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Winter Ecology Of Common Ravens In Southern Wyoming And The Effects Of Raven Removal On Greater Sage-Grouse Populations, Luke W. Peebles

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Common raven (Corvus corax; hereafter raven) populations have been increasing rapidly in the western United States, and these ravens cause damage to livestock, human health and safety, and wildlife species including greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse). The goals of my research were to gain a better understanding of the winter ecology of ravens, to see how raven populations were impacted by intensive removal during the winter, and to determine if raven removal aids sage-grouse populations. I found that ravens captured at landfills used these landfills sporadically for foraging, and these ravens regularly used bridges and …

The Redevelopment Of Plant Community Diversity On A Surface Coal Mine In Southwestern Wyoming, Thomas Joseph Hatton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A study was initiated in 1981 to investigate the redevelopment of plant communities on a recontoured, surface-mined site in southwestern Wyoming. The landscape pattern of vegetation was compared with topographic position, the initial topsoil pattern, and cultural practices including shrub planting density, shrub planting pattern and topsoil treatments for the years 1982-1985. In addition, differences in vascular plant species diversity within these various factors and treatments were determined, along with the trend in intracommunity (alpha), intercommunity (beta) and landscape (gamma) diversity for the entire study area.

The influence of site factors and tested cultural practices on the differentiation of the …

Seed Reserves In Stockpiled Topsoil On A Coal Mine Near Kemmerer, Wyoming, Cynthia K. Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objectives of this study were to determine how seed reserves varied with depth in topsoil stockpiles and to evaluate the effect of length of time of storage on the number of viable seeds and number of species of seeds.

Soil samples were taken from five topsoil piles representing zero to three years of storage on the Elkol-Sorenson mine near Kemmerer in southwestern Wyoming. Seeds were extracted using flotation/separation methods and were tested for viability using 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride solution. Data were analyzed using nonparametric statistical tests.

Overall density of seeds in topsoil piles was low. No relationship was found …