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Liberal Arts and Sciences Institute at Rowan University

Rowan University Department of Biological Sciences

NB: All activities will take place in Rowan Hall.

Posters will be in the 1st Floor Hallway from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm

Presenters will be with their posters from 1:30 to 2:30 pm

Please, do not bring food or drink into the Betty Long Rowan Auditorium

Dr. Pearl Bartelt

'Bridging the Gap Between the Patterns of Nature and

Martin Melville

Lawrence Niles

Lance H. Butler and G. Winfield Fairchild

Robert A. Zampella, John F. Bunnell, Kim J. Laidig, Charles L. Dow, and Tanya M. Sulikowski

Joseph M. Patt¹ and Sam C. Wainwright²

Co-Chairs: Pat Mosto and Joe Patt

Student Volunteers:

President: Robert L. Curry, Department of Biology, Villanova University, Villanova, PA 19085 (curry@ucis.villanova.edu)

Vice-President: Stevens Heckscher, Natural Lands Trust, Hildacy Farm, 1031 Palmers Mill Rd., Media, PA 19063 (natlands@pond.com)

Secretary: Bruce W. Grant, Department of Biology, Widener University, Chester, PA 19013 (grant@popl.science.widener.edu)

Chief Financial Officer: Bruce W. Grant, Department of Biology, Widener University, Chester, PA 19013 (grant@popl.science.widener.edu)

c/o Department of Biology, 800 Lancaster Ave, Villanova University, Villanova, PA 19085; Voice: 610-519-6455; FAX: 610-519-7863; email: curry@ucis.vill.edu

Visit our home page: http://oikos.bio.vill.edu/scb/

Chapter membership is open to all interested residents of the Delaware Valley region, encompassing southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, Delaware and eastern Maryland. Membership in the parent Society for Conservation Biology is not required except for Chapter officers. The Chapter assesses annual dues of $5 for each Voting Member. Only Voting Members may be elected to Chapter officer positions and vote on official matters affecting the Chapter. Other interested people who wish to participate as non-voting members may do so; student members are especially welcome! To be added to our electronic mailing list, send a message to Robert Curry at curry@ucis.vill.edu.

The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) is the parent organization of the Delaware Valley Chapter. SCB is an international society whose goal is "to help develop the scientific and technical means for protection, maintenance, and restoration of life on this planet--its species, its ecologixal and evolutionary processes, and its particular and total environment." SCB publishes the refereed journal Conservation Biology and sponsors a variety of other services and activities. More information is available at the SCB web site

(http://conbio.rice.edu/scb), which includes the SCB Newsletter, with job listings, meeting announcements, and other timely conservation information, as well as links to many other conservation web sites.

HABITAT ASSESSMENT OF ROWAN UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENTAL FIELD STATION: MOSS BIODIVERSITY.

Kurt M. Andress and Patricia Mosto

Jason J. Bottoms, John Ginis, Jason Mitchell, Karen Stauffer, and Bruce W. Grant.

SEEDLINGS OF INVASIVE NORWAY MAPLE (ACER PLATANOIDES) AND NATIVE TREES: VULNERABILITY AND CANOPY INFLUENCE.

Nicole Camera and Janet A. Morrison.

TRACKING POPULATIONS OF THE REDBACK SALAMANDER FOR THE USGS TERRESTRIAL SALAMANDER MONITORING PROGRAM: LESSONS IN THE USE OF COVERBOARDS.

Margaret A. Carfioli, Harry M. Tiebout III, Kristina M. Heister, and Fredric C. Lutcher

THE IMPORTANCE OF LAND USE IN MAINTAINING BIODIVERSITY: THE EXAMPLE OF THE NAAMAN’S CREEK WATERSHED.

STUDENT PROJECTS IN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY USING GIS AND GPS.

William J. Cromartie

Robert T. Dendall, Stephanie Skelly, Bruce W. Grant, and Itzick Vatnick

EFFECTS OF INVASIVE VINES ON GROWTH RATES OF EASTERN WHITE PINE (PINUS STROBUS) IN RIDLEY CREEK STATE PARK, PA.

Gregory J. Ettl, Molly A. Hammond, and Danielle Strano.

URBAN IMPACTS ON WATER QUALITY AND BIODIVERSITY IN DARBY CREEK, SOUTHEASTERN PA.

Jeffrey Fallon, Penny Lucky, Bradley String, and Bruce W. Grant.

SPECIES MODELING AND CONSERVATION SOFTWARE, A TECHNICAL DEMO.

James N. Gorham

THE IMPACT OF TERRAPIN EXCLUDERS ON COMMERCIAL CRAB CATCHES.

Renae Held

THE EDUCATION COMPONENT OF THE BIODIVERSITY CRISIS.

Erik Mollenhauer

ECOLOGICAL AMPLITUDE FOR LIGHT IN THE INVASIVE FOREST PLANT GARLIC MUSTARD (ALLIARIA PETIOLATA).

Janet A. Morrison

Jennifer A. Piesvaux, Catherine C. L'Armand, Margaret Sadoff, Courtney Siegel, and Bruce W. Grant.

John Rebar and Lara Calcagni

DOES LYTHRUM SALICARIA AFFECT LOCAL PLANT DIVERSITY AND UNDER WHAT GROWTH CONDITIONS DOES THIS INVASIVE PLANT THRIVE?

Janette Steets and Richard Niesenbaum

WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THE PERSISTENCE OF THE POCONO TILL BARRENS OF MONROE CO. PA ?

Anna Sugden-Newberry and Roger Latham

SHOREBIRD DIET DURING MIGRATION THROUGH DELAWARE BAY.

Nellie Tsipoura and Joanna Burger

NITROGEN AVAILABILITY IN THE HEATH BARRENS OF THE POCONO PLATEAU, PENNSYLVANIA.

Georgine Yorge and Roger Latham

PO 436, 261 School House Road, Newport, NJ 08345

email address: eisenhauer@prodigy.net

Natural patterns, both physical and conceptual, differ from man-made patterns. In nature, curves prevail; continuous straight lines are rare, parallel straight lines rarer, and right angles almost nonexistent. Cyclical concepts and activities are the norm; population fluctuations are accepted. Conversely, man-made roads, buildings, property lines, ditches and most other creations, are dominated by straight and parallel straight lines, and right angles. Linear concepts and activities are the norm; continuous growth is the goal.

Conservation biologists should pay close attention to these pattern differences whenever helping to preserve, restore and promote natural landscapes. In this presentation, I will try to identify these patterns, and will suggest strategies that address aesthetic concerns, reduction of edge/wedge effects, better mowing techniques, and a more conceptual approach to interpretive and educational efforts.

315 South Allen St.

State College, PA 16801

e-mail:sfiofpa@juno.com Web site: SFI of PA.org

Phone: 814-867-9299

Fax: 814-867-9188

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) of Pennsylvania was formed in 1996 to promote application of Best Management Practices (BMP) for timber harvesting, control of soil erosion, and Forest Management. It is a coalition of the Forest Products Industry, PA Bureau of Forestry, Pennsylvania State University, PA Game Commission, Western PA Conservancy, and private landowners, foresters and loggers.

The primary goals of SFI are:

1) to conserve the forest resource so that future generations can enjoy

the same benefits of wood, water, wildlife and recreation that

currently exist;

2) to reduce or remove the need for government regulation by raising the

industry's performance in many areas;

3) to inform the public about forestry BMP's so that they will make

informed decisions when they purchase their forest products; and,

4) to improve the industry's image through communication and improved

practices.

To accomplish these goals, SFI regularly conducts logger and forester

training in Erosion & Sedimentation Control, Logging Safety, Sustainable

Forestry, and Business Management all across Pennsylvania. In turn, private companies

distribute information about BMPs to the landowners they visit.

Cooperative efforts between DCNR- Bureau of Forestry, Penn State, Soil

Conservation Districts and SFI include:

1) development of the original Forestry and Conservation Together (FACT)

workshops; and,

2) development of BMP booklets for erosion control, harvesting in

wetlands, and silviculture.

Some key areas where conservation biologists, SFI and the forest products industry can

cooperate include:

1) conduct baseline studies of water quality & aquatic life;

2) evaluation of forest regeneration before and after harvests;

3) provide neutral or objective observers to assess the success of

our efforts; and,

4) provide studies on the impacts of wildlife, particularly white tail deer, on

forest ecosystems.

Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife

NJ Department of Environmental Protection

CN 400

501 East State Street

Trenton, NJ 08625-0400

The New Jersey Landscape Project.

Despite New Jersey’s standing as the nation’s most densely populated state, its location affords a diversity of wildlife habitat unequaled along the Atlantic seaboard. New Jersey boasts over 2,000 species of native plants and at least 800 species of native wildlife. Each year over 1.5 million shorebirds and 80,000 raptors make stops in New Jersey during their migrations. The state’s five physiographic regions support many unique ecological features, including extensive marshes, cedar swamps, freshwater wetlands, contiguous forests, and limestone communities. Recognizing the richness and abundance of its natural heritage, the citizens of New Jersey have clearly and consistently demonstrated a commitment to protecting the state’s open space. Over the past 35 years, voters have passed nine bond issues, raising over $1.4 billion for land acquisition. Between 1991 and 1995, 13 New Jersey counties and 53 municipalities voted to impose property taxes to raise money for open space acquisition. In November 1998, an historic bond issue passed in New Jersey establishing a program for acquiring an additional one million acres of open space over the next 10 years. Voters in an additional 45 towns also approved initiatives for open space programs, bringing the number of localities with land protection programs to 98. Despite the enormous expenditure of funds to acquire critical habitat in New Jersey, the state’s diverse bounty of plants, animals, and ecosystems continues to be eroded. For example, on the lower Cape May Peninsula - a globally valuable migratory bird stopover site for over 130 species of songbirds, 15 species of hawks and eagles, and monarch butterflies, over 40 percent of the critical migratory wildlife habitat has been lost to development over the past 20 years. Approximately 30 percent of the state’s plants are categorized as species of concern and 15 percent are listed as endangered. Likewise, there are a number of New Jersey’s vertebrate animals -- including 7 species of salamanders and frogs, 9 species of mammals, 10 species of reptiles, and 32 species of birds -- classified as either threatened/rare or endangered. The New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Species Program’s (ENSP) Landscape Project, is designed to stem this tide of loss. The goal of the Landscape Project is to forge partnerships by providing land managers, state regulators, local planners, conservation organizations, and private landowners with critical information on species habitat needs to help guide protection efforts that will address the needs of each community.

To help reach this goal, this project will accomplish two primary objectives, as follows: 1) Create mapping to guide statewide wildlife diversity conservation based on critical habitat protection; and, 2) Provide guidance for incorporating landscape mapping into state and local land use/acquisition programs by training outreach specialists and designing workshops to be held in each landscape.

215 Walnut Street

Roselle, NJ 07203

E-mail (via Lynn Brown) lynn_brown@merck.com

Phone: (973) 379-3280

Fax-(Call first)-(973) 379-7993

The pen is mightier than the sword and so are environmental commissions. Commissions are advisory groups to a municipality, with 5 to 7 citizen volunteers appointed by the mayor. Although they have no formal regulatory, permit-granting, or enforcement duties, commissions can be surprisingly powerful. They are in charge of maintaining the town’s open space inventory and are involved in issuing environmental resource inventories, reviewing site plans and subdivisions, helping to draft zoning ordinances and resolutions, providing advice on environmental problems, obtaining grants, and more. In short they promote good planning today to avoid expensive problems tomorrow.

Many environmental commissions have also been instrumental in saving land for natural habitat protection and other uses. Tens of thousands of acres have been saved by donation, dedication, and easements. Commissions have worked actively with land trust groups, watershed associations, foundations, government agencies, academia, and other organizations oriented toward environmental protection and land conservation.

ANJEC–the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, is the umbrella group that helps individual commissions fulfill their mission by providing training courses, handbooks, brochures, seminars, workshops, and advice. ANJEC also organizes statewide meetings, brings together diverse groups, and works with local, county, state, and federal officials on numerous issues. The Association also has a Resource Center of over 7,000 books, documents, sample ordinances, and other information relating to the environment, law, nature, and the sciences.

Persuasion through education is a powerful tool. One that ANJEC and its member commissions have used to great effect. A commission, in conjunction with support from its town officials, can make important contributions to the community’s quality of life and natural resource protection.

Lance H. Butler and G. Winfield Fairchild.

Department of Biology, West Chester University, West Chester, PA, U.S.A 19382.

BEETLE COMMUNITIES OF WETLAND PONDS IN THE PENNSYLVANIA PIEDMONT: HABITAT EFFECTS ON BIODIVERSITY, BODY WEIGHT AND TROPHIC STRUCTURE.

Ann M. Faulds¹, G. Winfield Fairchild¹, and James Matta². ¹Department of Biology, West Chester University, West Chester, PA, U.S.A 19383, ²Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA, U.S.A. 17815.

CONSERVING FOREST INTERIOR BIRDS: SPECIES RICHNESS ANALYSIS APPLIED TO A FRAGMENTED MID-ATLANTIC LANDSCAPE.

James N. Gorham, and Richard C. McCorkle

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Delaware Bay Estuary Project, 2610 Whitehall Neck

Road, Smyrna, DE, 19977. Phone (302) 730-3619 (x12).

Habitat loss and fragmentation in the Eastern deciduous forest has led to declines in forest area-dependent birds, many of which are neotropical migrants. We developed spatial models to predict distributions of 19 species of forest area-dependent species in Delaware, and performed species richness analysis on modeled distributions to identify breeding "hotspots". Model parameters included species range, vegetative cover, riparian or wetland influences, physiography, and forest fragmentation metrics, including riparian forest width, forest patch size, patch thickness, and forest isolation. Probability curves from logistic regression analysis of bird response to fragmentation from both published and unpublished data enabled species specific application of fragmentation data layers to the models. Initial accuracy assessment based on existing field survey data is underway, but it appears that this modeling effort in general overestimated species occurrence. Inclusion of fragmentation layers substantially improved modeling accuracy. Efforts to further improve modeling accuracy by incorporating data layers of plant community structure and special habitat features are being explored, but are constrained by the limited availability of this data on a regional scale. The species richness analysis is being incorporated into data sets used by regional conservation planners for biodiversity

protection.

ABSTRACTS OF ORAL PRESENTATIONS

CAMPUS ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP: FRS 101 - A COURSE FOR FRESHMEN UNDERGRADUATES.

Bruce W. Grant. Department of Biology, Widener University, 1 University Place, Chester, PA 19013. email: grant@pop1.science.widener.edu; voice: 610-499-4017

I describe a freshmen course in ecology and environmental stewardship that I offer at Widener University. Due to ongoing degradation of Earth's ecosystems, biological extinction, and climatic perturbation, the next decades are crucial. Today’s students must redesign our basic socio/economic/cultural framework to reduce our environmental impact and engineer sustainability. To explore this process, my course explores the environmental design of institutions of higher learning (energy/water use, landscaping, purchasing, dining, solid/liquid wastes). After surveying national models of "green" campuses, students research and conduct projects in campus operations at Widener, and devise solutions that both reduce environmental and campus operations costs (see http://www.science.widener.edu/~grant/courses/campus.html).

CHANGES IN A PIEDMONT WARMWATER STREAM FISH ASSEMBLAGE

OVER A SPAN OF NEARLY THREE DECADES.

Douglas A. Nieman, Senior Scientist, Normandeau Associates, 3450 Schuylkill Road, Spring City PA 19475; email: dniem1010@aol.com; voice: 610-948-4700 (fax 4752)

I review fisheries monitoring on East Branch Perkiomen Creek, southeast Pennsylvania, from 1970 through the present. Major anthropogenic changes corresponding with alterations to fish assemblages included: 1) urbanization, 2) sewage treatment upgrades, and 3) flow augmentation beginning in 1989. Extirpation by 1987 of bridle shiner, Notropis bifrenatus, now considered a state-endangered species, may have been the most notable consequence of urbanization. Better treatment of sewage effluent corresponded with assemblage changes after 1977. Flow augmentation altered longitudinal habitat and fish distribution patterns, reducing or eliminating habitat for some headwater species, and allowing "downstream" species to increase upstream.

ABSTRACTS OF ORAL PRESENTATIONS

PROMOTING THE CONSERVATION OF PREDACEOUS INSECT LARVAE WITH NON-PREY FOOD

Joseph M. Patt¹ and Sam C. Wainwright²

1Department of Biological Sciences, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028-1701; ²Center for Marine and Coastal Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08091

Nutrients from non-prey food items, such as pollen, nectar, fungal spores, insect honeydew and phloem sap can sustain predaceous insect larvae as they search for nutritiously-optimal prey. The extent to which these insects can assimilate nutrients from different trophic levels; e.g., both as carnivores and scavengers, is poorly understood and has hindered our understanding of their actual trophic positions within biological communities. We determined if the ingestion of a supplemental, non-prey food (pollen) could offset the negative effects on their growth and development when they were reared on suboptimal prey (Fifth instar Drosophila melanogaster larvae). Green lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea) larvae provisioned with pollen and fruit fly larvae grew quicker and developed into larger adults than larvae given fruit fly larvae alone. Analysis of the insects’ ¹⁵N composition showed that their increased growth could be attributed directly to the assimilation of nutrients from pollen: the ¹⁵N values of larvae given pollen and prey resembled the ¹⁵N value of their dietary pollen while the ¹⁵N values of larvae given only prey resembled that of their prey. That predaceous insect larvae can operate at different trophic levels suggests that their survivorship and subsequent fecundity can be enhanced by provisioning them with flowering plants within agroecosystems and degraded natural ecosystems.

NEW JERSEY PINELANDS LONG-TERM ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAM.

Robert A. Zampella, John F. Bunnell, Kim J. Laidig, Charles L. Dow, and Tanya M. Sulikowski

Pinelands Commission, P.O. Box 7, New Lisbon, NJ 08064

The Pinelands Commission is conducting a long-term environmental monitoring program to provide a basis for assessing the long-term status of selected Pinelands natural resources and to better quantify the relationship of watershed level and community level factors to land use related disturbances. An important feature of the monitoring program is a hierarchical approach that includes several regional ecological indicators. Land cover and land use (development and agriculture) represent landscape level indicators. Watershed level indicators include surface water quality attributes, stream discharge, and water-table levels. Forested wetlands, stream vegetation, amphibian communities, and fish assemblages are among the community level indicators that we monitor in the region. We have found that the distribution of nonnative plant and animal communities is associated with watershed disturbance and water quality degradation gradients.

HABITAT ASSESSMENT OF ROWAN UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENTAL FIELD STATION: MOSS BIODIVERSITY.

Kurt M. Andress and Patricia Mosto

Department of Biological Sciences, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028-1701

During the fall ‘98 and spring ‘99, experiments were conducted on the Rowan Field Station, in Cape May County, to study the diversity of moss species and their soil-type requirements. Transect and plot sampling were employed in various regions throughout the field station to asses the diversity of moss species, habitat requirements and distribution patterns. Mosses are the second largest grouping of green plants, and show a vast diversity in both geographical location and species. The data indicates the land track is comprised of several species of moss and composed of mildly acidic soil (pH was 5-6 throughout most areas tested), with a nutrient loading of 10 ppm of nitrate, 70 ppm of phosphates and 166 ppm of potassium. The soil texture ranged from sandy clay to sand. A dependence between moss species and species diversity with environmental specifications could be drawn from the different sampling areas. An effort to maintain the biodiversity throughout the entire area, by protecting those species that are rare or exotic, is underway.

FISH - WHAT'S WRONG WITH THEM?: INDIRECT EFFECTS OF WATER QUALITY ON RATES OF INFECTION OF STREAM MINNOWS BY NEMATODE PARASITES (ASCARIDOIDEA, ANISAKIDAE) IN RIDLEY CREEK, SOUTHEASTERN PA.

Jason J. Bottoms, John Ginis, Jason Mitchell, Karen Stauffer, and Bruce W. Grant.

Department of Biology, Widener University, Chester, PA 19013.

email: grant@pop1.science.widener.edu; voice: 610-499-4017.

We investigated effects of water quality on rates of parasitic infection of minnows by a nematode sealworm (Ascaridoidea, Anisakidae) at five sites along Ridley Creek, in southeastern, Pa. Water quality was estimated chemically using a LaMott kit and microbiologically by counting bacteria from serial dilutions. Parasitism rates were estimated by counting small lesions in minnow body walls typical of encysted sealworm larvae. Data indicate that rates of parasitism increased for upstream fish with higher water quality. This suggests that sealworm larvae, which require pollution-sensitive arthropods as intermediate hosts, may be more sensitive to water quality than are their minnow hosts.

EFFECT OF DEER EXCLOSURE ON THE HERB LAYER AND THE INVASIVE ALLIARIA PETIOLATA.

Leone Brown and Janet A. Morrison.

Department of Biology, The College of New Jersey, P.O. Box 7718, Ewing, NJ 08628

Some non-native plants may invade because of little or no herbivory. We caged forest herb communities dominated by the invasive Alliaria petiolata, in two suburban forests with deer, and one urban forest without deer. Heights of Alliaria in cages were larger compared to uncaged plants only in one suburban forest, which also had lower herb layer cover, suggesting more severe browsing. We also saw signs of deer browse on Alliaria. In the suburban forests, Alliaria cover was lower outside cages, but caging did not affect other species’ cover. Alliaria petiolata appears able to invade in spite of herbivory.

ABSTRACTS OF POSTER PRESENTATIONS

SEEDLINGS OF INVASIVE NORWAY MAPLE (ACER PLATANOIDES) AND NATIVE TREES: VULNERABILITY AND CANOPY INFLUENCE.

Nicole Camera and Janet A. Morrison.

Department of Biology, The College of New Jersey, P.O. Box 7718, Ewing, NJ, 08628-0718

Non-native tree species may invade due to more successful seedlings. We sampled and compared the non-native and invasive Acer platanoides and native seedlings in two different transects; one under Acer platanoides canopy (with Quercus alba and Fraxinus americana) and the other under native tree canopy (predominantly Quercus rubra, Acer rubrum, and Fraxinus americana). The shady Acer platanoides canopy permitted less light to the forest floor, yet native and Acer platanoides seedlings were just as vulnerable to leaf loss, general herbivory, seedling loss, and death. The action of invasion does not appear to take place at the seedling level.

TRACKING POPULATIONS OF THE REDBACK SALAMANDER FOR THE USGS TERRESTRIAL SALAMANDER MONITORING PROGRAM: LESSONS IN THE USE OF COVERBOARDS.

Margaret A. Carfioli1, Harry M. Tiebout III1, Kristina M. Heister2, and Fredric C. Lutcher1

1Department of Biology, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383; 2Valley Forge National Historical Park, P.O. Box 953, Valley Forge, PA 19482

As part of the new Terrestrial Salamander Monitoring Program, we are testing experimental coverboard designs for their ability to attract plethodontid salamanders in Valley Forge National Historical Park. Different designs are intended to offer a range of temperatures and moistures, thus potentially attracting a variety of species. The most abundant species, Plethodon cinereus, occurs in two distinct color morphs: redback (striped) and leadback (unstriped). These morphs differed in their relative abundance among different locations, but more importantly they differed in their board design preferences. Accordingly, TSMP participants are advised to utilize multiple coverboard designs to avoid underestimating P. cinereus abundance.

ABSTRACTS OF POSTER PRESENTATIONS

THE IMPORTANCE OF LAND USE IN MAINTAINING BIODIVERSITY: THE EXAMPLE OF THE NAAMAN’S CREEK WATERSHED.

Marianne Cinaglia¹, Tammy Brant², and Gerald Kauffman³

1Naaman’s Creek Watershed Association; ²University of Delaware, Water Resources Agency and College of Marine Studies; ³University of Delaware, Institute for Public Administration, Water Resources Agency

Naaman's Creek Watershed is an interstate watershed located within the Delaware Estuary. It has two major branches, the majority of one located in the headwaters in Pennsylvania and the majority of the other (which has been the main focus of the presenting group) located downstream in Delaware. The character of the South Branch of Naaman's, because it lies on the edge of the Piedmont plateau, is unlike most streams in Delaware. This subwatershed encompasses the highest point in the state (450 ft. above sea level) and the stream flows from an altitude of approximately 400 feet to 50 feet at the Delaware River in six miles. The stream contains many boulder pools and riffle sections, a character not common in the Mid-Atlantic region. These riffle areas should contain an abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrate life. The land use in the entire watershed is continually evolving from agricultural and wooded areas to suburban and commercial use. Two maps will be displayed; the first shows the existing land use cover for the watershed in Pennsylvania and Delaware. The second shows the topography of the area as well as the open space/floodplains. This second map shows the state, municipal, and county-owned parks that form the nexus of a greenway corridor along the riparian area. Approximately a mile and a half of the Delaware section of the creek flows through the wooded lands of the Villages of Arden and Ardentown, communities founded upon Henry George’s concept of land value taxation, popularly known as the Single Tax. Arden is listed on the National Register of historic places. Because much of the watershed is in an urban/suburban setting, conserving and acquiring remaining open space and floodplain as protected lands is an important step to conserving the biodiversity and water quality of the Naaman's Creek.

STUDENT PROJECTS IN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY USING GIS AND GPS.

William J. Cromartie

Environmental Studies NAMS, Richard Stockton College, PO Box 195,

Pomona, NJ 08240

Supported by NSF, Stockton's Environmental Studies Program uses GeographicInformation Systems (GIS) to teach ecology and conservation biology.Courses include studies in which biological and physical data are combinedto understand environmental processes. Students in ecology lab choose acontinuing project to work on. Among these are studies of controlledburning and of effects of past land use on vegetation. These projectsrelate directly to conservation issues in the Pine Barrens. Studentscollect data using Global Positioning System (GPS), allowing direct inputinto GIS. Course materials, including a manual for GIS, are included on theEnvironmental Studies website:

http://www.stockton.edu/~cromartw/ccdgrant/ccdhome.htm

EFFECT OF BLISTER RUST ON WHITEBARK PINE IN MT. RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, WA.

P. D. DelPrato¹, G. J. Ettl¹, and R Rochefort²

EFFECTS OF CHAMBER ACTIVITY ON THE DIGESTIVE PERFORMANCE OF THE EASTERN FENCE LIZARD (SCELOPORUS UNDULATUS).

Robert T. Dendall, Catherine C. L’Armand, Itzick Vatnick and Bruce W. Grant

Department of Biology, Widener University, Chester, PA 19013

email: grant@pop1.science.widener.edu; voice: 610-499-4017

We have devised a novel method that simultaneously uses infrared time lapse video imaging to measure activity and a Sable Systems oxygen analyzer to measure rates of metabolism by Eastern Fence Lizards (Sceloporus undulatus). Data indicate that even slight chamber activity (e.g. moving 1 m/ 24 mins) can elevate metabolism by 40%. This invalidates the commonly held assumption that activity is unimportant. We present data on the digestive performance (specific dynamic effect and digestive efficiency) of 8 female lizards at three test temperatures. We show the tremendous improvement in estimating digestive performance metrics by removing the effects of activity metabolism.

ANNUAL VARIATION IN LIFE HISTORY OF THE EASTERN FENCE LIZARD SCELOPORUS UNDULATUS FROM THE NEW JERSEY PINE BARRENS: EFFECTS OF THE EL NINO OF 1997-98.

Robert T. Dendall, Stephanie Skelly, Bruce W. Grant, and Itzick Vatnick.

Department of Biology, Widener University, Chester, PA 19013

email: grant@pop1.science.widener.edu; voice: 610-499-4017

We report data on a multi-year ecological study (since 1995) of the Eastern Fence Lizard, Sceloporus undulatus, from a 7 ha site in the Wharton State Forest in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Data indicate that these lizards exhibit several unusual life history characteristics compared with other sceloporines (slow growth rates, females larger than males, and delayed maturity). Further, we report significant year differences among growth rates, body sizes, and overwinter survival. Some of these differences may be explained by the unusually strong El Nino of 1997-98 which led to the northeast experiencing among its warmest winters in 100 years.

EFFECTS OF INVASIVE VINES ON GROWTH RATES OF EASTERN WHITE PINE (PINUS STROBUS) IN RIDLEY CREEK STATE PARK, PA.

Gregory J. Ettl, Molly A. Hammond, and Danielle Strano.

Department of Biology, St. Joseph’s University, 5600 City Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19131

We examined the effect of woody vines, mostly Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus ), on the growth of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) in Ridley Creek State Park Pennsylvania. Increment cores were extracted from trees with and without vines and annual rings were converted to basal area increment. No difference in growth among trees with and without vines was observed during 1957-1966 (before vine invasion), but there was a significant growth reduction during 1987-1996 (one-way ANOVA, F=6.90, p<.01). Our results suggest that changes in the structure of southeastern Pennsylvania forests can occur within 15 years of Asiatic bittersweet invasion.

URBAN IMPACTS ON WATER QUALITY AND BIODIVERSITY IN DARBY CREEK, SOUTHEASTERN PA.

Jeffrey Fallon, Penny Lucky, Bradley String, and Bruce W. Grant.

Department of Biology, Widener University, Chester, PA 19013

email: grant@pop1.science.widener.edu; voice: 610-499-4017.

Biodiversity is a crucial aspect of ecosystems and can indicate environmental health. Great interest in biodiversity has arisen because of urban causes of biodiversity loss. We examined the effects of urbanization on water quality and biodiversity along Darby Creek in the Philadelphia area. We hypothesized that at more urban sites water quality and biodiversity of macroinvertebrates would decrease. We chose four sites along Darby Creek where we sampled physical and chemical stream characteristics and macroinvertebrate biodiversity using a kick net. Results show little variation in pH, hardness, silica, and ammonia-nitrate, but some differences in CO₂ and O₂ levels. Upstream sites showed the highest diversity (exp H’= 7.86) which greatly declined downstream (lowest site, exp H’= 3.77). In addition, the spectrum of macroinvertebrates found at the lower sites indicated impacted streams.

ABSTRACTS OF POSTER PRESENTATIONS

SPECIES MODELING AND CONSERVATION SOFTWARE, A TECHNICAL DEMO.

James N. Gorham

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Delaware Bay Estuary Project, 2610 Whitehall Neck Road, Smyrna, DE 19977. Phone (302) 730-3619 (x12).

The Gap Analysis Program (GAP) provides regionwide biodiversity analysis through land cover mapping, vertebrate species distributional modeling, species richness analysis, and mapping of land management status. The scope of data developed as a part of any GAP project supports a wide range of questions and data queries, with the potential of providing critical information with real effects on species conservation. An early consideration in the development of data sets for the Mid-Atlantic GAP program (Delaware, Maryland) was developing an effective vehicle for distribution to make this data available to land managers and biologists. We have designed a custom ArcView GUI which provides desktop access to GAP data sets, and enables users to perform custom modeling or queries of GAP data. Information (both spatial and non-spatial) on vegetative cover, land use, species distribution, species-habitat models, species taxonomy or status, species richness, plant community or habitat classifications, etc. can be readily accessed through a menu/dialog driven software. In addition, custom species distribution models can be developed with user defined parameters, or plant community alliances determined through user input of site specific information, such as dominant species or site hydrology. The GAP data is stored in an Oracle relational database; Structured Query Language (SQL) scripts were in ArcView's Avenue programs to access the database from the ArcView platform.

THE IMPACT OF TERRAPIN EXCLUDERS ON COMMERCIAL CRAB CATCHES.

Renae Held

Wetlands Institute, Stone Harbor, NJ 08247.

Every year unknown numbers of terrapins are unintentionally caught and subsequently drown in commercial crab traps. To ameliorate this situation, researchers at the Wetlands Institute have invented and

extensively tested a simple but effective terrapin excluder device which is easily fitted to the inner end of the entrance funnels of commercial crab traps. The New Jersey Division of Fish, Game, and Wildlife now requires that commercial crab traps possess an excluder under certain circumstances. Because of this new regulation several varieties of excluders are now being manufactured commercially. Experiments

conducted at the Institute during the summer of 1998 tested the effectiveness of four different widely available excluders.

ABSTRACTS OF POSTER PRESENTATIONS

THE ROLE OF ERICOID MYCORRHIZAE IN THE ECOSYSTEM DYNAMICS OF THE HEATHLANDS AND SURROUNDING FORESTS OF THE POCONO PLATEAU, PENNSYLVANIA.

Wendy Lawrence and Roger Latham

Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081

The factors influencing ecosystem dynamics of heathlands and surrounding forests in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, are unknown. To test whether mineral nitrogen availability is lower in heathlands than in adjacent forests, the role of ericoid mycorrhizae was studied. Unlike most non-ericaceous plants, plants with ericoid mycorrhizal associations can utilize organic nitrogen, and may thus monopolize nitrogen when they are sufficiently abundant. In one field and two greenhouse experiments, I analyzed mycorrhizal colonization in Kalmia angustifolia and Vaccinium angustifolium grown with varying levels of organic and inorganic nitrogen. Implications are discussed for the restoration of the species-rich heathlands on the Pocono Plateau.

THE EDUCATION COMPONENT OF THE BIODIVERSITY CRISIS.

Erik Mollenhauer

NJ Geographic Alliance, Educational Information & Resource Center (EIRC),

606 Delsea Drive, Sewell NJ 08080

The quest to maintain biodiversity will require extensive efforts in education and public outreach, the cooperation among many organizations. Several projects housed at the Educational Information and Resource Center (EIRC) in Sewell NJ offer informative approaches in this regard. "Global Connections Through Bird Migration", is a standards-based project working to connect NJ and Costa Rican students with a cross-content approach to teaching science, social studies, art, technology and Spanish. A 10-day Summer Institute for teachers in July 1999 will focus on the environmental, cultural, and economic connections that bind NJ with the western hemisphere. The projects are cooperative efforts involving EIRC, National Geographic Society, NJ Audubon, NJ Conservation Foundation, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, PSE&G, Costa Rican Ministry of Education and others.

ECOLOGICAL AMPLITUDE FOR LIGHT IN THE INVASIVE FOREST PLANT GARLIC MUSTARD (ALLIARIA PETIOLATA).

Janet A. Morrison

Department of Biology, The College of New Jersey, P.O. Box 7718, Ewing, NJ 08628-0718

The forest invader Alliaria petiolata grows at high light forest edges as well as low light interiors. In order to investigate the genetic basis for this wide ecological amplitude for light in the species, I grew seed from edge and interior stands in an outdoor factorial experiment under full sun or shade cloth. Growth was much greater under shade regardless of seed origin, so Alliaria’s ability to utilize different light levels appears to be due to a plastic response rather than genetic differences between edge and interior individuals. So, edge stands can be the source of invasion to the interior.

EFFECTS OF OLD CLAY VS. NEW PLASTIC MUNICIPAL SEWAGE PIPES ON WATER QUALITY AND MICROBIAL ECOLOGY IN LITTLE CRUM CREEK, SWARTHMORE, PA.

Jennifer A. Piesvaux, Catherine C. L'Armand, Margaret Sadoff, Courtney Siegel, and Bruce W. Grant.

Department of Biology, Widener University, Chester, PA, 19013.

email: grant@pop1.science.widener.edu; voice: 610-499-4017.

The borough of Swarthmore, PA, has undertaken a multi-million dollar upgrade of its municipal sewage system because leaks from its antiquated clay pipes contaminate the Little Crum Creek. Several major sections of piping in areas where the sewage system flows near the creek were replaced with new plastic pipes. We sampled water chemistry and microbial communities (algae and bacteria) in areas of old and recently upgraded sewage pipes to test if these upgrades improved adjacent water quality. Results indicate that although water chemistry and microbial communities varied greatly among sampling locations, water quality and sewage pipe age were uncorrelated.

TURTLES AND TIRES: THE IMPACT OF ROAD KILLS ON NORTHERN DIAMONDBACK

TERRAPIN (MALACLEMYS TERRAPIN TERRAPIN) POPULATIONS IN SOUTHERN NEW

JERSEY.

John Rebar¹ and Lara Calcagni²

1Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Pomona, NJ 08280; ²Delaware County Community College, Media, PA 19063.

Each summer between early June and mid-July female terrapins leave the coastal salt marshes to deposit their eggs above the high tide mark. Owing to the loss of much of their original nesting habitat terrapins have had to seek alternative nesting sites, which often include the embankments of roads crossing or adjacent to salt marshes. These roads are heavily trafficked during the summer months and therefore a large number of gravid females are killed by motor vehicles. Interns at the Wetlands Institute have patrolled roughly 20 miles of coastal roads in order to assess the extent of the road kill problem. These patrols also

collect potentially viable eggs from dead terrapins. These eggs are then brought to Stockton College for incubation and raised over the following winter. These "head starters" are then released back into the

salt marsh the following summer.

DOES LYTHRUM SALICARIA AFFECT LOCAL PLANT DIVERSITY AND UNDER WHAT GROWTH CONDITIONS DOES THIS INVASIVE PLANT THRIVE?

Janette Steets and Richard Niesenbaum

Biology Department, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104-5586

The effect of the invasive plant Lythrum salicaria on community plant diversity was assessed. The optimal growth conditions, including soil moisture, soil pH, and light penetration, for Lythrum salicaria, were determined by comparing plots containing Lythrum salicaria to plots lacking this species. The Shannon-Weaver diversity indices were lower in plots containing Lythrum salicaria than in plots lacking this species, but this effect was not statistically significant. The soil moisture and light penetration were significantly higher in the plots containing Lythrum salicaria than in the plots lacking this invasive plant. The soil pH differed among plots.

WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THE PERSISTENCE OF THE POCONO TILL BARRENS OF MONROE CO. PA ?

Anna Sugden-Newberry and Roger Latham

Department of Biology; Swarthmore College; 500 College Ave.; Swarthmore, PA 19081-1397

The Pocono till barrens are shrub dominated vegetation communities which pre-date European settlement. Understanding what maintains these unique communities is of interest from both an ecological and a conservation perspective. I used GIS technology to determine the effect of historical and geographical variables on barrens persistence in Monroe country, Pennsylvania. Data were examined from two time periods: no fire suppression (1938-1964) and strict fire suppression (1964-1992). Forest proximity had no effect on barrens persistence, while slope, geology and fire history were of differing importance in the two time periods studied.

SHOREBIRD DIET DURING MIGRATION THROUGH DELAWARE BAY.

Nellie Tsipoura and Joanna Burger

Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, 14 College Farm Rd, Cook College, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8551.

During spring migration thousands of shorebirds gather in Delaware Bay, during the spawning of the horseshoe crabs. During their stopover the birds substantially increase their body mass by storing sufficient fat and muscle protein to complete their migration to the breeding grounds. We studied the diet of migrating shorebirds by looking at gut contents. Horseshoe crab egg membranes constituted the bulk of the diet for all species and at all collection sites. Polychaete and oligochaete worms were also found in gut samples collected at certain beaches. Current declines in horseshoe crab populations may threaten the delicate interaction between the migratory shorebirds and their prey.

THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION’S BLACK FLY SUPPRESSION PROGRAM ON THE DELAWARE RIVER.

Allen C. Whitehead

PA Dept. of Environmental Protection, Southeast Regional Office, Suite 6010,

555 North Lane, Conshohocken, PA 19428

Our goal is to reduce the black fly population to below pest levels by environmentally compatible methods. The program began on the Delaware River in 1996.

Biologists determine the need for treatment by carefully monitoring larval population levels. The material used is Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (B.t.i.), a naturally occurring bacterium. B.t.i. disrupts cellular metabolism in black fly larvae when ingested, causing mortality. B.t.i. not consumed degrades quickly in the aquatic environment.

Since 1989, The PA Academy of Natural Sciences and PA DEP have been investigating potential effects on fish and other macroinvertebrates. To date, no ecologically significant changes have been found.

NITROGEN AVAILABILITY IN THE HEATH BARRENS OF THE POCONO PLATEAU, PENNSYLVANIA.

Georgine Yorge and Roger Latham

Department of Biology, Swarthmore College; 500 College Ave.; Swarthmore, PA 19081-1397

The species-rich Pocono heath barrens unexpectedly persist on a similar soil type and moisture regime as adjacent forests. Field and greenhouse experiments evaluated the hypothesis that barrens plants alter nitrogen cycling, lowering mineral nitrogen levels and inhibiting invasion by most forest species. A greenhouse test using Carex pensylvanica suggests that there may be less available nitrogen in barrens soil. However, a bioassay of nitrogen uptake by fine roots of Acer rubrum and Amelanchier spp., suggests that the few trees growing in the barrens are no more nitrogen stressed than those in the forest. Conservation implications of these results are discussed.