Woodland Wildlife Habitat Improvement Guide, February 4, 2010

Most non-grazed Iowa woodlands and surrounding openings are excellent habitat for a variety of birds and animals if there is a diversity of over story tree species and understory vegetation. As vegetative structures of woodlands change over time, the diversity of the woodland will change, and some species of birds and animals will benefit more then others. To optimize habitat development for the wildest range of bird and animal species, concentrate on maintaining as much vegetative diversity in the woodland as possible. To make improvement for individual species, the special needs of those species will have to be met by targeting precise woodland activities in specific areas.

Sex allocation conflict in ants: when the queen rules.

Insect societies are paramount examples of cooperation, yet they also harbor internal conflicts whose resolution depends on the power of the opponents. The male-haploid, female-diploid sex-determining system of ants causes workers to be more related to sisters than to brothers, whereas queens are equally related to daughters and sons. Workers should thus allocate more resources to females than to males, while queens should favor an equal investment in each sex. Female-biased sex allocation and manipulation of the sex ratio during brood development suggest that workers prevail in many ant species. Here, we show that queens of Formica selysi strongly influenced colony sex allocation by biasing the sex ratio of their eggs. Most colonies specialized in the production of a single sex. Queens in female-specialist colonies laid a high proportion of diploid eggs, whereas queens in male-specialist colonies laid almost exclusively haploid eggs, which constrains worker manipulation. However, the change in sex ratio between the egg and pupae stages suggests that workers eliminated some male brood, and the population sex-investment ratio was between the queens' and workers' equilibria. Altogether, these data provide evidence for an ongoing conflict between queens and workers, with a prominent influence of queens as a result of their control of egg sex ratio.

Trends in Iowa Wildlife Populations and Harvest 2010, October 2011

A report by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on the trends of Iowa wildlife populations and harvest.

Trends in Iowa Wildlife Populations and Harvest 2011, October 2012

A report by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on the trends of Iowa wildlife populations and harvest.

Trends in Iowa Wildlife Populations and Harvest 2012, October 2013

A report by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on the trends of Iowa wildlife populations and harvest.

Trends in Iowa Wildlife Populations and Harvest 2013, December 2014

A report by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on the trends of Iowa wildlife populations and harvest.

Trends in Iowa Wildlife Populations and Harvest 2001, October 2002

A report by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on the trends of Iowa wildlife populations and harvest.

Trends in Iowa Wildlife Populations and Harvest 2002, September 2003

A report by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on the trends of Iowa wildlife populations and harvest.

Trends in Iowa Wildlife Populations and Harvest 2003, December 2004

A report by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on the trends of Iowa wildlife populations and harvest.

Trends in Iowa Wildlife Populations and Harvest 2004, October 2005

A report by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on the trends of Iowa wildlife populations and harvest.