This short review focuses on lichens which have cyanobacteria as their main photosynthetic partner or in localized areas termed cephalodia. Research is cited to show that cyanolichens are very sensitive to gaseous air pollution, to acid rain, and to habitat disturbance. These lichens are worth conserving for their own sake but are also valuable for assessing the status of forests in areas like northeastern North America, where forests cover large tracts of land. The richness of the cyanolichen flora reflects biological diversity in the forests. Cyanolichens fix atmospheric nitrogen, are generally nutrient-rich, and have a diverse associated invertebrate fauna. These invertebrates provide food that sustain both resident and migrating birds. Management strategies that might be used to maintain and ensure the survival of the rich cyanolichen flora of the northeastern U.S. and Atlantic Provinces of Canada are presented and discussed.

We observed foraging behavior of the crab spider Misumenops asperatus Hentz in Princeton, MA. This spider is a classic sit-and-wait predator that can move among foraging patches scattered within its environment. In our study, patches were composed of stems of goldenrod (Solidago rugosa P. Mill.) that had different numbers of inflorescence plumes (our measure of patch quality), which potential insect prey visit. Spiders made foraging decisions in two distinct ways. First, they most often hunted on high quality patches. Second, spiders foraging on high quality patches remained on their patches longer than spiders on medium or low quality patches. It appears that M. asperatus is basing its foraging decisions at least in part on assessment of a parameter in its environment that may correlate with prey abundance, without directly assessing prey arrival rates. Based on these behavioral patterns, we suggest that this spider is following a fixed probability of moving rule in deciding when to leave a patch.

Basidiocarps of Trametes versicolor with an epiphytic flora (including Trebouxia sp.) collected from north-central Rhode Island were incubated in an atmosphere of ¹⁴C labeled CO₂ for 6 hours. Using autoradiography, the location of the fixed ¹⁴CO₂ was determined at 6h, 12h, 24h, 48h, 96h, and 192h. The fixed ¹⁴C was recorded in the epiphytic algae after 6h, and at all subsequent times. After 192h the ¹⁴C was recorded in the fibrillar matrix associated with the epiphytic algae, and appeared to be present in the fungal hyphae in the top smooth, silky layer of the basidiocarp. The results suggest that the epiphytic algae secrete the fixed carbon in a form that Trametes versicolor can potentially assimilate, however, the slow assimilation of the carbon (4–8 days) suggest a casual relationship between T. versicolor and its epiphytic algal flora.

As part of a comprehensive study of the effects of landscape change on the demography of aquatic turtles, we investigated the use of upland habitats by adult female painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) during the nesting season. We intentionally selected three ponds that were surrounded by a range of land uses and development (e.g., road density ranged from 0.9 to 7.3 km/km²). Terrestrial locations of transmitter-equipped turtles (n = 8) and unmarked females that were incidentally encountered (n = 10) were recorded to: i) determine the distance traveled to nesting habitat, ii) estimate the frequency that female turtles crossed roads to reach nesting habitat, and iii) examine how the abundance of potential nesting habitat affected distance traveled. Average straight-line distance from shoreline to the site a female turtle was encountered ranged from 54 to 115 m for the three ponds. We estimated that marked turtles made five road crossings and two turtles were killed by vehicles. Distance traveled was negatively correlated with the abundance of nesting habitat near a pond. Although adult females are probably less vulnerable when nesting occurs near pond shores, nests created near pond edges may be more vulnerable to predation. As a result, providing additional nesting habitat away from roads and other potential sources of mortality may enhance recruitment among local turtle populations.

Cardamine longii (Brassicaceae), long's bittercress, is an imperiled plant confined largely to freshwater tidal marshes of the eastern U.S. To better understand possible causes of rarity in the species, its reproductive output was studied in two southeastern Massachusetts populations. Plants were found to produce about 10 fruits per individual (five per inflorescence), with the majority of a population fruiting in July. About 78% of the flowers produced in the two populations set fruit, with each fruit yielding nine seeds on average. Seeds were viable as indicated by their ability to germinate in the laboratory. Without any prior cold treatment, germination levels reached 87% over a four-week period yet were markedly reduced when seeds were allowed to dry prior to incubation. We suggest that fruit and seed production and viability are not important factors in limiting C. longii's population sizes and growth.

Cheilanthes lanosa (Michx.) D.C. Eaton is a xerophytic fern that grows on dry, exposed rocky outcrops. Because several stages in the C. lanosa life cycle are vulnerable to desiccation, the physiological basis for the fern's survival in arid habitats is unclear. We hypothesized that C. lanosa survives its arid environment in part with the help of mycorrhizal associations, which enhance water and nutrient uptake in host plants. Although fungal symbioses rarely occur in members of the Polypodiaceae, most plants do engage in mycorrhizal associations. In this study, light microscopy was used to document the presence of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae in C. lanosa sporophytes.

The incursion of residential and commercial development into terrestrial habitats is resulting in measurable changes to the composition and pattern of habitats and to the fauna and flora associated with them. To better understand the effects of urbanization on Rhode Island's landscape, we documented land-cover changes between 1972 and 1999 using Landsat remote sensing data. Analyses indicate land-cover changes involved major transitions of forested land to urban land-classes. For example, 14,986 hectares of forested land was converted into urban land between 1972 and 1985 resulting in a 21.0% increase in urban land-cover. Likewise, 6,551 hectares of forested land with more hectares of deciduous forest (4,806 ha) was converted into urban land between 1985 and 1999 resulting in an 18.0% increase in urban land-cover. Quantitative analyses also revealed that as forested land declined in spatial extent it declined in connectivity as the number of forest patches increased in the state, including areas defined as open space or rare and endangered species' habitat.

An outbreak of armyworms, Pseudaletia unipuncta, occurred in widely separated sites in New England during the summer of 2001. Heavy mortality of caterpillars was noted in severely damaged suburban lawns and destroyed hayfields. Microscopic examinations of 90 moribund or recently expired caterpillars collected in Connecticut revealed a nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) in 59 (66%) individuals from 5 of 6 sites. Virus development occurred in the nuclei and cytoplasm of the fat body. Based on ultrastructural studies, the NPV observed in Connecticut appears to be similar to a strain described earlier for armyworms in California and Hawaii.

The Boston Society of Natural History, founded in 1830, replaced the Linnaean Society, which had been active from 1813 to 1823. The founding members of both groups were mostly physicians who were interested in natural history. They were concerned with the collection and display of natural objects, the study of specimens, and public education. The large number of important publications that the Boston Society would eventually produce between 1834 and 1946 commenced with a noteworthy volume of the Boston Journal of Natural History. After 30 years of effort, capped by the generosity of Dr. William J. Walker, a beautiful museum building was finally completed in 1863. Soon thereafter, professionals who had mostly been trained by Louis Agassiz at Harvard filled the museum positions. From 1870 until his death in 1902, Alpheus Hyatt, an Agassiz student and an exponent of the neo-Lamarckian School, was director of the Boston Society. He was succeeded by Charles W. Johnson. A paucity of funds during Johnson's tenure caused the trustees to limit the Society's scope to the natural history of New England, and the dispersal of its collections was begun. In 1946, the Society's extensive library was sold, and soon afterwards the museum building was also disposed of. The Society changed its name to the Boston Museum of Science. It was now no longer concerned with research but only with popular education. It is located today in Boston's Science Park beside the Charles River.