolved when, as the repairman gathered up his tools to leave for the day, he stopped one last time and said: “It does look to me that a grown man could find something better to do with his time than to be a pimp for a bunch of gnats!,” whereupon he walked out! We get very frustrated with how we are perceived by others, and how the difference that the public values the efforts of all teachers as opposed to, say athletes. This is brought into sharp contrast by the difference in what teachers are paid and what athletes are paid. But there are rewards. One of the greatest thrills of a teacher is when we see the light of learning come on in the eyes of a student. So, what is the point here? I have been very disturbed by some words that I have heard lately, and they affect ASB and its members. Words such as “Training systematists,” “creation science,” “A waste of money on that ridiculous research,” “unimportant service” and “us" and “them.” 304 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Last year I attended a symposium at these meetings in which I heard that we are not training enough systematists. I have heard the word training used in other disciplines, as well. What is wrong with that? I tell my students that, of the four parts to an experiment - planning it, running it, collecting data and analyzing the data - that the two easiest parts are running the experiment and collecting the data, but the two hardest parts are planning a good experiment and analyzing the data. I tell them that I am trying to educate them so that they can plan an experiment and analyze the data in some meaningful way. I want to educate them to interpret what they get. I tell them that I can train an eighth grader to run a Drosophila experiment and collect the data, but I cannot educate him or her to plan the experiment, nor to properly analyze the data and interpret what it means. We are to educate systematists, geneticists, ecologists, etc., not train them! We can train a person, but it takes a long time to educate the person as to why we want to run this experiment and what the results mean. Be careful of what you say - people do listen. We decry the fact that the public does not understand science, that they do not appreciate research, that they do not understand why the loss of one species is important. As Howie Neufeld said two years ago at these meetings, too many people accept non-scientific explanations for natural phenomena. Too many accept “creation science” as science, because they do not know what science really is. Most of us are teachers. How many of you have ever received a teaching award or been cited by your students as a good teacher? We are good at this. This is what we do. Given that, who should we blame for the public’s ignorance? Who should be out there teaching what science is all about? Who should explain that the acceptance of evolution does not mean that a person cannot hold deep religious beliefs? I hold such beliefs, but accept and teach evolution. Who should be convincing the public that pure research is a valuable endeavor, and not just to the researcher, but to the public at large? If you have ever judged a science fair, you are all too aware that children and high school students do not understand much about sample size, about controls and about all the other things that go into a good research project. Volunteer to go to your local schools this coming fall and talk to the students about science fair projects, and take the opportunity to explain good scientific methodology. More important - talk to the teachers about these subjects, give them some ideas about how to guide their students in choosing good projects and run good experiments. You will be teaching good science, and teaching those who further educate the public about science! Why do we do the research that we do? Why do we choose the odd organisms that we do? Why do we not use elephants, for example, in the study of basic genetics? Why do we not always confine ourselves to human subjects? The public does not understand these things, so explain it to them. Why should the public accept our words over those of the creationists? Does the public understand what peer review means? I seriously doubt it. I further 2004 Meeting 305 doubt that the public understands that “creation science” does not even fit the definition of what we know as science. Volunteer to talk to civic organizations about your field, or a related field. Get people excited about science. Is there an ecological problem in your area? Contact the program chairs of the civic organizations and tell them that you would like to speak to their group about the subject. They are always looking for speakers, and you may well be talking to the people who can make a difference in your community. When a bill concerning the environment, education, limiting the use of animals in research, etc. comes up before your state legislature, find out who is chairing the relevant committees and volunteer to testify to that committee. We MUST be the ones who teach the public - there is no one else. I know - you are under more and more pressure to publish to get tenure, promotion and raises (if there are any), and that can be difficult. And it is important, but so is educating the public. There is someone else to consider: We must explain to our department chairs and deans that the service component of our duties is important. What can be more important than getting the public to understand science, to understand its importance, to welcome sometimes unpleasant news of the consequences of the way we treat the environment, and to understand why science should be trusted about scientific matters? If you are a department chair or a dean, encourage, do not discourage, such service activities; reward those who take it upon themselves to do what we all want - educate the public. We must speak as one voice. I have heard, all too often, botanists and zoologists, ecologists and molecular biologists, biologists and chemists, those who primarily teach and those who primarily do research, speaking of “us" and “them," as if there is a contest between the various disciplines. That must never be. We must welcome those who look at the living world a different way or whose strengths are different, and cooperate to bring more public understanding of science. We must cooperate in our departments and in our organizations, such as ASB. That is the only way we will ever make headway in understanding the living world or in the effort to educate the public. We will never convince our department chairs of its importance until we a.) speak up, and b.) show them the results of what we are doing. ASB is a good organization, and we can make a difference. We have at least two excellent role models in this - Eloise Carter and Whit Gibbons, and there are many others. They know what to do and how to do it. Learn from them! ASB members certainly cover the Southeast, and many, many other states, as well. If we make the effort we can have an impact. Along those lines, I suggest that ASB form a Communications Committee using the know-how that exists in this organization. This should be a standing committee, but not necessarily one in which all of the members rotate. It should be one in which there is one representative from the Local Arrangements Committee so that we can get local publicity, one other who rotates to learn what the others know, but the rest of the committee should consist of proven public communicators This committee 306 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 should be responsible for coordinating public education for our members and assisting them in reaching the public. Don't forget that, regardless of what you do, whether it is to study some organism or environmentally sensitive area or be very active in the education of the general public, some will criticize you for it, but do not get discouraged - keep at it! In closing, I would, once more, remind you that your best efforts may not get the results that you expect. When I was a graduate student at the University of Alabama, I shared an office with a graduate student who was teaching one of the general botany laboratories. He was convinced, and rightly so, that the students just did not understand photosynthesis. To help remedy that situation at the next lab, which was the photosynthesis lab, he spent a great deal of time going over the details of the process. In the lab following his explanation he gave a quiz, one question of which was something to the effect of, “Explain the light reaction of photosynthesis.” Later, as he was grading the quizzes he was fuming over the fact that none of the students were coming close to the answer. He then got quiet as he read one paper. The silence was broken with “Oh NO! Listen to this,” he said. He then read the answer, and it was letter perfect with the Z diagram, photosystem II and photosystem I, ATP production, etc. The problem was with the last sentence. The answer ended with: “All this occurs in the lungs of the plant.” Thank you for allowing me to serve as president of ASB. I count it as one of the true highlights of my professional life. Charles Biggers (left) and John Herr in conversation. Association Affairs 307 ASB Southeastern Biology Staff, ASB Officers, and Executive Committee Members-at-Large, 2004-2005 Telephone numbers, FAX numbers and e-mail addresses can be found on the inside front cover of each issue of the Southeastern Biology. Southeastern Biology Staff Print Editor James D. Caponetti, Department of Botany, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN Associate Editor Terry Richardson, Department of Biology, University of North Alabama, Florence, AL Web Editor Terry Richardson, Department of Biology, University of North Alabama, Florence, AL Business Manager Tim Atkinson, Carolina Biological Supply Company, Burlington, NC News Editor Leon Jernigan, Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Pembroke, NC Book Review Editor Debbie Moore, Department of Natural Sciences, Troy State University, Dothan, AL Scott Jewel, P. O. Box 41 56, Glen Raven, NC ASB Officers Claudia L. Jolls, Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC Dwayne A. Wise, Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS A. Joseph Pollard, Department of Biology, Furman University, Greenville, SC Andrew N. Ash, Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Pembroke, NC Terry Richardson, Department of Biology, University of North Alabama, Florence, AL Tim Atkinson, Carolina Biological Supply Company, Burlington, NC Membership Officer Deborah Atkinson, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC Archivist John Herr, Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC Executive Committee Members-at-Large 2005: Zack E. Murrell, Dept, of Biology, Appalachian State Univ., Boone. NC Thomas R. Wentworth, Dept, of Botany, North Carolina State Univ , Raleigh, NC 2006: Debbie Moore, Dept, of Natural Sciences, Troy State Univ., Dothan, AL Jerry C. Ritchie, USDA-ARS Hydrology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 2007: Elaine J. Davis, Dept, of Natural Sciences, Bowie State Univ., Bowie, MD Scott Franklin, Dept, of Biology, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN Meetings Coord. President President-elect Vice-President Past President Secretary Treasurer 308 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 ASB Committees 2004-2005 Representatives to Other Societies AAAS - American Association for the Advancement of Science Representative: Bonnie Kelley, Biology Department, UNC Pembroke, One University Drive, P. O. Box 1510 Pembroke, NC 28372-1510; bonnie.kelley@uncp.edu. ACS - Associations of Systematic Collections Representative: Nancy Coile, FDACS - 22804 NW County Road 2054, Alachua, FL 32615; rncn836@alltel.net. AIBS • American Institute of Biological Science Representative: Geraldine Twitty, Department of Biology, Howard University, 415 College St., NW, Washington, DC 20059; 202-806-6953, FAX 202-806-4564; gtwitty@howard.edu. ASB Committees Committee on Women, Minorities and Persons with Disabilities Chair: Bonnie Kelley, Department of Biology, UNC Pembroke, P.O. Box 1510, Pembroke, NC 28372-1510; 910-521-6419; FAX 910-521-6649; Bonnie.Kelley@uncp.edu. Pat Parr, ORNL Area Manager, Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park, Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge TN 37831-6038; 865-576-8123; FAX 865-576- 8646; parrpd@ornl.gov. Victoria Turgeon, Department of Biology, Furman University, 3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville, SC, 29613-0418; 864-294-3791; FAX 864-294- 2058; victoria.turgeon@furman.edu. Conservation Committee Chair: Ed Mills, Department of Biology, Wingate University, Box 3059, Wingate, North Carolina 28174; 704-233-8239; FAX 704-233-8233; emills@wingate.edu. Bob George, Biological Sciences, UNC Wilmington, Wilmington NC 28403- 3297; 910-799-4722; georgeryt@cs.com. Travis Perry, Department of Biology, Furman University, 3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville, SC, 29613-0418; 864-294-3009; FAX 864-294- 2058; travis.perry@furman.edu. Association Affairs 309 Education Committee Co-Chair: John Aliff, Department of Biology, Georgia Perimeter College, 1000 University Center Lane, Lawrenceville, GA 30043; 678-407-5044; FAX 678-407-5273; jaliff@gpc.edu. Jim Caponetti, Department of Botany, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996-1100; 865-974-2256; FAX 865-974-2258; Jcaponet@utk.edu. Dwayne Wise, Department of Biology, P. O. Drawer GY, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, 39762; 662-325-7579; FAX 662-325- 7939; daw1@ra.msstate.edu. J. Phil Gibson, Department of Biology, Agnes Scott College, 141 East College Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030; 404-471-6267; FAX 404-471-5368; pgibson@agnesscott.edu. Ricky Fiorillo, Department of Biology, Shorter College, Rome, GA 30165; 706-233-7389; FAX 706-236-1515; rfiorillo@shorter.edu. Enrichment Fund Board Chair: Kim Marie Tolson, Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Monroe, Monroe, LA 71209-0520; 318-342-1805; FAX 318-342-1755; tolson@ulm.edu. Finance Committee Chair: Tim Atkinson, Carolina Biological Supply Co., 2700 York Rd., Burlington, NC 27215; 336-538-6224; FAX 800-222-7112; tim.atkinson@carolina.com. Past President: Andy Ash, Biology Department, UNC Pembroke, One University Drive, P. O. Box 1510, Pembroke, NC 28372-1510; 910-521 - 6418; FAX 910-521-6649; andy.ash@uncp.edu. President Elect: Dwayne Wise, Flamed Hall, Rm 300, Box G Y, Mississippi State University, MS State, MS 39762, 662-325-7579; FAX 662-325- 7939; daw1@ra.msstate.edu. Executive Committee Member: Jerry Ritchie, USDA-ARS Hydrology Laboratory, BARC-West Building-007, Beltsville, MD 20705; voice 301- 504-8717; secretary 301-504-7490; FAX 301-504-8931; jritchie@ hydrolab.arsusda.gov. Graduate Student Support Award Committee Chair: Neil Billington, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Troy State University, Troy, AL 36082; 334-670-3943; FAX 334-670-3662; askdrb@troyst.edu. Leon Jernigan, Department of Biology, UNC Pembroke, P.O. Box 1510, Pembroke, NC 28372-1510; 910-521-6884; FAX 910-521-6649; leon.jernigan@uncp.edu. Alex Headen, Carolina Biological Supply Company, 2700 York Rd.. Burlington, NC 27215; 336-538-6224; FAX 800-222-7112; aheaden@carolina.com. 310 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Local Arrangements Committee Chair 2005: Terry D. Richardson, Department of Biology, University of North Alabama, Box 5212, Florence, AL 35632-0001; 256-765-4429; FAX 256-765-4430; tdrichardson@una.edu. Co-Chairs 2006: Pat Cox, TVA Heritage Program, 17 Ridgeway Rd, P.O. Box 1589, Norris, TN 37828-1589; 865-632-1635; pbcox@tva.gov. Randy Small, 437 Hesler Biology Building, 1406 Circle Drive, Department of Botany, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996- 1100; 865-974-6207; 865-974-2258; rsmall@utk.edu. Chair 2007: John Herr, Department of Biology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208; 803-777-8110; FAX 803-777-4002; herr@mail.biol.sc.edu. Meritorious Teaching Award Committee - Award Sponsored by Carolina Biological Supply Company Chair: Bonnie Kelley, Department of Biology, UNC Pembroke, P.O. Box 1510, Pembroke, NC 28372-1510; 910-521-6419; FAX: 910-521-6649; Bonnie.Kelley@uncp.edu. Pat Cox, TVA Heritage Program, 17 Ridgeway Road, P.O. Box 1589, Norris, TN 37828-1589; 865-632-1635; pbcox@tva.gov. Larry Mellichamp, Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223; 704-687-4055; FAX 704-687-3128; tlmellic@email.uncc.edu. Nominating Committee Chair: Ken Shull, Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608-2027; 828-262-2675; FAX 828-262-2127; shulljk@appstate.edu. W. Michael Dennis, Breedlove, Dennis and Associates, Inc., 330 W. Canton Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789; 407-677-1882; FAX 407-657-7008; Mike@bda-inc.com. Cliff Hupp, USGS, 430 National Center, Reston, VA 20192; 703-648-5207; FAX 703-648-5484; crhupp@usgs.gov. Past-President's Council Chair: Andy Ash, Biology Department, UNC Pembroke, One University Drive, P.O. Box 1510, Pembroke, NC 28372-1510; 910-521-6418; FAX 910-521-6649; andy.ash@uncp.edu. Patron Member and Exhibitor Committee Chair until 2006: Rebecca Cook, Biology Department, Lambuth College, Lambuth Blvd, Jackson, TN; 901-425-3278; FAX 901-988-4900; cook- reb@lambuth.edu. Vice Chair until 2007: Joe Pollard, Department of Biology, Furman University, 3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville, SC 29613-0418; 864- 294-3244; FAX 864-294-2058; joe.pollard@furman.edu. Association Affairs 311 Scott Franklin, Department of Biology, Ellington Hall, 3700 Walker Avenue, Memphis, TN 38152; 901-678-5539; FAX 901-678-4746; sfrankli@ memphis.edu. Scott Jewel, A2Z Convention Services, P.O. Box 4156, Glen Raven, NC 27215; 336-421-0034; Cell 336-213-2048; FAX 336-538-6395; a2zconvention@yahoo.com. Place of Meeting Committee Chair: Michael Windlespecht, Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608-2027; 828-262-2680; FAX 828-262-2127; windlspchtm@appstate.edu. Lafayette Frederick, Department of Biology, Howard University, 2400 Sixth St., NW, Washington, DC 20059; 202-806-6931; FAX 202-806-4564; lfrederick@howard.edu. Joe Pollard, Department of Biology, Furman University, 3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville, SC 29613; 864-294-3244; FAX 864-294-2058; joe.pollard@furman.edu. Scott Jewel, A2Z Convention Services, P.O. Box 4156, Glen Raven, NC 27215; 336-421-0034; Cell 336-213-2048; FAX 336-538-6395; a2zconvention@yahoo.com. Poster Awards Committee Chair: Dennis Haney, Dept, of Biology, Furman University, 3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville, SC 29613-0418; 864-294-2050; FAX 864-294- 2058; dennis.haney@furman.edu. Victoria Turgeon, Department of Biology, Furman University, 3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville, SC 29613; 864-294-3791; FAX 864-294-2058; victoria.turgeon@furman.edu. Mijitaba Hamissou, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL 36265; 256-782-5040; FAX 256-782-5587; taba@jsucc.jsu.edu. Gerhard Kalmus, Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858; 252-328-6306; FAX 252-328-4178; kalmusg@mail.ecu.edu. Irene Kokkala, Department of Biology, North Georgia College and State University, Dahlonega, GA 30597; 706-864-1368; FAX 706-867-2703; ikokkala@ngcsu.edu. Publications Committee Chair: Tom Wentworth, Department of Botany, 4206 Gardner Hall, Campus Box 7612, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695; 919-515- 2168; FAX 919-515-3436; tom_wentworth@ncsu.edu. Debbie Moore, Department of Natural Sciences, Troy State University Dothan, P.O. Box 8368, Dothan, AL 36304; 334-983-6556 Ext. 250; FAX 334-983-6322; dsmoore@troyst.edu. Elaine Davis, Bowie State University, Computer Science Bldg. Ste 308C. 14000 Jericho Park Road, Bowie, MD 20715-9465; 301-860-3876; FAX 301-860-3887; edavis@bowiestate.edu. 312 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Bulletin Editor (Ex-Officio): Jim Caponetti, Dept, of Botany, 437 Hesler Hall, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1100; 865-974-6219; FAX 865-974-2258; jcaponet@utk.edu. Research Awards Committee - Senior - Award Sponsored by Associated Microscopes, Inc. Chair: Ray Williams, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608-2027; 828-262-6511; FAX 828-262-2127; willmsrs@appstate.edu. Lisa Kelly, UNO Pembroke, P.O. Box 1510, Pembroke, NC 28372-1510; 910-521-6377; FAX 910-521-6649; lisa.kelly@uncp.edu. Howard Neufeld, Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608-2027; 828-262-2693; FAX 828-262-2127; neufeldhs@appstate.edu. Research Awards Committee - Student - Award Sponsored by Martin Microscope Company and Thomson Brooks/Cole Chair: George Cline, Department of Biology, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL 36265; 256-782-5798; FAX 256-782-5587; gcline@ jsucc.jsu.edu. Katie Greenberg, USDA Forest Service, Bent Creek Experimental Forest, 1577 Brevard Rd., Asheville, NC 28806; 828-667-5261 Ext. 118; FAX 828-667-9097; kgreenberg@fs.fed.us. Dennis Haney, Dept, of Biology, Furman University, 3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville, SC 29613-0418; 864-294-2050; FAX 864-294-2058; dennis.haney@furman.edu. Research Awards Committee - Microbiology - Award Sponsored by Thomson Brooks/Cole Chair: J. Kenneth Shull, Jr., Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608-2027; 828-262-2675; FAX 828-262-2127; shulljk@appstate.edu. Donald H. Roush, Department of Biology, University of North Alabama, Florence, AL 35632-0001; 256-765-4435; FAX 256-765-4430; dhroush@ una.edu. Michael Windlespecht, Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608-2027; 828-262-2680; FAX 828-262-2127; windlspchtm@appstate.edu. Resolutions Committee Chair: Andy Ash, Biology Department, UNC Pembroke, One University Drive, P.O. Box 1510, Pembroke, NC 28372-1510; 910-521-6418; FAX 910 521-6649; andy.ash@uncp.edu. Jennifer Davis, Shorter College, Rome, GA; 706-233-7292; FAX 706-236- 1515; jdavis@shorter.edu. Don Roush, Department of Biology, Box 5181, University of North Alabama, Florence, AL, 35632-0001; 256-765-4435; FAX 256-765-4430; dhroush@una.edu. 2005 Meeting 313 2005 MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION CALL FOR PAPERS THE 66th ANNUAL MEETING HOSTED BY: UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA MEETING SITE: FLORENCE, ALABAMA DATE: 13-16 APRIL 2005 NOTE WELL! This will be the only call for papers! Please note the following deadlines that are to be met before our 66th annual meeting. 12 NOVEMBER Titles and abstracts of papers and posters, including those applying for awards, due to the Program Committee. This will be the only call for papers. They must reach the Program Committee by this date. 15 OCTOBER Nominations for ASB officers and executive committee due to the Nominations Committee. 12 NOVEMBER-7 JANUARY Submission materials for research awards due to respective research awards committees. 14 JANUARY Meritorious Teaching Award materials due to Mertitorious Teaching Award Committee. Application for graduate student travel awards due to Graduate Student Travel Awards Committee. Preliminary Meeting Web Page http://www.asb.appstate.edu/Preliminary2005 314 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 LOCAL COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE 66th ANNUAL MEETING UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA FLORENCE, AL Local Arrangements Chair: Terry D. Richardson tdrichardson@una.edu 256-765-4429 Program Subcommittee (Troy State University): Neil Billington askdrb@troyst.edu Stephen Landers slanders@troyst.edu Michael Woods mwoods@troyst.edu 334-670-3943 334-670-3661 334-670-3403 Web Coordinator: Thomas Haggerty tmhaggerty@una.edu 256-765-4432 Beta Beta Beta: Donald Roush dhroush@una.edu 256-765-4435 Commercial Exhibits: Scott Jewell a2zconvention@yahoo.com Terry Richardson 336-421-0034 Workshops/Symposiums (Troy State University): Neil Billington Stephen Landers Michael Woods Posters and Audiovisuals: Mary Ann Allan maallan@una.edu Evelyn Bruce ekbruce@una.edu 256-765-4866 256-765-4933 Field Trips: Paul Kittle pdkittle@una.edu 256-765-4395 Registration/Meeting Statistics: Amy Crews-Oyen acoyen@una.edu Donald Roush 256-765-4437 Social Events: Terry D. Richardson Volunteers Coordinator: Donald Roush Transportation/Parking/ Tourism: Terry D. Richardson 2005 Meeting 315 PAPER & POSTER SUBMISSION DOCUMENTS FOR 2005 MEETING DEADLINE: 12 NOVEMBER 2004 Individuals presenting papers or posters are expected to be members of ASB! INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING ABSTRACTS Submit a single e-mail with two MS-Word Attachments to: asb@troyst.edu. The two attachments should be titled “Author Information” and “Abstract”. Please DO NOT submit author information or abstracts within the text of an e-mail. ATTACHMENT 1 (Titled “Author Information”) Please number and list the following information items: 1. AUTHOR(S) 2. INSTITUTION(S) 3. 1st AUTHOR PHONE/FAX 4. 1st AUTHOR E-MAIL 5. TITLE 6. PRESENTATION TYPE: PAPER or POSTER NOTE: ALL ORAL PRESENTATIONS WILL BE ON POWERPOINT OR POWERPOINT-COMPATIBLE SOFTWARE WITH A BACKUP COPY ON OVERHEAD! SLIDE PROJECTORS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE. POSTER SPACE IS 4’ x 4’. BRING YOU OWN PINS OR VELCRO. 7. Choose the appropriate section(s) to which your paper or poster should be assigned. If you choose more than one, rank sections as to your preference (1 = most preferred). Animal Behavior Animal Ecology Animal Physiology Aquatic, Wetland & Marine Management Developmental Biology Genetics, Cell & Molecular Biology Herpetology Ichthyology Invertebrate Zoology & Entomology Microbiology Ornithology Parasitology Plant Biology Plant Ecology Plant Systematics Teaching Biology 316 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 8. Awards: If you intend to apply for one of the following awards, please indicate this so that the Program Committee can schedule talks appropriately. You must check that you want to be considered for an award during the abstract submission. Students must be first authors for student awards. For many awards you must also submit an abstract to the award committee chairperson. Please see applicable rules for each award at www.asb.appstate.edu/member.htm and in this issue. ASB Senior Research Award ($1,000). Sponsored by Associated Microscopes, Inc. ASB Student Research Award ($1,000). Sponsored by Martin Microscope Company. ASB Student Research Award in Aquatic Biology ($200). Sponsored by Thomson Learning Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. ASB Research Award in Microbiology ($500). Sponsored by Thomson Learning Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. ASB Student Poster Award ($300). Sponsored by ASB. Eugene P. Odum Award ($500). Sponsored by the SE Chapter of ESA. Elsie Quarterman-Catherine Keever Award ($300). Sponsored by the SE Chapter of ESA. NC Botanical Garden Award ($200). Sponsored by the NCBG. SEASIH Student Travel Awards ($50). Sponsored by the SE Chapter of ASIH. SEASIH Student Ichthyology Award ($100). Sponsored by the SE Chapter of ASIH SEASIH Student Herpetology Award ($100). Sponsored by the SE Chapter of ASIH. SAC/SWS Student Travel Awards ($100). Sponsored by the SA Chapter of SWS. BSA Student Plant Science Award ($100) plus travel expenses ($300). Sponsored by the SE Section of BSA. SFC Student Travel Awards ($100). Sponsored by the SFC. ATTACHMENT 2 (Titled “Abstract”) Please follow guidelines below. The abstract must be in 9 point Arial (if your computer does not have Arial, use Times New Roman) with margins of 1 inch right and 2 !4 inches left. Do not place hard returns at ends of lines; allow word wrapping. The abstract (not including the authors’ names and addresses) must not exceed 250 words. Single space all typing. 1. Indent author, institution, and title information 1 tab stop (1/2 inch). Type in the following order: AUTHOR’S NAME(S) all capitalized; last name first for first author; other authors’ names (if any), first names first. If two authors, separate names with “AND”. In the case of more than two authors, separate all but the last name with a comma and separate last two with “AND”. End with a period. 2005 Meeting 317 2. Institution(s) follow authors’ names directly. Maintain the same indentation as names and end with a dash (— ). In the case of two or more authors from different institutions, place all author names together first, followed by all institutions in the same order. If necessary, key the authors’ names to the institution with a superscript number. 3. Start the title immediately after the dash without a space. Capitalize first letter of first word, then only proper and scientific names as customary. Underline all of the title, and maintain the same indentation as the name and institution. End with a period. Leave one full blank line between title and abstract text. 4. Start text of abstract on a new line. Do not indent first line. Use one paragraph for entire text. Do not put any reference citations in the abstract. Justify both left and right margins. 5. Single space all typing. Put taxonomic names in italics. 6. If a grant source is acknowledged, place at end of text without a new paragraph. 7. Reprints of abstracts are not available. You may duplicate the printed abstracts from Southeastern Biology. EXAMPLES RADENBAUGH, TODD A. United States Peace Corps, Jamaica — Major plant community types of Duncan Bay, Jamaica, West Indies. There is an urgent need to record and describe the coastal ecosystems on the North coast of Jamaica before they are severely altered by human . DAVIS, JENNIFER1 AND DWAYNE WISE2. Shorter College1 and Mississippi State University2 — Causes and consequences of elevated levels of meiotic abnormalities in laboratory colonies of the crane fly Nephrotoma suturalis. Progeny of wild-caught crane flies were compared to a laboratory colony of Nephrotoma suturalis for mean % chromosomal abnormalities, mean % survival, and parameters indicative of . fb INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING ORAL PRESENTATIONS All oral presentations will be done using Microsoft PowerPoint or MS PowerPoint- compatible software only. Presenters should bring a backup consisting of overheads. Complete and final presentations must be submitted on CD by April 1st. The first author’s name and truncated title should be written on the upper surface of the CD using an indelible marker. Submit CD by the April 1st deadline to: ATTN: ASB 2005 Annual Meeting, c/o Dr. Terry D. Richardson, University of North Alabama, Box 5212, Florence, AL 35632-0001 318 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 ASB 2005 FIELD TRIPS Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve Time: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Number of Participants: 20 Primary Field Trip Leader: Jim Lacefield, private landowner, biologist, geologist Description of Site/Trip: Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve is a 413 acre, privately protected scenic natural area located in the Little Mountains region of Colbert County, Alabama. The rugged terrain provides a wide range of habitats and diverse natural communities. Ravines, waterfalls, bluffs, rock shelters, and giant boulders contribute to the scenic nature of the preserve. The area is noted for its abundance and diversity of spring wildflowers and high tree diversity (over 100 species). A number of rare plant species occur on the preserve including French’s shooting star. Sipsey Wilderness, Bankhead National Forest Time: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Number of Participants: 1 6 Primary Field Trip Leaders: Paul Davison, UNA botanist; Rhonda Stewart (USDA Forest Service botanist from Bankhead National Forest) Description of Site/Trip: The Sipsey Wilderness is noted for its deep ravines that provide microclimates that host disjunct plant populations typical of more northerly areas, including, for example, eastern hemlock, sweet birch, and many other species. The narrowly endemic and endangered flattened musk turtle inhabits local streams and the green salamander is at the southern end of its range. The ravines are noted for their waterfalls, bluffs, and remnant stands of old growth forest. Prairie Grove Glade Nature Preserve Time: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Number of Participants: 1 6 Primary Field Trip Leaders: David Webb, TVA botanist Description of Site/Trip: The Nature Conservancy has protected the last and largest remnant limestone cedar glade in its 191 acre Prairie Grove Glade Nature Preserve. The preserve was established to protect the cedar glade community with its many narrowly endemic plants. Some of the rare species include Lesquerella lyrata, lyrate bladderpod, a federally listed endangered species; Leavenworthia alabamica, Alabama glade cress; Delphinium alabamicum, Alabama larkspur; and Eriogonum longifolium var. harperi. 2005 Meeting 319 Quillcon II Symposium for 2005 The Second Quillwort Conference, Quillcon II, will be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists in Florence, Alabama, 1 3-1 6 April 2005. If you are interested in presenting a paper about Isoetes in the Symposium, participating in a quillwort field trip, and/or socializing with a group of us to learn more about this fascinating genus, please respond to Carl Taylor ct@mpm.edu or Lytton John Musselman lmusselm@odu.edu to be placed on the listserve for updates on Quillcon II. Tententive Title: QUILLCON II: ADVANCING OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE ENIGMATIC QUILLWORTS Tentative Program 8:00 Introduction 8:10 Jim Hickey: Morphological features useful in distinguishing quillworts 8:30 Kathleen Pigg: Fossil quillworts 8:50 Jim Mickle: Stomata of fossil quillworts 9:10 K Al Arid: Isoetes microspore development 9:30 Rebecca Bray: Scales are the rule in southeast US quillworts 9:50 Break 10:10 Lytton Musselman: Hybrid quillworts 10:30 Sara Hoot: Molecular systematics I- Isoetes global phylogeny 10:50 Carl Taylor: Molecular studies II - Isoetes regional phylogenies 11:10 Kerry Heafner: Isoetes melanopoda complex 1 1 :30 Dan Brunton: New rare species of quillworts and their conservation 11:50 Summary 12:00 Lunch 05 Activities for Guests The Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Office welcomes ASB to the Shoals Area by offering a two-day Renaissance City Guest Tour for ASB member guests not attending meeting functions. The tours focus on some of the Shoals’ most historic treasures and best shopping. The tour prices include admission at all attractions, lunch, entertainment, and transportation. A minimum of 30 participants is required. Day 1 Tour--$35.00 Per Person: Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House W.C. Handy Home 1800’s Pope’s Tavern Helen Keller Birthplace Alabama Music Hall of Fame L. O. Bishop’s Famous Barbecue, Chips, Beans & Drink Barbecue for lunch with entertainment by local recording artists at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame Day 2 Tour--$30.00: N. Florence Village & Downtown Florence Shopping at Antique Stores Old Time Hardware Store Unique Ladies’ & Men's Apparel Boutiques Kennedy-Douglass Art Center Exhibit Gourmet Lunch-Eva Marie's Restaurant (choice of 5 different Panini Grill Sandwiches, chips or salad, drink & dessert) Haunted History Walking Tour of Downtown Florence 320 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Nomination for ASB Officers and Executive Committee Positions DEADLINE: 15 OCTOBER 2004 To members of the Nominating Committee: I wish to suggest that you consider the following ASB member(s) in selecting nominees for officers and executive committee positions. (Please Include the institutional address of each nominee.) PRESIDENT-ELECT VICE-PRESIDENT TREASURER EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ( two will be elected for three-year terms) MAIL TO: DR. J. KENNETH SHULL, Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608-2027; (828) 262-2675; Fax (828) 262-2127; shulljk@appstate.edu. NAME & ADDRESS OF NOMINATOR _ 2005 Meeting 321 “TRAVEL” SUPPORT AWARDS FOR GRADUATE STUDENT MEMBERS OF ASB DEADLINE FOR POSTMARK: 14 JANUARY 2005 Limited funds are available to partially defray the expenses of graduate students attending the Annual Meeting. The awards are for lodging and meals only, including the ASB Banquet. Departments are urged to provide transportation for their graduate students. Recipients must be members of ASB. See ASB web site for membership application or renewal forms. The guidelines for application are as follows: (a) The recipient is a current member of ASB. (b) The recipient must be presenting a paper or poster at the Annual Meeting and must include a separate copy of the abstract of the paper or poster to be presented along with the application. (c) The recipient must be currently enrolled as a graduate student in the department where he/she conducted this research. (d) Student travel awards are granted on a competitive basis. Applicants must document expected expenses and list other sources of financial support for this meeting, including institutional aid, shared lodging and shared transportation. (e) In a paragraph, give a brief history of your education to date: indicated how many years you have been in graduate school and the expected date of completion of work for your degree, your major field of study and research, publications including those in press and in preparation, degree sought, name of major professor and any other pertinent details. (f) Give your source(s) of support while in graduate school: e.g. NSF, NIH, USDA, Teaching Asst., Research Asst., etc. (g) Include a letter of recommendation for an ASB support award from your faculty research advisor. This letter should comment on the work being presented and indicate the financial need of the student presenter. It should also indicate whether any departmental or other funding is available to the student. (h) Send application with supporting letter to: Dr. Neil Billington, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Troy State University, Troy. AL 36082; (334) 670-3943; fax (334) 670-3662. In addition, e-mail a copy of your completed application documents without the supporting letter to: askdrb@troyst.edu. (i) Applicants will be notified of the decision of the Committee as soon as is practical. Recipients of the award will pick up their checks at the ASB table at the meeting. 322 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Guidelines for Poster Presentations Poster sessions have been incorporated as a regular means of scientific presentation at the annual ASB meetings. This type of presentation provides a more informal environment that encourages a direct interchange of ideas and discussion between presenter and audience. Poster presentations are open to all ASB members. Adherence to the following guidelines helps ensure the effectiveness of the poster presentation and consideration for the award. (1) Display should fit on a 4' h x 4' w board suitable for thumbtacks, pushpins, or Velcro. (2) Poster must be displayed from 10 a.m. Thursday through 5 p.m Friday. Authors will be required to be present at specified times during the Annual Meeting. (3) Poster should be carefully planned to maximize clarity and simplicity in conveying information. (4) Poster should have a heading, including a title, author, and author's institution(s). This heading should be placed at the top in letters no less than 3 cm high. (5) The body of the poster, including text, figure legends, and table captions, should be in type no smaller than 18 pt (3-4 mm) and must be legible from a distance of about 1-2 meters. (6) The body should be self-explanatory and should include figures, tables, graphs, maps, or photographs displayed in a well organized, coherent, and easy-to-follow sequence from top to bottom. Each illustration should contain a caption. Do not overcrowd the display. (7) A limited degree of text may be included, but care should be taken not to overwhelm the audience. (8) A large, abbreviated version of the abstract should be presented at the top of the poster, but below the heading. A clear listing of specific conclusions should appear at the bottom or end of the presentation. Further inquiries may be directed to the Chair of the ASB Poster Award Committee: Dr. Dennis Haney, Department of Biology, Furman University, Greenville, SC 29613-0418; (864) 294-2050; fax (864) 294-2058; dennis.haney@furman.edu. 2005 Meeting 323 Research Awards SPECIAL NOTICE : Please read carefully the description of requirements for the ASB award for which you apply. Note especially that recipients of ASB awards must be present at the annual ASB banquet to receive the award. ASB Senior Research Award ($1000) Given for an especially meritorious manuscript presented orally by the author(s) at the Annual Meeting of ASB. The presenter must be a member of ASB. In order to qualify for this award sponsored by Associated Microscopes, Inc., the author(s) must have presented the work orally at any previous annual meeting or have submitted an abstract by the 12 November abstract deadline for an oral presentation at the next annual meeting. The manuscript must either have been submitted for publication or be ready for submission and carry the format of the journal to which it will be (or has been) submitted. Author(s) must submit four copies of their manuscript and short biographical sketches of each author. Manuscripts received by 7 January 2005 will compete for the 2005 Senior Research Award. Manuscripts not received by this deadline (but submitted by 7 January 2006) will remain in competition for the 2006 Senior Research Award, subject to the following condition, which applies to ALL manuscripts eligible for this award: manuscripts may be in press, but not published prior to the last annual meeting. Judges will use a standard evaluation form that includes the following criteria: significance of ideas, soundness of hypotheses, originality (creativity), quality of methodology, validity of results, soundness of conclusions, clarity, completeness, organization, and contribution to the field. At the discretion of the Senior Research Award Committee, the award may be withheld or it may be split in case of a tie. The recipient of the award must be present at the annual ASB banquet to receive the award. Committee Chair: Dr. Ray Williams, Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608-2027; (828) 262-6511; fax (828) 262-2127; willmsrs@appstate.edu. ASB Student Research Award ($1000) Given for an especially meritorious manuscript presented orally by the author(s) at the Annual Meeting. In order to qualify for presenting the paper, the author(s) must submit an abstract by the November deadline. Papers submitted for the competition must be received in triplicate and in their entirety by the January deadline and must be journal-ready manuscripts worthy of publication The student award (sponsored by Martin Microscope Company) is given to the senior author if she/he is a graduate or undergraduate student at the time of presentation. To qualify, author(s) must submit an abstract, title form, and application for the award by 12 November 2004, and four copies of the journal- ready manuscript with abstract, title form, and short biographical sketches of each author by 7 January 2005. Judges will use a standard evaluation form that includes the following criteria: significance of ideas, soundness of hypotheses, 324 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 originally (creativity), quality of methodology, validity of results, soundness of conclusions, clarity, completeness, organization, and contribution to the field. At the discretion of the Student Research Award Committee, the award may be withheld or it may be split in the case of a tie. Papers may be in press, but not published prior to the previous annual meeting. Only members of ASB are eligible and the recipient of the award must be present at the annual ASB banquet to receive the award. Committee Chair: Dr. George Cline, Department of Biology, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL 36265; (256) 782-5798; fax (256) 782-5587; gcline@jsucc.jsu.edu. ASB Student Research Award In Aquatic Biology ($200) The purpose of the award is to encourage excellence in aquatic biology research by undergraduate and graduate students. The award is sponsored by Thomson Learning Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. Students who are members of ASB and whose work is sponsored by a professional biologist who is also an ASB member are eligible. The paper must be based on research designed and completed by the student and it must be presented orally by the student as senior author at the Annual Meeting. To be eligible, author(s) must submit an abstract, title form, and application for the award by 12 November 2004, four copies of the journal-ready manuscript with abstract, title form, and short biographical sketches of each author by 7 January 2005 and a letter from the sponsor affirming student status at the time the research was completed and sponsorship of the student to the chair of the Student Research Award Committee. Judges will use a standard evaluation form that includes the following criteria: significance of ideas, soundness of hypotheses, originality (creativity), quality of methodology, validity of results, soundness of conclusions, clarity, completeness, organization, and contribution to the field. At the discretion of the Student Research Award Committee, the award may be withheld or it may be split in the case of a tie. It is intended that aquatic biology be broadly interpreted. For example, research projects on aquatic organisms, wetland biota, and water quality are all eligible. The recipient of the award must be present at the Annual ASB Banquet to receive the award. Committee Chair: Dr. George Cline, Department of Biology, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL 36265; (256) 782-5798; fax (256) 782-5587; gcline@jsucc.jsu.edu. ASB Research Award in Microbiology ($500) Sponsored by Thomson Learning Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, the award is given for an especially meritorious oral presentation of research results by the author(s) at the annual meeting. The purpose of the award is to stimulate greater participation at the Annual Meeting in the broad area of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbiology including cell biology and physiology, molecular biology, and genetics. The presentation must deal clearly with one of these topics and 2005 Meeting 325 should represent substantially completed work. In order to qualify for this award, the senior author must request consideration for the award on the abstract submission form, submit one copy of the title and abstract to the ASB Program Chair by the 12 November 2004 deadline, and submit a second copy by the same date to the Microbiology Award Committee Chair. Only members of ASB are eligible and the recipient of the award must be present at the Annual ASB Banquet to receive the award (go to http://www.asb.appstate.edu/ member.htm for membership application or renewal form). Committee Chair: Dr. J. Kenneth Shull, Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28607-2027; (828) 262-2675; fax (828) 262-2127; shulljk@appstate.edu. ASB Student Poster Award ($300) Given for an especially meritorious poster presentation by the author(s) at the Annual Meeting. The purpose of the award is to stimulate greater student participation at the Annual Meeting. To qualify for this award, the senior author must be a graduate or undergraduate student at the time of presentation, must be a member of ASB, must submit an abstract by the 12 November 2004 deadline, and must be present at the Annual ASB Awards Banquet Student poster presentations must also adhere to the “Guidelines for Poster Presentations.” Only student authors who request consideration for the poster award on the abstract submission form will be judged for the award. In addition to adherence to the “Guidelines for Poster Presentations,” student poster presentations will also be judged using the following specific criteria: (1 ) Overall aesthetics and attractiveness of presentation (2) Ease of reading from a distance (1-2 meters) (3) Clear and concise organization (4) Clearly stated hypothesis or study objectives (5) Soundness of methods for testing hypotheses or meeting study objectives (6) How well conclusions are supported by results At the discretion of the ASB Poster Award Committee, the award may be withheld or it may be split in the case of a tie. Some posters may also be awarded “Honorable Mention” at the discretion of the ASB Poster Award Committee (Honorable Mention awardees receive no monetary award). Further inquiries may be directed to the chair of the ASB Poster Award Committee. Committee Chair: Dr. Dennis Haney, Department of Biology, Furman University. Greenville, SC 29613-0418; (864)294-2050; fax (864) 294-2058; dennis.haney@ furman.edu. 326 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Eugene P. Odum Award ($500) Given by the Southeastern Chapter of the Ecological Society of America for the best ecological paper presented by a student. Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible, and the student must be the sole or senior author. The paper must deal with a clearly ecological topic and should represent substantially completed work. It should be presented in one of the following sections: Aquatic Ecology, Plant Ecology, or Animal Ecology. One copy of the title and abstract should be sent to the ASB Program Chair by 12 November 2004, and a second copy must be sent by the same date to the Odum Committee Chair. Committee Chair: Dr. Jake Weltzin, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1610; (865) 974-5218; fax (865) 974-3067; jweltzin@utk.edu. Elsie Quarterman-Catherine Keever Award ($300) Given by the Southeastern Chapter of the Ecological Society of America for the best ecological poster presented by a student. This award will be given for the first time in 2005. Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible, and the student must be the sole or senior author. The poster must deal with a clearly ecological topic and should represent substantially completed work. It should be presented in a regular contributed poster session. One copy of the title and abstract should be sent to the ASB Program Chair by 12 November 2004, and a second copy must be sent by the same date to the Quarterman-Keever Committee Chair. Committee Chair: Dr. Howard Neufeld, Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608-2027; (828) 262-2683; fax (828) 262-2127; neufeldhs@appstate.edu. The North Carolina Botanical Garden Award ($200) Given by NCBG (through the Southeastern Section of the Botanical Society of America and the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society). This is awarded for a paper presented at the annual ASB meetings that best advances our understanding of the biology and conservation of the southeastern plants and thus contributes to the mission of the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Of special interest to the Garden are the rare plant species of the Southeast: why they are rare; how they interact with plants, animals, and their environment; and what can be done to ensure their survival. The paper may deal with a broad area including systematics, ecology and conservation. All individuals who are eligible to present at the ASB meetings are eligible for this award. They may be students, faculty or others. 2005 Meeting 327 Committee Chair: Dr. John Randall, Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC 27412; (919) 962-0522; fax (919) 962-3531; jrandall@email.unc.edu. Travel Support Awards for Student Members of the Southeastern Division, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Travel grants of $50 each are available to a limited number of student members of SEASIH to attend the ASB annual meeting on 13-16 April 2005. Applicants must be presenting a paper or poster at the meeting. Students seeking travel awards should provide a brief justification for their request and an abstract of their paper/poster by 14 January 2005. Recipients must be present at the SEASIH business meeting to pick up their award. Southeastern Division, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Outstanding Student Paper Awards Ichthyology ($100); Herpetology ($100) Students who are sole or senior authors on papers, and who are members of SEASIH may compete for this award in one of these two subject areas. To be considered, submit a copy of the abstract that was submitted to ASB to the SEASIH president at the address below by 14 January 2005. Send applications for both awards to committee chair. Committee Chair: Dr. Michael E. Dorcas, Department of Biology, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035-7118; (704) 894-2727; fax (704) 894-2512; midorcas@davidson.edu. Society of Wetland Scientists South Atlantic Chapter Student Travel Award The South Atlantic Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) will again offer its student travel award to support students presenting wetland research at the ASB annual meeting. We will award at least $100 to a maximum of five students. The Chapter’s Awards and Executive Committees will judge the applicants based on the scientific quality and importance of their research as described in the abstract. All students presenting research on a wetland topic are eligible; membership in SWS is not required. Please check the appropriate box on the ASB registration form and submit the abstract as instructed in the ASB call for papers. Further, applicants must also submit their abstract, by electronic mail, to Mary Davis at mdavis@tnc.org, at the same time the abstract is submitted to ASB. Award winners will be invited to the Chapter's luncheon meeting (no charge for awardees) held during the ASB annual meeting. 328 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Botanical Society of America Southeastern Section Student Award Award: A $100 cash prize for the best paper in plant science presented at the annual meeting of ASB as well as $300 toward expenses to participate in the annual meeting of the BSA and one year’s paid membership in BSA. Who is eligible: Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible. The student must be the sole or senior author of the paper. Any topic in plant science, broadly defined, can be considered. How to apply: To be included in the competition, applicants should e-mail their abstract to the Botanical Society of America Southeastern Section Student Award committee chair at the time of registration. The winner will be announced at the ASB Banquet. Committee Chair: Dr. Lytton John Musselman, Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529-0266; (757) 683-3595; fax (757) 683-5283; lmusselm@odu.edu. Southeastern Fishes Council Student Travel Awards ($100) Students who are members of the Southeastern Fishes Council (SFC) and are giving papers on any topic related to the conservation of southeastern fishes at either the Association of Southeastern Biologists Annual Meeting, the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting (National or Southern Division), or the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, are eligible to compete for a SFC Student Travel Award. Five awards of $100 will be awarded annually. To be considered for an award, please send a copy of the submitted abstract, showing authorship of your paper (co-authored papers are acceptable, but you must be giving the talk) and the meeting you will be attending to the committee chair. Committee Chair: Dr. Brett Albanese, Georgia Natural Heritage Program, 2117 U S. Highway 278 SE, Social Circle, GA 30025-4714, brett_albanese@ dnr.state.ga.us. 2005 Meeting Honor Thy Teacher! ASB Meritorious Teaching Award 329 Deadline January 14, 2005 Each year the Association of Southeastern Biologists recognizes one of its members for especially meritorious teaching. Carolina Biological Supply Company, Burlington, North Carolina, generously sponsors this $1500 award, which will be presented together with a plaque and appropriate citation at the Annual Banquet in Florence, Alabama, in April 2005. The Meritorious Teaching Award Committee may each year select for the award a member of the association who has taught biology for at least ten years in any college or university represented in the association. There is no restriction on the size of the institution, nor must the institution have a graduate program. The award simply recognizes highly effective teaching. There are many deserving teachers in ASB. However, they cannot nominate themselves, so former students or colleagues must take an active role in assembling the materials that the committee will then evaluate. Take the lead, pass the word - serve as the coordinator and nominate a deserving teacher! Solicit supporting letters from the nominee’s present and former students. Contact his or her colleagues for additional endorsements. Document any form of recognition by the nominee’s home institution of excellence in teaching, as well as special assignments and mentoring roles facilitating good teaching. Of special note would be the number and quality of students for whom the nominee provided primary inspiration to continue their study of biology, especially for students who subsequently earned advanced degrees. In short, document the educational impact this individual has made by virtue of his or her role as a biology professor. Nominators should prepare a portfolio containing at least a letter of nomination, the nominee’s current curriculum vitae , and supporting letters, together with the Nomination Form for the Meritorious Teaching Award and other relevant documentation. Submit all materials in triplicate by the January 14 deadline to: Dr. Bonnie Kelley, Department of Biology, UNC Pembroke, P.O. Box 1510, Pembroke, NC 28372-1510; telephone (910) 521-66419; bonnie.kelley@ uncp.edu. If you have any questions, please call me or send an e-mail. Files for previously nominated candidates who did not receive the award will remain active for two additional years, and these files may be updated. The committee would welcome the task of deciding among several candidates. Thanks for taking the initiative to nominate your favorite teacher! Dr. Bonnie Kelley, Chair ASB Meritorious Teaching Award Committee 330 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 NOMINATION-ASB MERITORIOUS TEACHING AWARD, 2005 Name: Address: Teaching Interest: Nominator Name/Address: Supporting Documentation: Letter of nomination _ (enclosed, in triplicate _ ) Supporting letters _ Curriculum Vitae _ Additional Information (list) _ ASB Enrichment Fund Award ASB maintains an enrichment fund to support long- and short-range objectives to advance biological education through teaching and research. The Enrichment Fund Board is chaired by Kim Marie Tolson. As has been the custom for the past several meetings, ASB recognizes individuals for their achievements and dedication to biology education at the secondary school level. The awardee is invited to attend the annual meeting and be honored. Expenses for attendance at the meeting are defrayed by the Enrichment Fund. The use of money from this fund shows appreciation for excellence in teaching at the secondary level, and to reach out to our colleagues in the teaching profession. Contributions to the fund can be made at the annual meeting or can be sent to the Treasurer of ASB whose address can be found in the inside front cover of this issue. 2005 Meeting 331 A Letter from the Treasurer Dear ASB Member: As you know, ASB strives to serve the educational and scientific community in many ways. These endeavors also serve the world community. ASB encourages the advancement of biology by • The promotion of research in biology • The increase and diffusion of knowledge of biology • The application of biology to the solution of biological problems • The preservation of biological resources • Its meetings, reports, discussions, and publications to promote scientific interests and inquiry http://www.asb.appstate.edu PURPOSE The Association of Southeastern Biologists was established in 1937 by biologists concerned with the quality of biological research in the southeastern United States. Today, ASB is the largest regional biology associations in the country, and is committed to the advancement of biology as a science by the promotion of science education, research, and the application of scientific knowledge to human problems. WHO WE ARE ASB members include faculty, students, researchers, conservation workers, military and government personnel, and business people with a common interest in biological issues in the southeastern United States. Interests are diverse, but range from genetics and molecular biology, to physiology and population ecology, to community and ecosystem ecology. PATRONS Associated Microscope Inc, Burlington, NC Tim Atkinson, Burlington, NC Breedlove, Dennis & Associates, Winter Park, FL Carolina Biological Supply Company, Burlington, NC Martin Microscope Company, Easley, SC Thomson Learning Brooks/Cole Publishing, Belmont, CA AFFILIATE SOCIETIES American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Southeastern Division Beta Beta Beta, Southeastern Districts I and II Botanical Society of America, Southeastern Division Ecological Society of America, Southeastern Chapter Society of Wetland Scientists, South Atlantic Chapter Southeastern Fishes Council Southeastern Society of Parasitologists Southern Appalachian Botanical Society 332 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 AWARDS PRESENTED BY THE ASSOCIATION The Association and its affiliates present a number of awards at the annual meeting. These include several for outstanding research, plus service awards. ASB Awards Meritorious Teaching Award - presented in recognition of outstanding teaching and mentoring of students. This is the association’s most prestigious award. Sponsored by Carolina Biological Supply Company, Burlington, NC. Student Research Award - presented to a student member for outstanding research. A written manuscript is required as well as an oral presentation at the annual meeting. Sponsored by the Martin Microscopy Company, Easley, SC. Student Research Award in Aquatic Biology - presented to that student whose research in aquatic biology is deemed outstanding. Sponsored by Thomson Learning Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, Belmont, CA. Senior Research Award - presented to a senior member for outstanding research. A written manuscript is required as well as an oral presentation at the annual meeting. Sponsored by Associated Microscopes, Inc., Elon College and Haw River, NC. Student Poster Award - presented to a student member who has the best overall poster at the annual meeting. Sponsored by ASB. Travel Support Grants - given to assist graduate students with expenses at the annual meeting. Sponsored by ASB. Research Award in Microbiology - presented to a member for outstanding research in Microbiology. Sponsored by Thomson Learning Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, Belmont, CA. ANNUAL MEETING Annual meetings are hosted by member institutions throughout the southeast. Meetings are in April, and include a distinguished plenary speaker, special symposia, field trips, oral and poster presentations of research, workshops, social events, exhibits, election of officers, and award presentations. MEMBERSHIP The Association of Southeastern Biologists currently has about 1400 members, spread among 220 academic and 60 non-academic institutions. ACTIVITIES The Association publishes a quarterly bulletin, Southeastern Biologist, which contains the program of the annual meeting and abstracts of papers presented, book reviews, science news and information about scientists in the southeast, Association affairs, and special features of regional or timely interest. 2005 Meeting 333 A contribution to the ASB Enrichment Fund will help to insure the continuation of these efforts. Please consider what you may do. YES, I want to contribute to the ASB Enrichment Fund! I enclose my contribution of $ _ . Please use this to further the interests of ASB and its Members. I would like to see the ASB Enrichment Fund used in the following areas (Check those you wish to support): _ Research Awards _ Student Research Awards _ Graduate Student Travel Grants _ Speakers & Programs for the Annual Meeting _ Outstanding Teacher Awards Other (please list) _ Please make any checks payable to ASB. Please mail your contributions and ideas to: Tim Atkinson ASB Treasurer/Business Manager Carolina Biological Supply Company 2700 York Road Burlington, NC 27215-3398 334 The Southeastern Naturalist . . . ♦ A quarterly peer-reviewed and edited interdisciplinary scientific journal with a regional focus on the southeastern United States (ISSN #1528-7092). ♦ Featuring research articles, notes, and research summaries on terrestrial, freshwater, and marine organisms, and their habitats. ♦ Focusing on field ecology, biology, behavior, biogeography, taxonomy, evolution, anatomy, physiology, geology, and related fields. Manuscripts on genetics, molecular biology, archaeology, anthropology, etc., are welcome, especially if they provide natural history insights that are of interest to field scientists. Symposium proceedings are occasionally published. SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Southeastern Naturalist Volume 3 2004 Number 1 ♦ Indexed in Biological Abstracts (BIOSIS), BIOSIS Previews, CAB Abstracts, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, EBSCO-host, Environmental Knowledge-base (formerly Environmental Periodicals Bibliography), FISHLIT (Fish and Fisheries Worldwide; Aquatic Biology, Aquaculture, and Fisheries Resources), Wildlife Review Abstracts, and Zoological Record (BIOSIS UK). Arrangements for indexing in Elsevier BIOBASE (Current Awareness in Biological Sciences), and ISI Services (Science Citation Index-Expanded, ISI Alerting Service, and Current Contents/Agriculture, Biology, and Environmental Sciences) are pending. ♦ A sister journal of the Northeastern Naturalist (ISSN #1092-6194), published since 1997. Both journals are identical in focus, format, quality, and features. The journals together serve as a matched-pair of regional journals that provide an integrated publishing and research resource for the eastern part of North America. ♦ Printed by Allen Press, printer of many journals in the biological and environmental sciences, especially those whose parent organization is a member of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS). ♦ Available online in full-text version in the BioOne database (www.bioone.org, a collaborative effort of Allen Press, AIBS, and other organizations) and the Proquest Information and Learning databases (www.il.proquest.com). ♦ For information, instructions for authors, and subscriptions: Southeastern Naturalist, PO Box 9, 59 Eagle Hill Road, Steuben, ME 04680-0009; 207-546-2821, FAX: 207- 546-3042; mailto:office@eaglehill.us; http://www.eaglehill.us/jsgeninf.html. Online secure ordering of subscriptions is available! Southeastern Naturalist Information 335 Southeastern Naturalist Volume 3 2004 Number 1 CONTENTS Aspects of the Ecology of Small Fossorial Snakes in the Western Piedmont 1 of North Carolina John D. Willson and Michael E. Dorcas Behavioral Interactions Between the Giant Water Bug ( Belostoma lutarium ) 13 and Tadpoles of Bufo Woodhousii Charles C. Swart and Ryan C. Taylor Population Genetic Structure in Nolina brittoniana (Agavaceae), a Plant 25 Endemic to the Central Ridges of Florida Rebecca W. Dolan, Rebecca Yahr, and Eric S. Menges Measurement Problems and Florida Panther Models 37 Kristin Shrader-Frechette Evaluating Impacts to Florida Panther Habitat: How Porous is the Umbrella? 51 E. Jane Comiskey, Andrew C. Eller, Jr., and Dustin W. Perkins Nest-site Selection by Southern Two-lined Salamanders ( Eurycea cirrigera ) 75 in the Georgia Piedmont Carol J. Guy, Robert E. Ratajczak, Jr., and Gary D. Grossman Population Structure and Effective Size in Critically Endangered Cape Fear 89 Shiners Notropis mekistocholas John R. Gold, Eric Saillant, Christopher P. Burridge, Aimee Blanchard, and John C. Patton Seasonal Use of Bridges by Rafinesque’s Big-eared Bat, Corynorhinus 103 rafinesquii, in Southern Mississippi Austin W. Trousdale and David C. Beckett Ant Diversity Sampling on the Southern Cumberland Plateau: A Comparison 113 of Litter Sifting and Pitfall Trapping Matthew G. Martelli, Mercedes M. Ward, and Ann M. Fraser Black-crowned Night-heron Vibrates Bill in Water to Attract Fish 127 William E. Davis, Jr. Do Cottonmouths ( Agkistrodon piscivorus ) Habituate to Human Confrontations? 129 Xavier Glaudas Sediment-quality Assessment of the Lower Oconee River 1 39 Peter J. Lasier, Parley V. Winger, James L. Shelton, Jr., and Kurt J. Bogenrieder Marine Fishes New to Continental United Slates Waters, North Carolina, and 155 the Gulf of Mexico Andrea M. Quattrini, Steve W. Ross, Kenneth J. Sulak, Ann Marie Necaise, Tara L. Casazza, and George D. Dennis Composition of Breeding Bird Communities in Gulf Coast Chenier Plain 173 Marshes: Effects of Winter Burning Steven W. Gabrey and Alan D. Afton Book Reviews 18<> Publication Dale: March 31, 2004 Printed cm Recycled Paper 336 SE Biology, Vol . 51, No. 3, September, 2004 REVIEWS Debbie Moore, Review Editor Department of Natural Sciences P. O. Box 8368, Troy State University Dothan, AL 36304-8368 Wofford, B. Eugene, and Edward W. Chester. 2002. Guide to the Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, TN. 286 p. $29.95 paperback. This book Guide to the Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of Tennessee is well organized and contains a massive amount of information. Its many positive features (good keys, wonderful photographs, etc.) and its ease of use make it a “must have" for both amateur naturalists and professional botanists. The Introduction (pages 1-21) includes a summary of the botanical history of the state as well as a table of the 55 state and/or federal listed woody taxa in Tennessee. One of the highlights of the introduction is the information provided on Tennessee's five major physiographic provinces and their sections and subsections. A discussion of the rare and endemic taxa is provided for each physiographic province, as well as tables, which summarize the number of genera and species for each province. The glossary is complete and very descriptive with references to many of the photographs for examples. The keys, which typically use vegetative features, are short and precise. Although the keys to the genera, especially for dicots, often consist of only one character per couplet, they work well because the taxa have been separated into six categories (vines, erect, simple, compound, opposite, alternate). Common name, habitat, province, flowering and fruiting seasons, synonyms, and in many cases, additional notes are provided for each species. The 143 genera and 358 native taxa discussed in the book and provinces from which they are known to occur are listed in appendices I and II. A thorough reference section with over 100 citations on the flora of Tennessee and surrounding states is a useful feature that typically is not found in guides of this type. The first of three indices is for the genera, which are arranged alphabetically within each family. A second index is for each taxon and includes authorities as well as synonyms. The third index is for common names. The 380 colored photographs, over 95% of the taxa covered, are one of the unique features of this book. There are only four photographs per page; therefore each is sufficiently large enough to see the important features. All of the photographs appear to be those of freshly pressed plants. (The authors indicated they regret the inclusion of mounting media, and damaged leaves on some of the herbarium specimens that were used when fresh material was not available. These specimens do not stand out and certainly do not take away from the overall quality of the photographs.) The color and texture of flowers, fruits, and cones are shown in excellent detail. Leaf arrangement, margins and a comparison of the upper and lower surfaces can be easily determined from each photograph. Some of the plates include magnified photographs of important diagnostic features such as trichomes, glands, and teeth. Reviews 337 The authors are to be congratulated on an excellent book. If you don’t already have a copy, I recommend you purchase one and give it a try. I feel certain that you will be pleased. It will be one book that you always want with you each time you go out-in-the-field. Michael Woods, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Troy University. Troy, Alabama 36082. CA Wells, B. W. 2002 The Natural Gardens of North Carolina, revised edition With an Introduction and Afterword by Lawrence S. Earley and an Appendix on Scientific Nomenclature by James W. Hardin; Drawings by Dorothy S. Wilbur- Brooks. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, xxii + 235 pages. Cloth $34.95 ISBN 0-8078-2667-7; paper $21.95 ISBN 0-8078-4993-6. The Natural Gardens of North Carolina is the best-known contribution by Bertram Whittier Wells to popular literature on botany and plant ecology of North Carolina. In 1919, Wells joined the faculty of what is now North Carolina State University, where he was Professor and Head of the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology for thirty years, retiring in 1954 (Troyer, 1993). Thirteen years after arriving in North Carolina, Wells was sufficiently familiar with the state to write a guide to its natural communities and flora. Originally published in 1932, The Natural Gardens of North Carolina began with 10 chapters, each an overview of a significant and beautiful natural community of North Carolina. An eleventh chapter provided suggestions for native wildflowers that might be incorporated by readers into specific settings, such as rock gardens, shaded woodlands, marshes, pools, and bogs. Following these principal chapters (constituting Part One of the book), The Natural Gardens of North Carolina concluded with a guide (Part Two) to the herbaceous wildflowers of North Carolina. This guide consisted of dichotomous keys (arranged by principal habitats) to the genera of wildflowers, followed by individual accounts for 495 taxa. The original edition of The Natural Gardens of North Carolina was a joint venture of The Garden Club of North Carolina and the University of North Carolina Press in Chapel Hill. Two thousand copies were printed, but by 1942 the book was out of print (Troyer, 1993). The Natural Gardens of North Carolina was reprinted in 1967, essentially unchanged, by the photo-offset process. By 1987, the book was once again out of print (Troyer, 1993). The current revised edition, published 70 years after the first edition and 24 years after Wells' death in 1978, is substantially altered from the previous two editions. Included and essentially unchanged are Wells’ 11 original chapters, as well as his Preface and Introduction to the 1932 edition, plus his Addendum to the 1967 edition However, the revised edition has been freshly typeset in an attractive font. Gone are the dichotomous keys to wildflowers and 209 original figures, the majority of these black-and-white photographs of vegetation and plants taken by Wells himself. The revised edition adds 40 color plates (by various photographers) and 64 drawings (by Dorothy S. Wilbur-Brooks) illustrating habitats and plants. Also added are an Introduction (The Life and Work of B.W. Wells) and an Afterword (North Carolina’s Natural Gardens Today) by Lawrence S. Earley The revised 338 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 edition concludes with an Appendix (Revision of Scientific Nomenclature) by James W. Hardin. What, then, is The Natural Gardens of North Carolina , which Lawrence S. Earley (in his Foreword to the revised edition) calls “an odd kind of wildflower book”? In answering this question, we must first understand the core content of the revised edition, unaltered from Wells’ original 1932 edition. When Wells wrote of “natural gardens,” he was in fact thinking of two rather different kinds of gardens, the first those natural communities that we might find throughout the state and the second those gardens or landscapes that we might create by incorporating native species into controlled environments. Thus, The Natural Gardens of North Carolina occupies a unique place among natural history guides. It is certainly not as comprehensive a treatment of a state’s vegetation as John Curtis’ classic later work, The Vegetation of Wisconsin (Curtis, 1959), nor is it as solidly based on quantitative data. It is also not a comprehensive guide to the flora of North Carolina, as is found, for example, in the Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford et al., 1968). The Natural Gardens of North Carolina is thus a hybrid, in part an account of natural communities, in part a guide to the flora, and overall an immensely enjoyable excursion through North Carolina, seen through the eyes of one of the premier students of the state’s natural history. The Natural Gardens of North Carolina is an intensely personal account that grew out of Wells’ efforts to communicate to the public an appreciation and scientific understanding of the natural diversity of North Carolina (Troyer, 1993). To understand the book, then, we must understand B.W. Wells. In The Natural Gardens of North Carolina , Wells emerges, first and foremost, as a teacher. In this role he is the professional ecologist, urging readers to seek ecological explanations for the distribution of natural communities and the behaviors of individual species. Each chapter places a particular natural community in the context of ecological conditions (soil, water, light) and ecological processes (fire, successional development). For gardeners in particular, Wells introduces the concept of the ecological niche and urges them to learn about plants from the lessons nature teaches them, if they will only observe plants in their natural settings. In his last chapter (Native Wildflowers for the Garden), Wells states: “The motto “Follow Nature” is a good one in solving the problem of introducing native plants into the garden areas.” Ecology, then, is one of the foundations of The Natural Gardens of North Carolina. As a scientist, Wells also stimulates readers to think scientifically by proposing hypotheses or explanations about how natural systems might emerge and behave. Wells was not always right, and some of his explanations have been discredited (Troyer, 1993; Earley, in the Afterword to the revised edition), but he established a scientific foundation for The Natural Gardens of North Carolina with his hypothetico-deductive approach to understanding nature. Wells was also a strong proponent of evolution, and he thus encourages readers to think in an evolutionary context, an approach that must have challenged many in the 1930’s. Whether discussing magnolias as “living fossils”, the terrestrial origins of aquatic flowering plants, or the derivation of petal number in Sabbatia , Wells also built The Natural Gardens of North Carolina on an evolutionary foundation. Wells’ dual approach in asking readers to appreciate nature’s gardens, while creating gardens themselves using native species, is somewhat incongruous. Throughout The Natural Gardens of North Carolina, Wells encourages readers to Reviews 339 incorporate native plants into gardens, without overtly addressing how such plants might be acquired in an environmentally sustainable, ethical, and legal fashion. Yet, in Chapter Ten (Christmas Tree Land: The Boreal Forest of Our High Mountains), Wells decries the extensive collecting of rhododendrons from the mountain balds, such “that extensive areas have already been denuded by the nurserymen who, working with a thin soil, leave naught behind but the bare rock surface.” The Natural Gardens of North Carolina also reveals two other, somewhat conflicting, perspectives. Throughout the book, Wells writes as a conservationist, intensely concerned with human destruction of natural habitats. Nowhere in the book is this more evident than in Chapter Seven (Deserts in the Rain: The Wire-Grass Sandhills), in which Wells expresses his rage at the destruction of the great southeastern longleaf pine ecosystem: “And now this noble original forest, one of nature’s most unique products of the ages in North America, is gone - rooted out by hogs, mutilated to death by turpentining, cut down in lumbering, burned up through negligence.” Yet Wells frequently turns a practical eye to land and vegetation, noting also in Chapter Seven how plants are excellent indicators of soil quality: “How valuable the wild vegetation is, then, for the land buyer!”; “Avoid land where no black oak ( Quercus velutlna) occurs. If white oak and dogwood are there, let go of the money; the land will be the best the sandhills can give one.” By today’s standards, The Natural Gardens of North Carolina falls short of fully documenting North Carolina’s natural communities. Conspicuously absent, for example, is a treatment of rock outcrops, supporting diverse natural communities statewide. The coverage of natural communities is also decidedly uneven, with heavy emphasis on the coastal plain, the region of North Carolina that Wells knew best. Comparing the approach taken to classification in The Natural Gardens of North Carolina to a current classification of North Carolina’s natural communities (Schafale and Weakley, 1990) one finds that Chapter Six (The Most Beautiful Gardens: The Grass-Sedge Bogs, or Savanna Lands) maps nicely onto a single Schafale-Weakley type (Pine Savanna). However, Chapter Nine (The Great Forest: The Upland Shade Gardens) encompasses numerous Schafale-Weakley types, ranging from Coastal Plain Bottomland Hardwoods to High Elevation Red Oak and Northern Hardwood Forests of the mountains. Wells himself admits that he was presenting only a “bare outline” of such diverse forests. The revisions in this edition of The Natural Gardens of North Carolina represent valuable enhancements to the original work. The excellent Foreword by Lawrence S. Earley is especially helpful, providing an introduction to the life and work of B.W. Wells. Of equal importance, this section provides an historical context for Wells’ classic work. Readers new to The Natural Gardens of North Carolina are well advised to read the Foreword carefully. Earley's Afterword is equally welcome, bringing readers up to date on the status of the natural communities that Wells describes and the knowledge that Wells imparts. The current situation is certainly cause for grave concern among those who appreciate North Carolina’s natural communities. Earley documents the destruction of natural habitats that have accompanied the growth of human population and economic development in North Carolina since 1932. This aspect of Earley’s discussion is most poignantly underscored by his account of the destruction of Wells’ beloved Big Savanna (the subject of Chapter Six) However, Earley is quick to note that much recent change has been positive, citing the 340 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 development of environmental legislation, the growth of non-governmental conservation organizations, and the protection of substantial natural areas by both public and private owners. Earley concludes his Afterword with a substantial discussion of the how our understanding of ecological processes has developed since Wells first wrote The Natural Gardens of North Carolina. This discussion will be of special interest to students of the history of science. Wells’ own understanding of ecological processes is seen through Earley's account as a mixture of insights that have withstood the test of time and hypotheses that have been largely rejected or substantially altered with the accumulation of additional scientific evidence. Earley’s message in this section is especially clear: right or wrong, Wells’ most important contribution was his introduction of the next generation of scientists to the fascinating natural communities of North Carolina and intriguing questions posed by these communities. Of the remaining revisions to The Natural Gardens of North Carolina, I find most to be substantially helpful. The editors of this volume wisely chose not to update Wells’ scientific nomenclature within the text itself; such tinkering would have been incompatible with maintaining Wells' writing as an historical document. However, nearly half of the scientific names that Wells applied to plants have changed as the result of taxonomic revisions, and the Appendix (Revision of Scientific Nomenclature) by James W. Hardin is a welcome and essential key to those changes. Asterisks inserted in Wells’ original text identify those scientific names that have been changed, and these lead readers to easily used lists of current nomenclature. The new illustrations also add substantially to the revised edition of The Natural Gardens of North Carolina. The color plates are well chosen and represent a delightful cross section of habitats and species, complementing Wells’ text. The many new drawings of plants by Dorothy S. Wilbur-Brooks are charming and accurate; they fit so nicely in the book that new readers might imagine they had always been part of The Natural Gardens of North Carolina. I have mixed feelings about the deletion of the original black-and- white photographs from the revised edition. Because the original photographs and the engraved plates used to print the original edition were lost or destroyed (Troyer, 1993), it would have been impossible to incorporate these illustrations in a way consistent with current standards. But their loss is lamentable, as these illustrations (and their captions) were both charming and effective; they provide a window on times and places long gone. Owners of copies of the 1932 and 1967 editions should continue to cherish these volumes for this reason! Overall, the revised edition of The Natural Gardens of North Carolina is a most successful venture and well worth owning and reading, even for those familiar with the previous editions. My only negative criticism is that I found the indexes of scientific and common names of plants deficient as I attempted to relocate passages for the purposes of this review. For example, Wells mentions in Chapter Nine an interesting grove of eastern hemlock located near Cary, NC, but neither the common nor the scientific name of this plant occurs in the indexes. Black jack oak is featured prominently in Chapter Seven, but it is also missing from both indexes. These indexes were updated for the revised edition, and it is unfortunate that they are incomplete. Names are also a problem in another respect, this one attributable to Wells’ penchant for coining common names for plants (Troyer, 1993). Such is the case for his “intelligence plant,” mentioned in Chapter Two without reference to a scientific name. Fortunately, Reviews 341 the index of common names in this case permits tracking of this plant to its scientific name in Part Two. With an abundance of excellent wildflower guides and books on the natural history of the region currently available, why should one read the revised edition of The Natural Gardens of North Carolina ? I believe that there are several excellent reasons. First, The Natural Gardens of North Carolina is still the starting point for anyone with a serious interest in learning about the flora and natural communities of North Carolina. In rereading this text, I was struck by how much of our current understanding of North Carolina’s natural communities is directly attributable to B.W. Wells. As Lawrence S. Earley states in his Afterword, “Yet what is surprising about his [Wells’] long career is not only the important work he did in so many natural communities across the state, but how many of his findings and observations are part of the scientific dialogue.” Second, one should read The Natural Gardens of North Carolina as a window on North Carolina as it was and as it was understood nearly three-quarters of a century ago. Finally, one should read The Natural Gardens of North Carolina for the pure joy of Wells’ writing. I recently participated in an inventory of pocosins in the southeastern counties of North Carolina, including one in Angola Bay described in The Natural Gardens of North Carolina. I and my colleagues delighted to read aloud Weils’ inimitable characterization of the impenetrable pocosin shrubland: “...we found this wide, monotonous morass a thing impressive and distinctive in itself. The deeper we got into it both horizontally and vertically (for in spots we went thigh deep) the more of a “lost world” aspect it attained in our minds. Had one of those Mesozoic reptiles approached through the thin stand of pocosin pines, floundering his uncanny body amid this peatty mire, we should not have been greatly surprised, so perfectly would such a beast have fitted this unique habitat.” For anyone entranced by the bounty and diversity of North Carolina’s natural communities, there is no better characterization than this statement in Wells' own Introduction: “On the same winter days when subzero weather and deep snows are holding the Christmas tree forest of balsams and spruces in a death-like silence, the palmetto trees of Smith Island are softly vocal with the summer-like whisperings of warm breezes fresh from the Gulf Stream.” Anyone with a love of North Carolina’s natural history must read, and will undoubtedly want to own, this revised edition of The Natural Gardens of North Carolina. Literature Cited Curtis, J.T. 1959. The vegetation of Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, xiv + 657 pages. Radford, A.E., H E. Ahles, and C.R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. Ixi +1183 pages. Schafale, M.P., and A.S. Weakley. 1990. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina, third approximation. North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh, v + 321 pages. Troyer, J.R. 1993. Nature’s champion: B.W. Wells, Tar Heel ecologist. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill xii + 243 pages. Thomas R. Wentworth, Department of Botany. North Carolina State University. Raleigh. NC 27695-7612. 342 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 NEWS OF BIOLOGY IN THE SOUTHEAST Leon Jernigan — News Editor Department of Biology University of North Carolina Pembroke, NC 28372-1510 ABOUT PEOPLE AND PLACES TENNESSEE The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Department of Botany. Dr. B. Eugene Wofford, Director of the University of Tennessee Herbarium is the recipient of the Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award from the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society. Please refer to the awards section in this issue of Southeastern Biology for details. Deadlines for the submission of “news.'' January issue: October 28. September issue: July 13. April issue: January 13. December issue will not contain “news.” ^Economy Exhibitor at the annual meeting. Beta Beta Beta Abstracts 343 Presentations at the Forty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Region of Beta Beta Beta in Association with the Sixty-Fifth Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Memphis, Tennessee April 14-17, 2004 ABSTRACTS DISTRICT S PAPER SESSION FACHINI, JOSEPH M., J.E. HANSEN AND S. SWAMY-MRUTHINTI. Rho Sigma, State University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA-Interaction of AQPO and alpha crystallin during thermal stress. AquaporinO (AQPO) is the transmembrane protein expressed exclusively in the eye lens fiber cells and belong the family of water channels. Recently we showed that AQPO undergoes structural alterations during thermal stress resulting in protein aggregation. The aim of this study is to understand the molecular interaction between AQPO and alpha crystallin during thermal stress. Total lens homogenates containing membranes containing AQPO and cytosolic crystallins (alpha, beta and gamma crystallins) were incubated at different temperatures for 24 hrs. The membranes were washed and solubilized in octyl glucoside. AQPO and associated proteins were isolated by immunoaffinity protocol using sepharose-4B tagged with AQPO antibody. Proteins purified by the immunoaffinity were characterized by SDS-PAGE and western blots using antibodies against crystallins. The results showed that among the crystallins, only alpha crystallin was associated with AQPO during thermal stress. Furthermore, there was an increase in the AQPO-alpha crystallin binding with the increased degree of thermal stress. These studies suggest that alpha crystallin specifically binds to AQPO when the latter is undergoing thermal stress by its chaperone-like activity and prevents AQPO from aggregation. CLARK, MONIKA. Beta Omega, Mercer University-Genetic knockout of bacterial DNA repair homoloqs in the extremely halophilic archaeon, Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 , The extremely halophilic archaeon Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 is an ideal organism for studying DNA repair in Archaea. In their natural environment they are exposed to high levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation and thus must possess mechanisms to repair or tolerate high levels of UV-induced DNA damage. Genomic sequencing has revealed that the Halobacterium genome contains homologs to both eukaryotic and bacterial repair genes, including all of the bacterial nucleotide excision repair (NER) genes, uvrA, uviB, uvrC , and uvrD In order to demonstrate true functional repair homology, we are creating knockouts of these genes in Halobacterium sp. NRC-1. The gene knockout method involves the transformation of ura mutants with a plasmid carrying the ura+ allele and a deletion construct of the targeted gene. Primary integrants are selected based on uracil prototrophy, grown out, and subsequently plated on 5-fluoroorotic acid (5- 344 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 FOA). Colonies growing on 5-FOA plates are ura- due to a second recombination event in which the deletion construct replaces the wildtype allele of the putative repair homolog and the integrated plasmid is lost. The UV sensitivity of the NER knockouts has been characterized and will be compared to wildtype cells. SMITH, KATIE. Beta Omega, Mercer University-Detection of the causative agents of Lyme disease and human ehrlichiosis in middle Georgia tick populations. The goal of the project is to standardize the procedure for PCR-based detection of indicative DNA markers of Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) and Ehrlichia sp. (human ehrlichiosis) from field-collected ticks (e.g., Ixodes scapularis and Amblyomma americanum). To that end, ticks were harvested during the spring and early summer of 2003 from various locations in Middle Georgia by sweeping vegetation in areas frequented by deer. Collected specimens were stored at - 80oC. PCR parameters were established by employing DNA template obtained from laboratory cultures of B. burgdorferi. In addition, the procedure for the routine extraction of DNA from individual ticks was standardized. To control for the quality of the genomic preparations, tick-specific primers were designed to yield co-amplified products such that Borrelia- and/or Ehrlichia-free samples could be distinguished from poorly-extracted or absent templates. Preliminary data indicate that the -150 bp PCR products from /. scapularis and A. americanum genomic templates, respectively, can serve as internal controls readily distinguished from the pathogen-specific products. The primers EHR 521 and EHR 747 (creating a -250 bp PCR product) and FLA 297 and FLA 652 (creating a -380 bp fragment) were used to determine the presence human ehrlichiosis and Lyme disease, respectively, in the specimens. RICE, MEGAN. Beta Omega, Mercer University-The effect of ultraviolet light on RNA expression in the extremely halophilic archaea. Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 thrives in high-salt environments where cells are exposed to intense levels of ultraviolet light (UV). Thus, it constitutes an excellent model system for studying the effects of UV damage in halophilic archaea. The repair mechanisms of photoreactivation and nucleotide excision repair (NER) both function in NRC-1, but little is known about the mechanism of these processes. Previous experiments have suggested that NRC-1 cells perform transcription-coupled NER repair, but direct measurements of transcription in the relevant genes have yet to be established. Utilizing Northern blot analysis, this project provides direct evidence of transcription through measurement of RNA expression of the rpoB RNA polymerase and rrlA ribosomal RNA operons. Recent results have indicated that chemifluorescent signal will provide adequate quantification of expression of both operons. In addition, the project tests the effect of ultraviolet light on RNA expression by measuring the time needed to observe both a decrease in RNA expression as well as its subsequent recovery after UV. The time sufficient to achieve recovery is predicted to correlate with the time needed to accomplish transcription-coupled NER repair. Beta Beta Beta Abstracts 345 *VAN DYKE, JAMES U. Sigma Psi, Florida Institute of Technoloqy-The role of thermal contrast in infrared-based targeting by copperheads. Crotaline snakes image their environments using both visible light via eyes and infrared (IR) radiation via pit organs. The IR system may operate on the basis of thermal contrast (differential emission from thermally contrasting objects), but this hypothesis has not been adequately tested. I investigated how thermal contrast influences IR imaging and response behavior in the copperhead ( Agkistrodon contortrix). Temporarily blinded copperheads in a temperature-controlled arena were presented with targets creating positive, negative, or zero thermal contrast differentials. Behavioral responses (tongue flicks, head turns and strikes) to positive and negative differentials were greater than responses to zero differentials, and snakes preferentially targeted warm aspects of differentials. That is, behaviors were expressed in phase with motion of warm targets, but in exact antiphase with motion of cool targets. Copperheads often exhibited defensive behavior such as tail vibration in response to both positive and negative differentials. These results show that thermal contrast is the bases of IR imaging in pitvipers, and suggest that the fundamental properties of IR imaging and vision are similar. In addition, this is the first evidence that pit vipers utilize the IR system for defensive behavior. JUV was supported by a Sigma Xi Grant- in-Aid for Research. SURREY, CLAIRE. Sigma Psi, Florida Institute of Technology-- Development of feeding mechanics and prey capture performance in marine ornamental fish larvae. The ability of fish larvae to capture prey is affected by the development of feeding mechanisms. This study utilizes digital high-speed videography to investigate prey capture performance in two marine ornamental fish species: neon dottyback ( Pseudochromis aldabraensis) and Clownfish ( Amphiprion melanopus). Two specific questions were addressed: (1) How does the feeding mechanism in fish develop; and (2) Does prey-capture performance vary between species? P. aldabraensis and A. melanopus were used to investigate the development of fish feeding mechanisms and prey-capture performance. During early development, fish larvae use a simple mechanism involving the hyoid-mandible linkage for mouth opening. At metamorphosis, larvae open their mouth using a more complex mechanism involving the hyoid- and opercular series-mandible linkages. This two-stage development of the feeding mechanism had been shown to correlate with differences in feeding performance among fish larvae. First-feeding larvae were less successful in capturing prey relative to conspecifics at metamorphosis. Prey-capture kinematics differed between species. This study contributes to our understanding of the functional morpholocial basis of feeding performance in marine fish larvae, especially during the critical period of first- feeding when most larvae die of starvation. COLLAZO, MICHELLE. Sigma Psi, Florida Institute of Technology- Study of the role of HIF-1 « in endothelial cell hypoxic response using Tie 2-cre transgenic mice. 346 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 During hypoxia, or lowered oxygen stress that commonly occurs during physiological and pathological events like tumorgenesis and wound healing, several biological processes are regulated in response. This regulation is primarily dictated by hypoxia-inducible transcription factor 1, HIF-1a. Its expression increases production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which induces angiogenesis. Tumor cells express HIF-1a in response to the hypoxic conditions resulting from their rapid growth. This increases vascularization and oxygen availability further supporting its rapid growth. This study examines the effect of HIF-1 or on the growth of endothelial cells (EC), the chief components of angiogenesis, in varying oxygen levels. Growth curves generated for wild type (WTEC) and HIF-1 a null EC grown under normoxia, hypoxia and anoxia for 96 hrs showed a significant decrease in the growth of HIF-1 a null EC under hypoxia when compared to the growth of the WTEC. Western blot confirmed the absence of HIF-1 a expression in HIF-1 a null EC grown under hypoxia. Thus, HIF-1a plays a vital role in the growth and adaptation of EC under hypoxia. Due to its vital role in angiogenesis, future tumorgenesis and wound healing experiments on Tie 2-cre transgenic mice will reveal the effect of HIF-1 a null EC on the organisms overall development. IVEY, REBECCA A. Tau Xi, Meredith College-Array profiling for multiple cytokine gene expression during the developmental phase of murine Schistosoma mansoni infections. Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease, which infects over 300 million people. The infection down-regulates the immune response from Thl mediated immunity, or cell-mediated immunity, to Th2 mediated immunity, or antibody immunity. Recent studies have shown that a Th2 response occurs through lymphocyte secretions during egg production. The egg is the main impetus for the Th2 response, as the amount of lnterleukin-4 and lnterleukin-5, which are Th2 cytokines, increases during infection when egg production begins (Vellupillai et al, 1996). In this research, a gene expression array system for lnterleukin-1 through 12 and Interferon-y will be used to determine if immunological responses to S. mansoni infection are linked to gene expression, and to determine if there is a temporal relationship between the development of the parasite and the onset of cytokine production. Spleen samples were taken at weekly intervals from week one to week six from infected and non-infected female mice. RNA from spleen samples was isolated, purified and frozen. RNA samples will be analyzed with membrane microarrays in order to profile the gene expression. The microarrays contain cDNA probes that will hybridize to gene-specific cDNA fragments isolated from our spleen samples. The relative levels of expression of the different fragments will then allow us to determine what and when genes were affected due to infection. GREENSTEIN, ALLISON. Eta Beta, Florida Southern College-Chemical water analysis of stormwater entering Lake Hollingsworth. Lake Hollingsworth is an important ecological and recreational aspect of Lakeland, Florida. The lake’s water guality was deteriorating at a rapid pace before the community made plans to restore the lake to its original state. One of Beta Beta Beta Abstracts 347 these measures is to transform the Southern Landing, a grassy area on the northern side of the lake, into a wetland retention area for storm water. Lake Hollingsworth has many drainpipes that lead water away from the surrounding neighborhood into the lake. The purpose of the retention area will be to naturally filter out the impurities of the stormwater from these drainpipes before it enters Lake Hollingsworth. Students at Florida Southern College gathered baseline information about the water chemistry of the first flush of storm water entering the lake from the drainpipes. The first flush is the first water that first exits a drainpipe during a substantial rainstorm. Different chemical properties were measured including phosphate, nitrite, nitrate, phenols, turbidity, detergents, pH, temperature, and copper. YANTIS, KRISTA. Tau Eta, Catatwba College-Bird strikes at Catawba College: who, when, where and why? Several million birds die each year as a result of human activity. The greatest single factor is buildings: an estimated 100-200 million birds die in the United States annually after striking windows. This project was designed to discern patterns of fatal window strikes on the Catawba College campus. Perimeters of five buildings at Catawba College were surveyed from 9 September 2003 through 19 February 2004. Evidence of a strike included a body or strike residue, such as feathers or dust marks on a window. A total of 39 birds were found representing 19 species. The Swainson’s thrush, Catharus ustulatus, was the most common victim of window strikes. At the family level, members of the family Turdidae were most likely to strike windows, and members of the family Parulidae were the next most likely to strike windows. Analysis of strike data reveals some important patterns. Migrants were more likely than residents to strike windows at Catawba College. The building nearest to a forested preserve had more strikes than all other buildings combined. This analysis could lead to effective deterrents. *Frank G. Brooks Paper Award winner Southeastern District I 03 ABSTRACTS DISTRICT SI PAPER SESSION QUAMMEN, JENNIFER K. Mu lota, Northern Kentucky University- Digestive enzyme activities in anuran tadpoles under varying food conditions. Tadpoles naturally encounter foods of variable nutritional guality and quantity. We studied digestive enzymes to gain insight into their capabilities to digest differing foods. This study compared the digestive enzymatic activities in two tadpole species, the Wood frog ( Rana sylvatica ) and the American toad (Btifo americanus) exposed to changing diets. The diets fluctuated from algae (carbohydrate), to shrimp (protein), and back to algae with equally divided feeding periods on each food. This investigation is the first to report evidence of digestive enzyme plasticity in tadpoles. We determined that the levels of amylase 348 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 and trypsin activities varied between species and among time periods, and that both enzymes were more active in B. americanus. Pepsin had the lowest specific activities and was not significantly different between species. Lipase did not vary across time periods or between these species throughout the experiment. Trends in the levels of carbohydrase and protease activity varied with different foods consumed across the experimental periods, indicating that enzymatic plasticity is present for these tadpoles as diet shifts. Knowledge of tadpole digestive enzymes can help us decipher the physiological changes that must take place for these animals to reach metamorphosis, when encountering these unpredictable environmental food resources. CHAPLIN, ASHLEY. Mu Omicron, Columbus State University-The effects of a one-tesla magnet on human fibroblast cell growth. The potential effects of magnetic fields on the growth of human fibroblast cells were investigated in this study. Cell cultures were split and the new cultures were exposed to a one-Tesla magnetic field for approximately thirty-six hours during their growth phase. Half of the exposed cultures were counted for proliferation rate and the remainder of the cultures were analyzed for patterns of growth. The statistics showed that the data for the control and experimental groups were both significantly different from a random pattern. Since both the control and experimental groups had significant results, it can be concluded that the growth patterns of fibroblasts from the experimental group were no different than those in the control group. The results of this study indicate that magnets do not appear to have an effect on fibroblast growth rates or patterns. This work supports the contention that the reports of positive responses to magnetotherapy are due to a placebo effect. It also weakens the argument that electromagnetic fields cause cancer by increasing the growth rates of cells. JONES, PETA S. Mu Chi, Midway College-Risk assessment of acquiring disease from chronic exposure to arsenic in tap water in sixteen counties located in the central Appalachian region. Arsenic is a naturally occurring contaminant found in tap water used for drinking, bathing, and cooking. Studies have confirmed arsenic is also responsible for causing many diseases in several geographic regions across the world. In the United States, the accepted MCL (Maximum Contamination Level) for arsenic had been set in 1942 at 50 ppb. Recently, a new level of 10ppb will be required by 2006. This study attempted to compare different variables along with arsenic levels in tap water to determine a relationship between the presence of disease and chronic exposure to arsenic in tap water. Water usage habits (drinking, bathing, cooking), smoking, use of pesticides, number of years living in a home, and presence of disease were compared to arsenic levels in the tap water of 62 families. This was done by survey mailed out to families who live in the central Appalachian region and have known arsenic water levels. While the results were not impressive, there were some trends that suggest a closer look at a larger sample volume may provide stronger evidence that chronic exposure to arsenic contaminated water increases the risk of acquiring disease. Beta Beta Beta Abstracts 349 MABE, ABIGAIL M. Pi Delta, East Tennessee State University- Diapause-specific gene expression in Sacrcophaoa crassipalpis. Many insects have an alternative life stage, termed diapause, which allows them to survive under stressful environmental conditions. For the flesh fly, Sarcophaga crassipalpis , this stage is optional and entrance into it is based on a circadian¬ gated window that can be experimentally controlled by manipulating day length. Genes expressed in head-enriched tissue, especially the brain, of diapausing and non-diapausing S. crassipalpis pupae were examined by a heterologous microarray using RNA probes against a Drosophila gene set. Two genes indicated in microarray and used in this research include 1) LD05703 termed transcriptional repressor (TR) and indicated as up regulated in diapause and 2) LD08743 termed Ebl microtubule binding protein and indicated in the down- regulation of the syndrome. Attempts to isolate TR were successful and the gene was verified from the microarray as being involved in up-regulation of diapause. Ebl was successfully isolated, cloned, seguenced and characterized as diapause down-regulated, as indicated in preliminary microarray. Determining the specificity of the indicated target genes in the flesh fly will greatly expand the information known about the genetic pathways controlling the developmental state and has future implications for understanding genes involved in other cellular processes, particularly those relating to aging and life span. BROWNYARD, CHRISTINE. Eta Lambda, Loyola University New Orleans-Cadherin 11 expression in the developing chick limb using in situ hybridization and RT-PCR. In the developing vertebrate limb, morphogenesis occurs along proximal-distal, dorsal-ventral and anterior-posterior axes. Little is known of the cellular mechanisms necessary to construct these axes. A recent study suggests that differential cell-cell affinities affect morphogenetic regulation of the anterior- posterior axis (Omi et al . , 2002). In many developing organs, cell aggregation is attributed to cadherins, calcium dependent cell adhesion molecules. A candidate molecule, cadherin-11, exhibits distal limb expression with an anterior bias in the mouse (Kimura et al., 1995). The current study characterizes cadherin-11 gene expression in the developing chick embryo. RNA was isolated from various limb stages, converted to cDNA using reverse transcriptase (RT), and amplified using PCR. Products were cloned and sequenced, with one sequence a confirmed match for cadherin-11 in the Genbank database. This product was used to generate a riboprobe, specific for cadherin-11 mRNA. Use of the riboprobe in whole-mount in situ hybridization showed a pronounced area of cadherin-11 expression in the distal limb bud, where morphogenetic movements occur Developing limb buds and other organs were spatio-temporally analyzed for cadherin-11 presence using RT-PCR. Results indicated cadherin-11 is expressed throughout development. Future studies should reveal if anterior- posterior limb morphogenesis is a consequence of cadherin-11 induced cell adhesion differences. SHELSI A. BARBER. Eta Mu, Southern University (Baton Rouge)-The effects of intrathecal Ketorolac in post-operative pain using rats. 350 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 The behavioral effects of intrathecal (i.t.) Ketorolac were studied using a post¬ operative pain model, in which the small intestine and muscles of the abdominal area were manipulated. Ketorolac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that inhibits cyclooxygenase which is an enzyme that produces prostaglandins. The purpose of the present study was to determine if spinal COX activity has a role in the production of post-operative pain. In summary, Ketorolac reversed the effects of laparotomy on exploratory behavior. Catherization decreased the activity relative to normal animals also and the effects of catheter placement were also reversed by Ketorolac. LANEZE, LANE. Eta Mu, Southern University (Baton Rouge)-- Deqradation of CREB repressor: A mechanism for regulating gene induction underlying long-term memory. There has been increasing evidence that transcriptional activator CREB is important for long-term synaptic plasiticity and long-term memory. In earlier reports CREB 1b formed heterdimers with CREB la and repressed CREB la - mediated transactivation gene expression during long-term facilitation Since CREB 1b represses the transactivation of CREB la, the degradation of the CREB 1b may have a role in the induction of long-term memory. We describe the use of Purification of CREB - 6 His tag. Ni-Agarose chromatography under denaturing conditions, SDA-PAG, ECL Western Blotting, Invitro Protein Degradation Assay, and CREB 1b ubiquitin Corjugation Assay. By the use of these methods we have studied how the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is regulating the CREB repressor during long-term facilitation. *CHERUIYOT, DOROTHY J. Mu Omicron, Columbus State University- Conversion of males to hermaphrodites in c-ferns. The spores of the fern Ceratopterls richardii can develop as either males or hermaphrodites; this sex difference is determined by the pheromone antheridiogen secreted by the hermaphrodite. During spore germination, the first spores to germinate are hermaphrodites, which will secrete antheridiogen into the surroundings. Antheridiogen will induce later germinating spores to germinate and develop as males. Previous studies have shown that antheridiogen is necessary for both the induction and maintenance of males. In the present study, the fully developed males have been isolated from hermaphrodites in order to test the effects of various parameters on the conversion to hermaphrodites. The results show that in the absence of antheridiogen, the males will convert into hermaphrodites. However, males exposed to higher levels of antheridiogen convert at a slower frequency compared to males exposed to lower levels. When spores were sown in the presence of the converted hermaphrodites, there was a higher frequency of male gametophytes showing that the converted hermaphrodites have the ability to secrete antheridiogen like normal hermaphrodites. O’TOOLE, KATE. Mu lota, Northern Kentucky University-Western blot analysis of putative P-type ATPase magnesium transporter. Beta Beta Beta Abstracts 351 Magnesium is involved in over 300 biochemical reactions, including normal muscle and nerve functions, strong bones and a steady heart rhythm, as well as energy metabolism and protein synthesis. Studies have linked Mg2t deficiency to many conditions, including alcoholism, Alzheimer’s Disease, ADD, heart disease, seizure, and depression. Despite its biological importance, the mechanism for magnesium homeostasis is unknown, because of a lack of identifiable transport pathways. Transmembrane proteins are very important in regulating cellular levels of biologically active molecules and there has been no transporter protein identified in any higher eukaryote for magnesium. A putative magnesium transporting P-Type ATPase was identified in a previous study in the lab of Dr. Patrick Schultheis, NKU. The purpose of this study is to determine tissue distribution and abundance of the novel protein through Western Blot analysis, in order to gain insight into its function. MCCLATCHEY, REBECCA. Mu lota, Northern Kentucky University- Predictinq biodiversity patterns in coral reef communities. The loss of coral reef biodiversity is currently believed to be at crisis level. Reefs in the Caribbean are under increasing natural and anthropogenic strain, with many coral-dominated reefs shifting to algal-dominated systems. Coral reefs are hotspots of biodiversity, but few studies have been done to establish criteria for biodiversity on pristine reef ecosystems. We surveyed the faunal communities of reef physiographic zones on a pristine coral reef atoll at Glover’s Reef, Belize. We documented high levels of biodiversity, greater than that reported for most Atlantic coral reefs. Analyses of species diversity among reef zones indicated that the fish and coral communities were most heterogeneous on shallow, windward forereef habitat, whereas sponges were most diverse on sheltered habitats of the deep forereef and lagoon patch reefs. Percent cover data indicated that reef-building corals were most dense on leeward forereefs, an area that is not included in the marine protected area at Glover’s. Establishing patterns of biodiversity is essential for the conservation of healthy coral reef ecosystems and the restoration of degraded reefs. MAGRATH-GREENE, MICHELLE. Mu Epsilon, Troy State University— Identification of termination deficient strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae from a gene deletion library. The long term goal of this investigation is to identify transcription termination deficient strains from a deletion library of non-essential genes from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Strains that contain genes that when deleted cause transcription by RNA polymerase II to terminate non-efficiently will be identified by transforming the 4992 member deletion library with a transcription termination reporter plasmid. Prior to initiation of the large scale analysis, this small scale feasibility study was completed. In this termination assay, strains with potential termination defects will have increased transcriptional readthrough into a lacZ gene contained within the reporter construct that will lead to increased levels of |3-galactosidase (blue colonies). For the feasibility study, approximately 150 strains were analyzed; 14 strains with an assortment of deleted gene product 352 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 functions (including transcription, ubiquitination, and polyadenylation factors) were identified as potentially termination deficient This feasibility analysis confirms the suitability of this assay for identification of the gene products involved in the process of transcription termination. Support for this project was provided by the TSU Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and the National Science Foundation. ‘Frank G. Brooks Paper Award winner Southeastern District II OR ABSTRACTS DISTRICT I & II PAPER SESSION NEWTON, STEVEN. Tau Eta, Catawba Colleqe-The effects of antioxidants on the activity of superoxide dismutaes in Escherichia coll. Free radicals are produced as a by-product of energy consumption in organisms. The free radical theory states that free radicals cause cell damage and premature cell death. Antioxidants reduce free radicals, helping to regulate damage to cells and slow cell death. Antioxidants can be made in the organism or consumed in the diet. It is hypothesized that the activity of the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) in Escherichia coli will be lowered by a-tocopherol and ascorbate rich environments, a-tocopherol and ascorbate were added to culture of E. coll and SOD was assayed. Antioxidant treatment resulted in a decrease in SOD activity. The control group, which had no antioxidant treatment, had the highest level of SOD activity. The greatest difference in activity was observed in the combined a-tocopherol and ascorbate treatment samples. Ascorbate and a-tocopherol exhibit negative feedback control of SOD in E. coli. WILHELM, ASHLEY J. Tau Eta, Catawba College-Dominance in Carolina Chickadees ( Poecile carolinensis). Does size matter? A flock of ten Carolina chickadees was studied under field conditions to determine the relationship between size, mass and dominance. Each individual was trapped and banded with a unique combination of colored bands. Wing chord and tarsus were measured as an index of body size. Birds were released and subsequently observed at a seed-baited feeder. The outcome of dominance interactions was recorded. From these data, a dominance hierarchy was constructed for four of the ten individuals. Body mass data for each of the individuals was collected with a remote scale. There was a positive correlation between dominance and two measures of size: body mass and wing chord, although the sample size is small. LONG, STEPHEN P. Tau Eta, Catawba College-Determination of activating threshold temperature in big brown bats ( Eptesicus fuscus ) during hibernation. Beta Beta Beta Abstracts 353 Bats become dormant during cold winter months because their insect food supply is unavailable. This period of hibernation is not constant, but rather includes short periods of activity interspersed among long periods of inactivity. The hibernation of eight big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in captivity was monitored during a two month period of hibernation. Over 29 thousand temperature readings were recorded using a LoggerPro data logger. Activity was defined as an increase in bat temperature and therefore metabolism. Timing of activity appeared to be random with respect to temporary fluctuations in ambient temperature. However, intensity of activity was positively correlated with temperature changes. KOBYLUS, KRISTEN. Tau Eta, Catawba College-Statistical analysis of a sequential mate choice model. Charles Darwin was the first to suggest non-human animals choose mates in his theory of sexual selection. In the past two decades, much research has been done on female mate choice. Two broad areas of research are empirical studies in lab and field, and mathematical models of mate choice. Theoretical approaches permit researches to explore aspects of mate choice that are difficult to measure in the lab. Previous models explored the potential benefits of learning among females that encounter males sequentially. These models assumed that a female knows how many males she will encounter; if she has not mated by the last male she will automatically select the final male as her mate. By eliminating the assumption that a female knows how many males she will encounter, this creates a new sequential mate choice model. Research on this new model indicates that variation in male quality influences when the female will choose a mate. The results of the statistical analysis suggest that the female will find a mate 99.98% of the time with a population of males greater than 5. CAMPBELL, ROBERT, ELISA COOK, GREG LEWIS, AND MIN-KEN LIAO. Psi Nu, Furman University-Trends of free-living and attached coliform and E. Coli upstream and downstream of a wastewater treatment plant on the Enoree River in upstate South Carolina. Studies during the summer of 2000 indicated that populations of free-living coliform and E. coli found in the Enoree River in upstate South Carolina dramatically increased downstream of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), while lower levels were reported upstream of the same plant. This began a two- year (2002-2003) study of trends for both free-living and attached forms of coliform and E. coll in the Enoree River. Samples were collected and tested using IDEXX methodology, and data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis statistical tests. The first year of the study, which was done under drought conditions, showed that free-living coliform and E. coli populations were at low levels upstream of the WWTP while the levels increased downstream of the plant. However, the attached forms of coliform and E. coli did not follow the same trends seen in their free-living counterparts. During the second year of the study, which was conducted under non-drought conditions, free-living coliform and E coli populations did not follow the same trend as they had in the previous two 354 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 studies. In addition the attached forms of the two microorganisms did not follow the same trend as the free-living organisms. LEWIS, TONI M. Mu lota, Northern Kentucky University-Population change in the reserve: Queen Conch Rules. The queen conch Strombus gigas is a large marine snail native to the Caribbean and is the target of an intensive fishery worth millions of dollars. This fishing pressure has led to the decline of populations throughout the region and the extinction of some populations like that near southern Florida. One proposed strategy to prevent overfishing is to designate marine reserves or parks in which no fishing is allowed. I analyzed a six year dataset of queen conch populations in a marine reserve and in nearby fishing grounds to compare population dynamics under these two conditions. Among all habitats in both areas, the number of juveniles was similar. However, adults were significantly more abundant, larger in size, and producing more eggs in the protected area than in the fished area. This shows that the marine reserve was contributing significantly to stabilizing and sustaining the queen conch population. I also conducted field experiments to describe patterns of movement around the reserve. My initial results suggest that adult conch can move long distances in short periods of time which would mean that small marine reserves would be ineffective for protecting this species. ‘CHAMPAGNE, CAROLINE. Eta Lambda, Loyola University New Orleans-Survival of the finless: Effects of fin clipping on brown darters ( Etheostoma.edwini ). A central issue in conservation biology is accurate determination of the population genetic and evolutionary relationships of managed populations. The process of population identification is straightforward for common species, and whole organisms are often sacrificed for genetic analysis. However, non-lethal methods are required for endangered species. The advent of PCR has allowed conservation biologists to use small portions of tissue to accurately identify stock origin in a variety of organisms. For fish, fin clips have been used extensively in large bodied species. It remains unclear how fin clips affect survival of smaller bodied fishes such as minnows and darters, which are among the most threatened organisms in North America. In my research, I tested the effects of fin clipping on survival and swimming performance of non-threatened brown darters ( Etheostoma edwini ) in order to justify similar tissue collection in the co-occurring endangered Okaloosa darter. I obtained 48 brown darters from a stream in northwest Florida. These fish were transported to the laboratory and randomly assigned to three groups: control, right pectoral fin removed, or caudal fin removed. No mortality occurred during a two-month observation period. Fin regeneration was almost complete and I was unable to distinguish clipped fins from control fins. SIMONS, GLORIA F. G. Pi Delta, East Tennessee State University- Identification of naturally occurring and spontaneous eve mutants in Drosophila using complementation tests. Beta Beta Beta Abstracts 355 Four separate populations of outbred Drosophila were cleaned of all genetic mutations and allowed to produce for generations without the factors of gene flow or genetic drift. After ten generations these populations were screened for spontaneous eye mutants. Complementation testing is then used to identify these mutants compared to available known stocks of Drosophila. During the span of this project, 14 individual eye mutants were extracted and complimented for identification. The complementation testing showed that five of the original 14 mutants can be contributed to the same genotype. This provided only 10 actual unique mutants. These mutants were then complimented against similar phenotypic stocks maintained by the Bloomington Flybase http://flybase.bio.indiana.edu/. One of the 10 mutants was identified through complementation to a selected stock. DUCRUET, MIRIAM. Eta Lambda, Loyola University (New Orleans)-- Genetics of a Chagas Disease vector in Central America. Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and is transmitted via several Hemiptera insect vectors. The disease is highly endemic in Central America, where control efforts rely on knowledge of population genetics in order to target populations of Triatoma dimidiata, the main vector. DNA was isolated from populations of T. dimidiata from Mexico and Central America and microsatellite sequences analyzed through PCR and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to compare genetic variability among populations. Technical difficulties resulted in analysis of a separate data set of ~50 bugs each from three nearby villages (CAR, CAL, and COP) in the department of Jutiapa, Guatemala. Out of three loci, no linkage disequilibrium was observed (P=0. 1-0.94). Genic differentiation was observed between CAL-CAR and CAL-COP but not COP-CAR at all loci. FSj results indicate that increasing genetic differentiation correlates with increasing geographic distance. COP-CAR, the closest villages, showed little genetic differentiation (FST =0.0059) but each showed moderate genetic differentiation with CAL, the more distant population (Fst=0.1467, Fst=0.151). Populations are not are not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P=0). Results suggest that CAL is reproductively isolated whereas bug migration is occurring between COP and CAR. Thus, COP and CAR will need to be treated simultaneously to prevent re-infestations. ‘Frank G. Brooks Paper Award winner Southeastern District I & II 08 ABSTRACTS DISTRICT I POSTER SESSION ‘JOHNSON, CHRISTY E. Psi, Winthrop University-Antifeedant effects of pawpaw (Asimina triloba) on milkweed bugs ( Oncopeltus fasciatus). Pawpaw ( Asimina triloba), is a small annonaceous tree native to the southeastern United States. Historically, the fruit served as a food source for Native Americans and Appalachian settlers; in addition, plant extracts have been used for control of lice infestations Current pharmaceutical research is directed 356 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 at potential anti-tumor activity of ethanolic extracts and development of insecticides. In the present study, leaves, seeds and twigs were tested for antifeedant activity against piercing-sucking insects. These insects feed by inserting their stylets into plant tissue; saliva is exuded each time the mouthparts contact the plant surface. Milkweed bugs, Oncopeltus fasciatus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Lygaeidae), were offered sunflower seeds dipped in concentrations of aqueous extract ranging from 0-20%. Seeds were stained with acid fuchsin to count salivary deposits. At 5% concentration, all plant parts reduced feeding compared with the distilled water control. The response to leaf and seed extracts was concentration-dependent. Therefore, aqueous pawpaw extracts could be potentially useful in pest control, in that insect feeding damage may be significantly reduced without application of toxic chemical insecticides. CARONITI, MARY AND ANGELA LEWIS. Beta Eta, Florida Southern College-Using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPP) analysis to determine identity of ornamental plant varieties. Investigations of identity based on DNA analysis is in common use for humans and other animals, but its use in plants is just recently emerging. Several studies have used DNA analysis in answering questions regarding agricultural crops, but little has been done with ornamental plants. Here we describe investigations using RAPD-PCR analysis to examine the genetic identity of numerous varieties of roses. Specifically, we answered questions regarding the inclusion of “Bremo Double Musk” as a true musk rose, the parentage of a newly registered modern rose known as ‘Xanadu’, the complex relationship among two dozen varieties of the class of roses known as the “Found Noisettes,” and the genetic similarity among three varieties of roses classified as ‘Devoniensis’. In addition, we resolved a highly contested debate that has been raging for many years among rose enthusiasts about the true identity of a rose known both as ‘Spay Cecile Brunner' and ‘Bloomfield Abundance’. We conclude that RAPD-PCR is an efficient method to answer questions regarding genetic relatedness in roses, and could be used for other ornamental hybrid plants. MAHALEY, SYLVIA E. Tau Eta, Catawba Colleqe-Bioqeoqraphy of extreme halophilic bacteria in North Carolina. Halophiles are salt requiring prokaryotic microorganisms of the domain Archaea and borderline extreme-moderate halophiles of the domain Bacteria. Extreme halophiles grow at or close to the point of sodium chloride saturation and possess a different physiology and biochemistry from extremely halophilic Eubacteria. It is difficult to imagine that halophilic Archaea (or halophilic Eubacteria) could survive anywhere but in specific environments (Whitaker et al. 2003). However, members of the family Halobacteriaceae (Archaea) have been found world-wide wherever salt crystals exist (Tindall 1992). Salt requiring halophilic Halomonadaceae (Eubacteria) have been found in the glacier lakes of Antarctica (Matthias et al. 2003). Prokaryotes and eukaryotic microorganisms are considered to be globally dispersed (Finlay 2002). Whitaker et al (2003) showed thermophilic Archaea populations are genetically distinct from each other and are not uniformly dispersed. I examined the distribution of halophilic bacteria to Beta Beta Beta Abstracts 357 determine if they are restricted to specific environments or are widely dispersed. My results indicate the existence of extreme halophilic microorganisms in soil from different geographic areas of Piedmont and Coastal North Carolina. FRENCH, DORTHY AND ELAINE HUBBARD. Psi Nu, Furman University-Effectiveness of contact lens solutions in inhibiting bacterial growth. Three major categories of contact lens solutions are currently available on the market: overnight cleanser, multipurpose solution, and no-rub solution. The antibacterial activity of these three types of solution was tested on bacteria isolated from a subject’s eye following a non-specific bacterial eye infection. Four separate strains (Corneybacterium dyptheriae , Salmonella gp6, Serratia marscecens, and Staphylococcus sp.) were isolated from the contact solution and lens case and identified using Biolog and biochemical tests. The Kirby-Bauer method was used to measure zone of inhibition. Solutions of high, medium, and low priced brands were tested to determine if cost also contributed to effectiveness. A statistically significant difference was found both between the types of solutions and the cost of the solutions. The results of the Kruskall- Wallace test suggested that cleansers were most effective in inhibiting the bacterial growth, followed by multipurpose solutions, and the least effective were no-rub solutions. Also, the Spearman rank test suggested that the higher priced solutions, regardless of the brands, were more effective than their less expensive counterparts in inhibiting bacterial growth. TYNAN, JOHN F. Psi Nu, Furman University-The disposal of microbial waste: Is current laboratory practice adequate? Numerous experiments have shown that common environmental and clinical bacterial strains are resistant to detergents and germicides typically found in these areas. The possibility of this occurring in college laboratory settings has seldom been investigated. Furman University’s microbiology lab uses Alconox as a general-purpose detergent for glass cleaning. Prior to autoclaving, it was observed that the solution in the disposal pan had become very turbid, suggesting microbial growth. It was hypothesized that the concentration of the detergent used had not reached the MIC of eliminating bacterial strains used in the laboratory. Five bacterial isolates were obtained from the turbid soaking solution and the BIOLOG system was used to identify three of the isolates, while the fourth one is preliminarily identified without BIOLOG. The MIC of Alconox was also determined for all four identified isolates, and was found to have varying bacteristatic and bactericidal effects among them. Viable counts of bacteria within the detergent solution were also determined before and after autoclaving The two counts were compared to determine the effectiveness of autoclaving The RFLPs of the 16S rDNA from two of the isolates and two lab strains were compared to determine their origins. Suggestions for more efficient disposal are proposed. GHOLIZADEH, ALITA. Tau Xi, Meredith College-Comparative analysis of total microcystins in Falls Lake raw and finished water 358 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 Microcystins are one of a number of toxins produced by cyanobacteria, microorganisms commonly known as blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria may form large aguatic blooms, producing toxin concentrations that can create problems. Animals drinking at the surface of affected waters can ingest toxin in amounts that cause illness and sometimes death. The presence of microcystins in water supplies such as Falls Lake is also a human health concern. Amounts as low as 1 pg/L in finished water, though not acutely toxic, may produce chronic health consequences; conventional treatment may not remove all toxin. This study evaluated a known testing protocol and investigated the occurrence of microcystins in raw and finished water from Falls Lake Reservoir. For eight weeks in June and July, 2003, we collected samples of raw and finished water from Falls Lake and Johnson Water Treatment Plant to assess levels of microcystins. We applied standard sample preparation procedures, including: freeze-thaw/sonication; concentration via lyophilization; and extraction (liquid and solid phase). We then analyzed the concentrated samples using a Competitive- Binding ELISA assay. We have detected toxin in both raw and finished water samples. Preliminary results indicate increasing toxin levels over time, with higher finished water concentrations corresponding to higher raw water levels. STONE, M. BROOK. Tau Xi, Meredith College— PCR detection of cyanobacteria in the Meredith Pond. Species of cyanobacteria, common prokaryotic inhabitants of soils and freshwater, produce toxins suspected of having long-term health effects on humans. When present in large numbers these bacteria cause drinking water to have a distinct odor and taste and under certain conditions, aquatic blooms have been known to cause sickness or death to animals that drank contaminated water. We are collecting data on these organisms to gain a better understanding of what constitutes normal levels and to identify conditions that contribute to blooms and toxin production. Cyanaobacterial numbers and types are frequently monitored with microscopic examination and toxins may be detected using ELISA. We are interested in using these tools as well as DNA sequencing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of potentially toxic cyanobacteria in our campus pond. The molecular methods have the advantage of speed, sensitivity to detect low numbers of organisms, and they can be used to detect genes that code for toxins. We are developing a whole cell PCR protocol, including determining the best primers and reaction parameters for amplification in our environmental samples. We are attempting to amplify cyanobacterial 16S rDNA, mcyB and mcyD toxin genes from Meredith and Florida pond samples. *John C. Johnson Poster Award winner Southeastern District I ca Beta Beta Beta Abstracts 359 ABSTRACTS DISTICT II POSTER SESSION NIEMILLER, MATTHEW ET AL. Kappa Delta, Middle Tennessee State University-Size-specific habitat segregation and intraspecific interactions in banded sculpin ( Cottus carolinae). Several studies have shown the significance of interspecific interactions such as predation in determining size-specific habitat use in stream fishes, but few studies have examined the effects of intraspecific interactions. This study investigated patterns of size-specific habitat use by banded sculpin, Cottus carolinae , testing the hypothesis that adults primarily inhabit pool habitats while smaller sculpin primarily inhabit riffle habitats because of intraspecific interactions with adults. A survey of riffles and pools revealed habitat use varied among age classes. Adults primarily inhabited pools while young-of-the-year (YOY) primarily inhabited riffles. Juveniles inhabited both habitats. The influence of adults on younger sculpin habitat use was determined by investigating velocity and depth preference of younger sculpin with and without adults. Size-specific habitat segregation was not related to differences in velocity. Depth trials revealed adults strongly preferred deep water while YOY preferred shallow water both alone and with an adult. Juveniles strongly preferred deep water alone but preferred shallow water with an adult. The habitat shift from riffles to pools may be due to change in predation risk as sculpin mature. The timing of this shift appears to be a function of the density of adults which are potential competitors/predators of younger sculpin. FALCONE, JOSEPH, JENNIFER DEAN, AND PHILLIP MUSICH. Pi Beta, East Tennessee State University-Healthy diets and cancer prevention: Fruits, vegetables, chocolate, wine and tea. A healthy diet reduces one’s chances of getting certain cancers. One may not think of dark chocolate and wine as part of this diet. How might components of these products help in the prevention of cancers? This study measured the ability of flavonoids to protect DNA against oxidant- and UV-induced mutations. Flavonoids are found in plants, especially in fruits and vegetables, but also in chocolate, wine and tea. This study employed two different assay systems. The first measured DNA oxidation-induced mutation, and the second monitored cellular UV-induced mutations. In the first assay the pTZ19U plasmid was exposed to hydroxyl radicals. The treated plasmid was transformed into E. coli cells and the integrity of the plasmid tested by measuring cell viability on ampicillin plates. In the cellular UV-damage assay flavonoids were added to E coli cells containing the plasmid pAW9 and the cells were exposed to UV light and then plated to measure plasmid and cellular functionality. The data demonstrated that flavonoids afforded protection against oxidative- and UV- induced DNA and cellular damage. These data validate the consumption of fruits, vegetables and products such as dark chocolate and wine to improve one's chances in preventing cancer. 360 SE Biology, Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 OGDEN, MAE. Mu Chi, Midway CoWeqe-Cryptosporidium spp in the domestic cat population of central Kentucky, Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts were recovered from fecal specimens of 3 of 26 healthy or diseased adult cats and kittens tested in central Kentucky. The specimens were collected and preserved in 10% formalin, concentrated by the formalin-ethyl acetate method, and stained using the Merifluor® Cryptosporidium/Giardia Direct Immunofluorsescent Detection Procedure. The presence of oocysts in domestic cats may represent a possible reservoir for infection of immunocompromised and/or immunocompetent humans. ALLEN, REBECCA. Mu Omicron, Columbus State University-Response of slCAM-1 to exercise in heat in sickle cell trait carriers. Sickle cell trait, the heterozygous form of sickle cell disease, is generally considered a benign condition that does not adversely affect the carrier’s general health or pose any restriction to exercise activity. However, under extremely stressful exercise and environmental conditions, such as during Army BASIC Training, there have been a number of cases of sickle cell trait carriers experiencing exertional collapse and sudden death. Our study focused on the exercise and dehydration-induced red cell sickling and consequent physiological responses related to inflammation and vascular wall activation in sickle cell trait carriers to better understand the etiology in conditions such as exertional collapse and sudden death. We hypothesized that sickle cell trait carriers would experience an increase in vascular cell activation when exercising in heat. An slCAM-1 ELISA assay was developed with a usable range of 1 to 10 g/ml and an intra-assay variability of <11%. slCAM-1 concentrations in control subjects were generally between 100 and 150 g/ml and did not change significantly during exercise in the heat, although the response was influenced by fluid intake. The one trait subject tested exhibited higher slCAM-1 concentrations than the mean values of the controls. CEROALO, JEANNE. Mu Chi, Midway College-Bat utilization of the Midway College campus. A study of the Midway College Campus from 26 August 2003 through 25 September 2003, between the hours of 20:00 and 20:30 found the primary species on the campus is E. fuscus. A dual method of mist-netting and ultrasonic detection was used. Midway College Campus is in an urbanized area and has minimal tree canopy, which attributed to the lack of diversity and abundance of species captured. There are no current bat management plans on the Midway College Campus largely because species utilization of the campus is not known. Further studies for cataloging bat species on the campus are essential in order for any management plans to be implemented. The lack of tree canopy on the campus is another issue that must be addressed in future. BHATT, NEEM, DR. KARL JOPLIN AND DR. HUGH MILLER III. Pi Delta, East Tennessee State University— Proposed significance of the insulin receptor during diapause of Sarcophapa crassipalpis. Beta Beta Beta Abstracts 361 Diapause is an alternate life stage used by temperate insects to avoid harsh environmental conditions. By entering diapause, flesh flies live 70-80% longer by implementing lowered metabolic rates and consumption of fat reserves. In Sarcophaga crassipalpis, circadian rhythms received by the developing larvae controls induction of diapause in the pupal state. This facultative induction of this optimal developmental state makes this insect a valuable experimental model system. A microarray experiment, examined the level of gene expression in nondiapausing and diapausing pupae of S. crassipalpis. Ecdysone receptor (EcR) which promoted growth and molting was downregulated in diapause. It was hypothesized that the insulin-like proteins and their receptors might have significant effects in ecdysteroidogenesis of insects because of their essential roles in insect embryonic development and aging processes as are seen in the dauer larvae formation in Caenorhabditis elegans. When InR was knocked out of C. elegans the development at dauer larvae formation was arrested but allowed the larvae to live longer. Although insulin receptor was not in the microarry data RT-PCR reactions demonstrated that the insulin receptor was up-regulated in diapausing pupae. The upregulation may be involved in controlling the lowered metabolic rates and increased longevity in the S. crassipalpis pupae. LINDSEY, JENNIFER AND CHERYL ROLLINS. Mu Epsilon, Troy State University-Growth analysis of lead acetate responsive strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Analysis of a haploid deletion library of Saccharomyces cerevisiae previously identified a collection of lead acetate responsive (LAR) strains. These strains display altered response to growth in solid rich media. Identified strains were hypersensitive, displaying a failure to grow at low (non-cytotoxic) concentrations of lead acetate, or hyposensitive/tolerant, displaying viability at high (cytotoxic) concentrations of lead acetate. Growth analysis in liquid media containing varying concentrations of lead acetate was completed comparing the LAR strains to wild type strain BY4741. The resulting growth curves allow validation of the lead response in the LAR strains. Also, the LAR strains were grown in high concentrations of sodium acetate. Although the analysis is still in progress, no strain has displayed responsiveness to sodium acetate, indicating that in these LAR strains the lead seems to be the toxic moiety. Completion of this investigation will result in increased insight into lead response in yeast. Support for this project was provided by the TSU Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, the Alabama Department of Public Health, and the National Science Foundation. COOPER, JOSHUA T. Mu lota, Northern Kentucky University— Preliminary analysis of the effects of ethylene glycol runoff on macroinvertebrate communities of Boone and Kenton County, Northern Kentucky. Water quality until recently has become an important concern Organic pollution is the most common form of water pollution but can be controlled by better management strategies. The effects of organic pollution can be quantified by macroinvertebrate sampling, then applying it to an index to determine the impact on aquatic organisms. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of 362 SE Biology , Vol. 51, No. 3, September, 2004 ethylene glycol (antifreeze component) runoff on macroinvertebrate communities surrounding the Greater Cincinnati/northern Kentucky International Airport, in Boone County, Kentucky. Macroinvertebrates were collected twice a month in streams that had the greatest probability of ethylene glycol impact. Water chemistry for all streams was similar and allowed for the comparison of macroinvertebrate communities. These results are preliminary and until the study commences in July of 2004. Population densities were highest for Gunpowder East (GE) due to overabundance of Chironomidae. Shannon-Weiner diversity revealed that the headwater of Gunpowder Creek had the lowest values. Macroinvertebrate Biotic Index scores clustered the control streams as good water quality, and impacted streams as poor. Percent Model Affinity was the most sensitive index used and showed various degrees of impact but with more data could illustrate the effects of ethylene glycol on macroinvertebrate communities. SPAETH, JOHN P. Mu lota, Northern Kentucky University-Fish community and population dynamics of 4 disturbed streams in northern Kentucky. Fish communities of four disturbed streams in northern Kentucky were monitored to determine the effects of point and non-point source pollution on diversity and abundance of native species. Temporally, the species richness was significantly lower at all impacted sites and abundance displayed similar trends. Seasonal increases in pollutants (e.g. winter use of de-icing fluids by the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport) were particularly destructive to biodiversity. Other streams were impacted year-round by sedimentation, sewage from rural settlements, and runoff from urban sprawl. Species richness and abundance appear to inversely associate with the temporal fluctuations of pollutants in some streams however no direct interaction could be concluded. A mark-recapture experiment was performed during summer months to investigate the population dynamics of each site. *MILLER, MELISSA. Mu lota, Northern Kentucky University-Food resource and microhabitat use by the tadpoles of the Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica). To better understand the complexity of the diet in anuran tadpoles, we examined resource and microhabitat use, in particular food selection. Microhabitats, and the availability of food found there in, may play a determining role in the use of these resources. To test assumptions that tadpoles can make resource choices we examined comparisons among food consumed by ( Rana sylvatica) tadpoles in a laboratory to evaluate if food selection was possible. Another factor examined was the effect of canopy cover on the distribution and availability of microhabitats. The four ponds observed during the study ranged from closed tree canopy cover, moderate canopy cover, or open canopy. Results of the study suggest that there are significant differences of food resource use based on microhabitat. Food resource results indicate that tadpoles are most likely to utilize food resources consisting of detritus. Although there was no significant difference concerning activities of moving and nonmoving during the food selection study, there was a significant difference as to which food was selected Beta Beta Beta Abstracts 363 when feeding. R. sylvatica tadpoles spent the most time consuming algae followed by detritus and protein respectively. HERTLEIN, EMILY AND JANINY AYALA. Mu Epsilon, Troy State University-Quantitative assessment of transcription termination levels in yeast deletion strains. The process of transcription termination is vital to the production of functional messenger RNA. By determining the genes involved in the process, it can be better determined how termination occurs. Strains deficient in transcription termination are being isolated from a haploid yeast deletion library that contains 4992 members that each harbor a unique deletion of a non-essential gene. These strains were identified in a qualitative assessment of termination that required transformation of a LacZ- based termination reporter plasmid into the deletion strains. A quantitative assay to determine the levels of transcription termination can be used to quantify the level of transcription termination in the identified yeast deletion strains. To date, 14 strains have been selected for further analysis; however, it is expected that hundreds of strains will ultimately be identified for quantitative analysis. By monitoring the levels of P-galactosidase produced in the identified candidate strains, false positives in the qualitative assay can be eliminated and the strains that display the most severe defects can be identified for further analysis. This project was supported by the Troy State Department of Biological and Environmental Science and the National Science Foundation. *John C. 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