A black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) visits the flowers of prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya) in year nine of a tallgrass prairie restoration experiment in northeastern Kansas. The photo, by postdoctoral researcher Reb Bryant, was chosen for the October cover of the journal Ecological Applications.

Research highlights | New grants | Publications | Presentations
New mapping apps | News | Kudos | Events 

This newsletter highlights activities of the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research at the University of Kansas. Anyone may subscribe. Email biosurvey@ku.edu regarding any errors or omissions. Newsletters are archived on our website.

A new National Science Foundation grant brings together researchers from KU, Arkansas State University, the University of Nebraska and Kansas State University to test specific types of microscopic soil fungi for their potential to build drought tolerance in wheat and rice. Read more

Researchers at the University of Kansas are in the midst of a project to test whether water injection dredging can be used to clear sediment buildup in Tuttle Creek Lake, a vital reservoir that provides drinking water and flood control for over 40 percent of Kansans. Watch video

Potential of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to confer drought tolerance in wheat and rice (highlighted above): $1.9 million, National Science Foundation, "Boosting tolerance to water stress in rice and wheat using mycorrhizal inoculants." Lead investigator Jim Bever, senior scientist/Foundation Dist. Prof. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB). Investigators: Liz Koziol, assistant research prof.; Peggy Schultz, researcher; Terra Lubin, researcher. Read KU News release

Microbiome feedback, plant communities and ecosystem function: $575,053, National Science Foundation, "Theory and tests of microbiome feedback: Applications to understanding plant community structure and implications for ecosystem function." Lead investigator Jim Bever; co-investigator Peggy Schultz. Collaborator Maarten Eppinga, University of Zurich, has a separate award from the Swiss National Science Foundation.

(L-R) Joel Swift, postdoctoral researcher; Maggie Wagner; and Kai Sarwinski, undergraduate researcher, worked this summer with colleagues in Fort Collins, Colo., collecting samples and data from hundreds of maize (corn) plants.

Study of corn crop yields with reduced synthetic nitrogen: $140,582, funded through Colorado State University, “Breeding and mechanisms to maximize yield at 45% current nitrogen level.” Lead KU investigator Maggie Wagner, associate scientist/associate professor of EEB. Collaborators from Colorado State.

Modeling real-time prediction of wildland fire spread and transport of airborne burning embers: $339,880, National Science Foundation, "Coupled fire spread and firebrand transport modeling using high resolution data." Lead investigator Haiyang Chao, KU engineering. Co-investigator Sheena Parsons, KU Field Station manager. Collaborators from the University of Missouri, Georgia State University and Florida State University. 

Effect of Mars-relevant salts on the growth and health of key crop plants: $125,000, Rapid Response Research (R3) grant through the Kansas NASA EPSCoR Program, "Rfa-025 growth of plants in 'Deep Space-Relevant' Earth soils or conditions: Crop tolerance and endophyte benefits under Mars-relevant salinity stress." The project ultimately supports NASA's objectives for sustainable extraterrestrial crop systems and informs 
strategies for using in-situ Martian materials for future space habitats. Lead investigator Ben Sikes, senior scientist/professor of EEB. Collaborating company: Rhodium Scientific, Houston. 

Sikes's Lab also was awarded a Kansas NASA EPSCoR Partnership Development Grant to support three trips by Sikes and students to visit the Kennedy Space Center. Goals: 1) discuss the potential for INVAM (the world's largest collection of a specific type of mycorrhizal fungi, held at KU) to connect with the Space Center's work on controlled systems agriculture; 2) link the Space Center's work on plant-microbial research in space with expertise and educational opportunities at KU. 

Using Sentinel-2 satellite greenness imagery to understand water supply to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge: $52,914, The Nature Conservancy, "Rattlesnake Creek: Precision fallowing pilot." Lead investigator J. Kastens, research professor. Investigators D. Weiss, researcher; D. Reuman, senior scientist/professor of EEB.

The Lower Wakarusa watershed map, with the land cover image layer over a shaded relief of elevation, illustrates the landscape variety in this relatively small area. 

Mapping the Lower Wakarusa Valley watershed (Douglas County, Kansas): $40,000, KansasView/AmericaView, "The Lower Wakarusa River Valley GIS Portal." The watershed contains cropland, remnant and restored forests, prairies, and two wetland complexes managed separately by Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU) and Baker University. The goal is to integrate geospatial data layers with research data collections and environmental activities from HINU and Baker. Lead investigator Dana Peterson, researcher. Investigator Debbie Baker, researcher.

Mapping playas before restoration: $12,507, Kansas Water Resources Institute, "Pre-restoration GIS Assessment of a Kansas Playa." Lead investigator Jude Kastens, research professor. 

KU Research Pivot Awards (seed funding):

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS

An example of the context-dependent nature of AM fungal benefits in a cultivated crop: "Additive and synergistic effects of mycorrhizal inoculants and fertilizer in enhancing chard (Beta vulgaris) growth under glasshouse cultivation," The Microbe. L. Koziol, T. McKenna, J. Bever.

Long-term field experiments with intermediate wheatgrass and alfalfa intercropping took place at seven sites, as far east as Vermont and west to Salina, Kansas.

Results of intermediate wheatgrass and alfalfa intercrops at sites across the U.S.: "Alfalfa intercrop rarely limits productivity of intermediate wheatgrass across diverse edaphic and climate conditions," Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. T. McKenna et al.

Organizing data on AMF fungal spores for more accurate identification of field-collected AMF fungi: "Dichotomous keys for morphological identification of spores produced by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (phylum Glomeromycota) integrating the mode of spore formation and a spore developmental model," Mycorrhiza. J. Bever, T. Lubin, L. Koziol, P. Schultz et al.

Use of a faster computer model to improve future projections of land-atmosphere interactions: "Efficient emulation, uncertainty quantification, and sensitivity analysis for a land surface model using evidential deep learning," Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems. S. Billings et al.

Habitat use data from a multi-year study of fishes in the San Francisco Estuary and Sacramento River ecosystems (information toward conservation management): "Habitat use differences mediate population threat exposure in white sturgeon," Environmental Biology of Fishes. D. Reuman et al. 

Site preparation techniques and microbial inoculation as drivers of plant community composition in recovery of invaded grasslands: "Inoculation with old-growth microbes improves restoration quality and reduces non-native encroachment after seven years," Ecological Applications. R. Bryant, L. Koziol, J. Bever et al.

Development of interactive maps quantifying proportional redcedar cover to detect early invasion and prioritize interventions: "Mapping proportions of eastern redcedar in Kansas using Sentinel-2 imagery and random forest model," Journal of Earth Observation and Geospatial Applications. D. Peterson, X. Li, J. Kastens.

Effect of planting-year climate on restored prairie: "Natural variation in planting-year climate explains variation in developing floristic composition of restored prairie," Journal of Applied Ecology. Z. Storc, K. Eckhoff, D. Reuman, S. Baer.

Assessing fire effects on soil systems in light of increasing frequency and severity of wildfires: "Pyrodiversity-biodiversity hypothesis and soil fungi—barking up the wrong tree or only at the wrong time?" Mycologia. B. Sikes et al.

OPEN-FILE REPORTS
Tracking changes in Kansas precipitation extremes: "Characterizing spatial and temporal changes in Kansas’s seasonal to annual hydroclimatic extremes." Kansas Geological Survey Open-File Report 2026–34. D. Weiss, J. Kastens et al. 

ORGANIZATION OF BIOLOGICAL FIELD STATIONS ANNUAL MEETING
Rice Woodland fire and interdisciplinary projects: Sheena Parsons, KU Field Station manager, and Ally Pruente, undergraduate student in environmental studies and journalism, presented a lightning talk and poster at the meeting, held at the Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park. The presentations covered the recent prescribed fire at the KU Field Station's Rice Woodland and the art exhibition that took place in conjunction with the development of a public trail in the woodland.

SIOUAN AND CADDOAN LANGUAGES CONFERENCE 
Ethnobotanical uses of native plants: George Growingthunder, 2026 KU master's level graduate in Indigenous studies, and Lisa Castle, researcher, gave a presentation at this KU-hosted conference about the USDA-funded USDA PLANTS Database Ethnobotany Project. Through the project, researchers work with language partners to gather and add data on ethnobotanical uses of plants for inclusion in this national database.

HASKELL-KU STUDENT RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 
Effects of nighttime light pollution on monarch butterfly development and potential implications for conservation: Emma Frederiksen, postbaccalaureate scholar in the BioGEM program at KU, presented a poster at the symposium at Haskell Indian National University. Emma is mentored by Kristen Baum, senior scientist/professor of EEB/Monarch Watch director, and Cailin Kessen, graduate student co-mentor.

INVITED LECTURES
Dana Peterson, Kansas Applied Remote Sensing Program researcher, presented "Remote sensing of vegetation: Am I green enough? GreenReports for monitoring vegetation," a talk about the Sentinel GreenReport® Plus application, through the IowaView GIS series of talks at Iowa State University. 

Dan Reuman, senior scientist/professor of EEB, presented "Estimating how climatic variability influences where on Earth a species is found" at the University of Florida, with attendees from several countries, and at the Data Sciences Institute in Chicago. He also gave a talk on AI-based forecasting in agroecosystems at the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) in Leipzig.

The Kansas Applied Remote Sensing Program has brought two new open-source applications online.

A screenshot from the Nested Hexagon Framework app shows the division of the state into hexagonal areas within which users can search to find data from many sources.

The Nested Hexagon Framework and Landscape Summary Database: This four-year project (lead investigator Mike Houts, researcher), funded by the Information Network of Kansas, was developed to make data more discoverable. It integrates local and national datasets on topics including wildlife observations, landscape characteristics, energy resources and climate data. Recent application of the Framework include:

The Kansas Hydroclimate Extremes map (developed by David Weiss, researcher, and Jude Kastens, research professor), funded by the Kansas Water Office, allows users to explore weather data and patterns across the state. It is based on rainfall records from 1895 through 2023 and looks specifically at annual and seasonal extremes. Users can search for and download historical data by:

HARVEST PUBLIC MEDIA
Pesticide pollution in Midwest and Great Plains rivers is getting worse, decade-long study reveals
Read

THE NEW YORK TIMES
68 quadrillion underground miles of fungi 
Read

SOUTH DAKOTA PUBLIC RADIO
Migration without borders: 50 years of tracking monarch butterflies 
Read

#KUFIELDWORKS
Monitoring plant disease to protect Kansas prairies
Read

MORE NEWS

The paper "Meta-analysis reveals globally sourced commercial mycorrhizal inoculants fall short" (authors Liz Koziol, Tom McKenna, Jim Bever), which was published in New Phytologist in late 2024 and showed that commercial inoculants are largely non-viable, was among the journal's Top 10 Most Read articles for 2025 with 11,472 full text views.

Annalise Guthrie, doctoral student in ecology and evolutionary biology, is a recipient of the Elouise Cobell Dissertation Writing-Year Fellowship. The award provides $30,000 in support over 12 months to American Indian and Alaska Native scholars who are completing their doctoral dissertations. Annalise is one of ten 2026 fellowship recipients from across the United States. Her advisor is Sharon Billings, senior scientist/University Distinguished Professor of EEB. Read more

Alicia Pham, senior in ecology, evolution and organismal biology, is a recipient of the Undergraduate Research Award from the KU Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships for the project, "Endophytic foliar fungi in a restored grassland ecosystem.” Alicia's advisor is Sara Baer, senior scientist and director of the Kansas Biological Survey/professor of EEB. 

The endangered Topeka shiner population held at the KU Field Station was photographed there in 2013 by Joel Sartore for the National Geographic Photo Ark; photos were shared with the Kansas Biological Survey. (© Joel Sartore/Photo Ark)(Used with permission)

The KU Field Station Experimental Ponds Team (Scott Campbell, Bryan Foster, Bruce Johanning and Sheena Parsons) has been recognized as a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2025 Recovery Champion in the Mountain Prairie Region for its work to preserve the genetically distinct Willow Creek population of the Topeka shiner fish. Team members rescued the last population in the Western High Plains in Kansas in 2002 after predatory sportfish were introduced into its habitat. The population lives in captivity at the KU Field Station and has reproduced over many generations within experimental ponds under team members' care. USFWS said that preservation of genetics would play a critical role in reintroduction efforts. 

The Kansas River watershed map created by the Kansas Applied Remote Sensing Program has been a popular giveaway at events and among nonprofit groups and educators, so researchers created a downloadable version available to the public.

KU Field Station Visitors' Day took place Saturday, Oct. 3. Participants walked a 1.5-mile loop through parts of the Field Station not usually open to the public, learning about current experiments and talking with researchers about their work.

The Kansas Biological Survey greeted hundreds of visitors to the Kansas State Fair at the KU Pavilion on Sunday, Sept. 20. We handed out copies of our Kansas and Arkansas river watershed maps, as well as notecards featuring images of prairie plants and butterflies.

Monarch Watch hosted its annual Open House on Sept. 12, where visitors toured Monarch Waystation No. 1 on KU's west campus and learned about the ongoing monarch tagging program. At the Fall Tagging Event, held Sept. 19, participants learned how to tag monarchs, then headed out into Baker Wetlands to net and tag wild migratory monarchs. The data collected from these tagging efforts helps researchers to better understand the fall migration. 

Our researchers also hosted a table at the Rocks & Rockets science education fair at the Colby Event Center, Colby, Kansas, in August. We took our giant floor puzzle based on a remotely sensed image of Dodge City, a demonstration on mussels native to Kansas waters, and a matching game about land use change. About 350 attended, including many children.

The Kansas Biological Survey will host a table at the Governor's Water Conference Nov. 9 and 10 in Manhattan, Kansas. An evening reception at the Museum of Art and Light in Manhattan will feature Kansas-specific remote sensing images compiled by the Kansas Applied Remote Sensing Program in the museum's immersive gallery space. 

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