Ecological research at Northwestern College

Click on each of the following to download 2006-2014 research posters presented at the Iowa Academy of Science annual conference:

2006:

The Effects of European Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) on a Floodplain Forest in Sioux County, Iowa

Authors: Todd Tracy, Nic Boersma, Lisa Walters, Gena Dubois, Mark Bradley, Ashlie Arthur, Michelle Garrels, Jonathan Jansen, Christina Mick, Timothy Swart, and Allyson Tenold

The effect of pollinator exclusion on the fruit set of Solidago rigida and Salvia azurea

Authors: Nic Boersma, Tyler Simmelink, and Laurie Furlong

2007:

Monitoring the Impact of European Buckthorn in Two Forest Communities in Northwestern Iowa
Authors: Todd Tracy, Daryn Dockter, Emily Vander Broek, Justin Boersma, Rachel Weeks, Laurie Furlong, Alex Kolb, Gena Dubois, Josiah Olson, and Laura Rensink

The effects of a spring burn on noxious weeds in a tallgrass prairie
Authors: Emily Vander Broek, Todd Tracy, Justin Boersma, and Rachel Weeks

2008:

Allelopathy in an invasive shrub: A comparison of European buckthorn to other species

Authors: Gena Dubois, Jenna Noble, Lisa Walters, and Todd Tracy

Predation of artificial nests placed in native vs. invasive shrubs

Authors: Todd Tracy, Jesse Nieuwenhuis, and Jackie Knibbe

Effects of red cedar on invertebrate abundance and morphospecies richness

Authors: Jenna Noble, Todd Tracy, Jesse Nieuwenhuis, and Jonathan Gesink

Monitoring the Effects of European Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) Removal from A Forest Community:

Ground Beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Richness and Abundance

Authors: Laurie Furlong, Todd Tracy, Lisa Walters, Jackie Knibbe, and Jesse Nieuwenhuis

2009:

The Allelopathic Properties of Fruit and Leaf Extracts of the Invasive European Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and White Mulberry (Morus alba)

Authors: Erica Boyd, Todd Tracy, Jenna Noble, Erin Brogan, Jacob Gaster, and Heidi Doty

PCR Analysis as a Possible Means for Sex Determination of Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana)

Authors: Jaclyn Knibbe, Elizabeth Heeg-Truesdell, and Todd Tracy

Effects of Eastern Redcedar and its removal on invertebrate abundance and richness in two relict prairies

Authors: Erin Brogan, Jacob Gaster, Jenna Noble, Heidi Doty, Erica Boyd, Todd Tracy, and Matt Vander Molen

2010:

Seed dormancy in leafy spurge Euphorbia Esula and the potential for enhanced germination in the soil of
eastern redcedar Juniperus virginiana
Authors: Heather Pagelkopf, Tyler McKenney, Akacia Wentworth, and Todd Tracy

2011:

The Effects of European Buckthorn Rhamnus cathartica on Soil Properties in a Riparian Forest

Authors: Olivia Norman, Todd Tracy, Sara Burmakow, and Heather Craven

Assessing the genetic relationships between mayfly (Baetis) populations

Authors: Daniel Locker, Jacob Peterson, Laurie Furlong and Sara Tolsma

Experimental Pollinator Exclusion in Low and High Density Stands of Chamaecrista fasciculata (Partridge Pea)

Authors: Heather Pagelkopf, Jacob Gaster, David Carter, Heidi Doty, and Laurie Furlong

2013:

The Effects of Eastern Red Cedar on Soil properties in a Northwest Iowa Prairie
Authors: Olivia Norman and Todd Tracy

Does European Buckthorn Affect the Distribution of Anurans in a Gallery Forest?
Authors: Todd Tracy and Olivia Norman

2014:

Earth, trees, and fire: Ecological interactions at Niobrara Valley Preserve
Authors: Jordan Reinders, Kyle Cleveringa, Ben Schmidt, Emily Stricklin, Sarah Kaltenbach, Todd Tracy, and Laurie Furlong