Digital Commons Network^™

Spatiotemporal Dynamics Of Disease: Social And Environmental Drivers Of Movement, Connectivity, And Disease Transmission In Bighorn Sheep, Lauren E. Ricci

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Movement is a fundamental component of animal ecology. Animals move in order to access resources and avoid risk. Movement decisions aggregated across time determine how individuals use space, contact dynamics between individuals within a population, and connectivity across a species range. These patterns that emerge from movement decisions have downstream implications for many ecological processes and a mechanistic understanding of movement can help answer broader questions about ecology.

Disease dynamics are intrinsically tied to movement. Understanding the mechanisms that drive movement can elucidate how disease will spread and impact host populations. In this vein, I employed a suite of movement …

Movement Behavior And Habitat Selection Of Juvenile Mountain Lions (Puma Concolor) During Three Behavioral States Of Dispersal, John F. Randolph

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Juvenile dispersal, the act of moving from their natal range to the place where they eventually reproduce and establish an adult home range is hazardous. Juveniles must travel and find food across unfamiliar landscapes, where they must also cross roads, avoid harvest, and navigate developed landscapes. Despite the inherent dangers of dispersal, this demographic process is important for finding suitable mates and reducing inbreeding depression. Wildlife conservation concerns arise when individuals are unable to disperse due to a loss of connectivity, as this can negatively impact population demographics and genetic diversity. We explored the effects of hunting and human-developed landscapes …

Controls On Sediment Connectivity In Fluvial Networks Impacted By Wildfire Across Utah, Alec Arditti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Flooding and sedimentation caused by wildfire are among the greatest threats to watersheds, fish populations and reservoirs in the western US. Burned landscapes are at risk for increased runoff and erosion and have the potential to transport sediment that may put downstream resources at risk. The ability of the channel to transport sediment downstream, known as the connectivity, is important for determining where impacts may occur. Sediment bottlenecks are locations within the watershed where local conditions produce a persistent decrease in downstream connectivity of sediment, resulting in increased sediment deposition and potentially a substantial modification of the local channel and …