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Identification And Management Of Scotch Thistle (Onopordum Acanthium L.) In Pastures, Rangelands, And Non-Crop Settings, Cody Zesiger, Jacob Hadfield, Kalen Taylor, Corey Ransom

All Current Publications

Scotch thistle (Onopordum acanthium) is an invasive species native to Eurasia. It was likely introduced into North America during the late 19th century (Young & Evans, 1969). Due to the plant’s size and prickles, a stand can damage pasture productivity, ruin campsites, or make trails nearly impassable. The thistle also outcompetes desirable plants and greatly reduces forage use by large animals. Since not all thistles are related or alike, it is essential to correctly identify Scotch thistle before making management decisions. This fact sheet provides information about identification, lifecycle and distribution, and management.

Fruits, Frugivores, And The Evolution Of Phytochemical Diversity, Susan R. Whitehead, Gerald F. Schneider, Ray Dybzinski, Annika S. Nelson, Mariana Gelambi, Elsa Jos, Noelle G. Beckman

Biology Faculty Publications

Plants produce an enormous diversity of secondary metabolites, but the evolutionary mechanisms that maintain this diversity are still unclear. The interaction diversity hypothesis suggests that complex chemical phenotypes are maintained because different metabolites benefit plants in different pairwise interactions with a diversity of other organisms. In this synthesis, we extend the interaction diversity hypothesis to consider that fruits, as potential hotspots of interactions with both antagonists and mutualists, are likely important incubators of phytochemical diversity. We provide a case study focused on the Neotropical shrub Piper reticulatum that demonstrates: 1) secondary metabolites in fruits have complex and cascading effects for …

Accounting For Critical Attributes And Uncertainty In Flow-Ecology Relationships, Elizabeth Decker Morgan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Environmental flows are used to maintain streamflow for aquatic species in rivers while also sustaining human water requirements. While there are many approaches to develop environmental flows, they all rely on a strong conceptual understanding of flow-ecology relationships, which are often uncertain. Uncertainty in flow-ecology relationships can stem from using limited data to develop or test relationships or an incomplete understanding of the attributes inherent to each relationship, such as climate and land conditions. Accounting for these attributes and uncertainty in flow-ecology relationships is critical given mounting interest to develop and implement environmental flows at large scales, often with limited …

Novel Approach For Sex Identification In Equine Forensic Samples Using Pcr Amplification, Jessica Felts

Student Research Symposium

DDX3 is a ubiquitous gene in mammals that codes for a protein in the DEAD-box protein family. This protein is an ATP-dependent RNA helicase, which denotes its involvement in altering the structure of RNA1, functions as a transcriptional regulator1, and is proposed to be involved in the nuclear export of retroviral RNA1. The DDX3 gene is located on the X-chromosome between base pair 34,831,836 and base pair 34,847,409 (15,573 total base pairs). In addition, there is a homologous gene located on the Y-chromosome between base pair 6,194,312 to bp 6,199,142 (4,917 total base pairs). The Y-chromosome homolog, however, contains unique …

A Crisis Of Her Own: Fatal Opioid Overdose, Opioid Use Disorder, And Intimate Partner Violence Among Rural Utah Women, Timothy Light, Erin Fanning Madden, Debasree Das Gupta, Hilary Disch, Katie Zaman, Suzanne Prevedel, Sandra H. Sulzer

All Current Publications

The Centers for Disease Control report that the rate of overdose deaths among women is rapidly increasing, with women experiencing a 532% increase in fatal opioid overdose deaths between 1999 and 2017, compared to a 355% increase for men. Among women, those in rural areas have disproportionately higher drug overdose death rates than women in urban areas (Mazure & Fiellin, 2018), indicating an opportunity for targeted rural public health interventions to slow overdose fatality increases among women. This fact sheet reviews Utah trends, potential factors increasing fatal opioid overdose, intimate partner violence and substance use disorders, and provides resources for …

Spatial Modeling Of Common Raven Density And Occurrence Helps Guide Landscape Management Within Great Basin Sagebrush Ecosystems, Sarah C. Webster, Shawn T. O'Neil, Brianne E. Brussee, Peter S. Coates, Pat J. Jackson, John C. Tull, David J. Delehanty

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Common ravens (Corvus corax; ravens) are a behaviorally flexible nest predator of several avian species, including species of conservation concern. Movement patterns based on life history phases, particularly territoriality of breeding birds and transiency of nonbreeding birds, are thought to influence the frequency and efficacy of nest predation. As such, predicting where on the landscape territorial resident and non-territorial transient birds may be found in relation to the distribution of sensitive prey is of increasing importance to managers and conservationists. From 2007 to 2019, we conducted raven point count surveys between mid-March and mid-September across 43 different field …

Black Vulture Conflict And Management In The United States: Damage Trends, Management Overview, And Research Needs, Bryan M. Kluever, Morgan B. Pfeiffer, Scott C. Barras, Brett G. Dunlap, Lee A. Humberg

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Contrary to rapid declines of many vulture (Accipitridae, Cathartidea) species worldwide, black vulture (Coragyps atratus) populations are increasing and expanding their range in North America. Vultures exhibit complex behaviors and can adapt to any human-dominated landscape or land use. These traits, combined with population growth and range expansion, have contributed to increased human–vulture conflicts. Our goal was to summarize the current status and trends in human–black vulture conflicts (hereafter human–vulture conflicts), review available management strategies, identify knowledge gaps, and provide recommendations to enhance management and understanding of this species and the associated conflicts. We found human–vulture conflicts are …

Novel Polymorphisms Of Zrsr2 And Gpm6b Gene Homologs And Their Use In Sex Identification Of Bovine And Porcine Species, Evan K. Peterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Accurate and cost-effective PCR based sex identification is important in animal production because it gives producers the ability to determine the sex of embryos prior to transfer, saving time and money. The most efficient PCR sex identification assays work by using a single primer pair to amplify a specific target region located on the Y-chromosome and a second, separate target region on the X-chromosome.

This thesis reports the design of two novel assays. The first assay was designed to target the Zinc finger CCCH-type, RNA binding motif and serine/arginine rich 2 (ZRSR2) gene found on the X-chromosome and its Y-chromosome …

Analyzing The Von Neumann Entropy Of Contact Networks, Thomas J. Brower

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

When modeling the spread of disease, ecologists use ecological or contact networks to model how species interact with their environment and one another. The structure of these networks can vary widely depending on the study, where the nodes of a network can be defined as individuals, groups, or locations among other things. With this wide range of definition and with the difficulty of collecting samples, it is difficult to capture every factor of every population. Thus ecologists are limited to creating smaller networks that both fit their budget as well as what is reasonable within the population of interest. With …

Kudos And K.O.M.'S: The Effect Of Strava Use On Evaluations Of Social And Managerial Conditions, Perceptions Of Ecological Impacts, And Mountain Bike Spatial Behavior, Noah E. Creany

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Smartphone based self-tracking fitness applications (apps) like Strava are increasingly becoming a part of recreation experiences in parks and protected areas (PPAs). Recreation research has employed smartphone GPS tracking (SGT) and volunteered geographic information (VGI) to study visitor behavior in PPAs, but little is understood about how smartphones or fitness apps affect visitor perceptions and behavior during their experience.

The first chapter of this thesis is a literature review of recreation survey and behavior research, social-psychology and technology use theory, gamification, and mountain bike social science and recreation-ecology research. The second chapter is formatted for submission to the Journal of …

Ecoacoustic Methods For Multi-Taxa Animal Surveys In The Amazon, Leandro A. Do Nascimento

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Tropical regions host most of the biodiversity found on Earth, but these species-rich areas are constantly threatened by human development and other disturbances that put this diversity of life forms at risk. To avoid extirpations of animal and plant species, scientists and managers rely on accurate monitoring techniques to retrieve information about population trends. This task is not easy, especially in the tropics, where there is often a lack of personnel to conduct surveys, a lack of funding, and the areas are so extensive that many countries need to be involved in monitoring (e.g., Amazon biome). For this reason, scientists …

Investigating The Direct And Indirect Effects Of Forest Fragmentation On Plant Functional Diversity, Jenny Zambrano, Norbert J. Cordeiro, Carol Garzon-Lopez, Lauren Yeager, Claire Fortunel, Henry J. Ndangalasi, Noelle G. Beckman

Biology Faculty Publications

Ongoing habitat loss and fragmentation alter the functional diversity of forests. Generalising the magnitude of change in functional diversity of fragmented landscapes and its drivers is challenging because of the multiple scales at which landscape fragmentation takes place. Here we propose a multi-scale approach to determine whether fragmentation processes at the local and landscape scales are reducing functional diversity of trees in the East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania. We employ a structural equation modelling approach using five key plant traits (seed length, dispersal mode, shade tolerance, maximum tree height, and wood density) to better understand the functional responses of trees to …

The Urban/Rural Divide In Access To Medication-Assisted Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder In Utah, Debasree Dasgupta, Erin Fanning Madden, Sandra H. Sulzer, Timothy Light, Michelle Chapoose, Suzanne Prevedel

All Current Publications

Death by drug poisoning is the leading cause of death due to injury in the state of Utah (UDOH, 2014). From 2013-2015, Utah ranked seventh in the nation for drug overdose deaths, the majority of which were opioid-related (CDC, 2018a). In 2017, the age-adjusted mortality rate from drug overdose in Utah was 15.5 per 100,000, putting the state above the national average of 14.9 per 100,000 (CDC, 2018b). Opioid overdose death rates in most of rural Utah far exceeds rates across the urban counties of the state. The higher rates of deaths in rural Utah is indeed concerning. Evidence indicates …

Integrating Agriculture And Ecosystems To Find Suitable Adaptations To Climate Change, Anastasia W. Thayer, Aurora M. Vargas, Adrian A. Castellanos, Charles W. Lafon, Bruce A. Mccarl, Daniel L. Roelke, Kirk O. Winemiller, Thomas E. Lacher

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

Climate change is altering agricultural production and ecosystems around the world. Future projections indicate that additional change is expected in the coming decades, forcing individuals and communities to respond and adapt. Current research efforts typically examine climate change effects and possible adaptations but fail to integrate agriculture and ecosystems. This failure to jointly consider these systems and associated externalities may underestimate climate change impacts or cause adaptation implementation surprises, such as causing adaptation status of some groups or ecosystems to be worsened. This work describes and motivates reasons why ecosystems and agriculture adaptation require an integrated analytical approach. Synthesis of …

Early Goose Arrival Increases Soil Nitrogen Availability More Than An Advancing Spring In Coastal Western Alaska, Ryan T. Choi, Karen H. Beard, Katharine C. Kelsey, A. Joshua Leffler, Joel A. Schmutz, Jeffrey M. Welker

Ecology Center Publications

An understudied aspect of climate change-induced phenological mismatch is its effect on ecosystem functioning, such as nitrogen (N) cycling. Migratory herbivore arrival time may alter N inputs and plant–herbivore feedbacks, whereas earlier springs are predicted to increase N cycling rates through warmer temperatures. However, the relative importance of these shifts in timing and how they interact to affect N cycling are largely unknown. We conducted a 3-year factorial experiment in coastal western Alaska that simulated different timings of Pacific black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) arrival (3 weeks early, typical, 3 weeks late, or no-grazing) and the growing season …

Evaluation Of The Impacts Of Radio-Marking Devices On Feral Horses And Burros In A Captive Setting, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Sarah R. B. King, Gail H. Collins

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Radio-collars and other radio-marking devices have been invaluable tools for wildlife managers for >40 years. These marking devices have improved our understanding of wildlife spatial ecology and demographic parameters and provided new data facilitating model development for species conservation and management. Although these tools have been used on virtually all North American ungulates, their deployment on feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) or burros (E. asinus) has been limited. To determine if radio-collars and radio-tags could be safely deployed on feral equids, we conducted a 1-year observational study in 2015 to investigate fit and wear of radio-collars …

Accessing Healthy Food: Behavioral And Environmental Determinants Among Low-Income Populations, Abiodun Tolulope Atoloye

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

On average, low-income individuals have poorer diet quality compared to their high-income counterparts. However, improved food access may offer opportunities to improve diet among this population. This study examines how the low-income population navigates between barriers, resources, and opportunities to acquire healthy foods in different settings.

Chapter 3 examined how the use of a farmers’ market incentive program among the low-income population impacts F&V consumption. We observed no effect on F&V consumption due to program participation but users of the program have a significantly higher F&V consumption than non-users. Chapter 4 identified transportation difficulties as a barrier to the uptake …

Boundaries And Bridges In Rangeland Social-Ecological Systems: Studies Of Collaboration, Innovation, And Information Flow, Gwendŵr R. Meredith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Public rangelands are managed by a mixture of federal, state, and local governments. Often, these groups are charged with managing adjacent lands that are part of the same greater landscape. To do this effectively, communication and collaboration is required. This dissertation examines federal, state, and local agencies’ level of communication through three projects.

The first project examined barriers to agencies adopting management tools from each other. I found that individuals within agencies were mainly staying within their own agency when seeking advice, so individuals were not communicating about tools or their findings across agencies. Furthermore, agency policies and fear of …

Dna Persistence In Predator Saliva From Multiple Species And Methods For Optimal Recovery From Depredated Carcasses, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Susan A. Shriner, Julie K. Young, Doreen L. Griffin, Peggy Callahan, Darren J. Wostenberg, Eric M. Gese, Matthew W. Hopken

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Molecular forensics is an important component of wildlife research and management. Using DNA from noninvasive samples collected at predation sites, we can identify predator species and obtain individual genotypes, improving our understanding of predator–prey dynamics and impacts of predators on livestock and endangered species. To improve sample collection strategies, we tested two sample collection methods and estimated degradation rates of predator DNA on the carcasses of multiple prey species. We fed carcasses of calves (Bos taurus) and lambs (Ovis aires) to three captive predator species: wolves (Canis lupus), coyotes (C. latrans), and …

Functional Traits Explain Amphibian Distribution In The Brazilian Atlantic Forest, Ricardo Lourenço-De-Moraes, Felipe S. Campos, Rodrigo B. Ferreira, Karen H. Beard, Mirco Solé, Gustavo A. Llorente, Rogério P. Bastos

Ecology Center Publications

Aim: Species distributions are one of the most important ways to understand how communities interact through macroecological relationships. The functional abilities of a species, such as its plasticity in various environments, can determine its distribution and beta diversity patterns. In this study, we evaluate how functional traits influence the distribution of amphibians, and hypothesize which functional traits explain the current pattern of amphibian species composition in the Atlantic Forest.

Location: Atlantic Forest, Brazil.

Methods: Using potential distributions of Brazilian Atlantic Forest of amphibian species, we analysed the relative importance of abiotic factors and species functional traits in explaining species richness, …

Utah State Magazine, Fall 2019, Utah State University

Utah State Magazine

The quarterly magazine for friends and alumni of Utah State University.

The Factors Affecting Wind Erosion In Southern Utah, Mehmet Ozturk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wind erosion is a global issue and affecting millions of people in drylands by causing environmental issues (acceleration of snow melting), public health concerns (respiratory diseases), and socioeconomic problems (costs of damages and cleaning public properties after dust storms). Disturbances in drylands can be irreversible, thus leading to natural disasters such as the 1930s Dust Bowl. With increasing attention on aeolian studies, many studies have been conducted using ground-based measurements or wind tunnel studies. Ground-based measurements are important for validating model predictions and testing the effect and interactions of different factors known to affect wind erosion. Here, a machine-learning model …

Estimating Historical Forest Density From Land‐Survey Data: A Response To Baker And Williams (2018), Carrie R. Levine, Charles V. Cogbill, Brandon M. Collins, Andrew J. Larson, James A. Lutz, Malcolm P. North, Christina M. Restaino, Hugh D. Safford, Scott L. Stephens, John J. Battles

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

In the Western United States, historical forest conditions are used to inform land management and ecosystem restoration goals (North et al. 2009, Stephens et al. 2016). This interest is based on the premise that historical forests were resilient to ecological disturbances (Keane et al. 2018). Researchers throughout the United States have used the General Land Office (GLO) surveys of the late 19th and early 20th centuries to estimate historical forest conditions (Bourdo 1956, Schulte and Mladenoff 2001, Cogbill et al. 2002, Paciorek et al. 2016). These surveys were conducted throughout the United States …

Additional Thoughts On Rigor In Wildlife Science: Unappreciated Impediments, John A. Bissonette

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Traditionally, most scientists accepted reductionist and mechanistic approaches as the rigorous way to do science. Sells et al. (2018) recently raised the argument about reliability in wildlife science. Chamberlin (1890), Platt (1964), Romesburg (1981, 1991, 2009), and Williams (1997) were rightly referenced as very influential papers. My intention in this letter is not to refute the essence of the Sells et al. (2018) commentary but to add seldom addressed but important aspects that influence the attainment of rigor and certainty in wildlife studies. The elements of …

What Does The Snake Eat? Breadth, Overlap, And Non-Native Prey In The Diet Of Three Sympatric Natricine Snakes, Emily E. Virgin, Richard B. King

Biology Faculty Publications

We investigated diet breadth and diet overlap in three sympatric snakes of similar body size: Dekay’s Brownsnakes (Storeria dekayi), Red-bellied Snakes (S. occipitomaculata), and sub-adult Common Gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis), by examining recently consumed prey (n = 388) collected from wild-caught snakes (n = 263) in northern Illinois. Storeria occipitomaculata were dietary specialists, feeding nearly exclusively on slugs. Storeria dekayi fed predominately on slugs but also consumed snails and earthworms. Sub-adult T. sirtalis fed predominately on earthworms but also consumed frogs and small mammals. Diet overlap was extensive between Storeria species but relatively low between …

Marine Reserves Shape Seascapes On Scales Visible From Space, Elizabeth M. P. Madin, Alastair R. Harborne, Aaron M. T. Harmer, Osmar J. Luiz, Trisha Brooke Atwood, Brian J. Sullivan, Joshua S. Madin

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Marine reserves can effectively restore harvested populations, and ‘mega-reserves’ increasingly protect large tracts of ocean. However, no method exists of monitoring ecological responses at this large scale. Herbivory is a key mechanism structuring ecosystems, and this consumer–resource interaction's strength on coral reefs can indicate ecosystem health. We screened 1372, and measured features of 214, reefs throughout Australia's Great Barrier Reef using high-resolution satellite imagery, combined with remote underwater videography and assays on a subset, to quantify the prevalence, size and potential causes of ‘grazing halos’. Halos are known to be seascape-scale footprints of herbivory and other ecological interactions. Here we …

Is Grassfed Meat And Dairy Better For Human And Environmental Health?, Frederick D. Provenza, Scott L. Kronberg, Pablo Gregorini

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The health of livestock, humans, and environments is tied to plant diversity—and associated phytochemical richness—across landscapes. Health is enhanced when livestock forage on phytochemically rich landscapes, is reduced when livestock forage on simple mixture or monoculture pastures or consume high-grain rations in feedlots, and is greatly reduced for people who eat highly processed diets. Circumstantial evidence supports the hypothesis that phytochemical richness of herbivore diets enhances biochemical richness of meat and dairy, which is linked with human and environmental health. Among many roles they play in health, phytochemicals in herbivore diets protect meat and dairy from protein oxidation and lipid …

Harnessing Population Genetics For Pest Management: Theory And Application For Urban Rats, Matthew Combs, Kaylee Byers, Chelsea Himsworth, Jason Munshi-South

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Effective management of rodent pests requires an ecological understanding of how they move through their environment and how those movements influence the invasion, persistence, or reinvasion of problematic colonies. Traditional methodologies used to describe rodent movement patterns, such as mark-recapture, are hindered by their time-consuming nature and limited geographic scope. As such, our understanding of how rodents interact with urban environments remains limited. Population genetic principles and tools have the capacity to greatly increase our understanding of rodent population dynamics, ecological relationships, and movements across space, but this field is often unapproachable to non-scientist pest management professionals (PMPs). In this …

Riparian Research And Management: Past, Present, Future: Volume 1, Steven W. Carothers, Hisham El Waer, Helen C. Fairley, Deborah M. Finch, Suzanne C. Fouty, Jonathan M. Friedman, Jennifer K. Frey, Stanley V. Gregory, Robert H. Hamre, Annie Henry, Osvel Hinojosa-Huerta, Elaine E. Johnson, R. Roy Johnson, Kenneth J. Kingsley, Mary Anne Mcleod, Eric Mellink, Katie Merewether, Duncan T. Patten, John S. Richardson, Anne Sands, Michael L. Scott, Bo Shelby, Anna A. Sher, D. Max Smith, John T. Stanley, Frederick J. Swanson, Raymond M. Turner, Robert H. Webb, William E. Werner

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Fifty years ago, riparian habitats were not recognized for their extensive and critical contributions to wildlife and the ecosystem function of watersheds. This changed as riparian values were identified and documented, and the science of riparian ecology developed steadily. Papers in this volume range from the more mesic northwestern United States to the arid Southwest and Mexico. More than two dozen authors—most with decades of experience—review the origins of riparian science in the western United States, document what is currently known about riparian ecosystems, and project future needs. Topics are widespread and include: interactions with fire, climate change, and declining …

Adapting Low-Cost Drone Technology To Cubesats For Environmental Monitoring And Management: Harmful Algal Bloom Satellite-1 (Habsat-1), Richard Beck, Hongxing Liu, Richard Johansen, Min Xu, Catharine Mcghan, George Thomas Black, Ou Ma, Uc Cubecats, Molly K. Reif, Erich B. Emery, Richard Stumpf, Greg Emerick, Ryan Nelson

Small Satellite Conference

HABsat-1 is designed to improve our understanding of algal bloom dynamics and their causes on land by addressing several current limiting factors for this application using existing satellites. For example, there is suboptimal imager design for water, insufficient spatial resolution for precise co-registration of surface observations, and too few satellites with such capabilities to defeat cloud cover in maritime, tropical and temperate climates. We will overcome these problems by merging a new low-cost multispectral imaging technology with a low-cost CubeSat bus. CubeSats cost roughly 1/100th to 1/1000th of most current long-life imaging satellites. Such cost decreases are necessary to improve …