Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Growth-Form-Analysis And Paleoecology Of The Corals Of The Lower Mississippian Lodgepole Formation, Bear River Range, North-Central Utah, Judith M. Miller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Mississippian (Kinderhookian-Osagean) Lodgepole Formation contains a diverse fossil assemblage. Taxa present include brachiopods, crinoids, gastropods, cephalopods, trilobites and corals. Corals and associated fauna were collected from four localities within the Bear River Range. These are, from north to south, Beirdneau Hollow, Spring Hollow, Leatham Hollow and Porcupine Dam. The well-preserved tabulate and rugose (compound and solitary) corals exhibit a high degree of morphologic variability. The colonial corals of the Lodgepole Formation (particularly Lithostrotionella, Syringopora) exhibit a morphologic gradient from platy to hemispherical forms. The six morphologic categories of colonial corals discussed in this study are identified by mean …

Vertical Mesoscale Water Vapor Flux In An Irrigated Valley, Esmaiel Malek

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To obtain the profiles of dry bulb and wet bulb temperature, specific humidity, q, and air density, ρ, to a height of 200 meters above the ground, a precise lightweight thermocouple psychrometer was designed. To lift the thermocouple psychrometer and the attached wires in obtaining the ρq profiles, a rigid polyethylene balloon augmented with 5.5-feet outdoor or 100-g meteorological balloons were used. Using the height dependent eddy exchange coefficient and a one-dimensional time-dependent profile model, the nighttime variations of ρq as a function of height were predicted and compared with observed values. It was found that the general shape of …

Effect Of Drilling Fluid Components And Mixtures On Plants And Soils, Parvin Pesaran (Djavan)

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The concern about the environment has required that the effects of drilling fluids (muds) on surrounding areas be known. This study was initiated to investigate the effects of various muds on plant growth and on soils.

In preliminary studies in Phase I (31 individual mud components), it was concluded that the obvious dominant effects on plant growth of detrimental drilling fluid components included excess soluble salts, excess exchangeable sodium percentage, possibly a high pH in some mixtures, and undesirable physical conditions. The latter resulted from the sodium and/or starch, gums, and bentonite.

Phase II, the second year's study of the …

Seasonal Course Of Root Respiration In Atriplex Confertifolia, Richard S. Holthausen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Root respiratory response of mature Atriplex confertifolia plants growing in established communities was measured during two growing seasons using freshly excised root segments and gas chromatography techniques. Respiratory response at fixed test temperatures changed significantly during the growing season, and this pattern of respiratory adjustment varied for root segments located at different depths in the soil profile. Respiration measured at a constant test temperature was highest during early sumner, and declined to minimum values in late summer and fall. Root segments taken from the top 30 cm of the soil profile displayed peak activity several weeks before root segments from …

Structural Geology Of The Southern Part Of Elkhorn Mountain, Bannock Range, Idaho, George A. De Vries

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The area of southern Elkhorn Mountain, a previously unmapped area, is located north of Malad City, Idaho, in the Bannock Range. The mapped area is within the Basin and Range province. The mapped area measures 5.9 miles in the north-south direction and approximately 8.8 miles in the east-west direction.

The oldest stratigraphic unit, in the mapped area, is the Ute Formation of Middle Cambrian age. Other units of Cambrian age, in ascending order, are: Blacksmith Formation, Bloomington Formation, Nounan Formation, and St. Charles Formation. The units of Ordovician age are the Garden City and the Swan Peak Formations. The youngest …

The Effect Of Four Mine Spoil Treatments On The Seedling Water Relations Of Two Plant Species, Lorraine K. Van Kekerix

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Surface mines in mountainous areas cause environmental deterioration at lower elevations in the watershed. The most successful long term solution to the downstream problem is revegetation. However, mine spoils are low in essential plant nutrients, have low water holding capacity, and are often acidic. These factors limit plant colonization. Plants must also be adapted to the environmental conditions of high elevations.

At the McLaren Mine, }1ontana, at 2800 m, it was observed that seedlings on revegetation plots were desiccated, indicating possible water deficits. Field and growth chamber studies were carried out to determine the effects of some spoil ameliorating treatments …

Biological Manipulation Of Blackbrush (Coleogyne Ramosissima Torr.) By Browsing With Goats, Frederick D. Provenza

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to provide data on responses of Angora goats and blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) to a biological manipulation program. Blackbrush utilization levels averaged 30, 16, and 6 percent (545, 367, and 147 kg per hectare) for the heavily, moderately, and lightly browsed pastures, respectively; removal rates of 77, 38, and 19 percent (1164, 582, and 291 kg per hectare) were projected.

Statistically significant differences in body weight loss (P=0.052) were noted for goats browsing in different replications. Goats lost an average of 14 and 19 percent of body weight in replications one and two, …

Coyote-Food Base Relationships In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, John L. Weaver

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I measured three variables of coyote-food base relationships in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, during the period July, 1973, to July, 1975. Field work provided estimates of relative coyote and prey abundance as well as observations on coyote feeding behavior during winter. Laboratory analysis of 1,500 coyote scats revealed feeding patterns while feeding trials with captive coyotes allowed refinement in interpretation of scat analysis.

Deer mice and chipmunks comprised most of the rodent biomass captured in traps in the fall, while ground squirrels accounted for much of the rodent biomass in the spring. Field voles declined from 1973 to 1974 throughout much …

Phosphorus Availability As Indicated By Alfalfa Response To Applied Phosphorus On Soils With Low Soil-Test Values, Ibrahim Odeh Ghawi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A field experiment was conducted at two locations in Utah, one at Erda in Tooele County and the other at Minersville in Beaver County. Each experiment was designed as a randomized block design with five treatments and four replication s for each treatment. The test crop was alfalfa. Three cuttings were taken from each location to estimate the yield. Soil samples from the first 12 inches and subsoil samples from 12-24 inches were taken to determine the available NaHCO₃-P in the soils. Plant samples were taken to determine the P content of the crop. The results showed that …

The Evaluation Of A Computer Model To Predict The Effects Of Salinity On Crop Growth, James K. Wolf

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A model was developed to predict the effects of soil salinity on crop growth. The model makes three major assumptions: 1) Relative yield for a growing season is directly related to the ratio of actual and potential transpiration. 2) Water uptake by plants is in response to the water potential gradient between the plant roots and the surrounding soil. 3) The effects of the soil salinity on crop growth is solely due to the affect of osmotic potential in decreasing the water potential. Minor assumptions also included are concerned with the plant growth cover, plant root growth, and the separation …

Synecology And Faunal Succession Of The Upper Mississippian Great Blue Limestone, Bear River Range And Wellsville Mountain, North-Central Utah, Alan P. Sweide

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The late Mississippian Great Blue Limestone was studied at four locations around Cache Valley, Utah. One location was at Dry Lake in the Pisgah Hills to the west of Cache Valley. Three locations were in the Bear River Range to the east of Cache Valley. From north to south the locations are: 1) Beirdneau Peak, 2) Logan Peak, and 3) the ridge to the north of East Fork Canyon. The Dry Lake location represents the upper, middle, and some of the lower part of the section. The base of the section is covered. Locations in the Bear River Range represent …

Rodent Density And Species Composition In The Snake River Birds Of Prey Natural Area, Idaho, Jon R. Montan Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rodent densities were estimated in the major vegetation types of the Snake River Birds of Prey Natural Area in 1975 and 1976 by a combination of live-trapping and kill-trapping. Only deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) were numerous enough to permit reliable density estimates. Relative densities of other rodent species were indicated by kill-trap capture rates. Densities of deer mice correlated well (r = 0.99) with kill-trap capture rates. The use of kill-trapping in place of live-trapping in 1976 permitted extensive sampling throughout the 1930 km² study area. Differences were found among the major vegetation and land-use types in …

Evaluation Of Some Soil Loss Equations For Predicting Sheet Erosion, Douglas Joseph Trieste

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objectives of this study were (a) to apply sediment and associated plot data from various infiltrometer studies to the parameters in the Universal Soil Loss Equation, a modified version of the original Musgrave Equation, and a modified version of the original Universal Soil Loss Equation, and compare the computed results with the measured soil loss, (b) to suggest reasons for any differences between computed and measured soil loss, and (c) to suggest improvements for each equation so that it will give results near the measured soil loss. The data used consisted of 2805 infiltrometer plots collected by previous researchers …