Life Sciences Commons^™

From Flames To Forage: How Wildfire Affects Elk Behavior And Abundance, Megan M. Whetzel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) is an ecologically and culturally important wildlife species in the Intermountain West, but it is facing habitat changes caused by increasing fire activity. Wildfire frequency is projected to continue to change into the future, yet increases in annual area burned and increases in area burned at high severity may actually represent opportunities for some species. Large herbivores like elk may benefit from increased access to regenerating areas where forage abundance and quality are often elevated. Therefore, effective management of wildlife populations may depend on quantifying how large ungulates, like elk, alter …

Integrating Black Bear Behavior, Spatial Ecology, And Population Dynamics In A Human-Dominated Landscape: Implications For Management, Jarod D. Raithel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The American black bear (Ursus americanus) has made a robust recovery within the human-dominated, social-ecological systems characterizing the Mid-Atlantic United
States. For example, in northwestern New Jersey (NJ), USA, black bear abundance increased from an estimated 450-500 in 1996 to 3200-3400 in 2010. Bear recovery
coincided with increasing human populations, coupled with shifting settlement patterns toward sprawling suburban communities. Consequently, conflicts have rapidly proliferated over the past three decades and resulted in >1400 incidents of verified property damage, >400 livestock kills, >250 pet attacks and/or kills, seven human attacks and one human fatality since 2001. The New Jersey …

The Behavior And Ecology Of Cursorial Predators And Dangerous Prey: Integrating Behavioral Mechanisms With Population-Level Patterns In Large Mammal Systems, Aimee Tallian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Driving into Yellowstone National Park for the first time is a moving experience. Gazing over the sweeping landscapes, seeing a geyser erupt 80 feet into the air, and having your first ‘wildlife encounter’, whether that be a 2 ton bull bison aggressively wallowing on his dirt mound, snorting and kicking up dust, or watching a pack of 6 wolves move through a valley off in the distance, pausing to howl in search of their companions. Yellowstone staff wishes to manage our park in a way that preserves these remarkable experiences. In order to effectively manage this dynamic ecosystem, it is …

Ecology, Behavior And Taxonomy Of Anurans From Brazil's Atlantic Forest, Rodrigio Barbosa Ferreira

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Anura is a diverse group with more than 7382 species described, which represents 88% of the species belonging to the Class Amphibia. Anurans are among the first organisms to be affected by environmental stressors, so when they show decline in the wild, it is a warning to other species, including humans. It is alarming that one-third of the world’s anurans are facing extinction. Following the same trend, a substantive portion of the 988 recognized species of the Atlantic Forest have suffered population declines and local extinctions, attributed primarily to habitat changes.

Despite the unique life history characteristics that make amphibians …

Ecology And Behavior Of Coyotes In Urban Environments At Varying Spatial Scales, Sharon A. Poessel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As urban development continues to increase throughout the world, wildlife species, including carnivores, will be affected either positively or negatively. Coyotes (Canis latrans) have learned to efficiently adapt to highly developed areas, and conflicts between humans and coyotes, such as attacks on humans and pets, are increasing. We conducted three studies of urban coyotes to understand the factors affecting habitat use by coyotes so that wildlife managers can reduce human-coyote conflicts. Each study was conducted at progressively larger scales, with the first study at a fine scale using captive coyotes, the second study at a local scale in the …

Effect Of High Intensity Ultrasound On Crystallization Behavior And Functional Properties Of Lipids, Yubin Ye

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The elimination of trans-fatty acids from food formulations has resulted in the search of new lipids and novel processing conditions that can provide optimum functional properties in fats while providing good nutritional properties. High intensity ultrasound (HIU) has been extensively studied on sonocrystallization of lipids since early 2000. Sonocrystallization refers to the induction of crystallization by HIU without generating any chemical changes. This dissertation aims to provide information on the effects of HIU on crystallization behavior and physical properties of different shortenings based on previous sonocrystallization research. Results in this dissertation showed that HIU successfully induced the crystallization of …

Parent Nutrition Education And The Influence On Family Lifestyle Behavior Changes, Kelsey Rich

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah State University in the collaboration with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) proposes to develop and implement a program to help families develop healthy eating habits and lifestyle behaviors. Recently, childhood overweight and obesity has reached epidemic proportions. The diseases associated with adult obesity are now being seen in the pediatric population; therefore, there is a call for preventative efforts. A diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in combination with an active lifestyle discourages the presence of obesity. Currently, most childhood obesity prevention efforts have taken place in the school setting and have only had short term …

Livestock Foraging Behavior In Response To Sequence And Interactions Among Alkaloids, Tannins, And Saponins, Tiffanny L. Jensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the past several decades, people worldwide have expressed a growing interest in reconstructing ecosystems to enhance ecological, economic, and social values. Yet, to do so we must find ways to enhance biodiversity, environmental quality and the sustainability of grazing lands. In all these instances, plants are the glue that binds soils, water, herbivores, and people. However, monocultures or simple grass-legume mixtures are not always ideal for intensively managed pastures due to their seasonality, susceptibility to pests, and monotony of plant nutrients and toxins. All plants contain so-called “toxins,” more appropriately referred to as secondary compounds, which are crucial in …

Effects Of Tannin-Containing Feed On Haemonchous Contortus In Sheep And Its Behavioral Implications, Jessica A. Juhnke

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Herbivores prefer foods that supply required nutrients and avoid those with excess nutrients and plant secondary compounds (PSC). Nevertheless, PSC such as condensed tannins can provide beneficial medicinal effects to herbivores. The objectives of this study were to determine: 1) if parasitized lambs increased preference for a tannin-rich food after they experienced the beneficial antiparasitic effects of tannins relative to parasitized lambs that did not experience such benefits, 2) if preference for the tannin-containing food in the former group decreased when parasite burdens subsided, and 3) if the tannin-enriched food decreased parasitic burdens.

Twenty-two lambs were familiarized with beet pulp …

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 …

Ecology And Conservation Of Cougars In The Eastern Great Basin: Effects Of Urbanization, Habitat Fragmentation, And Exploitation, David C. Stoner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research was designed to investigate cougar response to urbanization, habitat fragmentation, and exploitation from behavioral, demographic, and landscape perspectives. The source-sink model has been proposed as an alternative framework for the management of exploited cougar populations. I addressed the basic question of whether cougars conform behaviorally to the predictions of the source-sink model, and consequently, the applied question of whether the model could be used for the conservation of this species. To achieve this I evaluated three scale-specific questions using radio-telemetry and hunter-harvest data collected from 1996-2010. At the subpopulation scale, I tested the hypothesis that cougars are wildland …

Identifying And Understanding The Spatial Distribution Of Bobcat And Coyote Behavior, Ryan Radford Wilson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A common observation in animal space use studies is that animals do not use space uniformly, but rather use some areas of their home ranges and territories with much higher intensity than others. Numerous methods have been developed to estimate these "core areas"; however, all of the current methods available are based on arbitrary rules. Additionally, most studies do not attempt to understand what behavioral processes lead to the observed patterns of non-uniform space use. This study has four main objectives: 1) to develop an objective and more precise method for estimating core areas, 2) to understand the processes leading …

The Effects Of Social Status And Learning On Captive Coyote (Canis Latrans) Behavior, Lynne Barbara Gilbert-Norton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many canids live within hierarchical social systems that could promote differences in learning or in behavior between ranked individuals. Differences in foraging and territorial behavior have been observed between ranked coyotes (Canis latrans), yet effects of learning and social status on coyote behavior are not thoroughly understood. I explored a) coyote response to an artificial scent boundary and whether response differed by status, b) how foraging coyotes tracked temporal resource change, and c) how coyotes find spatially distributed food, and the effect of dominance on foraging behavior. I used male/female pairs of captive coyotes at the National Wildlife Research Center …

Naive Prey Versus Nonnative Predators: A Role For Behavior In Endangered Species Conservation, Stephanie A. Kraft

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fish are one of the most imperiled groups of vertebrates worldwide. Threats to fish fall into one of four general categories: physical habitat loss or degradation, chemical pollution, overfishing, and nonnative species introductions. Nonnative predatory fish often have a devastating impact on native prey, especially with endemic fish, whose restricted distribution and often limited evolutionary history with predators make them particularly susceptible to nonnative predators. One reason nonnative fish are often so efficient predators is that the native fish do not recognize the predator as a threat. Although many studies have examined the role of predator odor recognition, no fish …

The Foraging Behavior Of A Solitary Bee, Diadasia Nigrifrons (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae) On Sidalcea Oregana, Ssp. Oregana, Kimberly A. Kuta

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Foraging studies have established that bees typically obey a set of movement rules when foraging on vertical inflorescences: they begin foraging at the bottom of an inflorescence, move upward, visit a fraction of the available flowers, and leave before reaching the top of the inflorescence. These behaviors are purported to maximize bee foraging efficiency by concentrating their efforts on the most rewarding flowers and minimizing flower revisits. Bees also increase their efficiency by selecting inflorescences with many flowers, visiting more flowers per inflorescence, and remaining in resource-rich areas. To test these hypotheses on plants with more complicated flower arrangements, I …

The Effects Of Salmon Availability, Social Dynamics, And People On Black Bear (Ursus Americanus) Fishing Behavior On An Alaskan Salmon Stream, Danielle K. Chi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The primary goals of this research were to investigate 3 ecological factors influencing black bear (Ursus americanus) foraging behavior on an Alaskan salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) stream: fish availability, social dynamics, and human activity. Over 900 observation hours were logged at 2 falls from July 1-September 1 1993-1995; the lower falls were open to public for wildlife viewing, but the upper falls were restricted to research personnel.

In general, black bears responded to differences in fish accessibility on both spatial and temporal scales. All years of the study, 3 indices of bear activity (bear minutes, bear numbers, bout …

Behavioral Characteristics Affect Habitat Selection Of Domestic Ruminants, Cody B. Scott

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I evaluated some of the factors affecting livestock distribution by conducting experimental (Chapters II and III) and observational (Chapter IV) studies. In Chapter II, I described the effect of locations of familiar foods and social interactions on choice of feeding location by lambs. Lambs were exposed to a pasture as subgroups of strangers and companions with different dietary habits (i.e., three lambs that preferred milo with three lambs that preferred wheat). Milo was placed on one end and wheat on the other, about 100 m apart. Strangers typically fed in different locations, reflecting dietary preferences. Conversely, companions fed in both …

Seasonal Feeding Behavior And Forage Selection By Goats In Cleared And Thinned Deciduous Woodlands In Northeast Brazil, Roberto Cesar Magalhaes Mesquita

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The seasonal feeding behavior, forage preferences and body weight responses of goats were studied under three densities of woodland (called caatinga), and under three stocking rates. The experiment was located in the semi-arid tropics of northeastern Brazil at 3 42' South latitude, and 40 21' West longitude at an elevation of 75 meters. Mean annual precipitation of the area is 832 mm.

Removing the shrubs and trees increased yields of herbaceous only on partially-cleared sites. Goats gained body weight (kg BW/ha) during the wet season, with the cleared treatment showing the best body weight response per unit of land. However …

Differential Behavior Of Coyotes With Regard To Home Range Limits, Charles E. Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to examine coyote behavioral responses to novel stimuli in familiar and unfamiliar environments and the implications of this behavior with regard to specific coyote management and research techniques. A series of pen studies with captive coyotes was undertaken at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Predator Ecology and Behavior Project research site, Logan, Utah, to observe the range and type of behaviors coyotes showed towards small novel objects and standard scent stations in familiar and unfamiliar 1-ha enclosures. The initial response to these novel stimuli in familiar environments was one of neophobia and caution, whereas in …

The Influence Of Winter Social Behavior On The Habitat Selection And Reproductive Success Of The Black-Billed Magpie, Kerry P. Reese

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the influence of winter social behavior, particularly dominance relationships, on the subsequent nesting habitat selection and reproductive success of Black-billed Magpies (Pica pica hudsonia) on 2 areas in northern Utah. Hierarchical cluster analysis ordinated the habitats available to breeding birds and Chi-square and Bonferoni-z statistics were used to determine those habitat types the magpies seemed to prefer. Social status was determined by observing color-banded birds engaged in agonistic encounters at winter bait stations. Social dominance was evaluated by % dyads won, not by total % victories. Relationships between winter social status of magpies and their …

Magnesium Deficiency And Excitability In The Rat: An Examination Of Selected Biochemical And Physiological Events Relating Magnesium Status To Behavior, Douglas Robinson Buck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effect of Mg status on the behavior of rats, as determined by nonspecific excitability level and audiogenic seizure susceptibility, was investigated. Also, selected biochemical and neurological mechanisms mediating the chain of events from dietary magnesium deficit to the hyperexcitability symptoms were examined. Weanling rats fed a low magnesium (10 ppm) diet for 14 days had reduced serum, cerebrospinal fluid and brain magnesium concentrations, and increased brain (Na⁺ K⁺) -ATPase activity. They exhibited increased NEL and became highly susceptible to audiogenic seizures. Through dietary manipulation and intraperitoneal and cerebral intraventricular injections, it was possible selectively to alter …

The Social Behavior Of Brown Bears At Mcneil River, Alaska, Allan L. Egbert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The social behavior of brown bears (Ursus arctos) was studied during the summers of 1972 and 1973 as bears fished for salmon at McNeil River, Alaska. Study objectives were to determine behavioral characteristics of bears in relation to sex and age, changes in social behavior over a 40-day long fishing season, social and environmental parameters correlated with the occurrence of behavior, and to test the hypothesis that brown bears modify social behavior in a feeding aggregation to exploit a resource limited in time and space.

Over one-half of the agonistic interactions consisted of passive deferrals. Encounters that included …

Sheep Behavior And Vulnerability To Coyote Predation, Ernest Albert Gluesing

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the activity patterns and social relation ships between individuals in a large herd of domestic sheep (Ovis aries) in an effort to determine if behavioral characteristics predisposed certain individuals to coyote (Canis latrans) predation.

The research was conducted on the Cook Ranch near Florence, Montana, from March through September of 1975. Data were collected from a herd of 627 ewes and 1082 lambs, each individually identifiable. A random sample of 44 ewes and their 75 lambs were intensively studied over a 16-wk period to establish activity budgets and the relationships between sheep activity …

Role Theory Considered As An Influence On Criminal And Deviant Behavior In The Utah State Park System -- A Manager Problem, Gerald R. Grove Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Individual attitudes toward law enforcement and perceptions of camper role skills, along with a knowledge of park and campground rules, were measured with a questionnaire and compared through Partial Correlation and Pearson Product-Moment Correlations. Demographic information was also gathered and compared with the attitude and rules knowledge data for significance.

Results showed that attitude toward law enforcement and attitude toward camper role skills are significantly related. Attitude toward law enforcement and knowledge of rules also proved to have a significant relationship. However, attitude toward camper role skills had no statistical relationship to rules knowledge. The demographic data was found to …

Food-Searching Behavior Of Free-Living Ferruginous Hawks: Factors Affecting The Use Of Hunting Methods And Hunting Sites, James Stuart Wakeley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Food-searching behavior of two adult male Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis) was studied by direct observation in Curlew Valley, Utah-Idaho, during the nesting seasons of 1974 and 1975. This paper analyzes the effects of vegetation type, prey distribution, cover density, previous experience, and time and energy budgets upon the predators' choice of hunting methods and hunting sites.

Both hawks hunted actively throughout the day (0600 to 2100 hours MDT). Male 1 (1974) and Male 2 (1975) captured an average of 8.7 ± 2.0 and 9.0 ± 1.5 prey items per day, respectively, during the 4-wk observation period in each …

Trout Movements In A Small Mountain Stream, Thomas Mark Twedt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Five groups of 400 hatchery rainbow trout, (Salmo gairdneri), were stocked in a small, mountain stream at 3-week intervals from June to September, 1972. A fish trap captured any fish moving out of a 500 m study section.

Fish began moving at high levels during the first day of each stocking and continued at high rates for 5-8 days (Early Phase), after which movement decreased to low levels for 6-9 days (Late Phase). Early Phase fish moved primarily at night, possibly due to their disoriented state and high subjectivity to stream conditions. Fish moving during Late Phase did …

Behavior Patterns Of The Adult Alfalfa Weevil In Cache Valley, Utah, J. Wanless Southwick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), was first found in the United States in Salt Lake City, Utah, during 1904 (Titus, 1910b). It spread form this point of original introduction and partially infested Cache Valley by 1912 (Titus, 1913).

On The Behavioral Responses Of Free Uinta Ground Squirrels To Trapping, David F. Balph

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Biologists often trap animals to obtain information on them. If trapping is selective toward some animals, the information may be inaccurate. Most mammalogists know or suspect that their trapping techniques (reviewed by Hayne, 1949; and Stickel, 1954) contain sources of bias. Since trapping remains the only feasible way to obtain information on many animals, researchers have tried to discover sources of sampling error and refine their techniques. They have found that one major source of difficulty may lie in the behavior of animals. Individual animals seem to respond differently to trapping, both initially and through learning (Geis, 1955; Crowcroft and …