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Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Using Remote Cameras To Estimate The Abundance Of Ungulates, Jace C. Taylor Dec 2017

Using Remote Cameras To Estimate The Abundance Of Ungulates, Jace C. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

Many wildlife populations globally are experiencing unprecedented declines, and without accurate and precise estimates of abundance, we will not be able to conserve these vulnerable species. Remote cameras have rapidly advanced as wildlife monitoring tools and may provide accurate and precise estimates of abundance that improve upon traditional methods. Using remote cameras to estimate abundance may be less expensive, less intrusive, less dangerous, and less time consuming than other methods. While it is apparent that remote cameras have a place in the future of wildlife monitoring, research, and management, many questions remain concerning the proper use of these tools. In …


Plant Dioecy, Ecology, Evolution And Sex Reversal, D. Carl Freeman Aug 1977

Plant Dioecy, Ecology, Evolution And Sex Reversal, D. Carl Freeman

Theses and Dissertations

The distribution of dioecious species among forty-four plant communities of western United States was examined. The dioecious habit is most prevalent in harsh environments. In many communities, over 20 percent of the species and 40 percent of the individuals are dioecious. Dioecy is most common among woody species which are pollinated by wind. It is concluded that inbreeding depression alone is insufficient to account for all known facts concerning dioecy. Disruptive selection acting upon differential success of gametes produced on sites of differing quality appears to have played a major role in producing separate sexed individuals. Dioecious species reported to …


Influence Of A Dry Wash Habitat On Distribution And Movement Of Heteromyid Rodents, Jeffrey S. Green Apr 1976

Influence Of A Dry Wash Habitat On Distribution And Movement Of Heteromyid Rodents, Jeffrey S. Green

Theses and Dissertations

Three heteromyid rodent species were studied in relation to a large dry wash in Millard County, Utah, during the summer, 1974. Data were gathered with three trapping grids and analyzed to determine if the dry wash influenced rodent movement and distribution patterns. Dipodomys ordii and Dipodomys microps were distributed non-randomly in the dry wash and adjacent habitat, but Perognathus Zongimembris seemed to be randomly distributed. Dipodomys ordii was significantly correlated with wash habitat, but D. microps was found most frequently in upland areas. Soil and vegetative differences and competition were possible causes for the observed distribution. The wash was observed …


A Paleocene Flora From The Fort Union Formation Near Baggs, Carbon County, Wyoming, John L. Roth Jul 1975

A Paleocene Flora From The Fort Union Formation Near Baggs, Carbon County, Wyoming, John L. Roth

Theses and Dissertations

A well-preserved Paleocene flora of 39 species from the Fort Union Formation near Baggs, Carbon County, Wyoming has been studied. This is the first study of the plant megafossils in this area. The most abundant species collected are: Carya antiquorum Platanus nobilis, Cercidiphyllum arcticum and Platanus raynoldsi. Together they represent 74% of the flora. The flora has been dated as Upper Middle Torrejonian. This report is also the first paleoecological study of any North American Paleocene flora. Two methods were used to determine the paleoclimatic conditions of the flora. The first was an analysis of leaf margin characteristics, comparing them …


Diatom Phytoplankton And Periphyton Studies Of The Headwaters Of Henrys Fork Of The Snake River, Island Park, Idaho, Richard L. Clark Apr 1975

Diatom Phytoplankton And Periphyton Studies Of The Headwaters Of Henrys Fork Of The Snake River, Island Park, Idaho, Richard L. Clark

Theses and Dissertations

An ecological baseline study of the diatom flora was conducted on the headwaters of Henrys Fork of the Snake River, Idaho. The diatom flora of this spring fed drainage basin consisted of both phytoplankton and periphyton. Thirty-nine genera, two hundred forty-four species, eighty-two additional varieties, and seven additional forms were identified from these waters. Species of Melosira, Stephanodiscus, Fragilaria, Synedra, and Asterionella were found in the plankton of Henrys Lake and Island Park Reservoir. Diatoma, Fragilaria, Synedra, Eunotia, Achnanthes, Navicula, Pinnularia, Gomphonema, Cymbella, Nitzschia, and Surirella were the important genera present in the periphyton.


A Comparative Study Of Some Population Characteristics Of Calyptraea Fastigiata Gould, Crepidula Lingulata Gould, And Crepidula Nummaria Gould (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia), Roger Harold Goodwill Apr 1975

A Comparative Study Of Some Population Characteristics Of Calyptraea Fastigiata Gould, Crepidula Lingulata Gould, And Crepidula Nummaria Gould (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia), Roger Harold Goodwill

Theses and Dissertations

A comparative study of the field populations of Crepidula lingulata, Crepidula nurnmaria, and Calyptraea fastigiata indicated all three preferred a rocky substrate but favored different size rocks. Their positions on the rocks varied but the greatest numbers were found attached to the undersides. Crepidula lingulata and C. nummaria preferred larger rocks and were found in intraspecific associations more often than C. fastigiata which preferred smaller rocks. These associations occurred with a 1:1 sex ratio; however, the overall population did not. Crepidula lingulata had a high female count and C. fastigiata a high male count. Males, of all three species, were …


A Taxonomic And Ecologic Study Of The Riverbottom Forest On St. Mary River, Lee Creek And Belly River In Southwest Alberta, Canada, Robert Keith Shaw Aug 1974

A Taxonomic And Ecologic Study Of The Riverbottom Forest On St. Mary River, Lee Creek And Belly River In Southwest Alberta, Canada, Robert Keith Shaw

Theses and Dissertations

The riverbottom forest community of St. Mary River, Lee Creek and Belly River in southwest Alberta, Canada is a unique ecological entity characterized by poplar species having their major Alberta distribution along these streams. Stands in the community are dominated by three tree species, six shrub species and nine herb species. Establishment of the community is dependent on climate and substrate; destruction is the result of progressive lateral stream-flow erosion. Soils are sandy loams above gravel, with pH values of 7.7 to 8.0 and soluble salt concentration of 176 to 458 parts per million. Trees in mature stands averaged 23.0 …


Community Characteristics Of Six Burned Aspen-Conifer Sites And Their Related Animal Use /|Clarry H. Kleinman, Larry H. Kleinman Aug 1973

Community Characteristics Of Six Burned Aspen-Conifer Sites And Their Related Animal Use /|Clarry H. Kleinman, Larry H. Kleinman

Theses and Dissertations

Six forest areas destroyed by fire representing different seral stages of aspen development and conifer invasion were studied to determine successional dynamics and the related livestock and big game use. Factors measured were: (a) age, basal area, density and frequency of aspen and conifer trees; (b) density and frequency of under-story species; (c) forage production for forbs, grasses, and browse, and (d) animal-days use for deer, cattle and sheep. Aspen appeared in the community the spring following the fire and conifers appeared fifteen to twenty years later. Conifers had begun to dominate aspen on an eighty-two year old stand. The …


The Effects Of Channelization And Water Impoundment On The Macroinvertebrates In The Weber River, Summit County, Utah, Parley V. Winger Aug 1972

The Effects Of Channelization And Water Impoundment On The Macroinvertebrates In The Weber River, Summit County, Utah, Parley V. Winger

Theses and Dissertations

Macroinvertebrate populations in the Weber River, Summit County, Utah, were analyzed to determine what effects channelization resulting from Interstate-80 construction and water impoundment had on the standing crop, species diversity and species composition. Bottom samples were collected monthly from riffle areas in channeled and unchanneled sections and above Echo and Wanship Reservoirs. Macroinvertebrate populations in the channeled areas were similar in standing crop, species diversity and species composition to those in unchanged areas within six months following channelization. Species diversities were higher (d=4.1, 3.7) above the reservoirs than below (d=2.0). The reservoirs restricted the distribution of several species of macroinvertebrates. …


A Flora From The Dakota Sandstone Formation Near Westwater, Grand County, Utah, Samuel R. Rushforth Aug 1970

A Flora From The Dakota Sandstone Formation Near Westwater, Grand County, Utah, Samuel R. Rushforth

Theses and Dissertations

A cretaceous (Cenomanian) flora from the Dakota Sandstone Formation near Westwater, Grand County, Utah contains an admixture of ferns and angiosperms. The ferns of this flora are representative of an older Jurassic-Wealden vegetational type, whereas the angiosperms are typical of the modern vegetational type. Species of Gleichenia and Matonidium and Astralopteris coloradica represent the dominant forms in this flora. The Westwater flora contains fourteen genera including nineteen species and one variety. New species described from this flora include Asplenium dakotensis, Coniopteris westwaterensis and Ilex serrata.


Notes On The Fern Family Matoniaceae From The Western United States, Samuel R. Rushforth May 1968

Notes On The Fern Family Matoniaceae From The Western United States, Samuel R. Rushforth

Theses and Dissertations

A Cretaceous fern flora haas been recently discovered near Westwater, Grand County, Utah. Among specimens collected from Westwater are many forms related to extant members of the fern family Matoniaceae. This family was widely distributed geographically throughout most of the Mesozoic Era, and matoniaceous ferns have been collected from several fossil localities in the United States. The Matoniaceae was especially important in the United States during Lower Cretaceous times. Five species, Matonidium brownii Rushforth, Matonidium lanceopennis Rushforth, Matonidium galleyi (Miner) Rushforth, Matonidium americanum Berry em. Rushforth, and Matonidium sp., and one variety, Matonidium brownii var. extenda Rushforth, are considered in …


An Ecological Study Of The Algae And Mosses Of Cascade Springs, Wasatch County, Utah, Deanna Lynn Mccoard Aug 1967

An Ecological Study Of The Algae And Mosses Of Cascade Springs, Wasatch County, Utah, Deanna Lynn Mccoard

Theses and Dissertations

An ecological study was conducted at Cascade Springs, Wasatch county, Utah from August 1965, to June 1967. The algae and aquatic moss species were determined and ecological information about these organisms was obtained. Physical data were also collected: bicarbonates, carbonates, free carbon dioxide, hydroxides, oxygen, pH, and temperature. The physical environment of the water was found to be very constant. Tests taken at the different study sites were consistently similar, not only during each day, but all year around. No great variation of any kind was found in the water. In contrast to the water environment, the topography of the …


Perennial Atriplex Of Utah And The Northern Deserts, Craig A. Hanson Jan 1962

Perennial Atriplex Of Utah And The Northern Deserts, Craig A. Hanson

Theses and Dissertations

Atriplex is a genus in the Chenopodiaceae, the perennial members of which are ecologically important in western North America. Seventeen species and one subspecies of perennial Atriplex occur in Utah and the northern deserts. Three of these species and the subspecies were described by the writer in a recent publication as a result of extensive field work leading to this study. These are A. welshii, A. navajoensis, A. bonnevillensis, and A. cuneata ssp. introgressa. This study is an investigation of the systematics and phytogeography of the perennial Atriplex in Utah and the northern deserts, with emphasis on the A. gardneri …


An Ecological Study Of An Exclosure In The Mountain Brush Vegetation Of The Wasatch Mountains, Utah, Elray S. Nixon Aug 1961

An Ecological Study Of An Exclosure In The Mountain Brush Vegetation Of The Wasatch Mountains, Utah, Elray S. Nixon

Theses and Dissertations

This is a comparative study of the vegetation and soils of an exclosure in the mountain brush vegetation of the Wasatch Mountains, Utah. The exclosure was fenced and initially analyzed during the summers of 1949-1950. The study area is located in Pole Canyon in the Uinta National Forest, a few miles northeast of Provo, Utah. The dominant woody species of the vegetation in the exclosure are big toothed maple (Acer grandidentatum) and Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii). After settlement of the area in and around Provo, Pole Canyon became overgrazed by livestock. Since 1949 the area has been protected from grazing. …


The Succession Of Vegetation On A Southern Utah Sand Dune, Elias S. Castle Aug 1954

The Succession Of Vegetation On A Southern Utah Sand Dune, Elias S. Castle

Theses and Dissertations

The sand dunes lying ten miles northwest of Kanab in Kane County, Utah, support a sparse plant cover with four species dominating the vegetation: Psoralea stenostachys, Sophora stenophylla, Oryzopsis hymenoides, and Wyethia scabra var. attenuata. Of these Psoralea and Wyethia are endemic to the dunes or to a limited area which includes the dunes. The pineer species gain a start in the valleys between dunes and occupy the area only until sand covers them or until sand is blown away from their roots. Stabilization of the soils is not permanently in the interdune valleys and the dunes continue to wander. …


The Influence Of Overgrazing On The Density And Number Of Palatable And Unpalatable Desert Forage Plants, John H. Mcguire Jan 1937

The Influence Of Overgrazing On The Density And Number Of Palatable And Unpalatable Desert Forage Plants, John H. Mcguire

Theses and Dissertations

The data for this problem were collected at the Desert Range Experiment Station and on adjoining public domain lands during the summer of 1934, for the purpose of studying the influence of overgrazing on the increase of palatable and unpalatable desert forage plants. A vegetative description of the two areas studied has been prepared and presented.


A Taxonomical, Morphological And Distributional Study Of The Utah Cyprinidae /|Cby Sheldon Phipps Hayes, Sheldon Phipps Hayes May 1935

A Taxonomical, Morphological And Distributional Study Of The Utah Cyprinidae /|Cby Sheldon Phipps Hayes, Sheldon Phipps Hayes

Theses and Dissertations

The hydrography of Utah may be thought of as being roughly divided into two large general drainage areas--, the Colorado River draining the eastern halt and southern portion ot the state and the Bonneville Drainage encompassing the remaining part of it. Earlier workers have listed eight genera and fourteen species of minnows occuring in Utah. Of these this report includes seven genera and ten species found within the borders of our state.


Effects Of Overgrazing On The Mortality Of Desert Browse Of The Utah West Desert, Charles W. Menzies Jan 1935

Effects Of Overgrazing On The Mortality Of Desert Browse Of The Utah West Desert, Charles W. Menzies

Theses and Dissertations

During the summer of 1934 this investigation was conducted to determine the effect of overgrazing on the mortality of desert browse in the vicinity of the Desert Range Branch experiment station. Range lands of western United States have, as a whole been subjected to overgrazing. Utah has about 24 million acres of public acres of public domain that can only be utilized from grazing. An effort has been made to put this area under control. The "Taylor Grazing Act" passed by Congress June 28, 1934 is a big step in the direction of the control of this vast area of …


An Ecological Study Of Timpanogos Creek From Aspen Grove To Wildwood, Marion L. Harris Jan 1926

An Ecological Study Of Timpanogos Creek From Aspen Grove To Wildwood, Marion L. Harris

Theses and Dissertations

Ecology may be oonsidered as one of the vital parts of botany, since there are two ultimate facts in this science; namely, the plant and its habitat . The habitat is made up of the physical factors that control function. At Timpanogos there are so many different habitats, that the chief problem is not that of finding a problem to study, but rather that of selecting one from the many. The purpose of this paper is to point out some of the interesting features that are found in a study of Timpanogos Creek from Aspen Grove to Wildwood.