Digital Commons Network^™

Use Of Predator Hair To Enhance Perceived Risk To White-Tailed Deer In A Foraging Context, Thomas W. Seamans, Bradley F. Blackwell, Kimberly E. Linnell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Deer react to predator scent in varying degrees even when exposed to unknown predators. This response could be genetically based and maintained as long as the population is exposed to predation. We tested whether predator scent in the form of hair would enhance perceived risk and serve as a foraging repellent to free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). During the winters of 2013 and 2014, we quantified alert behaviors and consumption of whole-kernel corn in response to current (coyote [Canis latrans]) and extirpated (bobcat [Lynx rufus]; black bear [Ursus americanus]) predator species alone …

Coyote America: A Natural And Supernatural History, David D. Vail

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.

Special Topic: Wildlife And Wing Energy: Are They Compatible? Introduction, Michael Hutchins, Bruce D. Leopold

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.

Making 3d Images, Bryce Walker

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Idea: Turn a mirascope into an animated 3D imaging device by replacing the top mirror and frog with an LED screen and an optical filter.

Project X - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Gabriel Diamond, Wesley Schaefermeyer, Samuel Vonniederhausern

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The overall goal of the project was to design controllers for a UAV that would maintain a constant altitude and bank angle. Shown below are the kinematic model and control loops that were used.

Comparing Process-Based And Constraint-Based Approaches For Modeling Macroecological Patterns, Xiao Xiao

Biology Faculty Publications

Ecological patterns arise from the interplay of many different processes, and yet the emergence of consistent phenomena across a diverse range of ecological systems suggests that many patterns may in part be determined by statistical or numerical constraints. Differentiating the extent to which patterns in a given system are determined statistically, and where it requires explicit ecological processes, has been difficult. We tackled this challenge by directly comparing models from a constraint-based theory, the Maximum Entropy Theory of Ecology (METE) and models from a process-based theory, the size-structured neutral theory (SSNT). Models from both theories were capable of characterizing the …

The Importance Of Motivation, Weapons, And Foul Odors In Driving Encounter Competition In Carnivores, Maximilian L. Allen, Christopher C. Wilmers, L. Mark Elbroch, Julie M. Golla, Heiko U. Wittmer

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Encounter competition is interference competition in which animals directly contend for resources. Ecological theory predicts the trait that determines the resource holding potential (RHP), and hence the winner of encounter competition, is most often body size or mass. The difficulties of observing encounter competition in complex organisms in natural environments, however, has limited opportunities to test this theory across diverse species. We studied the outcome of encounter competition contests among mesocarnivores at deer carcasses in California to determine the most important variables for winning these contests. We found some support for current theory in that body mass is important in …

Web-Based Self-Help For Preventing Mental Health Problems In Universities: Comparing Acceptance And Commitment Training To Mental Health Education, Michael E. Levin, Steven C. Hayes, Jacqueline Pistorello, John R. Seeley

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Use Of Plastic Mulch For Vegetable Production, Tiffany Maughan, Dan Drost

All Current Publications

Plastic mulches are used commercially for both vegetables and small fruit crops. Vegetable crops well suited for production with plastic mulch are typically high value row crops. This fact sheet describes the advantages, disadvantages, installation, and planting considerations. It includes sources for plastic and equipment.

Manipulation Of Ovarian Function Significantly Influenced Trabecular And Cortical Bone Volume, Architecture And Density In Mice At Death, Jeffrey B. Mason, Boston C. Terry, Samer S. Merchant, Holly M. Mason, Mahdi Nazokkarmaher

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Previously, transplantation of ovaries from young, cycling mice into old, postreproductive-age mice increased life span and decreased cardiomyopathy at death. We anticipated that the same factors that increased life span and decreased cardiomyopathy could also influence the progression of orthopedic disease. At 11 months of age, prepubertally ovariectomized and ovary-intact mice (including reproductively cycling and acyclic mice) received new 60-day-old ovaries. At death, epiphyseal bone in the proximal tibia and the distal femur and mid-shaft tibial and femoral diaphyseal bone was analyzed with micro-computed tomography. For qualitative analysis of osteophytosis, we also included mineralized connective tissue within the stifle joint. …

Selection For Forage And Avoidance Of Risk By Woodland Caribou (Rangifer Tarandus Caribou) At Coarse Andlocal Scales, Madeleine T. Mcgreer, Erin E. Mallon, Lucas M. Vander Vennen, Philip A. Wiebe, James A. Baker, Glen S. Brown, Tal Avgar, Jevon Hagens, Andrew M. Kittle, Anna Mosser, Garrett M. Street, Doug E. B. Reid, Arthur R. Rodgers, Jennifer Shuter, Ian D. Thompson, Et Al.

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The relationship between selection at coarse and fine spatiotemporal spatial scales is still poorly understood. Some authors claim that, to accommodate different needs at different scales, individuals should have contrasting selection patterns at different scales of selection, while others claim that coarse scale selection patterns should reflect fine scale selection decisions. Here we examine site selection by 110 woodland caribou equipped with GPS radio‐collars with respect to forage availability and predation risk across a broad gradient in availability of both variables in boreal forests of Northern Ontario. We tested whether caribou selection for forage and avoidance of risk was consistent …

Genetic Analysis Of The Henry Mountains Bison Herd, Dustin H. Ranglack, Lauren K. Dobson, Johan T. Du Toit, James Derr

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Wild American plains bison (Bison bison) populations virtually disappeared in the late 1800s, with some remnant animals retained in what would become Yellowstone National Park and on private ranches. Some of these private bison were intentionally crossbred with cattle for commercial purposes. This forced hybridization resulted in both mitochondrial and nuclear introgression of cattle genes into some of the extant bison genome. As the private populations grew, excess animals, along with their history of cattle genetics, provided founders for newly established public bison populations. Of the US public bison herds, only those in Yellowstone and Wind Cave National Parks (YNP …

Integrated Step Selection Analysis: Bridgingthe Gap Between Resource Selection And Animal Movement, Tal Avgar, Jonathan R. Potts, Mark A. Lewis, Mark S. Boyce

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

A resource selection function is a model of the likelihood that an available spatial unit will be used by an animal, given its resource value. But how do we appropriately define availability? Step selection analysis deals with this problem at the scale of the observed positional data, by matching each ‘used step’ (connecting two consecutive observed positions of the animal) with a set of ‘available steps’ randomly sampled from a distribution of observed steps or their characteristics. Here we present a simple extension to this approach, termed integrated step selection analysis (iSSA), which relaxes the implicit assumption that observed movement …

The First Bromeligenous Species Of Dendropsophus (Anura: Hylidae) From Brazil's Atlantic Forest, Rodrigo Barbosa Ferreira, Julián Faivovich, Karen H. Beard, José P. Pombal Jr

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

We describe a new treefrog species of Dendropsophus collected on rocky outcrops in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Ecologically, the new species can be distinguished from all known congeners by having a larval phase associated with rainwater accumulated in bromeliad phytotelms instead of temporary or lentic water bodies. Phylogenetic analysis based on molecular data confirms that the new species is a member of Dendropsophus; our analysis does not assign it to any recognized species group in the genus. Morphologically, based on comparison with the 96 known congeners, the new species is diagnosed by its small size, framed dorsal color pattern, and …

Restoration Handbook For Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystems With Emphasis On Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat—Part 2. Landscape Level Restoration Decisions, David A. Pyke, Steven T. Knick, Jeanne C. Chambers, Mike Pellant, Richard F. Miller, Jeffrey L. Beck, Paul S. Doescher, Eugene W. Schupp, Bruce A. Roundy, Mark W. Brunson, James D. Mclver

Reports

Sagebrush steppe ecosystems in the United States currently (2015) occur on only about one-half of their historical land area because of changes in land use, urban growth, and degradation of land, including invasions of non-native plants. The existence of many animal species depends on the existence of sagebrush steppe habitat. The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a landscape-dependent bird that requires intact habitat and combinations of sagebrush and perennial grasses to exist. In addition, other sagebrush-obligate animals also have similar requirements and restoration of landscapes for greater sage-grouse also will benefit these animals. Once sagebrush lands are degraded, they may …

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, December 3, 2015, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Semester Course Approval Reviews

Program Proposals

• Offering an Aggies Elevated certificate of proficiency
• Changing the department name from Health, Physical Education and Recreation to Kinesiology and Health Science
• Offering a minor in Wildlife Science

Other

• Course syllabus development

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, December 3, 2015, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Course Approvals
• Program Proposals
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, December 3, 2015, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Course Approvals
• Program Proposals
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Huntsman Alumni Magazine, Fall 2015, Usu Jon M. Huntsman School Of Business

Huntsman Business Magazine

Alumni magazine for the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University.

Creating Tomorrow, Fall 2015, College Of Engineering

College of Engineering Magazines

Annual magazine for the College of Engineering at Utah State University.

Feeding A Brown Midrib Corn Silage-Based Diet To Growing Beef Steers Improves Growth Performance And Economic Returns, C. S. Saunders, S. Y. Yang, J.-S. Eun, D. M. Feuz, D. R. Zobell

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

A feedlot experiment was performed to determine growth performance, ruminal fermentation characteristics, and economic returns for growing beef steers when fed a brown midrib corn silage-based total mixed ration (BMRT) compared with a conventional corn silage-based total mixed ration (CCST). Twenty-four Angus crossbred steers (initial body weight=258±23.2 kg) in individual pens were used in a completely randomized design (n=12). Intake of dry matter was not different between the treatments. Steers fed the BMRT tended to have greater average daily gain (1.54 vs. 1.42 kg d−1; P=0.09) and gain-to-feed ratio (0.165 vs. 0.146; P=0.07) compared with those fed the CCST. Feeding …

Grass-Shrub Associations Over A Precipitation Gradient And Their Implications For Restoration In The Great Basin, Usa, Maike F. Holthuijzen, Kari E. Veblen

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

As environmental stress increases positive (facilitative) plant interactions often predominate. Plant-plant associations (or lack thereof) can indicate whether certain plant species favor particular types of microsites (e.g., shrub canopies or plant-free interspaces) and can provide valuable insights into whether “nurse plants” will contribute to seeding or planting success during ecological restoration. It can be difficult, however, to anticipate how relationships between nurse plants and plants used for restoration may change over large-ranging, regional stress gradients. We investigated associations between the shrub, Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis), and three common native grasses (Poa secunda, Elymus elymoides, and Pseudoroegneria spicata), …

Non-Suitable Habitat A Cause For Declining Bobolink Populations In Northern Utah, Bethany Q. Unger

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Bobolink, Dolichonyx oryxivories, populations are declining in Utah. I characterized the habitat conditions of known bobolink nesting sites in Utah and compared these conditions to those for nest sites in Wisconsin where bobolinks are abundant. My habitat assessment included identifying vegetation species, vegetation cover, pH, temperature, and precipitation at each site location. Vegetation cover different between Utah and Wisconsin nest sites. Precipitation varied for both locations with no correlation between water availability and bobolink presence. One possible driver for the reduction in bobolinks throughout Utah is the drastic increase in temperature. Other possible external factors include livestock grazing, edge distance, …

Targeting The Weak: A Content Analysis Of Violence In Advergames, Arshak Papazyan

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

With a rising trend of targeting children using various means of advertisement, the popularity of advergames has significantly increased. Although previous research suggests that negative content in advergames result in less favorable attitudes toward the game (Waiguny, et al., 2013), the presence of violence in advergames targeted to children aged three to ten years is significantly high. Despite the growing concern regarding violence in advergames and other means of advertisement targeted to children, research has not yet investigated the actual amount of violence in advergames. To shed light on this important issue, the present research discusses results of a descriptive …

Improving The Resilience Of Mixed-Farm Systems To Pending Climate Change In Far Western Nepal: Endline Survey Report, D. Layne Coppock

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

This report presents general findings from an endline survey carried out during May 2015 in Jugada, Budhiganga, Attichaur and Gudukhati Village Development Committees (VDCs) in Bajura District. A total of 320 households were surveyed, a total of 80 per VDC. Two of the VDCs—Jugada and Budhiganga—received capacity-building interventions for 16 months concerning climate-change adaptation, poverty reduction, and other aspects of well-being, while two VDCs—Attichaur and Gudkhati—were their "paired controls," respectively, that did not receive interventions. The interventions were largely delivered as informal educational or training modules.

Intrastate And Interstate Travel Requirements For Horses, Karl Hoopes, Barry Pittman, Cody James

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes the requirements for transporting horses within Utah and to other states.

Requisitos Para El Viaje De Caballos Dentro Del Estado De Utah Y De Un Estado A Otro, Karl Hoopes, Barry Pittman, Cody James

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

“Whatdunit?” Developmental Changes In Children's Syntactically Based Sentence Interpretation Abilities And Sensitivity To Word Order, James W. Montgomery, Julia L. Evans, Ronald B. Gillam, Alexander V. Sergeev, Mianisha C. Finney

Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education Faculty Publications

Aim 1 of this study was to examine the developmental changes in typically developing English-speaking children’s syntactically-based sentence interpretation abilities and sensitivity to word order. Aim 2 was to determine the psychometric standing of the novel sentence interpretation task developed for this study, as we wish to use it later with children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Children listened to semantically implausible sentences in which noun animacy and the natural affordance between the nouns were removed, thus controlling for event probability. Using this novel “whatdunit?” agent selection task, 256 children 7-11 years listened to two structures with canonical word order …

The Utah Statesman, November 23, 2015, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Evaluating Vital Rate Contributions To Greater Sage-Grouse Population Dynamics To Inform Conservation, David K. Dahlgren

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Species conservation efforts often use short-term studies that fail to identify the vital rates that contribute most to population growth. Although the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) is a candidate for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and is sometimes referred to as an umbrella species in the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) biome of western North America, the failure of proposed management strategies to focus on key vital rates that may contribute most to achieving population stability remains problematic for sustainable conservation. To address this dilemma, we performed both prospective and retrospective perturbation analyses of a life cycle model based …