Life Sciences Commons^™

Fine Roots Of Aspen Clones In High Salt And Petroleum Hydrocarbon Pollution, Kim Yrjälä, Ivika Ostonen, Shinjini Mukherjee, Timo Sipila, Lu-Min Vaario, Pertti Pulkkinen

Aspen Bibliography

The quality of polluted soil can much be improved and the environmental risks reduced by use of phytoremediation. Harmful hydrocarbon compounds can be degraded through the activity of plant and its associated microbes. We previously showed that PAHs increase aromatic ring-cleavage gene diversity in rhizosphere of birch (Sipilä et al. 2008, Yrjälä et al. 2010a) and the rhizosphere of aspen harbors Burkholderia bacteria able to degrade aromatics (Yrjälä et al. 2010b). The results are promising for successful remediation of polluted soils with woody plants. The aim of our studies is to elucidate the response of the plant and the associated …

Analysis Of Food Web Effects Of Non-Native Fishes And Evaluation Of Stream Restoration Potential For The San Rafael River, Utah, Timothy E. Walsworth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Native fishes of the Colorado River Basin have experienced dramatic reductions in range and abundance as a result of extensive human alterations to the basin’s waterways. Many of these native fishes are federally listed under the Endangered Species Act, while several others are subject to range-wide conservation agreements between state and federal management agencies. Three of the native species subject to range-wide conservation agreements are the flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker, and roundtail chub (hereafter, the “three species”). Each of the “three species” is still found in the San Rafael River of southeastern Utah, which has experienced habitat degradation and non-native …

Reducing Reliance On Supplemental Winter Feeding In Elk (Cervus Canadensis): An Applied Management Experiment At Deseret Land And Livestock Ranch, Utah, Dax L. Mangus

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wildlife managers have fed elk in North America for nearly 100 years. Giving winter feed to elk can compensate for a shortage of natural winter range and may boost elk populations while also helping prevent commingling with livestock and depredation of winter feed intended for livestock. In contrast to these benefits of supplemental feeding, there are economic and environmental costs associated with feeding, and elk herds that winter on feeding grounds have a higher risk of contracting and transmitting disease. Brucellosis is of primary concern now, and Chronic Wasting Disease may be in the future. Many see the discontinuation of …

Great Salt Lake Watershed: Its Role In Maintaining The Wetlands Of The Great Salt Lake, Danny C. White Jr.

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

The following bioregional planning study is a direct result of the 2009- 2010 studio project initiated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The FWS contacted the study team and asked them to determine how the future growth and development of the Bear River Watershed would impact the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (BRMBR). The study looked at all of the physical and biophysical systems within the Bear River Watershed to identify the issues that had an effect on the BRMBR.

It became apparent from the original project that the future of the BRMBR and other Great Salt …

Spatiotemporal Modeling Of Threats To Big Sagebrush Ecological Sites In Northern Utah, Alexander J. Hernandez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study tested the performance of classification, regression, and ordination techniques to evaluate the spatiotemporal dynamics of threats to big sagebrush ecological sites. The research was focused on invasion by annual exotic grasses and encroachment by woodlands.

We sought to identify those areas that have had a persistent coverage of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) in big sagebrush ecological sites. We took advantage of the contrast in greenness between multi-temporal (within one year) remotely sensed vegetation indices captured in the spring and summer to find a distinct phenological signature that allowed mapping cheatgrass. We utilized support vector machines (SVM) to classify three …

Invertebrate Community Changes Along Coqui Invasion Fronts In Hawaii, Ryan T. Choi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Puerto Rican coqui frog, Eleutherodactylus coqui, was introduced to Hawaii in the late 1980s via the commercial horticulture trade. Previous research has shown that coquis can change invertebrate communities, but these studies were conducted at small scales using controlled, manipulative experiments. The objective of this research was to determine whether coqui invasions change invertebrate communities at the landscape scale across the island of Hawaii. At each invasion front, we measured environmental variability on either side of the front and removed sites that were too variable across the front to ensure that the impacts we measured were the result …

Leaf Number Indicates Salt Tolerance Of Young Seedling Families Of European Aspen (Populus Tremula L.) Growing In Different Soils, Lu-Min Vaario, Kim Yrjälä, Matti Rousi, Timo Sipila, Pertti Pulkkinen

Aspen Bibliography

Soil salinity limits plant productivity and quality. We evaluated the response of 12 aspen (Populus tremula) families to salt stress in two different soils irrigated for 4-weeks with 0, 80 or 160 mM saline solution. Easily measurable characteristics such as shoot height, leaf number, dry mass as well as the distribution of sodium (Na+) ions were measured in 5-month-old aspen seedlings raised in controlled greenhouse conditions on two different soils. Growth among families varied significantly, and the interaction between family and soil type was significant. From 2–5 months, leaf number correlated with that of the first month and salin-ity tolerance. …

Survey Of Aspen Dieback In The Intermountain Region, John Guyon, James Hoffman

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Seeing The Forest For The Trees: Managing Social Conflict And Forest Restoration, Steven E. Daniels, Jens Emborg, Greg B. Walker

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

This paper examines the role that social conflict is likely to play in forest restoration projects. A definition of conflict as “perceived goal interference among interdependent parties” serves as a point of departure for the discussion, and the nature of forest restoration conflict is systematically examined by focusing on each aspect of the definition: perceptions, goal interference, the parties, and their interdependence. Agencies undertaking restoration projects are encouraged to adopt a discourse orientation, wherein they recognize that 1) their public involvement efforts are creating a discourse that can incorporate a wide array of values and voices and 2) groups may …

Aspen Crown Dieback And Mortality On The Williams Ranger District, Kaibab National Forest, Arizona, Thomas J. Zegler

Aspen Bibliography

Crown dieback and mortality of quaking or trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) were extensive within pine-oak and mixed conifer forest types of the Williams Ranger District, Kaibab National Forest in northern Arizona. I collected data from 48 aspen sites to determine if predisposing site and stand factors and contributing damaging agents were associated with aspen crown dieback and mortality. Overstory aspen mortality averaged 50% by stems per hectare and 44% by basal area. Based upon univariate relationships, elevation was the most significant site factor related to both overstory aspen crown dieback (R2 = 0.15, P = 0.0069) and overstory aspen mortality …

Multicentury Fire And Forest Histories At 19 Sites In Utah And Eastern Nevada, Emily K. Heyerdahl, Peter M. Brown, Stanley G. Kitchen, Marc H. Weber

Aspen Bibliography

Our objective is to provide site-specific fire and forest histories from Utah and eastern Nevada that can be used for land management or additional research. We systematically sampled fire scars and tree-recruitment dates across broad gradients in elevation and forest type at 13 sites in Utah and 1 in eastern Nevada to characterize spatial and temporal variation in historical fire regimes as well as forest structure and composition. We collected similar data non-systematically at five additional sites in Utah. These 19 sites include a broad range of forest types (from pinyon-juniper woodlands to spruce-fir forests) and fire regime types. In …

Ten-Year Results From The Long-Term Soil Productivity Study In Aspen Ecosystems Of The Northern Great Lakes Region, Richard Voldseth, Brian Palik, John Elioff

Aspen Bibliography

Impacts of organic matter removal and compaction on soil physical and chemical properties and forest productivity are reported from the first 10 years of the Long-Term Soil Productivity Study in Great Lakes aspen ecosystems. Organic matter removal treatments included main bole, total tree harvest, and total tree harvest with forest floor removal. Compaction treatments included no compaction beyond normal levels from harvest, moderate compaction, and heavy compaction. Main bole harvest with no additional compaction served as the control against which other treatments were compared. Study treatments were replicated in three locations on a clay loam, silt loam, and loamy sand …

Moderate-Scale Mapping Methods Of Aspen Stand Types : A Case Study For Cedar Mountain In Southern Utah, Chad M. Oukrop, David M. Evans, Dale L. Bartos, R. Douglas Ramsey, Ronald J. Ryel

Aspen Bibliography

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) are the most widely distributed tree species across North America, but its dominance is declining in many areas of the western United States, with certain areas experiencing rapid mortality events over the past decade. The loss of aspen from western landscapes will continue to profoundly impact biological, commercial, and aesthetic resources associated with aspen. However, many options are available for its restoration. Advances in remote sensing technologies offer cost-effective means to produce spatial and quantitative information on the distribution and severity of declining aspen at many scales. This report describes the development and application of …

Review Of The Potential Effects Of Climate Change On Quaking Aspen (Populus Tremuloides) In The Western United States And A New Tool For Surveying Aspen Decline, Toni L. Morelli, Susan C. Carr

Aspen Bibliography

We conducted a literature review of the effects of climate on the distribution and growth of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) in the Western United States. Based on our review, we summarize models of historical climate determi- nants of contemporary aspen distribution. Most quantitative climate-based models linked aspen presence and growth to moisture availability and solar radiation.

We describe research results pertaining to global climate change effects on aspen distribution and vigor. In addition, we present potential interactive effects related to climate change and natural disturbances and insect and pathogen outbreaks. Finally, we review the phenomenon of sudden aspen decline …