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Conservation Genetics Of A Declining Bumble Bee In Western North America; The Influence Of Geography, Dispersal Limitation, And Anthopogenic Activity, Ashley T. Rohde

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Conservation biology addresses the problem of species loss by identifying species in need of protection. Conservation biology has subfields to address different aspects of biodiversity loss, including genetics and sociology. I used genetic approaches to assess the conservation status of western bumble bees, a bumble bee species of conservation concern.

The western bumble bee is a bumble bee species that ranges from Alaska to New Mexico and as far east as Wyoming and Colorado. This species is disappearing in some places. It may soon be listed as endangered in the United States and is already listed as endangered in parts …

Triggerable, Targetable, And Trackable Flavonol-Based Carbon Monoxide-Releasing Molecules, Livia S. Lazarus

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Long known as a toxic gas, carbon monoxide (CO) has been recently redefined as a health beneficial molecule produced endogenously in humans. The biological activity of CO has been extensively examined in inflammatory conditions, vasoprotection, anti-apoptotic and anticancer studies, although the mechanisms of action are still not well defined. Because CO is a gaseous molecule, a straightforward administration would be inhalation. However, this delivery method is limited to use in hospital settings under professional supervision. For improved control over the amount and location of CO delivery, metal-free and light-triggered carbon monoxide-releasing molecules are of particular current interest. Our lab is …

Impacts Of Tourism On The Ecophysiology Of The Endangered Northern Bahamian Rock Iguana (Cyclura Cychlura), Alison C. Webb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Increased interest in ecotourism over recent years has led to more direct human-animal interactions and a striking concomitant increase in the provisioning of non-natural food, that may have unintended consequences for the wildlife involved. The critically endangered Northern Bahamian Rock Iguana provides a valuable model to address the potential impact of food provisioning on health as there are populations that represent a graded variation in human presence, with sites experiencing high, low, or no tourism. To assess the potential impacts of tourism on iguana physiology I first reviewed the relevant literature on iguana physiology and then performed three investigations focusing …

Investigating Nest Box Utilization By Bumble Bees And Reproductive Development Of Male Bumble Bees, James Daniel Herndon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bumble bees (Bombus Latrielle) are a wide-spread group of pollinating insects that are important species to conserve across many environments to ensure both ecological and economic resiliency because they pollinate important agricultural, horticultural, and wild flora. Surprisingly, fundamental questions still remain about this important charismatic group of pollinators. The investigations in this thesis are but two of many topics that require further research. The topics investigated are understanding bumble bee nest site preferences and reproductive development of both sexes of bumble bees. The first experiment (Chapter 2) investigates whether nest boxes elevated off of the ground and attached to …

Patterns Of Microbial Diversity And Community Composition In Slot Canyons, Rock Pools, And Other Ephemeral And Perennial Aquatic Habitats, Marley Madsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Microbes are the most diverse life forms on the planet and perform many impor-tant ecological functions. However, despite the abundance, diversity, and ecological importance of microbes they are often overlooked and understudied in many natural systems, including freshwater habitats. This thesis details the first ever investigation of the microbial diversity and community composition within fresh water rock pools and slot canyons of the Colorado Plateau, Utah. The purpose of the study was to determine the relative importance of various microbial community assembly processes. This thesis also includes a meta-analysis of the microbial alpha diversity in other perennial and ephemeral aquatic …

Synthesis And Biological Studies Of Amphiphilic Compounds Derived From Saccharides And Aminoglycosides, Madher N. Alfindee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adjacent cells communicate through gap junctions (GJs). These GJs are formed by head to head docking of two hemichannels (HCs) from two adjacent cells. HCs are connexin hexamer proteins. Connexin mutation is the most frequent cause of childhood hearing loss. This hearing impairment affects 2 in every 2000 children. Inhibition of the HCs might be the key factor to treat such disorders. A library of amphiphilic kanamycins was synthesized to be tested as HC inhibitors. These compounds showed excellent inhibition activity in comparison with the parent compound (kanamycin A) with less toxicity.

A library of monosaccharide esters with varying carbon …

Carbon Monoxide On Demand: Light-Induced Co Release Of Flavonols, Stacey N. Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an extremely useful molecule with applications in industrial manufacturing, synthetic procedures as a C1 building block, and as a potential pharmaceutical to produce anti-inflammatory effects and vasodilation. However, the toxicity associated with CO has prevented its full utilization. In order to safely handle CO, compounds and molecules have been developed that act as storage materials for the gas. Ideal storage platforms only release CO upon stimulation via a trigger. Light activation is the most desirable trigger as it can be regulated in terms of the intensity and the wavelength of light used. The majority of light-induced …

Development And Characterization Of Reporter-Expressing Zika Viruses, Michael E. Woolley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In recent years, Zika virus (ZIKV) has garnered worldwide attention due to its epidemic spread throughout the Americas and due to the newly recognized link between ZIKV infection and neurological diseases, including microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome. ZIKV is a mosquito-borne member of the genus Flavivirus, which includes the other prominent human pathogens Japanese encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, dengue virus, and yellow fever virus. Many questions about the biology of ZIKV and how it causes disease remain unanswered. Furthermore, there currently are no vaccines or licensed antiviral drugs available to treat ZIKV infection. The goal of this study was to …

The Inevitable Fusion: A Mixed-Methods Sociological Approach To Comprehensive Kodiak Bear Viewing Management, Jacqueline M. Keating

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge is home to one of the highest concentrations of brown bears in Alaska. As the public demand for bear viewing opportunities continues to increase, managers are faced with the challenge of accommodating this new kind of visitor use on a refuge that was traditionally managed for the sustainable hunting of bears. To inform the public use management planning process, the Kodiak Refuge allocated funding to support social science research that objectively assessed the current nature of bear viewing opportunities and the factors that influence the quality of those opportunities. Ecologist Aldo Leopold claimed that the …

Utah Lotus: North American Legume For Possible Use In Rangeland Revegetation In The Southern Great Basin Of The Western United States, Jason M. Stettler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis project explored the production and forage quality characteristics of Utah lotus (Lotus utahensis Ottley) and scrub lotus (L. wrightii (A. Gray) Greene) seed collections during a two-year period. The variation of 14 Utah lotus and five scrub lotus seed collections was evaluated by measuring important plant characteristics at three common garden sites in northern Utah. In addition, the genetic structure of the collections was determined by molecular biological techniques. Large variation was observed among collections for all phenotypic traits measured, with Utah lotus and scrub lotus being phenotypically quite different. Two collections of Utah lotus (LU-5 …

Algorithmic Information Theory Applications In Bright Field Microscopy And Epithelial Pattern Formation, Hamid Mohamadlou

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The incredible patterns of multicellular organisms emerge as a result of the operation of Gene Regulatory Networks (GRN) that work during development. Understanding how GRNs produce these complex multicellular patterns is a significant challenge in biology. The primary goal of this dissertation is to employ Algorithmic Information Theory (AIT), also known as Kolmogorov complexity, to unravel the information complexity of GRNs and the resultant multicellular patterns. To obtain a better understanding of Kolmogorov complexity performance, first we study an application in cell image segmentation.

There are an estimated 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes in the human genome. The sheer size of the …

Greater Sage-Grouse Seasonal Habitat Models, Response To Juniper Reduction And Effects Of Capture Behavior On Vital Rates, In Northwest Utah, Avery Cook

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) is a species of conservation concern in Utah and across their range throughout the western US and southern Canada. Sage-grouse decline is primarily a result of declines in sagebrush habitat on which sage-grouse depend for winter, summer, nesting, and brood habitat. Detailed site-specific knowledge of sage-grouse ecology and distribution in needed to effectively conserve the species. To expand knowledge of local populations within the West Box Elder Sage Grouse Management Area (SGMA) in NW Utah and gain insights into the effectiveness of vegetation treatments intended to benefit sage-grouse, I radio marked and …

Site-Based And Nonsite Archaeological Survey: A Comparison Of Two Survey Methods In The City Of Rocks, Idaho, Patrick Reed Mcdonald

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Archaeology in the western United States frequently employs pedestrian survey of the ground surface to locate and identify archaeological sites. Proponents of alternative survey techniques suggest that site-based survey may be inherently flawed and will not accurately detect, document, or account for artifacts located outside of site boundaries. Site-based survey identifies artifacts, and then searches the area more intensively in an attempt to identify a spatial break in artifact presence. Nonsite approaches utilize point plotting of all discovered artifacts in order to quantitatively identify relationships between artifacts. Quantitative analysis removes a level of researcher bias from the interpretation of past …

Investigations Of Cho 1-15 And Silk Gland Cell Line Development, Susan Kathleen Robinson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The BioProcessing Demonstration and Training Laboratory was established with a collaboration between Utah State University and Thermo Fisher-Scientific, Inc. This lab was developed into a fully functioning tissue culture facility. Demonstration of tissue culture procedures were necessary for the lab to be industry-fully qualified. The CHO 1-15 cell line protocols were optimized by establishing conditions for reproducibility in shaker flasks and bioreactors (2 to 250 L capacity). CHO 1-15 is the cell line of choice for protein production in the bio-manufacturing industry. Oxidative stress is a problem in the industry because it can cause a decrease in protein production. Mesobiliverdin …

Reproductive Biology And Impacts Of Energy Development On Physaria Congesta And Physaria Obcordata (Brassicaceae), Two Rare And Threatened Plants In The Piceance Basin, Colorado, Sarah Lynn Clark

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Oil and gas development has increased profoundly over the last 20 years in the United States. A large underground deposit of natural gas has been found in the Piceance Basin, which is located in the northwestern part of the state of Colorado. This deposit occurs in an area inhabited by two rare mustard species commonly named the Dudley Bluffs bladderpod and the Dudley Bluffs twinpod. These two plant species are also listed as threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Concerns about gas development effects on these rare plants have motivated research that quantifies these potential impacts. Through funding …

The Regulation Of Epithelial Sodium Channels In Mammalian Taste Receptor Cells, Arian F. Baquero Gonzalez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nutrient recognition is one of the main physiological roles of the gustatory system. In mammals, it is well established that the taste of sodium salts is primarily mediated by sodium influx through the epithelial sodium channel. The epithelial sodium channel is a sodium-specific ion channel that is expressed across a wide range of transporting epithelia such as colon, kidney, and taste. In addition to its role as a salt taste receptor, sodium influx through the epithelial sodium channel is important systemically for maintaining sodium balance and blood pressure. Following our earlier work on the endocrine regulation of salt taste at …

Application Of Electrified Fladry To Decrease Risk Of Livestock Depredation By Wolves (Canis Lupus), Nathan J. Lance

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wolf (Canis lupus) predation on livestock can cause economic and emotional hardships for livestock producers, complicating the balance of wolf conservation with other human interests. New management tools that decrease risk of predation may offer additional flexibility or efficiency for both livestock producers and management agencies. I examined 1) the efficacy of electrified fladry compared to fladry at protecting a food source from wolves in captivity, 2) the efficacy of electrified fladry for reducing wolf use of pastures and preventing depredations, and 3) the applicability of electrified-fladry. In captivity I tested the reaction from 15 groups (46 wolves) …

Sonication Assisted Synthesis Of Oligomannosides, Christabel Tomla Tanifum

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Oligomannosides prevalently exist as cell surface antigens. They play important roles in diseases such as viral infection and cancer, and they have been shown to be useful as candidates for vaccines. HIV, one of the most devastating modern diseases, has a high content of mannose sugars on its envelope glycoprotein gp120. Oligomannosides of the HIV virus, also called Man9, which are found on the glycoprotein gp120, have been shown to play a protective role for the HIV virus, shielding highly conserved protein domains of gp120 from proteolytic attacks. Thus gp120 plays an important role in HIV infection of cells, being …

Binge Eating Disorder And Its Relationship To Bulimia Nervosa And Obesity, Lara Schultz Lacaille

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Recent research indicates that 2% to 4% of the population meet diagnostic criteria for the newly proposed binge eating disorder, and that it is much more common (30%) among the treatment-seeking obese. Although recognized as a significant problem, binge eating disorder is l1l not well understood, and there is debate about whether binge eating disorder is a distinct disorder. It has been argued that binge eating disorder is simply a variant or milder form of bulimia nervosa and not a separate and distinct disorder. Researchers have begun to study this population in greater depth in order to assess the characteristics …

Physiological Importance Of 1,25(Oh)2D3 Membrane-Initiated And Nuclear Actions In Chickens As A Function Of Growth, And Maturation In Male And Female Chickens, Birgitta Larsson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It is well established that l,25(OH)₂D₃ is a major regulator of calcium homeostasis. The steroid exerts its effects on its target organs by two mechanisms, a slow mechanism mediated by nuclear vitamin D receptors (nVDR), and a rapid mechanism mediated by the l,25(OH)₂D₃ membrane-associated rapid response steroid binding protein (l,25D₃-MARRS bp). In this dissertation, the physiological relevance of membrane initiated steroid signaling was investigated by studying the correlation of age in male and female chickens with the magnitude of responses to l,25(OH)₂D₃ in duodena from 7-, 14-, 28-, and …

Reproductive Allocation And Survival In Grasshoppers: Effects Of Resource Availability, Grasshopper Density, And Parasitism, David Heath Branson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A major challenge in ecology is to understand intraspecific variation in life histories. Variation in resource availability can lead to differences in reproductive allocation and life histories. Grasshoppers are a good organism for the study of variation in life histories, since they exhibit life history plasticity in response to biotic and environmental factors. An optimality model for grasshoppers was developed that predicts optimal total allocation to reproduction and optimal effort-per-offspring as functions of resource availability and mortality. Relative allocation to reproduction is predicted to increase with resource availability, while relative allocation to survival declines. A resource-based trade-off between egg size …

Molecular Characterization Of Soil Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria Based On The Genes Encoding Ammonia Monooxygenase, Jose Javier Alzerreca

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) are chemolithotrophs that oxidize ammonia/ammonium to nitrite in a two-step process to obtain energy for survival. AOB are difficult to isolate from the environment and iso lated strains may not represent the diversity in soil. A genetic database and molecular tools were developed based on the ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) encoding genes that can be used to assess the diversity of AOB that exist in soil and aquatic environments without the isolation of pure cultures. The amo genes have excellent potential as molecular markers; since AMO is only found in the AOB and is essential for their metabolism, …

The Effects Of Temperature Regime And Food Availability On Growth Rates Of Young-Of-The-Year Colorado Squawfish (Ptychocheilus Lucius) In The Green River, Utah, Craig J. Schaugaard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effects of different daily temperature regimes and food availability on growth rates of Colorado squawfish (Ptychocheilus lucius) were determined using field and laboratory experiments. Daily temperature and food gradients were observed in river backwaters (important nursery habitat for juvenile Colorado squawfish). High fluctuating temperatures (± 5-8° C) were observed daily in the shallow, terminal ends of backwaters. Where backwaters were in contact with the river (mouth), daily temperature fluctuations decreased (± 2° C). Food availability also varied spatially between the mouth and end of each backwater. To test whether Colorado squawfish growth rates varied in different areas …

The Effect Of Climate And Spittlebug (Aeneolamia Albofasciata) On Buffelgrass (Cenchrus Ciliaris L.) Productivity In The Sonoran Desert, Martha H. Martin-Rivera

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I conducted field studies during 1984-1988 to determine how (1) precipitation amount and distribution affect buffelgrass [Cenchrus ciliaris L. (Link) l productivity, (2) summer rainfall amount and distribution and temperature influenced the spittlebug (Aeneolamia albofasciata Lalleman) life cycle, and (3) summer burning affects spittlebug densities and buffelgrass productivity.

Experiment I was conducted from 1985 through 1988. Forage samples collected at 15-day intervals were separated into live, recent-dead standing, old-dead standing, and litter. There was a positive relationship between the summer precipitation and the live biomass. Recent-dead standing and old-dead standing decomposed during the summer, fall, or spring.

Experiment …

Western White Pine: The Effect Of Clone And Cone Color On Attacks By The Mountain Pine Cone Beetle, Michael J. Jenkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relationship between clone and cone color in western white pine, Pinus monticola Douglas, to attack by the mountain pine cone beetle, Conophthorus monticolae Hopkins, was studied in the Sandpoint Seed Orchard, Idaho. A positive relationship was shown to exist during a 5 year field evaluation. Cone beetles were found to prefer dark colored cones and to attack certain clones at a higher rate than others.

Laboratory dissections did not indicate that cone color affected oviposition, brood development or brood mortality.

Olfactometer experiments demonstrated that olfactory stimuli are involved in the cone beetle attack sequence. Visual cues relating to cone …

Larval Biology Of Some Utah Chrysididae, Bakary Vassery Ouayogode

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Biologies of eight chrysidid species were described. These wasps parasitized bees and wasps collected in trap nests set at several sites in two canyons near Logan, Utah. The completed nests were taken to the laboratory and the parasitized ones were kept for study of the development a l biology and behavior of both host and parasites.

The larval stages of Chrysura smaragdicolor, Chrysura sonorensis, Chrysis parkeri, Chrysis derivata, Chrysis coerulans, Cerotachrysis enhuycki, Trichrysis doriae and Hedychridium solierellae were studied. Omalus iridescens and Omalus purpuratus larvae were observed only in the fifth instar. The major …

Multicollinearity And The Estimation Of Regression Coefficients, John Charles Teed

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The precision of the estimates of the regression coefficients in a regression analysis is affected by multicollinearity. The effect of certain factors on multicollinearity and the estimates was studied. The response variables were the standard error of the regression coefficients and a standarized statistic that measures the deviation of the regression coefficient from the population parameter.

The estimates are not influenced by any one factor in particular, but rather some combination of factors. The larger the sample size, the better the precision of the estimates no matter how "bad" the other factors may be.

The standard error of the regression …

The Influence Of Various Factors On Nitrogen Balance And Protein Quality Measured In Adult Human Beings, Arthur John Wittwer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effect of nitrogen intake, nitrogen source, calorie intake, body weight, adaptation time, research group and sex on the nitrogen balance of human adults was investigated. Data from studies reported in the literature were combined and analyzed statistically by multiple regression techniques. Analyses were made separately for six sources of nitrogen: egg, beef, rice, corn, wheat and wheat gluten.

Nitrogen intake, caloric intake and body weight exerted significant effects on nitrogen balance (5% level of confidence) for six, three and two of the six nitrogen sources, respectively. Other variables were not significant at the 5% level. Although differences were not …

Host And Habitat Preferences, Life History, Pathogenicity And Population Regulation In Species Of Protocalliphora Hough (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Terry Lee Whitworth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The host, habitat preferences, and life histories of species of Protocalliphora were investigated in northern Utah. The effect of species of Protocalliphora on blood levels (hematocrit and hemoglobin) and weight gains of nestling birds also was studied.

A total of 1,819 bird nests were examined, representing 68 bird species from 10 habitats. Forty-eight percent (869) of the nests of 51 bird species found were infested. Eighteen species of Protocalliphora, including 11 undescribed, were collected.

Birds experiencing a high rate of infestation included most colonial nesters (such as bank swallows and yellow-headed blackbirds), cavity nesters (such as starlings and tree swallows, …

Development Of Environmental Education Field Trip Guides For Elementary School Teachers In Cache Valley, Utah, Sandra T. Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was two-fold. The first was the development of environmental education field trip guides to areas in Cache Valley for teachers in grades three through six that would provide learning activities that cannot be structured in the classroom. Six field trip guides to areas of Cache Valley with accompanying activities and discussion questions were constructed. The guides were tested in the field by three groups of teachers and students and teachers not participating in the field test evaluated the guides for difficulties they would encounter in using the guides.

The second study purpose was to determine …