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An Allosaurus From The Morrison Formation (Late Jurassic) Of Converse County, Wyoming, Dennis D. Roth

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

I describe a partial skeleton of a theropod from the Later Jurassic Morrison Formation of Converse County, Wyoming. Collected material included 17 vertebrae, three ribs, two associated left metatarsals and an incomplete ilium of an Allosaurus in a gray silty-mudstone containing conchostraca. Several vertebrae are deformed with transverse processes broken and pressed against the neural spine, or twisted transverse processes from lateral or dorso-venteral compression. The material has evidence of erosion prior to deposition, as well as during postfossilization. I propose the deformation of the vertebrae is due to a demineralization of the bones. The flattened surfaces appear to have …

Relationships Of Exotic Plant Invasions With Biological Soil Crust, Desert Pavement, And Soil Carbon In The Eastern Mojave Desert, Adria Decorte

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In a matter of 50 years, exotic annual plants have become widespread in the Mojave Desert, contributing to drastic landscape changes such as those caused by recent fires. Invasions by exotics threaten native Mojave Desert plant communities by altering community functions (e.g. fire regimes) and by reducing plant diversity. Because it is not practical, or even possible, to eradicate these exotics, developing effective prevention techniques is the key to controlling these invasions.

This thesis used a greenhouse experiment, a field experiment, and a correlational field study to examine the affect soil surface types have on the establishment of three exotic …

Variation In The Modified First Metatarsal Of A Large Sample Of Tapirus Polkensis And The Functional Implications For Ceratomorphs., Patrick Lawrence Hawkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Mio-Pliocene age Gray Fossil Site of northeastern Tennessee has the largest collection of tapir postcranial skeletons in the world. Though representing a single species, a few localized structures show high variability. This paper deals with variation of the first metatarsal, which in tapirs was reduced as an early adaptation for running and then retrofitted to serve as a special origin for flexors and adductors of the proximal phalanges. The first metatarsal connects the medial ankle with a posterior process of the third metatarsal in tapiroids. In Tapirus indicus, T. webbi, and 6 out of 31 T. polkensis …

Growing The Urban Ecosystem In Detroit, Michigan, Sean Basalyga

Social Sciences

Many views of the future are seen as bleak and devoid of the life where once stood beauty and abundance. However, the Living Cities Design Competition challenges these views and calls for a vision of the future that inspires hope, biodiversity, and a healthy interaction between human and natural systems. We chose to redesign the city of Detroit, Michigan to be a living city by the year 2035. As the earth scientist on an interdisciplinary team, I acted as an ecological consultant. By developing the urban ecosystem of Detroit, a number of social, economical, and environmental problems can be solved. …

Population Structure Based On Age-Class Distribution Of Tapirus Polkensis From The Gray Fossil Site Tennessee., Matthew L. Gibson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals of Tapirus polkensis from the Gray Fossil Site exhibit an excellent level of preservation. Intact skulls collected from the site were arranged in a rough age class system separated into 7 categories based on the teeth present and amount of dental wear. Such an eruption series is useful for general comparisons amongst the individual tapirs; however, the classes do not represent an age in years due to a lack of data on living tapirs. Consequently, it is possible that some age classes may contain several years of a tapirs life, or comparatively only a few months. In this study …

Vertebrate Taxonomic Composition, Species Diversity, And Paleoecology Of Two Pliocene Mid-Latitude, Inland-Basin Fossil Assemblages: Panaca Local Fauna (Lincoln County, Nevada) And Hagerman Local Fauna (Twin Falls County, Idaho), Vicki Lynn Meyers

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

I studied the sedimentology, species diversity, relative abundance, paleoenvironment, and paleoecology of the vertebrate fauna of the early Pliocene (Blancan Land Mammal Age) Panaca Formation of southeastern Nevada, and I compared these data with the slightly younger Hagerman fauna of south-central Idaho. The purpose of this study is to characterize the paleoecology and species diversity of mid-latitude inland basins during the Blancan Land Mammal Age, a time of climate change and immigrating taxa from Asia and South America. This study involved surface collecting and screenwashing of the Panaca Formation sediment in Meadow Valley, as well as a compilation of data …

On The Cranial Osteology Of Eremiascincus And Its Use For Identification., William B. Gelnaw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A persistent problem for Australian paleontology has been a lack of diagnostic characters for identifying lizard fossils. Eremiascincus is one of the most widespread genera in Australia, so it was examined for distinguishing features and how it fits into a model of skink evolution. Skulls of Eremiascincus were examined within five separate contexts: 1) a description of the cranial osteology, 2) a qualitative comparison of individual cranial elements of Eremiascincus to closely related Ctenotus, 3) a description of the cranial allometry in Eremiascincus using linear morphometrics, 4) using cranial morphometrics of skinks to deduce their phylogeny, and 5) using …

The Occurrence Of An Abdominal Fauna In An Articulated Tapir (Tapirus Polkensis) Recovered From The Miocene Gray Fossil Site Northeast Tennessee., Shannon M. Mcconnell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The analysis of samples recovered from the abdominal area of an articulated tapir from the Late Miocene (4.5-7 million bp) Gray Fossil Site, revealed a rich palyno-fauna comprised of about 94% egg/oocyst-like structures and 6% pollen and other palynomorphs. In addition, a tight grouping of six hickory nuts (Carya) was recovered from the same area suggesting that the samples represent the abdominal contents. The analysis of a sample from immediately outside the tapir produced a sample with 98% pollen and less than 0.5% egg-like structures. The size, shape, and general morphology of egg-like structures were analyzed with light …

Developing A Remote Sensing Algorithm For Deriving Soil Moisture From Spectral Reflectance, Santosh Rijal

Theses and Dissertations

Wet weather cycle since 1993 has brought ground water level closer to the surface of the soil in many areas in the Red River Valley (RRV) of the North basin. Many farmers have to delay spring plantation or autumn harvest due to excessive moisture in', their farmland. In such case, it becomes increasingly important to have timely and accurate information on the soil moisture conditions. Conventional soil moisture measurement techniques are point-based that results in poor spatial representation of soil moisture. Remote sensing techniques offer many potential advantages over traditional means such as repetitive coverage and areal representation. The objective …

Soil Survey Report For Saucelito Canyon Vineyard Proposed Vineyard Site, Thomas E. Richardson, Ryan S. Stirm

Earth and Soil Sciences

The Saucelito Canyon Vineyard ranch future vineyard site was investigated using eighteen (18) soil pits to document soil morphological properties including soil structure, color, depth, presence of carbonates, and soil chemical characteristics. Pits were also used to obtain soil samples that were delivered to A & L Western Agriculture Laboratories for further soil chemical analysis and to classify the soils.

This collective information was used to classify the soils into five (5) different soil series using Soil Taxonomy. The surface soil textures and slope phases for these soil series were then used to group similar soil types located throughout the …

Pleistocene Climate In Alaska From Stable Isotopes In An Ice Wedge, Corinne Y. Griffing

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The CRREL permafrost tunnel offers a unique opportunity to sample ice wedges in a climate-controlled environment, penetrating frozen silts which host massive ground ice that may record Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O) and Heinrich Events. Ice wedges in the tunnel have been dated to approximately 36-22 ka (Hamilton et al., 1988), allowing the paleoclimate of the region to be reconstructed during MIS 3, when D-O and Heinrich events were documented in various other records. These climate cycles are rapid climate oscillations that have been recognized in records from the Arctic and subarctic, and suggest that climate can rapidly shift by 10°C over millennial …

Assessing Seasonal Features Of Tropical Forests Using Remote Sensing, Roberto Bonifaz-Alfonzo

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Tropical forests are key components of the biogeochemical cycles, complex in structure, diversity and dynamics, also, tropical regions have been deforested and modified by human activities particularly for agriculture. Understanding the inter-annual and intra-annual variation dynamics of tropical regions could give valuable information on temporal characteristics of ecosystems behavior which is important for mapping and monitoring. This dissertation assesses seasonal and inter-annual changes in the tropical land cover that may be related to changes in the natural environment and/or human activities. Research was focused on the Mayan forest located in southern Mexico and Northwest Guatemala, one of the northern-most important …

Process-Based Management Of Downy Brome In Salt Desert Shrublands: Assessing Pre- And Post- Rehabilitation Soil And Vegetation Attributes, Merilynn Carol Hirsch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As an ecosystem driver, downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.) presents obstacles to land rehabilitation efforts, including restoring desirable species cover. Because damaged ecosystems may have crossed both abiotic and biotic thresholds, ecologically-based control strategies may assist with altering successional trajectories and restoring desirable plant species. My thesis research had three objectives: 1) assess soil and vegetation relationships in degraded salt desert ecosystems prior to implementing downy brome control treatments, 2) determine the effects of control treatments on soil properties and resident plant species, and 3) evaluate the relative importance of shrubland soil type, herbicide type, and herbicide rate on seedling …

Stratigraphic, Microfossil, And Geochemical Analysis Of The Neoproterozoic Uinta Mountain Group, Utah: Evidence For A Eutrophication Event?, Dawn Schmidli Hayes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Several previous Neoproterozoic microfossil diversity studies yield evidence for a relatively sudden biotic change prior to the first well‐constrained Sturtian glaciations. In an event interpreted as a mass extinction of eukaryotic phytoplankton followed by bacterial dominance, diverse assemblages of complex acritarchs are replaced by more uniform assemblages consisting of simple leiosphaerid acritarchs and bacteria. Recent data from the Chuar Group of the Grand Canyon (770‐742 Ma) suggest this biotic change was caused by eutrophication rather than the direct effects of Sturtian glaciation; evidence includes total organic carbon increases indicative of increasing primary productivity followed by iron speciation values that suggest …

Effects Of Rodent Species, Seed Species, And Predator Cues On Seed Fate, Kelly J. Sivy, Steven M. Ostoja, Eugene W. Schupp, Susan Durham

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Seed selection, removal and subsequent management by granivorous animals is thought to be a complex interaction of factors including qualities of the seeds themselves (e.g., seed size, nutritional quality) and features of the local habitat (e.g. perceived predator risk). At the same time, differential seed selection and dispersal is thought to have profound effects on seed fate and potentially vegetation dynamics. In a feeding arena, we tested whether rodent species, seed species, and indirect and direct predation cues influence seed selection and handling behaviors (e.g., scatter hoarding versus larder hoarding) of two heteromyid rodents, Ord’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii) and …

Conservation In Conflict: Reconciling Resource Management Perspectives In A "Geographical Mosaic", Kate Wright '11

Honor Scholar Theses

No abstract provided.

Review Of Barnum Brown: The Man Who Discovered Tyrannosaurus Rex. By Lowell Dingus And Mark A. Norell., Donald M. Henderson

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

The book itself is well written, and follows Brown's life chronologically from birth to death. Along the way, the narrative delves, sometimes quite deeply, into the people and events, both American and foreign, that would have influenced Brown's life and work at the time. The reams of facts, figures, and dates in the book are meticulously referenced using the extensive archives of the AMNH. Brown was notorious for not keeping field notes, and correspondence to and from the field with his bosses, as well as annual reports, are the sources for most of the details of Brown's life while associated …

Review Of The River Returns: An Environmental History Of The Bow. By Christopher Armstrong, Matthew Evenden, And H.V. Nelles., Ted Binnema, David Vogt

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

This book should be read more as a collection of essays on a wide variety of topics related to the Bow River than as a monograph. Each of its thirteen chapters examines an aspect of the history of human interactions with the river, ranging from ranching, forestry, hydroelectricity, and irrigation to urban sanitation, recreational fishing, flooding, and park building. The Bow River is amenable to a discussion of such diverse themes. Its headwaters are among the glaciers of the Rocky Mountains in Banff National Park, but it also flows through the ranching country of the foothills, the major urban center …

Evolution And Emergence Of The Hinterland In The Active Banda Arc-Continent Collision: Insights From The Metamorphic Rocks And Coral Terraces Of Kisar, Indonesia, Jonathan R. Major

Theses and Dissertations

Coral terrace surveys and U-series ages of coral and mollusk shells yield a surface uplift rate of ~0.6 m/ka for Kisar Island. The small island is located NE of Timor in the active Banda Arc of Indonesia. Based on this rate, Kisar first emerged from the ocean as recently as ~450 ka. Terrace surveys show warping that follows a pattern of east-west striking folds, which are along strike of thrust-related folds of similar wavelength imaged by a seismic reflection profile just offshore. This deformation shows that the emergence of Kisar can be attributed to forearc closure along the south-dipping Kisar …

Sphenothallus-Like Fossils From The Martinsburg Formation (Upper Ordovician), Tennessee, Usa, Maya Li Wei-Haas, Bosiljka Glumac, H. Allen Curran

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

Tubular fossils, up to 2 mm in diameter and 60 mm in length, occur rarely in the upper Martinsburg Formation (Upper Ordovician), northeastern Tennessee Appalachians, U.S.A. The fossils are unbranched, straight or slightly bent, occasionally twisted and wrinkled, and not significantly tapered. Orientation of the fossils within shallow-marine tempestites suggests that they represent remains of organisms that were broken, transported, and deposited by storm waves and currents. The fossils are morphologically similar to many of the previously identified species belonging to the genus Sphenothallus, a relatively rare tube-dwelling Paleozoic marine invertebrate. Owing to the limited evidence for distal widening of …

What's New In Forage Equipment?, Dan Undersander

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

The forage equipment industry is changing in response to farmers’ needs. These changes consist of innovations to increase capacity, to improve the usability of the machine, and to improve the quality of the product. Most changes are occurring with existing equipment, but some totally new product innovations are occurring.

Alfalfa Hay For Horses: Myths Vs. Reality, Laurie Lawrence

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Does it really matter if hay has some mold in it?

Hay that is high in dust or mold can irritate the horse’s respiratory tract. Optimum athletic performance depends on a healthy respiratory tract, therefore dusty/moldy hay should never be fed to horses used (or intended for) athletic events. A chronic respiratory disease commonly called “heaves” can be aggravated by moldy and dusty hay. Horses with heaves can have so much difficulty breathing that even mild exercise is impossible. In addition, moldy hay may contain toxins that could affect the horse if they are ingested.

Horse owners should not rely …

Hay Drying, Preservatives, Conditioning, Ash Content, Dan Undersander

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Drying forage for hay has always been a challenge. While we cannot control the weather we can manage cut forage to maximize drying. The purpose of this paper is to give a few principles of hay and silage making and discuss machinery available relative to these principles. Then we will also talk about minimizing ash in hay to optimize the total digestible nutrients of the forage.

Detecting Toxic Diatom Blooms From Ocean Color And A Regional Ocean Model, Clarissa R. Anderson, Raphael M. Kudela, Claudia R. Benitez-Nelson, Emily Sekula-Wood, Christopher T. Burrell, Yi Chao, Gregg Langlois, Jo Goodman, David A. Siegel

Faculty Publications

[1] An apparent link between upwelling‐related physical signatures, macronutrients, and toxic diatom blooms in the various “hotspots” throughout California has motivated attempts to forecast harmful algal blooms (HABs) as a function of select environmental variables. Empirical models for predicting toxic Pseudo‐nitzschia blooms in one such region, the Santa Barbara Channel (SBC), are tested in a nowcast mode using predictions based on merging data from MODIS ocean color geophysical products and the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) applied to the Southern California Bight. Thresholds for each model generate event forecasts. Spatially‐explicit, monthly HAB maps are compared to shipboard observations and California …

Mapping Acid Groundwater In Western Australia’S Wheatbelt, Karen Holmes, Adam Lillicrap

Resource management technical reports

The extent of the area affected by deep drains in Western Australia (more than 11 000 km of drains installed as of 2002: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2002) and their continuing installation by land managers make understanding the distribution of naturally occurring acid groundwater a priority for land managers working toward sustainable agricultural production in the wheatbelt. This report describes development of a map of the likelihood of acid groundwater occurrence. It is meant to guide state agencies, natural resource management groups, landholders, and community stakeholders on where acid groundwater may occur.

Greener Pastures 4 - Managing Potassium In Dairy Pastures, Mike Bolland, Ian Guthridge, Bill Russell, Martin Staines, John Lucey, Richard Morris

Bulletins 4000 -

We undertook three studies into the potassium requirements of high rainfall pastures: 1. Between 1999 and 2009, soil testing was conducted in 48 dairy paddocks at Vasse Research Centre (VRC) in the south-west of Western Australia (WA). This study will be referred to as the VRC soil test study.

2. Between 2002 and 2007, a potassium experiment was undertaken at Boyanup to improve our knowledge of potassium requirements of intensively grazed ryegrass pastures. This will be referred to as the Boyanup potassium experiment.

3. Between 2006 and 2010, potassium experiments were undertaken on two partner farms of the Greener Pastures …

Greener Pastures 5 - Managing Sulphur In Dairy Pastures, Mike Bolland, Ian Guthridge, Bill Russell, Martin Staines, John Lucey, Richard Morris

Bulletins 4000 -

During 1999-2009, soil testing for sulfur (S) was undertaken on 48 paddocks at the Vasse Research Centre (VRC) at Busselton, in the south-west of Western Australia (WA).

Paddocks had been grazed intensively by dairy cows and their young stock over a period of 10 years, as part of the Vasse Milk Farmlets and Greener Pastures farming system projects. Pasture consisted of annual ryegrasses with some subterranean clover. Soils in the 48 paddocks were 1-2 m sand to sandy loam over massive clay, known locally as Abba sand. For many soils in the region, including Abba sands, the topography is flat …

Greener Pastures 3 - Managing Phosphorus In Dairy Pastures, Mike Bolland, Ian Guthridge, Bill Russell, Martin Staines, John Lucey, Richard Morris

Bulletins 4000 -

Between 1999 and 2009, soil testing was conducted in 48 dairy paddocks at Vasse Research Centre (VRC) in the south-west of Western Australia (WA). This study will be referred to as the VRC soil test study.

Phosphorus experiments were undertaken on partner farms of the Greener Pastures project to improve our knowledge of the phosphorus requirements of intensively grazed ryegrass pastures. These are the partner farm phosphorus experiments.

Greener Pastures 6 - Managing Soil Acidity In Dairy Pastures, Mike Bolland, Bill Russell, Martin Staines, Richard Morris, John Lucey, D L. Bennett

Bulletins 4000 -

During 1999-2009, soil testing for pH (in CaCl2) was used to determine lime application for 48 paddocks at the Vasse Research Centre at Busselton, in the south-west of Western Australia (WA).

Paddocks had been grazed intensively by dairy cows and their young stock over a period of 10 years, as part of the Vasse Milk Farmlets and Greener Pastures farming system projects. Pasture consisted of annual ryegrasses with some subterranean clover. Soils in the 48 paddocks were 1-2 m sand to sandy loam over massive clay, known locally as Abba sand.

For many soils in the region, including Abba sands, …

Greener Pastures 1 - The Greener Pasture Project: Managing Nutrients In Dairy Pastures, John Lucey, Mike Bolland, Don Bennett, Richard Morris, Bill Russell, Martin Staines

Bulletins 4000 -

As dairy farmers have strived to maintain profitability, many have farmed more intensively. More cows are milked and increasing inputs of fertiliser and purchased feed are used per hectare. However, these increased nutrient inputs have far exceeded the increase in nutrient output in milk production. The increasing nutrient surplus (inputs minus outputs) from intensification on dairy farms has met with increasing community concern about the environmental footprint of the dairy industry. In some other countries, dairy farmers who have intensified by increasing nitrogen inputs are now faced with legislation controlling the amount of fertiliser nitrogen that they can use.

The …