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Modeling Seed Dispersal And Population Migration Given A Distribution Of Seed Handling Times And Variable Dispersal Motility: Case Study For Pinyon And Juniper In Utah, Ram C. Neupane

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The spread of fruiting tree species is strongly determined by the behavior and range of fruit-eating animals, particularly birds. Birds either consume and digest seeds or carry and cache them at some distance from the source tree. These carried and settled seeds provide some form of distribution which generates tree spread to the new location. Firstly, we modal seed dispersal by birds and introduce it in a dispersal model to estimate seed distribution. Using this distribution, we create a population model to estimate the speed at which juniper and pinyon forest boundaries move.

Secondly, we introduce a fact that bird …

An Environmental History Of The Bear River Range, 1860-1910, Bradley Paul Hansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The study of environmental history suggests that nature and culture change all the time, but that the rate and scale of such change can vary enormously. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Anglo settlement in the American West transformed landscapes and ecologies, creating new and complex environmental problems. This transformation was particularly impressive in Cache Valley, Utah's Bear River Range. From 1860 to 1910, Mormon settlers overused or misused the Bear River Range's lumber, grazing forage, wild game, and water resources and introduced invasive plant and animal species throughout the area.

By the turn of the 20th century, …

Riparian Bird-Habitat Association Models: A Framework For Informing Management And Developing Restoration Guidelines In Utah, Hillary M. White

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Approximately 75% of the avian species in Utah use riparian habitats at some time during their life cycles and at least 80% of this habitat in Utah has been lost or altered since settlement; currently 0.6% of land cover in Utah is considered riparian. In 1992, with the support of Utah Partner's in Flight, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources began a statewide neotropical migratory bird (NTMB) and habitat monitoring program to assess the status of bird populations at 31 sites. Additional sites (up to 52) were added in later years; bird and habitat assessments at 37 riparian sites have …

Factors Influencing Epiphytic Lichen Communities In Aspen-Associated Forests Of The Bear River Range, Idaho And Utah, Paul C. Rogers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In western North America, quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) is the most common hardwood in montane landscapes. Fire suppression, grazing, wildlife management practices, and climate patterns of the past century are some of the threats to aspen coverage in this region. Researchers are concerned that aspen-dependent species may be losing habitat, thereby threatening their long-term local and regional viability. Though lichens have a rich history as air pollution indicators, I believe that they may also be useful as a metric of community diversity associated with habitat change. To date, few studies have specifically examined the status of aspen's epiphytic lichen …

Alternative Future Growth Scenarios For Conserving Open Space Along Utah's Wasatch Front: A Case Study For The Mountain Land Association Of Governments, Richard E. Toth

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Over the past 20 years, rapid suburban and second-home development along Utah's Wasatch Front has threatened to irreversibly alter the region 's character and quality of life. This rapid development has raised concern among federal, state, county and community leaders with respect to the protection of surface and subsurface water; public health, safety and welfare; public services and infrastructure, and open space. The major areas being developed include the valley edges and bottom lands, riparian zones, agricultural lands and bench areas. Since most of these areas are under private ownership, they are highly vulnerable to an array of development activities.

Mammals Of The Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument: A Literature And Museum Survey, Jerran T. Flinders, Duke S. Rogers, Jackee L. Webber-Alston, Harry A. Barber

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

This is the first treatment of the mammals of the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument (GSENM). GSENM was established in 1996 as a 1.7-million-acre (680,000-ha) federal land reserve under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). To successfully manage this new monument, the BLM is presently developing a management action plan. To provide information for the proper management of mammal species of the area, we have reviewed background literature for each mammal potentially found within the Monument boundaries. We propose that a core area, surrounded by a buffer matrix, be used in GSENM and surrounding public lands to preserve …

Morphometric Evaluation Of The Whitefish Complex In Bear Lake, Utah/Idaho, Alan Ward

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Whitefish populations around the world have long been difficult to categorize taxonomically. The whitefish of Bear Lake, Utah/Idaho are no exception. There are three recognized species of Prosopium that are endemic to the lake. Two of these species, Prosopium spilonotus and Prosopium abyssicota, have previously been indistinguishable outside of spawning times. Previous studies have proposed additional taxa within P. spi/onotus to further complicate the identification among these taxa.

Morphological characteristics were quantified on wild whitefish from Bear Lake, as well as from progeny reared in the laboratory from the wild adult fish. The purported taxa were separated in the field …

Fungi Associated With Biological Soil Crusts In Desert Grasslands Of Utah And Wyoming, Jack S. States, Martha Christensen

Canyonlands Research Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Epa Superfund Record Of Decision: Murray Smelter Murray City, Ut, Epa

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The Murray Smelter Site ("the Site") is located in the city of Murray, Utah, in Salt Lake County as illustrated on Figure 1. The Site includes the former operational areas of the Murray Smelter and adjacent Germania Smelter which are referred to as the "on-facility" area., as well as surrounding residential and commercial areas where airborne emissions from the smelters impacted the environment or where contamination in shallow ground water may be transported in the future. These surrounding areas are referred to as the "off-facility" area. The on-facility area is approximately 142 acres. Its boundaries are 5300 South Street to …

Quantification Of Landscape Structure Within The Land Condition-Trend Analysis Monitoring Program At Camp Williams, Utah, Lorraine Munguia

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Land Condition-Trend Analysis (LCTA) program was developed by the U.S. Army to assist in the sustainable management of natural resources on U.S. Army lands. The LCTA program applies a standardized procedure in order to select long-term monitoring sites. The LCTA monitoring program was applied to Camp Williams, a National Army Guard training site located in central Utah. Due to the criteria set by the LCTA monitoring program, 61 percent of Camp Williams was explicitly excluded from the LCTA monitoring protocol because it appeared to be more heterogeneous, which would make it difficult to locate monitoring sites in the field. …

Desert Plants Of Utah, Berniece A. Andersen

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Mountain Plants Of Northeastern Utah, Berniece A. Andersen, Arthur H. Holmgren

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Classification Of Vegetation And Analysis Of Its Recent Trends At Camp Williams, Utah Using Remote Sensing And Geographic Information System Techniques, Thomas G. Van Niel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Current vegetation classes were generated from remotely sensed data to provide coarse-level information for an ecosystem management plan developed at Camp Williams, Utah. Vegetation trend from 1973 - 1993 was also examined via satellite imagery. The data set consisted of Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) and Thematic Mapper (TM) images from July or August of 1973, 1975, 1980, 1988, and 1993.

Two approaches were used to detect vegetation change. The first approach determined overall and cover type trend from standard digital image differencing of soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) images. The second approach used an unsupervised classification of a composite SAVI image …

A Simulation Of The Economic Effects Of Alternative Soil Types And Nitrogen Sources On Nitrate Leaching On Irrigated Agriculture In Utah, Gilbert D. Miller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The economic impact of reducing the amount of nitrate leached out of the root zone under irrigation in the arid West was examined. A general introduction into the nature of the problem and a review of the literature was provided in chapter I. In chapter ll the economic incentives of irrigation management were evaluated under the assumptions of both profit-maximizing and utility-maximizing (in reducing cost and effort expended in irrigation) decision-making criteria. The results indicate that there is a coincidence of interests of the farmer and the environment. Both behaviors result in less nitrate leaching than less profitable or less …

The Utah Ecology Project: Ecological Impact Of Weather Modification Studies In The Uinta Mountains, United States Deparment Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

Elusive Documents

The Uinta Mountains are located in extreme northeastern Utah and

northwestern Colorado. The major portion of the range and all areas

rising above 3,050 m (10,000 ft) lie within five Utah counties (Daggett,

Duchesne, Summit, Uintah and Wasatch). The high elevation segment of

the range in Utah is commonly referred to as the High Uintas. This

report will consider only the so-called High Uintas.

The Cryptogamic Flora Of Desert Soil Crusts In Southern Utah, Davic C. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

The cryptogamic flora of several soil crusts of arid regions in southern Utah was determined. Twenty-two lichens, Six mosses and fifty-four algal species were identified and their relative abundance estimated.

Population Dynamics And Harvest Of Canada Geese In Utah, John Tautin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A twenty-one year (1952-72) accumulation of banding data for Canada geese in Utah was studied to determine the distribution and chronology of the harvest of the geese and the effects that hunting regulations have had upon harvests and population parameters. The banding data were also used in an attempt to develop a population model capable of predicting population trends and desirable survival rates.

Within Utah, the bulk of the annual harvest (78 percent) takes place in the northern portion of the State in the vicinity of the Great Salt Lake marshes. In Northern Utah the harvest peaks on the opening …

Timpanogos Flora, Kelly W. Allred

Theses and Dissertations

A comprehensive floristic study of Mt. Timpanogos, Utah County, Utah, was undertaken. The Mt. Timpanogos area is a much used facility in recreation, biology, watershed development, livestock management, and education. It is also representative of a major segment of the overall flora of Utah. This study adds to the ever-increading knowledge of the flora of Utah, and provides a means of identifying the flora of this region, which is basic to any future management.

Some Aspects Of Geochemistry Of The Water And Sediment Of Bear Lake, Idaho-Utah, Richard H. Fuller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Development by man through the last half century has caused a number of changes in Bear Lake. These changes include the diversion of Bear River water into Bear Lake, the pumping of lake water back into the river, and the building of breakwaters and other obstructions along the shore of Bear Lake.

The diversion of Bear River water into the lake has resulted in a yearly addition of an estimated 36,000 metric tons of calcium into the lake, which has caused the precipitation of an estimated minimum 90,000 metric tons of aragonite. The pumping of Bear Lake water back into …

The Spatial Distribution Of The Nests Of The Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax Nycticorax) And The Snowy Egret (Leucophoyx Thula) In Central Utah, Randall S. Isham

Theses and Dissertations

Nests of the Black-crowned Night Heron and the Snowy Egret were examined in five central Utah colonies in 1973 to determine the spatial distribution within the colony. Nest locations of the 1085 nests of the two species were plotted to the nearest foot with an alidade and plane table. Tests of randomness, clump size, association, segregation, and T distribution were utilized. No differences between species were noted for the distance to the nearest and the next nearest nest. The Night Heron nested closer to other Night Herons and more often than did the Snowy Egret which non-significantly selected either species …

Ecological Aspects Of Cercocarpus Montanus Raf. Communities In Central Utah, David Lee Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Ecological and environmental aspects relating to Cercocarpus montanus Raf. Communities were investigated. Twenty study sites were sampled and described. All factors were then analyzed utilizing statistical methods. Signigicantly correlated factors to C. montanus parameters (i.e., frequency, density, cover, height) were: positive correlation--percent clay, percent clay-silt, percent litter cover, and total soluble salts in soil; negative correlation--percent silt-sand, percent sand, soil pH; exposed surface rock, Amelanchier alnifolia cover, Gotierrezia sarothrae cover and altitude. Several individual factors were singled out as being of importance in C. montanus communities; howerver, it was shown that a combination of factors was most important in determining …

Life History And Ecology Of The Great Basin Sagebrush Swift, Sceloporus Graciosus Graciosus Baird And Girard, 1852, Gary L. Burkholder

Theses and Dissertations

The sagebrush swift, Sceloporus graciosus graciosus, is abundant in the transitional zone of the Great Basin. As an intermediate link the the food chain, sagebrush swifts are preyed upon by snakes and hawks, and in turn are predators of small arthropods.

Mule Deer Use Patterns As Related To Pinyon-Juniper Conversion In Utah, Ted L. Terrel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Objectives were (1) to evaluate the seasonal and daily use by mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) of adjoining converted and natural pinyon pine-Utah juniper woodland (P-J) winter range, and (2) to determine the major factors influencing mule deer use of converted P-J range to provide criteria for deer management. The study was conducted on 3 sites in central, eastern, and southeastern Utah between 1969-72. Data for 1969-72 on physiographic, climatic, and vegetational attributes of the three Utah study areas were related to data from approximately 10,000 deer observations, 5,000 0.01-acre pellet-group count plots, feeding observations of 1,100 deer, 220 …

A Taxonomic And Ecological Study Of The Desmids Of Lily Lake, James L. Pederson

Theses and Dissertations

During the summero f 1964 a taxonomica and ecological study was made of the desmids (microscopic green algae) found in Lily Lake. The study site is a subalpine lake in the Wasatch National Forest of the Uinta Mountains, Utah. The lake is located about one-half mile west of Trial Lake at an elevation of approximately 10,000 feet. The lake is an acidic, cold, lentic bog pond characteristic of this region. Desmids were collected at weekly intervals from seven sampling sites. The water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, light conditions and length of day from sunrise to sunset were recorded at the …

A Study Of Aquatic Fungi In Powell's Slough, Chao-Chih Hsiao

Theses and Dissertations

Aquatic fungi in-Powell's Slough were.studied in 1967 & 1968. Collections were made and water temperature, oxygen content & pH values were measured at weekly intervals. For collections, wire baskets containing substrata were submerged in water for one month. After collecting, substrata were brought to the laboratory. Identification was based on the keys of Sparrow, 1960. Aquatic fungi identified included seven orders, nine families, fifteen genera, and thirty species, from thirty-three collections of fifteen types of substrata. The substrata used in this study were: (i) fruits: apples, rose hips, plums, pears, haws; (ii) twigs: poplar, weeping willow, river birch, weeping white …

Thrips Of The Sagebrush-Grass Range Community In West-Central Utah, Ward Max Tingey

Theses and Dissertations

Three predominant and economically important shrubs of the sagebrush-grass range community in Utah, namely big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.), rubber rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus (Pall.) Britt.), antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata (Pursh) DC), and a widely re-seeded range grass, crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.) were sampled during the summers of 1966 and 1967, and yielded twenty species of thrips. Three species (Anaphothrips tricolor Moulton, Chirothrips aculeatus Bagnall, Chirothrips simplex Hood) were new distributional records for Utah. Seven species (Frankliniella n. sp. #1, Frankliniella n. sp. #2, Haplothrips n. sp., Leptothrips n. sp., Oedaleothrips n. sp., Sericothrips n. sp. #1, Sericothrips n. …

Comparisons Of Phytoseiid Predator Populations In Sprayed And Unsprayed Apple Orchards In Cache Valley, Utah, Yeboa A. Dodoo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A comparative study of phytoseiid populations was made of two well-cultivated and regularly sprayed apple orchards with two unsprayed orchards in Cache Valley, northern Utah.

Two phytoseiid species, Typhlodromus mcgregori Chant and T. occidentalis Nesbitt were observed on the apple leaves, under the bark, and occasionally in the litter and soil. Amblyseius cucumeris (Oudemans) occurred in the soil and litter and occasionally under bark. T. mcgregori was dominant in the unsprayed orchards, and T. occidentalis in the sprayed.

Of the phytophagous mites, which served as food for the phytoseiids, the two-spotted mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch was dominant. Other phytophagous mites …

A Taxonomic And Ecological Survey Of The Algae Of Lilly Lake, Ann C. Palmer

Theses and Dissertations

A taxonomic and ecological survey of the algae of Lilly Lake in the Uinta Mountains, Utah, was carried on from June 1967 to November 1967. The lake is a typical acid bog lake with an average pH range of 4.5 to 6.9. Extremes of pH in the alkaline range were present due to additional factors. Algae identified included 96 genera and 208 species. These were found in many different types of microenvironmental niches. The main factors which limited the algae to definite areas of the lake were pH, water temperature, light available, and type of substrate. The predominant algal genera …

Elevational Occurrence Of The Ticks Dermacentor Andersoni And Dermacentor Parumapertus In Utah County, Utah, William J. Despain

Theses and Dissertations

Considerable research on ticks has been done since it was discovered that the Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni Stiles, was a principal vector of Rocky Mountain spotted fevero Additional disease agents of man are also transmitted by D. andersoni. This tick and a closely related species, Dermacentor parumapertus Neuman, occur commonly in Utah. The two species are often closely associated, although D. andersoni is believed to occur in the mountains, whereas D. parumapertus is in the desert valleys. Diseases affecting animals in nature are transmitted by ticks of both species. Consequently, any interaction between the two may be influential …

Utah State University Commencement, 1967 – Main Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

Seventy-Fourth Annual Commencement of Utah State University