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Index [And Table Of Contents] To Volume 49

Great Basin Naturalist

No abstract provided.

End Matter, Vol. 49 No. 4

Great Basin Naturalist

No abstract provided.

An Extant, Indigenous Tortoise Population In Baja California Sur, Mexico, With The Description Of A New Species Of Xerobates (Testudines: Testudinidae), John R. Ottley, Victor M. Velázques Solis

Great Basin Naturalist

An extant, indigenous desert tortoise population is reported from the cape region of Baja California Sur, Mexico. This population is described and figured as a new species, Xerobates lepidocephalus, distinct from all other North American tortoises including Xerobates agassizii, X. berlandieri, Gopherus flavomarginatus, and G. polyphemus. Xerobates lepidocephalus, or the scaly-headed tortoise, whose range is known only from an extremely small area in the gulf-drainage mountains just south of La Paz, appears to be a peninsular relict whose closest living relative is probably X. agassizii. However, carpal bone affinities connote a close relationship …

Bibliography And Subject Index Of The Prairie Skink, Eumeces Septentrionalis (Baird) (Sauria: Scincindae), Louis A. Somma, Philip A. Cochran

Great Basin Naturalist

The prairie skink, Eumeces septentrionalis, is a small, semifossorial lizard inhabiting the tall-grass prairies and savannas of the central lowland province region of North America. This study provides an extensive bibliography and subject index as a tool for current and future workers studying E. septentrionalis and related species.

Radio Transmitter Attachment For Chukars, Bartel T. Slaugh, Jerran T. Flinders, Jay A. Roberson, M. Ray Olson, N. Paul Johnston

Great Basin Naturalist

Thirty-seven Chukars (Alectoris chukar), fitted with conventional poncho-type radio transmitters, were released on Antelope Island in Utah's Great Salt Lake. Twenty-seven removed their radios, averaging three days after release. The remaining 10 died from predation (average 15 days). Twenty-two Chukars with pleated and six with harness ponchos were then released. Five of the pleated ponchos were removed (average four days), and 17 resulted in mortality (average two days). All six harness poncho-equipped birds were dead the following day. A consequential laboratory study comparing various attachment methods (conventional, pleated, harness, and "irreversible" flange poncho vs. bellystrap and wingstrap backpack) …

Note On Fungi In Small Mammals From The Nothofagus Forest In Argentina, Javier G. Perez Calvo, Zane Maser, Chris Maser

Great Basin Naturalist

Fungal spores from the same taxa of fungi that occur in the Pacific Northwest are reported from digestive tracts of 31 rodents of 5 genera from the Nothofagus forest of southern Argentina. Mycophagy (fungal feeding) by forest rodents has been well documented in North America (Fogel and Trappe 1978, Maser et al. 1978, Mclntire 1984, and others), Europe (Blaschke and Bäumler 1986, Durrieu et al. 1984), and Australia (Malajczuk et al. 1987). The purpose of this note is to report fungi consumed by rodents of the Argentine Andinian Patagonic forest (see Dimitri 1972, McQueen 1977, and Ward 1965 for a …

Note On Mound Architecture Of The Black-Tailed Praire Dog, Richard P. Cincotta

Great Basin Naturalist

The development of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) burrow mounds was monitored for three years. Entrances were flagged at points where a prairie dog was observed digging into the ground (primary entrances, n = 22) and digging out of the ground (secondary entrances, n = 8). In all samples it was observed that primary entrances became dome mounds and secondary entrances crater mounds. It is suggested that, although induced airflow (presently, a popular model) may partly explain the presence of mounds, architectural types (dome vs. crater mounds) are the result of energy constraints associated with building materials that …

Terrestrial Vertabrates Of Scotts Bluff National Monument, Nebraska, Mike K. Cox, William L. Franklin

Great Basin Naturalist

A survey of terrestrial vertebrates was conducted at the Scotts Bluff National Monument (SBNM), Nebraska, to determine species composition, relative abundance, and distribution by habitat of the existing amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Various sampling methods were used to detect animal species richness and to estimate population densities. The seven major habitat types at SBNM contained 4 species of amphibians, 8 reptiles, 96 birds, and 28 mammals. The only endangered or threatened species observed was a dead Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). The racer (Coluber constrictor) and prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) were the two most …

Demographic Characteristics Of American Marten Populations In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Tim W. Clark, Thomas M. Campbell Iii, Tedd N. Hauptman

Great Basin Naturalist

Some American marten population characteristics (numbers, density, body weights, sex and age ratios, natality, mortality-survivorship, immigration-emigration, home ranges) were studied at four sites in the southern part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Teton County, Wyoming, in 1975–1979. Ninety-eight different martens were examined. Males (n = 25) weighed 1,111 g (± 110 SD, range 875–1,235), whereas females (n = 17) averaged 743 g (± 83 SD, range 600–900). Live-trapping showed sex ratios of 1.5M:1.0F, whereas carcasses showed 3.0M:1.0F. Of 27 males that were aged, 12 (44%) were less than 1 year old and 2 were 9–10 years old. Of 10 females, …

The Radical Shift In The Spanish Approach To Intercivilizational Encounter, Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

The Rise And Decline Of Mormon San Bernardino, Edward Leo Lyman

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Juanita Brooks: Mormon Woman Historian Levi S. Peterson, Louis C. Midgley

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

The Move South, Richard D. Poll

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Physiographic Characteristics Of Peregrine Falcon Nesting Habitat Along The Colorado River System In Utah, Brandon L. Grebence, Clayton M. White

Great Basin Naturalist

Portions of the Colorado, Dolores, Green, and San Rafael rivers in Utah were surveyed for the breeding Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum) from 1986 to 1988. Eleven physical variables were measured at nest cliffs (N = 22) and nonnest cliffs (N = 22) to discern descriptors of cliff choice and subsequent occupancy by breeding peregrines in unexplored habitat within the Colorado River and its tributaries. Ratio scale measurements were subjected to discriminant function analysis or the Mann-Whitney test to determine significant differences between cliff types. At nest cliffs, Rayleigh's and Kuiper's tests were applied to compass directions to …

End Matter, Vol. 49 No. 3

Great Basin Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Soil-Site Relationships Of White Locoweed On The Raft River Mountains, Michael H. Ralphs, Brock Benson, J. Cameron Loerch

Great Basin Naturalist

White locoweed (Oxytropis sericea Nutt.) is restricted to the top and windswept ridges of the Raft River Mountains. Elevation and soil characteristics have the greatest effect on its occurrence. It is most abundant on the subalpine windswept ridge ecological site (9.2 plants/m²) above 2,380 m. White locoweed apparently can tolerate the extreme environmental stresses of the shallow, rocky, windswept ridges where it is one of the dominant species. White locoweed also occurs in the deep, subalpine loam site (3.8 plants/m²) above 2,865 m, but it is a minor component of this plant community. It is …

First North American Record Of Cichlasoma Managuense (Pisces: Cichlidae), Paul C. Marsh, Thomas A. Burke, Bruce D. Demarais, Michael E. Douglas

Great Basin Naturalist

An established population of a neotropical cichlid fish, Cichlasoma managuense, was found in a spring pool in the Virgin River basin, Utah. Presence of this predatory species poses an additional threat to the native fish fauna of the Virgin River, which already has suffered multiple impacts of water development and introduced fishes.

High-Elevation Records For Neotoma Cinerea In The White Mountains, California, Donald K. Grayson, Stephanie D. Livingston

Great Basin Naturalist

New records for bushy-tailed wood rat (Neotoma cinerea) on the White Mountains of eastern California increase the elevation from which this animal is known on the White Mountains, outside of human habitation, from 3,120 to 3,648 m. These records, coupled with archaeological data, suggest that the isolated bouldery outcrops occupied by bushy-tailed wood rats above timberline here are true habitat islands, occasionally colonized by dispersing individuals and characterized by frequent local extinction.

Marmot Scats Supplement Hay Pile Vegetation As Food Energy For Pikas, James A. Gessaman, Andrew G. Goliszek

Great Basin Naturalist

During summer pikas do not store fat for the winter months; hay piles are the main energy source in winter. All the hay piles collected in an area where pikas (Ochotona princeps) coexisted with marmots (Marmota flaviventris) contained marmot scats. Marmot scats had a higher energy density than the most abundant type of vegetation in hay piles.

In feeding trials pikas on a diet of hay pile vegetation plus marmot scats consumed significantly less food per day than they did on a diet of hay pile vegetation alone. These findings suggest that pikas coexisting with marmots …

Influence Of Experimental Habitat Manipulations On A Desert Rodent Population In Southern Utah, Jiping Zou, Jerran T. Flinders, Hal L. Black, Steven G. Whisenant

Great Basin Naturalist

This paper addresses how habitat manipulations in a black sagebrush (Artemisia nova)–dominated area, John's Valley of southern Utah, affected resident desert rodent populations. Rodents studied included the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), Great Basin pocket mouse (Perognathus parvus), sagebrush vole (Lagurus curtatus), Ord's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii), and least chipmunk (Eutamias minimus). The experimental design involved analyses of treatment and control (nontreatment) plots rather than pre- and posttreatment of all plots. Habitat manipulations emphasized cutting of shrubs (rotobeating), treatment of plants with a herbicide (2,4-D), and reseeding with a …

Co-Occupancy Of A Den By A Pair Of Great Basin Black Bears, John M. Goodrich, San J. Stiver

Great Basin Naturalist

An adult male and an adult female black bear (Ursus americanus) were found in the same den in the Carson Range of the Sierra Nevada in Nevada. Co-occupancy of dens is very rare, and such behavior has never been previously reported for adult bears of opposite sex.

Mass Mortality Of Salamanders (Ambystoma Tigrinum) By Bacteria (Acinetobacter) In An Oligotrophic Seepage Mountain Lake, Kathleen Muriel Worthylake, Peter Hovingh

Great Basin Naturalist

Of the 13 lakes in the central Wasatch Mountains with tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) populations, salamander mass mortalities occurred in four seepage lakes that experienced extensive lowering of the water levels during the summer. The largest of these lakes, the oligotrophic Desolation Lake, was studied to determine the cause of the mortality phenomenon. The recurrent annual mass mortality involved both breeding adults and young-of-the-year. Rate kinetics suggest that mortality rate doubles with a fivefold increase in the number of aquatic young salamanders. The proximate cause of the mass mortality was identified as a bacterium, Acinetobacter sp. Desolation Lake …

Opportunistic Foraging By The Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys Deserti Stephens (Rodentia: Heteromyidae), Richard W. Rust

Great Basin Naturalist

The kangaroo rat, Dipodomys deserti Stephens, was observed capturing and killing insects that were flying about an ultraviolet lamp. The white-lined sphinx moth, Hyles lineate (F.), and the carrot beetle, Bothynus gibbosus (DeGeer), were put into the cheek pouches and carried away from the collection area.

Science And Theology: A Search For The Uncommon Denominator, A. Lester Allen

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Seventh Son; Red Prophet; Prentice Alvin Orson Scott Card, W. Bryan Stout

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Edith Irvine: Her Life And Photography, Wilma Marie Plunkett

Theses and Dissertations

ln mid-1988, Brigham Young University received a high-quality collection of photographic glass plates made by Edith Irvine at the tum of the century. The plates, her camera and other photographic equipment, and miscellaneous publications were donated to BYU by her nephew, Jim Irvine.

When the plates arrived and the Archives Photolab had them proofed, we realized thal not only were the San Francisco earthquake/ fire and other areas of California history recorded, but we had, in fact, the work of an outstanding photographer. As we compared the proofs with the work of other photographers who handled similar subjects, we called …

A Proposal For Reallocation Of Federal Grazing-Revisited, B. Delworth Gardner

Faculty Publications

Over a quarter of a century ago, I analyzed the allocation procedures utilized by the federal agencies which administer livestock grazing on the public lands (Gardner 1962). Two factors contributing to grazing misallocation and reduced range productivity were identified: (1) the "eligibility" requirements that qualify permittees for grazing privileges prevented the utilization of forage by ranchers who would value it most, and (2) use-tenure insecurity resulting from cuts in permitted grazing impeded private investment in range improvements on the public ranges. In a second paper, I proposed that the grazing privilege system be reformed such that efficient allocation of forage …

Review Of Selenium In Soils, Plants, And Animals In Nevada, Stephen C. Poole, Verle R. Bohman, James A. Young

Great Basin Naturalist

Selenium is critical in livestock nutrition; forage can be either potentially deficient or toxic in this element. Selenium is accumulated in excessive amounts by a relatively few species of plants. Several of these plants, termed indicator species, occur in the western Great Basin; however, selenium toxicity is not a problem in Nevada for domestic livestock. The detection of marginal dietary deficiencies of selenium is of much greater economic importance to the livestock industry than an excess of this element.

Selenium occurs as a trace element in the composition of various minerals. Selenium levels are very low in volcanic rocks of …

Winter Habitats And Foods Of Blue Grouse In The Sheeprock Mountains, Utah, Peter J. Perkins, Frederick G. Lindzey, Jay A. Roberson, Gregory Mcdaniel, Randy Berger

Great Basin Naturalist

Winter habitat use and food habits of Blue Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus) were studied in an isolated Utah desert mountain range that contained little typical Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) winter habitat. Habitat use was concentrated in the Douglas-fir and pinyon (Pinus edulis)–juniper (Juniperus spp.) habitat. Douglas-fir and pinyon pine were the most consumed foods. Other foods that represented >15% of the composition of an individual fecal sample were limber pine (Pinus flexilis), mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifoliu), juniper, and an Anteunaria–Cirsium type. The breadth in winter diet indicates that Blue Grouse may …

Habitat Use And Selection And Home Ranges Of Merriam's Wild Turkey In Oregon, R. Scott Lutz, John A. Crawford

Great Basin Naturalist

Habitat use and selection by Merriam's Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo merriami) in Wasco County, Oregon, was studied during 1981–82. This turkey population selectively used forested cover types (such as ponderosa pine–Douglas-fir–oak, ponderosa pine–oak) characterized by a variety of structural features, species, and age classes. The population used single species forested cover types (oak, ponderosa pine) less than expected, used nonforested cover types in proportion to their availability, and avoided forested cover types with structure simplified by logging activities. The four age and sex classes had large seasonal home ranges (x̄ = 1,615 ha); the smallest home ranges were …