Digital Commons Network^™

Bird Abundance At Accomack County Southern Landfill, Melfa, Virginia, In Relation To Various Management Activities, Laura Francoeur, Martin Lowney

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Birds, especially gulls (Larus spp.), are attracted to landfills, and when landfills are close to airports, birds can pose a threat to aircraft safety. We conducted a 1-year ecological study to address concerns of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Accomack County, Virginia, officials over potential wildlife hazards caused by the Accomack County Southern Landfill. During 48 surveys conducted from December 1995 to December 1996, we observed 112,693 birds at the landfill (x̄=503). Nine species represented 97% of all observations. Bird numbers varied during the year, increasing during winter and declining during summer. Bird abundance appeared unaffected by …

The Role Of Alfalfa Weevil Larvae As Prey In Adult Maintenance And Reproduction By Two Ladybird Beetle Species, Douglas R. Richards

Biology

Ladybird beetles (Coccinella spp.) are important predators of pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) in alfalfa. Adult ladybird beetles also consume alternative foods such as alfalfa weevil larvae (Hypera postica) and nectar. I compared egg production and ovariole condition of Coccinella septempunctata (an Old World species introduced to North America) and Coccinella transversoguttata (an indigenous North American species) that were maintained on diets of pea aphids, alfalfa weevil larvae, sugar water ("artificial nectar"), or various combinations of these foods. In the first experiment, gravid females of both species continued to lay many eggs and had large ovarioles …

Evaluation Of Translocation Criteria For Trumpeter Swans Reintroduced To Northern Utah: Habitat Quality And Interactions With Tundra Swans, Katharina A. M. Engelhardt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fifty-seven Trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator) were translocated to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and the Bear River Club Company in northern Utah. The purpose of this effort was to encourage dispersal of the Rocky Mountain population of Trumpeter swans during the winter, and to reestablish a migratory route to southern wintering grounds. I assessed the success of the translocation by evaluating 13 translocation criteria proposed in the literature. In this study I addressed two of these criteria in detail by evaluating habitat quality at the translocation sites and by analyzing potential competitive interactions with Tundra swans ( …

The Role Of Cold Acclimatization On The Biogeography Of The Mountain Chickadee (Parus Gambeli) And The Juniper Titmouse (Parus Ridgwayi), Sheldon J. Cooper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Biogeographic patterns of animals are shaped by biotic interactions, such as competition, and by abiotic factors, such as climate. Mountain Chickadees (Parus gambeli) and Juniper Titmice (Parus ridgway) are permanent residents of regions of western North America and are ecologically similar, but have different northern range limits. l measured several physiological variables, including basal metabolic rate (BMR), peak metabolic rate (PMR = maximal thermogenic capacity), metabolic response to varying environmental temperature (MRT), evaporative water loss (EWL), and daily energy expenditure (DEE) for summer-and winter-acclimatized Mountain Chickadees and Juniper Titmice to determine if seasonal and interspecific variation in cold tolerance and …

Landscape Cover-Type Modeling Using A Multi-Scale Thematic Mapper Mosaic, Collin G. Homer, R. Douglas Ramsey, Thomas C. Edwards Jr., Allan Falconer

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Landscape ecological applications of remotely sensed data are needed over increasingly larger areas and at finer spatial scales. Within the framework of the National Biological Service Gap Analysis program, 36 Utah cover types were modeled from a state-wide Landsat TM mosaic created from 24 scenes at 30-metre resolution (219,883 sq km). The state was subset into three ecoregions for classification, with cover-type association to spectral classes defined using a two-step modeling approach. Steps included post-classification correlation of 1,758 state-wide field training sites to spectral classes, and post-classification ancillary GIS modeling using ecological parameters of elevation, slope, aspect, and location to …

The Influence Of Forest Fragmentation And Landscape Pattern On American Martens And Their Prey, Christina D. Hargis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Habitat fragmentation occurs when large tracts of an orginal habitat are replaced by smaller patches of two or more habitat types, largely through human activities. I studied the behavior of six measures of landscape pattern that seemed appropriate for quantifying fragmentation, and used these measures to investigate the effects of forest fragmentation on American martens (Martes americana) and their prey. The measures I selected were edge density, contagion, mean nearest neighbor distance between patches, mean proximity index, perimeter-area fractal dimension, and mass fractal dimension. To test the behavior of these measures with a variety of landscape patterns, I …

Quantification Of Landscape Structure Within The Land Condition-Trend Analysis Monitoring Program At Camp Williams, Utah, Lorraine Munguia

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Land Condition-Trend Analysis (LCTA) program was developed by the U.S. Army to assist in the sustainable management of natural resources on U.S. Army lands. The LCTA program applies a standardized procedure in order to select long-term monitoring sites. The LCTA monitoring program was applied to Camp Williams, a National Army Guard training site located in central Utah. Due to the criteria set by the LCTA monitoring program, 61 percent of Camp Williams was explicitly excluded from the LCTA monitoring protocol because it appeared to be more heterogeneous, which would make it difficult to locate monitoring sites in the field. …

Growth Responses Of Great Basin Plant Species To Variation In Nitrogen Availability, Carol J. Bilbrough

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For this dissertation, I examined the ability of field-grown plants to capture N presented in enriched patches or in whole-plant pulses. I assessed root proliferation in N-enriched patches when Agropyron desertorum plants had been previously fertilized or shaded. All plants responded with increased root growth rates in N-enriched patches. However, root proliferation by shaded plants was 50% less than unshaded plants. Unexpectedly, plants with higher N status had greater root growth rates in enriched patches than plants that had not received N supplement. I concluded that plants already under competitive pressure above ground for light and below ground for nutrients …

Mountain Plants Of Northeastern Utah, Berniece A. Andersen, Arthur H. Holmgren

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Biofilm Mediated Calculus Formation In The Urinary Tract, Robert J. C. Mclean, David J. Stickler, J. Curtis Nickel

Cells and Materials

Mineralization and subsequent calculus formation is a common complication of biofilm infections. In the urinary tract, these infected calculi often arise from infections by urease-producing bacteria. Ammonia, liberated by bacterial urease activity, increases urine pH, resulting in the precipitation of Ca and Mg as carbonateapatite {Ca₁₀(PO₄,CO₃)₆(OH,CO₃)₂} and struvite (NH₄MgP0₄·6H₂O). These minerals become entrapped in the organic matrix which surrounds the infecting organisms and ultimately grow into mature calculi. When the causative organisms grow on urinary catheters and stents, the resulting mineralization can …

Desert Plants Of Utah, Berniece A. Andersen

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Final Report To The Department Of Energy For Water Use, Productivity And Interactions Among Desert Plants, James R. Ehleringer

Elusive Documents

No abstract provided.

Pluralism, Science, Ethics, And The Intersecting Spheres Of Social Concerns And Environmentalism, Christopher B. Barrett, Raymond E. Grizzle

Economic Research Institute Study Papers

This paper builds on alternative perspectives offered by the environmental and sustainability traditions to advance a holistic yet practical conceptual model that explicitly integrates social and environmental concerns. Ours is a pluralistic approach founded on synthesis. Employing the economic concept of path dependence, we emphasize that there exist multiple paths society can follow in environmental ethics and policy, but that onc e one has been chosen, implicitly or explicitly, there may be little opportunity to reverse such choices. Hence, the importance of process to the pursuit of social and environmental objectives.

Low Temperature Scanning Electron Microscopy Of Clay And Organic Constituents And Their Relevance To Soil Microstructures, C. Chenu, D. Tessier

Scanning Microscopy

Low temperature scanning electron microscopy (LTSEM) is essential for studying the microstructure of small-sized soil constituents such as clays and organic matter. These hydrated and swelling materials naturally undergo drastic changes in water potential and water content in soils. The cryofixation of clays and organic macromolecules by immersion in cryogens and their LTSEM observation are evaluated. The microstructures of clay minerals, polysaccharide macromolecules and their associations, as revealed by LTSEM, contribute to a better understanding of the water retention properties and physical stabilities of these major soil constituents.

Plant Community Changes Over 54 Years Within The Great Basin Experimental Range, Manti-La Sal National Forest, Scott C. Walker, David K. Mann, E. Durant Mcarthur

Aspen Bibliography

Plant community changes and natural succession over time impact forage values, watershed quality, wildlife habitat, and ecosystem dynamics. Comparisons were made between a vegetation map of community types completed in 1937 by the U.S. Forest Service, and vegetation maps compiled in 1990 of the same areas by satellite imagery, and through 1991 areal photo interpretation combined with ground truthing. The study area includes nearly all of the drainage in Ephraim Canyon located in central Utah which consists of 6,027 acres (2,439 ha). Elevation ranges from 6,600 to 10,400 feet (2,040 to 3,210 m). Vegetation types ranged from pinyon-juniper woodland through …

Ontogenetic Habitat Shift Of Juvenile Bear Lake Sculpin (Cottus Extensus), James R. Ruzycki

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bear Lake sculpin (Cottus extensus) exhibited an ontogenetic habitat shift during their first year of life. Soon after hatching in the littoral zone, the fry swam to the surface where they dispersed throughout the lake. Most juveniles that initially settled in the profundal zone returned to the littoral zone during their first summer. Patterns in the daily growth increments of otoliths confirmed the history of habitat residence and the individual size at the habitat switch. We used this habitat shift to test a μ/g model incorporating a growth rate-mortality risk trade-off. A trade-off occurred in the littoral …

Classification Of Vegetation And Analysis Of Its Recent Trends At Camp Williams, Utah Using Remote Sensing And Geographic Information System Techniques, Thomas G. Van Niel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Current vegetation classes were generated from remotely sensed data to provide coarse-level information for an ecosystem management plan developed at Camp Williams, Utah. Vegetation trend from 1973 - 1993 was also examined via satellite imagery. The data set consisted of Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) and Thematic Mapper (TM) images from July or August of 1973, 1975, 1980, 1988, and 1993.

Two approaches were used to detect vegetation change. The first approach determined overall and cover type trend from standard digital image differencing of soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) images. The second approach used an unsupervised classification of a composite SAVI image …

The Organization Of Shrub-Steppe Spider Assemblages: A Hierarchical Evaluation Of Deterministic And Stochastic Influences, William James Ehmann

Biology

This dissertation addresses deterministic and stochastic factors that are expected to influence the co-occurrence of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) in a shrub-steppe environment. First, a field test assessed the role of substrate diameter in spider habitat selection using artificial habitat modules. Second, the effect of alternative spider dispersal modes (passive, long-distance, aerial transport versus active, local ground transport) on assemblage patterns on sagebrush (Artemisia) shrubs was evaluated using an exclosure design. Spider counts from exclosure and reference shrubs were compared at two spatial scales (shrub and plot) and among three potential levels of spider assemblage organization (individuals, species, and …

Factors Associated With The Highway Mortality Of Mule Deer At Jordanelle Reservoir, Utah, Laura A. Romin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Highway mortality of deer (Odocoileus sp.) is a nationwide concern. In 1991, 538,000 deer-vehicle collisions occurred nationwide. Property damage to vehicles, human injuries and fatalities, and potential impacts to local deer populations occur from deer-vehicle collisions. Techniques have been evaluated to reduce highway mortality of deer; however, an effective, cost-efficient solution does not exist for widespread use. If mitigative technologies are to be successful, we need to understand deer behavior and movement patterns associated with highway relationships. Most research about highway deer kills has focused on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in mixed hardwood habitat types. The …

The Tail Wags The Dog: State Versus Federal Control In The Public Domain Debate, 1929-1934, Kevin D. Hatfield

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis examines the evolution of public land law during the early 1930s. It focuses specifically on the development of a federal grazing policy on the remaining public domain located in the eleven western states. This period of intense intellectual conflict, concerning the relationship between private enterprise and the federal government, was a pivotal moment in the history of land law.

To explain the profound shift from the entrenched states' rights attitudes of the 1920s to the acceptance of federal control inaugurated by the Taylor Grazing Act in 1934, this thesis explores the emergence of a powerful profederal contingent from …

Effects Of A Bird Hazard Reduction Force On Reducing Bird/Aircraft Strike Hazards At The Atlantic City International Airport, Nj., Andrew J. Montoney, H. Christopher Boggs

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Bird-aircraft strikes at the Atlantic City International Airport (ACY) increased from 18 in 1989 to 37 in 1990. The number of bird-aircraft strikes involving gulls (Larus spp.) during this time rose from 6 to 27, a 350% increase. The predominant species involved in bird strikes was the laughing gull (L. atricilla). Pursuant to an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)/ Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)/ Animal Damage Control (ADC), ADC established a Emergency/Experimental Bird Hazard Reduction Force (BHRF) at ACY …

Proceedings Of The Fourth Western Black Bear Workshop, United States Department Of The Interior, National Park Service

Wildlife Conservation and Management

The status of black bears in North America ranges from pest to threatened. The species appears relatively secure throughout most parts of its range except the southeastern coastal plain; in this region a number of disjunct populations exist on primarily publicly owned lands. Concern over the status of Ursus americanus luteolus led to a petition to list this subspecies under the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act is arguably the most important wildlife legislation in recent years. However, applying this valuable, but young, untested, and evolving legislation to the black bear subspecies is judged unwarranted and premature because of …

The Cache Valley Shoshones: Cultural Change, Subsistence, And Resistance, To 1870, John W. Heaton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the xii Shoshones of Cache Valley evolved from scattered pedestrian hunter-gatherers to large, armed, mounted bands that hunted and gathered from the Great Basin to the Plains. Trade with European Americans helped initiate this evolution. However, Shoshones did not respond passively to the presence of European Americans. Shoshones actively sought change, and incorporated trade goods into their culture within a Shoshone context. They adapted to each wave of European Americans that they encountered. When Mormons dispossessed them of their land, Cache Valley Shoshones resisted by going on the offensive. Finally overwhelmed, the remnants of …

Competitive Interaction Between Crested Wheatgrasses And Cheatgrass, Mark G. Francis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Current revegetation practices in the lntermountain West include the use of Nordan (Agropyron desertorum) and Hycrest (A. cristatum x desertorum) crested wheatgrass on rangeland susceptible to cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion, although little quantitative data exists that compares their competitive abilities. We evaluated both the competitive ability of Hycrest and Nordan in two-species mixtures with cheatgrass, and evaluated seedling establishment characteristics for all three species in a greenhouse study. Linear and nonlinear models were developed for a range of densities for each species to predict median above-ground biomass and tiller numbers. In both experiments, increasing …

Interactions Between Populations Of Intermediate Wheatgrass And Western Wheatgrass As Influenced By Short-Duration Grazing And Moisture Availability, Gerrit B. Bartels

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effects of grazing and moisture availability on the competitive interactions of intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkw. & D.R. Dewey) and western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii (Rhydb.) A. Love) were examined under a short-duration grazing system in central Utah. The fate of tiller cohorts was observed at approximately monthly intervals at the interface between patches of these two rhizomatous grasses and in monospecific stands. The effects of short-duration grazing, clipping of western wheatgrass following grazing to achieve levels of utilization equivalent to that of intermediate wheatgrass, irrigation, and removal of the competitor were assessed in terms of the …

Ecological Implications Of Flavor Generalization By Sheep: Role Of Flavor Intensity And Variation In Toxin Dose, Karen L. Launchbaugh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Researchers studying diet selection of ungulate herbivores have generally considered plant palatability independent of animals' dietary history. However, more recent studies demonstrate that experiences within the life of an animal strongly influence plant selection. We are beginning to understand how food preferences and aversions are formed through gastro-intestinal feedback. My research specifically examines factors that influence the formation of conditioned flavor aversions in the generalist herbivore, sheep.

I first examined how variability of food toxicity affects the intake of those foods. I determined that sheep apparently have several mechanisms for regulating intake of toxic foods regardless of whether or not …

A Simulation Of The Economic Effects Of Alternative Soil Types And Nitrogen Sources On Nitrate Leaching On Irrigated Agriculture In Utah, Gilbert D. Miller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The economic impact of reducing the amount of nitrate leached out of the root zone under irrigation in the arid West was examined. A general introduction into the nature of the problem and a review of the literature was provided in chapter I. In chapter ll the economic incentives of irrigation management were evaluated under the assumptions of both profit-maximizing and utility-maximizing (in reducing cost and effort expended in irrigation) decision-making criteria. The results indicate that there is a coincidence of interests of the farmer and the environment. Both behaviors result in less nitrate leaching than less profitable or less …

Predation Risk And The Importance Of Cover For Juvenile Rainbow Trout In Lentic Systems, R. A. Tabor, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss stocked in midelevation reservoirs in Utah inhabit shallow nearshore areas and are vulnerable to predation from piscivorous fish and birds. We determined the use and importance of nearshore habitats by (1) measuring habitat selection by, prey availability to, and feeding of juvenile rainbow trout in two reservoirs with populations of predators, and (2) measuring survival and growth rates in the presence and absence of cover in a pond experiment where adult brown trout Salmo trutta were predators. In the reservoirs juvenile rainbow trout (60–120 mm standard length) were abundant in complex inshore habitats but avoided …

The Importance Of Cover For Juvenile Rainbow Trout In Lentic Systems: Field Observations And An Experimental Study On Predation, Roger Allen Tabor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss stocked into mid-elevation reservoirs in Utah are vulnerable to predation from piscivorous fish and birds. I determined how effectively juvenile trout used cover to avoid these predators by (1) direct observations (snorkel transects) of habitat selection in two reservoirs and (2) measurements of survival and growth rates in a pond experiment where adult brown trout Salmo trutta were predators. Observations of juvenile trout were conducted within five weeks of stocking in 1988 and 1989. During the day, juvenile trout were abundant in complex inshore habitats and avoided simple habitats such as sand and gravel. Measurements …

Survival Of Trout Strains As Affected By Limnological Parameters, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Timothy Modde, Chris Luecke, Cheryl Courtney

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. (ca. 80 mm S.L.) stocked into mid-elevation reservoirs in Utah are vulnerable to predation from piscivorous fish and birds. I determined how effectively juvenile trout used cover to avoid these predators by using direct observations (snorkel transects) on habitat selection in two reservoirs. Observations of juvenile trout were conducted within five weeks of stocking in 1988 and 1989. During the day juvenile trout were abundant in complex inshore habitats. Juvenile trout actively fed during the day but the time of peak feeding was variable. Large Daphnia made of > 95% of the diet of juvenile trout. …