Digital Commons Network^™

The Reproductive Ecology Of The Tahoe Sucker, Catostomus Tahoensis, In Pyramid Lake, Nevada, Joseph L. Kennedy, Paul A. Kucera

Great Basin Naturalist

The Tahoe sucker spawns in Pyramid Lake from April to August at lake temperatures of 11.7 to 22.7 C. The spawning population is comprised of a large lake spawning group and a numerically smaller river running group. The river running group is smaller in length and was not considered during this study.

The sex ratio of sampled suckers significantly favored the females. This is the result of the longer life of females and greater mortality of males during spawning.

Pyramid Lake Tahoe suckers reach sexual maturity at two to three years of age; however, those in Lake Tahoe do not …

Primary Productivity In Meromictic Big Soda Lake, Nevada, R. P. Axler, R. M. Gersberg, L. J. Paulson

Great Basin Naturalist

In situ radiocarbon uptake measurements conducted at Big Soda Lake, Nevada, indicate that (i) bacterial photosynthesis comprises an important fraction (30 percent) of the lake's total primary production and (ii) bacterial chemosynthesis contributes significantly to organic particle production. The results of nutrient enrichment bioassay experiments support Hutchinson's prediction that availability of inorganic nitrogen, rather than phosphorus, limits primary production in the mixolimnion. Nutrient additions of NO₃–N with Fe⁺³ most stimulated ¹⁴C uptake.

A Comparative Analysis Of The Diatom Flora On The Snail Ampullaria Cuprina From The Goshen Ponds, Utah, Larry L. St.Clair, Lorin E. Squires, Samuel R. Rushforth

Great Basin Naturalist

Seventeen genera and 60 species of diatoms were identified from four different substrates in a warm spring-fed pond near Goshen, Utah. The diatom forms sampled included both plankton and periphyton. A minimum of 400 individuals were counted from each sample. Diversity and similarity indices were calculated, and substrate relationships were identified on their basis.

Full Issue, Vol. 38 No. 2

Great Basin Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Reproductive Biology Of The Tui Chub, Gila Bicolor, In Pyramid Lake, Nevada, Paul A. Kucera

Great Basin Naturalist

Sex ratios for tui chubs (Gila bicolor), obtained from a sample of 3,384 fish, deviated significantly from the expected 1:1 ratio (chi-square, P < 0.05). Spawning occurred from June to August, with estimated fecundities ranging from 6,110 to 68,933 ova. Females spawned after attaining a maximum (average) gonadal somatic index (GSI–percent gonad weight/total body weight) of 9.1 percent and between surface water temperatures of 15.5 to 22.2 C. Males reached sexual maturity at age two, with most females maturing at age three. Consistent increases in fecundity were apparent with increasing length, weight, and age. Linear regressions between fork length and fecundity and weight and fecundity were highly significant (P < 0.05).

End Matter, Vol. 20 No. 5

Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, Biological Series

No abstract provided.

Mammals Of The Smithsonian Venezuelan Project, Charles O. Handley Jr.

Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, Biological Series

Mammals and their ectoparasites were collected in all parts of Venezuela between 1965 and 1968 by the Smithsonian Venezuelan Project. Ecological and geographical data are summarized here for 38,213 specimens of 270 species of mammals obtained by the project.

Front Matter, Vol. 20 No. 5

Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, Biological Series

No abstract provided.

Plants Of Navajo National Monument, J. D. Brotherson, G. Nebeker, M. Skougard, J. Fairchild

Great Basin Naturalist

The floristic composition of Navajo National Monument is presented. The flora of the monument consists of 293 species of vascular plants, representing 177 genera and 66 families. The species are scattered throughout 12 plant communities found within the monument. The flora is dominated by forbs (60 percent), followed by shrubs (16 percent), grasses (12 percent) and trees (5 percent). Betatakin canyon exhibits the greatest floristic richness with 223 species being represented and 123 species found only in that area. This is due primarily to two factors: (1) the greater variety of habitats available in the area, and (2) the much …

Environmental Interaction In Summer Algal Communities Of Utah Lake, Mark C. Whiting, Jack D. Brotherson, Samuel R. Rushforth

Great Basin Naturalist

Utah Lake is a shallow eutrophic lake in central Utah. It is characterized by high nutrient and silt loads and by large algal blooms in late summer and early fall. Phytoplankton samples and environmental data were taken from June through August 1974. Phytoplankton species were identified and then quantified in a Palmer counting cell. Environmental continuum theory was employed to describe algal succession, and regression analysis was used to discover interactions between algal communities and the environment. Phytoplankton communities in June were characterized by high species diversity. As the lake environment became stressed in late summer due to higher turbidity, …

Observations On The Prey And Nests Of Seven Species Of Cerceris (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae), Howard E. Evans, William L. Rubink

Great Basin Naturalist

Cerceris species are remarkably constant in their prey preferences. Records are presented from diverse localities that confirm prey constancy in five species. An apparent exception is noted in the case of C. crotonella Viereck & Cockerell. A mixed aggregation of C. fumipennis Say and C. californica Cresson is reported, both preying upon Buprestidae and using some of the same species. Nest and prey of C. conifrons Mickel are reported for the first time.

Vertebrate Fauna Of A Radioactive Leaching Pond Complex In Southeastem Idaho, Douglas K. Halford, Jere B. Millard

Great Basin Naturalist

An inventory of the terrestrial vertebrate fauna and the seasonal occurrence of each species was determined for a man-made radioactive leaching pond complex in southeastern Idaho. Three reptile, 11 mammal, and 94 bird species were identified from February 1974 through January 1978. Fewest species were observed during the winter and most during the summer. Eight bird species nested at the pond complex, while 19 species of birds were common or seasonally abundant. It appears that the Test Reactor Area radioactive leaching pond complex is an important water source and provides habitat for some species of wildlife.

An Annotated List Of The Aquatic Insects Of Southeastern Idaho, Part Iii. Ephemeroptera, Robert L. Newell, G. Wayne Minshall

Great Basin Naturalist

The study revealed representatives of 9 families, 22 genera, and 59 species occurring within the study area. No new species and no new state records were collected, but a number of new localities have been added.

Differential Parasitism Of Peromyscus Maniculatus And Peromyscus Truei By Cuterebra Larvae, Jeffrey B. Llewellyn

Great Basin Naturalist

During a 2-month field study of sympatric Peromyscus maniculatus (Deer Mouse) and Peromyscus truei (pinyon mouse), 12/152 (7.9 percent) P. maniculatus and 1/45 (2.2 percent) P. truei were parasitized by Cuterebra larvae. Both parasitized P. maniculatus and P. truei and nonparasitized P. maniculatus selected different habitats in the community. Differential parasitism of P. maniculatus and P. truei was possibly caused by host specificity of Cuterebra, whereas differential parasitism of P. maniculatus may have been due to habitat selection.

End Matter, Vol. 38 No. 1

Great Basin Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Fluctuation Of A Marsh Habitat And The Reproductive Strategy Of The Yellow-Headed Blackbird, Roger J. Lederer

Great Basin Naturalist

The Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) nests in marshes and is dependent on emergent vegetation for nest sites. Fluctuating water levels from year to year cause an increase or decrease in the amount of emergent vegetation and affect the time required for the vegetation to become suitable for nesting. Nests built in marshes are very susceptible to wind, rainfall, vegetation growth, and predation. Many nests are abandoned before being used and the mortality of eggs and young is high. The reproductive strategy of the Yellow-headed Blackbird has been selected for flexibility and opportunism to compensate for the unpredictability of …

Allelopathic Effects Of Bur Buttercup Tissue On Germination And Growth Of Various Grasses And Forbs In Vitro And In Soil, Bruce A. Buchanan, K. T. Harper, Neil C. Frischknecht

Great Basin Naturalist

The allelopathic effects of bur buttercup (Ranunculus testiculatus) tissue on selected grasses and forbs varied according to the substratum for germination and growth. The in vitro effects of an aqueous extract of buttercup tissue on germination and root development of five grasses were strongly inhibitory in all cases. However, in soil the effects of buttercup tissue on germination and growth of seven grasses and two dicotyledonous herbs were small to nonsignificant. Deleterious effects were less severe in fine- as opposed to coarse-textured soils. Under field conditions, the ability of seedlings of the grasses to compete with buttercup varied …

New Species Of Nearctic Neoperla (Plecoptera: Perlidae), With Notes On The Genus, Bill P. Stark, Richard W. Baumann

Great Basin Naturalist

The Nearctic Neoperla are reviewed. Eight species, placed in two nominal groups, are recognized. Neoperla carlsoni, new species, N. catharae, new species, N. choctaw, new species, N. freytagi, new species, N. gaufini, new species, and N. stewarti, new species, are described for male, female, and egg. Male holotypes and female allotypes are designated for each species. Neoperla mainensis Banks and N. clymene (Newman) are redescribed and mainensis is raised to species. Descriptions are supported by original drawings and stereoscan photomicrographs. Relationships of Nearctic species groups to the world fauna are discussed.

Front Matter, Vol. 38 No. 1

Great Basin Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Measuring Listening Indirectly Through Monitor Control, Harold S. Madsen

Deseret Language and Linguistic Society Symposium

No abstract provided.

The Theory Of Insular Biogeography And The Distribution Of Boreal Birds And Mammals, James H. Brown

Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs

The present paper compares the distribution of boreal birds and mammals among the isolated mountain ranges of the Great Basin and relates those patterns to the developing theory of insular biogeography. The results indicate that the distribution of permanent resident bird species represents an approximate equilibrium between contemporary rates of colonization and extinction. A shallow slope of the species-area curve (Z = 0.165), no significant reduction in numbers of species as a function of insular isolation (distance to nearest continent), and a strong dependence of species diversity on habitat diversity all suggest that immigration rates of boreal birds are sufficiently …

Avian Biogeography Of The Great Basin And Intermountain Region, William H. Behle

Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs

There are no endemic species of birds in the Great Basin. Nevertheless, a distinctive Great Basin avifauna exists which contains components of the Mojave Desert, Rocky Mountain, and Great Plains avifaunas as well as species obligate to sagebrush and the pinyon-juniper forest. Seemingly there has been little spread of California and Sierra Nevada species eastward, but a westward extension from the Rocky Mountains of several species is indicated. While several Rocky Mountain species reach their western limits on the eastern edge of the Great Basin, others have extended into the eastern portion. Two Great Plains representatives are late arrivals, namely …

The Flora Of Great Basin Mountain Ranges: Diversity, Sources, And Dispersal Ecology, K. T. Harper, D. Carl Freeman, W. Kent Ostler, Lionel G. Klikoff

Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs

The high elevation floras of 9 mountainous "mainlands" (3 in the Sierra-Cascade system and 6 in the High Plateau-Wasatch-Teton system) and 15 isolated mountain "islands" in the Intermountain Region have been analyzed. Mainland floras support more species per unit area and show a smaller increase in diversity as area is increased than islands (never exceeding 5 percent of any flora), however; and the island floras are overwhelmingly dominated by species with no apparent modifications for long-range dispersal. Furthermore, the eastern mainland has exerted a far greater influence on the flora and the vegetation of the islands than has the western …

Applying Biogeographic Principles To Resource Management: A Case Study Evaluating Holdridge's Life Zone Model, James A. Macmahon, Thomas F. Wieboldt

Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs

Conservation schemes require some portioning of the world into a discrete number of subunits which might benefit from similar management practices. The Holdridge Life Zone scheme, proposed for such purposes previously, is applied to Utah as an initial test of its usefulness. A hypothetical life zone map was developed entirely on the basis of weather station data and data derived from these values. This predictive map compared favorably to data on patterns of vegetation, mammal, reptile, and amphibian distribution in Utah.

Biogeography And Management Of Native Western Shrubs: A Case Study, Section Tridentatae Of Artemisia, E. Durant Mcarthur, A. Perry Plummer

Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs

Biogeographical considerations are important in the management of western shrublands. Seedings on rangelands have a higher probability of success when tried and tested principles are followed. It is usually best to seed mixtures that include adapted shrubs and herbs. Shrubs generally are well adapted to the environmental extremes of western ranges. Throughout the year, they provide nutrients for herbivores that are only seasonably available in herbs.

Section Tridentatae of Artemisia is endemic to western North America and distinct from the analogous Eurasian section (or subgenus) Seriphidium. The groups have separate, distinguishable centers of diversity; the two groups seem to be …

The Biota Of The Intermountain Region In Geohistorical Context, Arthur Cronquist

Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs

The present Great Basin Floristic Province had achieved roughly its present topographic conformation by some time in the Miocene epoch and had a climate not too different from the present one, though probably a little warmer, moister, and less continental. Both the flora and the fauna took on a fairly modern aspect during the Miocene, as a result of worldwide evolutionary changes and more specific adaptation to the conditions of the region. Changes in the biota since that time mainly reflect evolution and migration at the level of species and, to a lesser extent, genera, in response to regional conditions …

Some Factors Governing Plant Distributions In The Mojave–Intermountain Transition Zone, Susan E. Meyer

Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs

The existence of a floristic transition zone can be inferred by the fact that a high proportion of indigenous plant species reach a distributional limit within the area. The vascular flora of Washington County, Utah, exhibits this character to a marked degree with 53.6 percent of the native flora reaching a distributional limit within the county. By looking at geographic distributions, ecological preferences, and range termination information for the component species, first approximations are made as to the probable factors mediating plant distributions within the county, particularly of the range-terminating species. The high proportion of range-terminating species in the flora …

Alpine Phytogeography Across The Great Basin, W. D. Billings

Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs

Alpine vegetations and floras are compared in two transects across the Intermountain Region. The first extends from the Beartooth Mountains in the central Rocky Mountains to the Sierra Nevada some 1200 Km to the southwest. It includes six mountain ranges. The second transect crosses the Mohave Desert from Olancha Peak in the southern Sierra Nevada to Charleston Peak and thence to San Francisco Peaks in northern Arizona. The largest numbers of arctic-alpine species are in the Beartooth and Ruby mountains, indicating migrations of these species along the Rocky Mountain cordillera. The lowest numbers of arctic-alpine species are in the central …

Patterns Of Avian Geography And Speciation In The Intermountain Region, Ned K. Johnson

Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs

The Intermountain Region comprises a huge arena where major avifaunas more highly developed beyond the Great Basin come into contact. For this reason the distribution and composition of avifaunas in riparian and pinyon-juniper woodlands and in coniferous forests in this region are understood most clearly if considered as part of a broader system of patterns evident in western North America. Riparian woodland samples point to a complex meeting ground in the Intermountain Region of two major avifaunas of equivalent size, but from opposite distributional backgrounds. These northern and southern avifaunas do not mix among the samples represented except in western …

Preface, K. T. Harper, James L. Reveal

Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs

No abstract provided.