NENHC 2006 Abstracts
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Abstracts APRIL 20 – APRIL 21, 2006 A FORUM FOR CURRENT RESEARCH The Northeastern Naturalist The New York State Museum is a program of The University of the State of New York/The State Education Department APRIL 20 – APRIL 21, 2006 A FORUM FOR CURRENT RESEARCH SUGGESTED FORMAT FOR CITING ABSTRACTS: Abstracts Northeast Natural History Conference IX. N.Y. State Mus. Circ. 70: page number(s). 2006. ISBN: 1-55557-233-2 The University of the State of New York THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ALBANY, NY 12230 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Regents of The University ROBERT M. BENNETT, Chancellor, B.A., M.S. .................................................................... Tonawanda ADELAIDE L. SANFORD, Vice Chancellor, B.A., M.A., P.D. .............................................. Hollis SAUL B. COHEN, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. ................................................................................... New Rochelle JAMES C. DAWSON, A.A., B.A., M.S., Ph.D. ..................................................................... Peru ANTHONY S. BOTTAR, B.A., J.D. ........................................................................................ North Syracuse MERRYL H. TISCH, B.A., M.A., Ed.D. ............................................................................... New York GERALDINE D. CHAPEY, B.A., M.A., Ed.D. ....................................................................... Belle Harbor ARNOLD B. GARDNER, B.A., LL.B. ...................................................................................... Buffalo HARRY PHILLIPS, 3rd, B.A., M.S.F.S. ................................................................................ Hartsdale JOSEPH E. BOWMAN, JR., B.A., M.L.S., M.A., M.Ed., Ed.D .............................................. Albany LORRAINE A. CORTÉS-VÁZQUEZ, B.A., M.P.A. .................................................................. Bronx JAMES R. TALLON, JR., B.A., M.A. .................................................................................... Binghamton MILTON L. COFIELD, B.S., M.B.A., Ph.D. ......................................................................... Rochester JOHN BRADEMAS, B.A., Ph.D. ............................................................................................ New York ROGER B. TILLES, B.A., J.D.................................................................................................. Great Neck President of The University and Commissioner of Education RICHARD P. MILLS Chief of Staff Counsel and Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs KATHY A. AHEARN Chief Operating Officer Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Management Services THERESA E. SAVO Deputy Commissioner for Cultural Education CAROLE F. HUXLEY DIRECTOR OF THE NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM CLIFFORD A. SIEGFRIED DIRECTOR, RESEARCH AND COLLECTIONS DIVISION JOHN P. HART The State Education Department does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, creed, disability, marital status, veteran status, national origin, race, gender, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or sexual orientation in its educational programs, services and activities. Portions of this publication can be made available in a variety of formats, including braille, large print or audio tape, upon request. Inquiries concerning this policy of nondiscrimination should be directed to the Department’s Of- fice for Diversity, Ethics, and Access, Room 530, Education Building, Albany, NY 12234.Requests for additional copies of this publication may be made by contacting Publications Sales, Room 3140, Cultural Education Center, Albany, NY 12230. Northeast Natural History Conference IX iii Table of Contents Conference Highlights ............................................................................................................................iv Focus on Nature IX ......................................................................................................................iv Keynote Address ...........................................................................................................................iv Overview of Conference Sessions ..........................................................................................................1 Oral Presentations Schedule ..................................................................................................................2 Abstracts for Oral Presentations ..........................................................................................................17 Abstracts for Poster Presentations ........................................................................................................67 Index ........................................................................................................................................................93 The Northeast Natural History Conference IX is a joint project of the New York State Museum, the New York State Biodiversity Research Institute, and the New York State Museum Institute. It is sponsored in part by the New York Flora Association and the Northeastern Naturalist. The con- ference is held biennially at the New York State Museum and the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany, NY. Previous conference abstracts and conference updates are available from the Northeast Natural History Conference website: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/nhc. Conference Organizer and Abstract Editor Ronald J. Gill (New York State Biodiversity Research Institute) Conference Sponsors New York Flora Association – Sponsor of Two Student Presentation Awards and Advertising Services The Northeastern Naturalist – Advertising Services Conference Planners Plaza Meetings, Latham, NY Printing by Lane Press of Albany, Albany, NY iv Conference Highlights Focus on Nature IX — Opening Reception A Natural History Art Exhibit at the New York State Museum Thursday, April 20, 2006 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Exhibition Hall, New York State Museum (Reception open to all conference participants.) The Exhibition: Focus on Nature (FON) is a biennial exhibit of scientific, natural and cultural history illustration that began in 1990 in conjunction with the Northeast Natural History Conference. While the opening still coincides with the Natural History Conference, the exhibit has taken on a life of its own and each year the geographical representation, breadth of subject matter, and quality has increased to a level of high standard and international participation. Artworks considered for inclusion must accurately represent the subjects, or research reults and processes. Focus on Nature IX will coincide with an exhibition celebrat- ing the 10th year of COM.EN.ART, a natural history artist’s resedency which takes place at the Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve, Rensselaerville, NY. The purchase prize money will be $10,000 and is awarded on the basis of high quality, scientific ac- curacy, and aesthetic achievement. The artwork will be accessioned into the permanent collection of the New York State Museum. This collection includes approximately 18,000 illustrations primarily created for museum publications, by such artists as Louis Agassiz Fuertes, George Barkentin, Ernest Thompson Seton, Mary Banning, and numerous excellent contemporary artists. Focus on Nature IX will be exhibited from April 20, 2006 to September 10, 2006. Keynote Address Dr. Stephen C. Trombulak Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies, Middlebury College Thursday, April 20, 2006 8:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Clark Auditorium, New York State Museum The Human Footprint in the Northern Appalachian/Acadian Ecoregion Trombulak*, Stephen C. (Department of Biology and Program in Environmental Studies, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753) The Northern Appalachian/Acadian ecoregion covers portions of four U.S. states (New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine) and four Canadian provinces (Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and PEI). It has one of the longest histories of post-Columbian human development in North America, which has had a profound effect not only on the natural history of the region but also on the prospects for conservation in the 21st century. To understand the magnitude and distribution of human transformation in the region, my colleagues at the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Nature Conservancy and I developed a spatially explicit map of its human footprint. We used region-specific datasets at a high resolution (90 × 90 m) to reveal not only the remaining “wild” landscapes and potential ecological linkages within the area, but also to identify potential low-cost opportunities and priorities for conservation action. The data sets used to assess the human footprint include measures of hu- man settlement (both population and dwelling density), land use/land cover, transportation networks, electrical power lines, and dams. Human footprint scores are then calculated by summing the scores across all the data sets and normalizing the total between 0 and 100. I will discuss the patterns observed in the human footprint map, including identification of the areas under the greatest stress and analysis of how the human footprint corresponds to the region’s existing network of protected areas. Overview of Conference Sessions Overview of Conference Sessions THURSDAY – April 20, 2006 Meeting Room 1 Meeting Room 2 Meeting Room 3 Meeting Room 4 Devonian to Holocene: Ecological Status & Recovery Bird Conservation & Invasive Species & Botanical New Discoveries from Rocks & of Acidified Adirondack Monitoring Studies Sediments in the Northeast Surface