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Comparison Of The Aquatic Ecology Of Side-Canyons And The Main Channel Of Lake Powell, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Kirsten L. Gallo

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

From 18-21 April 1996, students in a Utah State University class (Aquatic Ecology Laboratory; FW 560) measured limnological and fisheries characteristics in two side canyons (Halls Creek Bay and Moki Canyon) and the main channel of Lake Powell. Inclement weather precluded sampling of two other side canyons. Most of the sub-projects, directed by indiVIdual students, addressed the following two hypotheses: (1) productivity gradients existed from the inflows of the side canyons toward the main channel and; (2) productivity was higher in the side canyons than in the main channel of the lake. In most cases, parameters were measured at 3-5 …

Early Life History Of Yellow Perch In Eastern South Dakota Lakes, Shannon Fisher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Yellow perch Perea flavescens are a popular South Dakota sportfish; however, inconsistent recruitment creates highly variable and unpredictable perch fishery quality. Before fishery managers can begin to develop and assess strategies to stabilize yellow perch recruitment, a better understanding of their early life history is required. I selected two natural lakes with differing yellow perch population types and monitored brood stock, spawning habits, and larval and juvenile life history patterns during 1995 and 1996. Pelican Lake was selected as a representative yellow perch population exhibiting inconsistent recruitment and Pickerel Lake as a population with relatively consistent recruitment. Yellow perch tended …

Effects Of Wind Turbines On Nongame Birds In Conservation Reserve Program Grasslands In Southwestern Minnesota, Krecia L. Leddy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One concern of wind power development for electrical energy generation has been the potential for bird collisions with wind turbines. The effects of wind turbines on nongame bird composition and density in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands was evaluated in summer 1995 along Buffalo Ridge in southwestern Minnesota. Bird density in CRP fields with wind turbines was compared with that found in cropland, pastureland, woodland, and CRP grasslands without the presence of wind turbines. Bird species composition and density were determined within fixed width (40 m) transects. Nongame bird species richness and density were greater in woodlands and CRP grasslands …

Effects Of Daphnia Availability On Growth And Food Consumption Of Rainbow Trout In Two Utah Reservoirs, R. Tabor, Chris Luecke, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

We monitored the diet and growth of stocked rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss in two Utah reservoirs during 1986 and 1989–1990. For the first month after stocking, juvenile rainbow trout in both reservoirs fed extensively on large Daphnia spp. In East Canyon Reservoir where Daphnia were abundant, this pattern continued throughout the summer, fall, and winter. Growth of rainbow trout in East Canyon Reservoir was generally good throughout 1989–1990. In Causey Reservoir, where Daphnia were less abundant and smaller, rainbow trout fed progressively less on smaller Daphnia throughout the summer, fall, and winter, while other prey items (snails, aquatic insects, and …

Fish Lateral Line Neurophysiological And Neurobehavioral Responses As A Sensitive Water Quality Monitoring System, Hong Y. Yan

KWRRI Research Reports

Cadmium is a heavy metal ion that can cause deleterious effects on aquatic animals. This study uses both electrophysiological recordings from lateral line nerves and videotaping of schooling behavior to investigate the effects of cadmium exposure on fish. The fathead minnows were exposed to cadmium at a concentration of 450 μg/1 over a 24-hr period. Extracellular recording with a silver hook electrode was used to record compound action potentials from the lateral lines of control and experimental fish. After a short time exposure (24 hr) to cadmium ions, all of the electrophysiological activities of the lateral line nerves were suppressed. …

Development And Lipid Composition Of The Harpacticoid Copepod Nitocra Spinipes Reared On Different Diets, Gregory M. Weiss, George B. Mcmanus, H. Rodger Harvey

OES Faculty Publications

We reared the harpacticoid copepod Nitocra spinipes on diets of bacteria, a diatom, or a macroalga, evaluating survivorship and growth in short-term (≤ 1 generation) experiments. Lipid content of the copepods and their diets was measured and used as an index of nutrition. Although growth, survivorship and lipid content of N. spinipes were significantly greater when fed the diatom, which had the highest lipid content of the 3 diets, the copepod was able to develop from egg to adult when fed a lipid- poor bacterial diet. Furthermore, this species was able to go through developmental molts without the addition of …

Utah Water Research Laboratory Publications Listing 1993-1996, David S. Bowles, Leaunda S. Hemphill

Reports

No abstract provided.

An Interdisciplinary Water Quality Curriculum For Middle School Students, Barbara Michelle Cleveland

All Graduate Projects

An interdisciplinary curriculum correlating water quality with the disciplines of physical science and mathematics for 6th grade middle school students was developed. Literature examined indicates that the opportunity to explore key concepts and significant issues using an integrated approach provided greater opportunity to formulate meaningful connections between disciplines studied and that achievement was enhanced. The Learning units were developed for use at Wilson Middle School in Yakima, Washington.

A Guide For Extending Nature Lessons At The Yakima Arboretum, Marilou Cori Kinder

All Graduate Projects

The importance of providing a hands on natural environment curriculum was examined. Sources from 1938-1996 were found supporting the importance of such a curriculum. A search was conducted on the availability of a natural habitat curriculum that used a local resource. The search discovered the Yakima Arboretum had seven areas of interest along with a packet of brief lesson suggestions. These lessons were extended to include classroom activities that would provide students with background knowledge prior to a field trip to the Arboretum.

Final Environmental Impact Statement For The Bal'diyaka Interpretive Center At Gregory Point On The Oregon Coast In Coos County, Joseph A. Maser

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, in partnership with the Coos Bay District of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are proposing to construct and operate an interpretive center near or on the South Coast of Oregon, near Coos Bay. The Bal'diyaka Interpretive Center is envisioned to contain a 51,000 square foot main building, a recreated coastal Indian village, an ethnobotanical interpretive trail, vehicular circulation and parking, and utilities infrastructure.

This Environmental Impact Statement analyzes four alternatives for this proposed interpretive center. The proposed action of the BLM would locate the Bal'diyaka Interpretive Center on Gregory …

Seasonal Influences On Freshwater Fisheries Sampling Data, Kevin L. Pope, David W. Willis

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Fisheries managers often assess fish populations using catch per unit effort (CPUE), size and age structure, growth, and condition. For many freshwater fishes and common sampling gears, CPUE, size and age structure, and condition are highest in the spring and fall, while growth commonly is fastest during the summer growing season. However, there are exceptions to these general trends, especially in populations with erratic recruitment, growth, or mortality. At the least, CPUE, size and age structure, growth, and condition of fish should be expected to change with season, given the effects of variable recruitment, growth, and mortality. However, if recruitment, …

1996 Ecological Evaluation Cunningham Creek Potential Research Natural Area, A Final Report, Terri Hildebrand

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

The Cunningham Creek potential Research Natural Area (RNA) is located approximately 27.2 km (17 miles) east-southeasterly of Crawford, Nebraska or 40 km (25 miles) southwesterly of Chadron, Nebraska. Located on the Pine Ridge District of the Nebraska National Forest, the site is included in the Pine Ridge ecosystem of western Nebraska. Four hundred hectares (1000 acres) consisting of deciduous woodlands, pine forests, and upland prairies are located in the survey area. Inclusions of wet meadows, oak woodland, and aquatic systems intermingle in the deciduous woodland. Cattle grazing and recreation are the primary uses of the area. The purpose of this …

Changes In The Freshwater Mussel Community Of Lake St. Clair: From Unionidae To Dreissena Polymorpha In Eight Years, Thomas F. Nalepa, David J. Hartson, Gerald W. Gostenik, David L. Fanslow, Gregory A. Lang

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

To determine density changes in both the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, and native mussels, Unionidae, in Lake St. Clair, surveys were conducted in 1990, 1992, and 1994 and compared to a similar survey in 1986 when no D. polymorpha was found. Collection methods were the same each year; divers used the quadrat method to collect 10 replicate samples at 29 sites located throughout the lake. The total number of unionids collected declined from 281 in 1986, to 248 in 1990, 99 in 1992, and 6 in 1994, while the number of species collected in each of the four respective …

1996 Platte River Basin Ecosystem Symposium Proceedings

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

A Direct, Approximate Solution To The Modified Green-Ampt Infiltration Equation, Puneet Srivastava, Thomas A. Costello, Dwayne R. Edwards

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Accurately predicting the rainfall-runoff process is of vital importance for water quality models as well as for correct design of various types of hydraulic structures. This article presents a method of describing the cumulative infiltration process as an explicit function of time using an approximation to the modified Green-Ampt equation given by Mein and Larson (1971). The resulting equation is helpful in predicting cumulative infiltration and therefore infiltration capacity for computer simulation models. The proposed method takes about 50% less time than the usual iterative technique for the same degree of accuracy. The maximum error due to approximation was 1% …

Simulation Of Runoff Transport Of Animal Manure Constituents, Yang Wang, Dwayne R. Edwards, Tommy C. Daniel, H. Don Scott

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Runoff losses of land-applied animal manure constituents can adversely affect the quality of downstream waters. Reliable mathematical simulation models can help estimate runoff losses of animal manure constituents and identify management measures to reduce these losses. The objective of this study was to develop and calibrate an event-based simulation model to describe the runoff transport of solids (soil and manure particles) and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) from areas treated with animal manure. The resulting model, consisting of linked hydrology, soil/manure transport, and nutrient transport components, is process-oriented and uses measurable parameters to the greatest degree possible. The three components of …

Captive Environmental Influences On Behavior In Zoo Drills And Mandrills (Mandrillus), A Threatened Genus Of Primate, Erik Terdal

Dissertations and Theses

Drills (Mandrillus leucophaeus) are an endangered species of African monkey (Cercopithecidae), and their sole congener the mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) is vulnerable to extinction. Both species are threatened in the wild by deforestation and hunting.

Drills have a poor record of captive reproduction. Many individuals appear to have behavioral deficiencies which interfere with reproduction. Thus, the zoo population of drills does not serve as a “hedge” against the species’ total extinction: drills are endangered in captivity as well as in the wild. Mandrills, by contrast, reproduce well in captivity. Information on the behavior of mandrills in captivity may help zoo managers …

Mechanisms Of Pentachlorophenol Induced Charge Transport In Lipid Membranes, William Charles Brown

Dissertations and Theses

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is one of the prominent environmental pollutant that has penetrated into food chain and is present in humans. Health concerns have been raised since daily intake of PCP by the US population is estimated to be 16-19 µg. PCP facilitates dissipation of electrochemical potential gradients of hydrogen ions across energy transducing membranes, which are the energy sources for the conversion of adenosine diphosphate into adenosine triphosphate. Closely linked to these dissipative effects is the development of electrical conductivity in lipid membranes, induced by the presence of PCP. Three modes of PCP - induced membrane electrical conductivity were theoretically …

Modelling The Effects Of Rehabilitation And Changed Agricultural Practices In A Saline-Affected Rural Catchment, M. K. Heller

Theses : Honours

The Bremer river catchment, on the South-coast of Western Australia, is typical of most river catchments in this region in that it has been seriously affected by sedimentation, salinisation and eutrophication brought on by the gradual dominance of agricultural land management practices. Vegetated rehabilitation and changed agricultural land management practices (ie minimum / zero tillage) have now been widely adopted throughout the catchment in response to these degradation issues. This study examined the potential impact minimum / zero tillage, vegetated rehabilitation and remnant vegetation could have on both a farm and catchment wide scale. A Geographical Information System was developed …

Fuel Characteristics Of Rehabilitated Bauxite Mines In Western Australia, Sarah J. Collins

Theses : Honours

This investigation assessed the fuel characteristics of Alcoa of Australia's rehabilitated bauxite mines in the south-west of Western Australia. The study determined the fuel loads, their composition and structure. The characteristics of fuel were determined, their relationship with time ascertained, and the similarity of these characteristics to the jarrah forest ecosystems that they have replaced was discussed. Pits aged from four to twenty years since rehabilitation were assessed. Predictive models were developed to allow the rapid assessment of fuel. The fuel characteristics in two controlled bum areas were also assessed to how much fuel would burn in a fire and …

An Investigation Into The Use Of The Freshwater Crayfish Marron (Cherax Tenuimanus) As A Flagship For The Restoration Of The Blackwood River, Rachael Nickoll

Theses : Honours

The Marron (Cherax tenuimanus) is arguably the most easily identified and ecologically important aquatic animal species in south-western Australian rivers. In fact it is quintessientially south-western Australian, endemic to the south-west corner of the continent and supporting a recreational fishery and commercial aquaculture industry within the state. Marron have keystone qualities as hosts of various epiphytic flora and fauna, and are central to the food web within south-west rivers. Their sensitivity to depleted oxygen conditions have also made them a potential "indicator" for water quality degradation. The study investigated these qualities in reference to the marron's potential as …

Fish Advisories: Useful Or Difficult To Interpret?, Joanna Burger, Michael Gochfeld

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The authors note that fish and shellfish offer significant exposure to environmental toxins but find that consumer knowledge and other factors may limit efforts to control risk in urban populations.

Rehabilitation Of A Salt Affected Wetland, Natalie Reeves

Theses : Honours

There exists an urgent need to rehabilitate salt-affected and degraded wetlands in the south-west of Western Australia, particularly in water resource catchments. Various rehabilitation techniques have been developed for such areas, which address the problem of integrating water catchment management and surrounding land use. Despite this, there has been limited success in restoring salt affected wetlands in the south west region of Western Australia. This project was established to develop a method for the rehabilitation of wetlands in the south west of Western Australia, using the western Coollangatta Farmland wetland as a case study. This site was chosen because of …

Introduced Cyprinid (Carp) Fishes In Western Australia And Their Management Implications, K. R. Breheny

Theses : Honours

Australia has no native cyprinid species and five introduced species have established self-sustaining populations. This study examines the cyprinid species present in Western Australia and estimates their distribution. The potential for introduced cyprinids to cause environmental impacts is explained and ameliorative action recommended. The presence and distribution of cyprinid species is assessed by examination of museum records, published literature, reported collections, anecdotal evidence and sampling of wetland habitats. Two species, Carassius nuratus (Goldfish) and Cyprinus carpio (Koi carp) are believed to have established populations and a map of estimated distribution is compiled. The capacity for introduced carp to undergo sudden …

Scale Issues In Soil Moisture Modelling: Problems And Prospects, Rezaul Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Soil moisture storage is an important component of the hydrological cycle and plays a key role in land-surface-atmosphere interaction. The soil-moisture storage equation in this study considers precipitation as an input and soil moisture as a residual term for runoff and evapotranspiration. A number of models have been developed to estimate soil moisture storage and the components of the soil-moisture storage equation. A detailed discussion of the implication of the scale of application of these models reports that it is not possible to extrapolate processes and their estimates from the small to the large scale. It is also noted that …

A Functional Group Approach To Detecting Shifts In Macroalgal Communities Along A Disturbance Gradient, J. C. Phillips

Theses : Honours

A recently proposed hypothesis argued that morphologically and functionally similar macroalgae could be grouped to study the structure of macroalgal communities. It was argued that these functional groups can be used to predict changes to community composition that result from disturbance. This study examined whether the functional group model held in detecting changes in macroalgal community structure within one bioregion, by applying it to a habitat exposed to different levels of physical disturbance associated with wave exposure. Results obtained using a functional group approach were compared to those obtained using a species level approach. Three parallel reef lines in Marmion …

Retention And Separation Behaviour Of Chloropyrifos And Other Water Pollutants Using Polyurethane Foams, Rashed Saleh Al-Mehrazi

Theses

Heavy metals and pesticides represent a class of man-made environmental pollutants which also occur naturally in the environment. The presence of these pollutants in the industrial and agricultural wastewaters often represents a risk to the environment. Investigation of these species in the water is an important aspect of environmental pollution as human activities contributed to the progressive increase in the concentration of these compounds in the environmental as well as aquatic systems. Therefore, identification and removal (or reduction) of these species to an acceptable concentration are of prime importance.

The analytical utility of unloaded open-cell polyurethane foams and foams immobilizing …

Soil Information Sheets For Part Of The Jerramungup Agricultural Area, Tim D. Overheu, Landcare Western Australia, Jerramungup Land Conservation District Committee

Agriculture reports

Each sheet summarises information on the soil's characteristic properties, and associated land use suitability and management. A photograph of a representative profile is provided for each soil. Technical terms are defined in soil sheet glossary. Information is presented under the following headings: soil series and groups, occurence, native vegetation, soil profile description, characteristic soil properties, soil classification and agricultural land use and management.

Soil Information Sheets For The Mount Beaumont, Mallee And Esperance Agricultural Areas, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Landcare Western Australia, Esperance Land Conservation District Committee, Mount Beaumont / Howick Catchment Group (W.A.)

Agriculture reports

Each sheet summarises information on the soil's characteristic properties, and associated land use suitability and management. A photograph of a representative profile is provided for each soil. Technical terms are defined in soil sheet glossary. Information is presented under the following headings: soil series and groups, occurence, native vegetation, soil profile description, characteristic soil properties, soil classification and agricultural land use and management.

Synthetic Organic Compounds: Las Vegas Wash And Lake Mead, National Water Quality Assessment Program (Nawqa): Nevada Basin And Range

Publications (WR)

The Nevada Basin and Range (NVBR) study unit of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program is investigating the status of, trends in, and factors affecting water quality in the Las Vegas area. A principal objective of the investigation is to assess the effects of urbanization on the quality of area water resources. Las Vegas Wash is the surface-water outlet for the Las Vegas area. The wash transports stormwater runoff, shallow ground-water discharge, and tertiary-treated sewage effluent from the Las Vegas area to Las Vegas Bay of Lake Mead on the Colorado River. Most of the flow—about 96 …