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Genetic Structure And Disease Prevalence Of Boreal Toads (Bufo Boreas) In Glacier National Park, Brett Rebekah Addis

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Amphibians are more threatened than any other vertebrate group, with 41% of species experiencing declines. The causes of most declines are not well understood, though many declines have been linked to the emerging infectious disease chytridiomycosis. Additionally, amphibians are physiologically constrained to moist habitats and considered poor dispersers; thus, they may suffer genetic consequences of population isolation. To address threats to the persistence of boreal toads (Bufo boreas) in Glacier National Park, USA, I genotyped 551 individuals at 11 microsatellite loci and used spatially independent (STRUCTURE) and spatially explicit (GENELAND) Bayesian methods to describe population genetic structure and identify barriers …

Ice Slurry And Cold Drink Reduces Exercise Induced Physiological Strain In The Heat, Cory Emil Kaufman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Purpose: To determine the effects of an ice slurry beverage on heat strain and thermoregulatory responses during prolonged exercise in the heat. Methods: Twenty males consumed slurry (ICE, -1.4 ± 0.2 °C), cold drink (COLD, -0.7 ± 0.2 °C), or room temperature drink (RT, 21.5 ± 1.0 °C), while walking at 50% of VO2max for 90 minutes in the heat (43.3 °C and 40% humidity). Heart rate (HR), core temperature (Tc), skin temperature (Ts), physiological strain index (PSI), sweat rate, and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded. Results: Tc was lower at minutes 30, 60, and 90 during ICE …

Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreaks In High Elevation Whitebark Pine Forests: The Effects Of Tree Host Species And Blister Rust Infection Severity On Beetle Productivity, Edith Mary Dooley

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In recent years, the mountain pine beetle (MPB, Dendroctonus ponderosae) has caused dramatic levels of mortality of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis). This keystone and foundation tree species is also being killed by the exotic fungus, Cronartium ribicola, which causes the disease white pine blister rust (WPBR). This study examines MPB productivity in whitebark pine compared to that in lodgepole pine, and also in whitebark pine of varying WPBR infection severities to determine if either of these host factors contributes to the current, dramatic MPB outbreaks in whitebark pine. To evaluate host tree effects on MPB, I tracked attack densities, emergence …

Northern River Otter Population Assessment And Connectivity In Western Montana, Darin Edward Newton

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Northern river otters (Lontra canadensis) are elusive and difficult to monitor, and little is known about their movement patterns or how populations are structured on the landscape. Otters are sensitive to degradation of aquatic systems, mostly due to loss of prey. This is evident in the Upper Clark Fork River (UCFR), Montana, which has been polluted from decades of mining activity. My objectives for this project were to determine otter population substructuring and connectivity in western Montana and Idaho, and produce a habitat assessment and population estimate for otters in the UCFR. I used genotypic data from otter tissue samples …

Collaborative Conservation Of Taimen (Hucho Taimen)Through Education And Awareness Khovsgol Aimag Mongolia, Daneil H. Bailey

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Bailey, Daniel, M.S., December 2012 Resource Conservation COLLABORATIVE CONSERVATION OF TAIMEN THROUGH EDUCATION AND AWARENESS KHOVSGOL AIMAG MONGOLIA Chair: Dr. Keith Bosak ABSTRACT: Siberian taimen (Hucho taimen) populations in northern Mongolia (the state of Khovsgol aimag) are threatened by illegal poaching, habitat loss, mining and recreational fishing. Taimen are the world’s largest salmonid, historically reaching lengths of 6.5 ft. and weighing as much as 200 lbs This unique species of fish is incredibly slow-growing, long-lived (up to 40 years) and late to reach sexual maturity (5-7 years). These characteristics -- coupled with overuse and habitat loss -- have resulted in …

Paraffin: An Economic And Ecological Alternative For Bone Conservation, Victoria E. Luksha

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Fragile bone materials are ubiquitous in archaeological museum and forensic settings. Although there are many chemical and industrial options for conservation, these may adversely affect the bone objects undergoing preservative treatment. Here, paraffin is explored as a biologically friendly alternative to bone material conservation. Modern domestic pig ribs were subjected to paraffin treatment and then to isotopic analysis to quantify and investigate the chemical effects of paraffin. Although the results showed that paraffin had a limited impact, the sample size proved too small to display the definitive parameters of paraffin’s effects. The results were nevertheless compelling enough to warrant more …

Corticosterone As A Mediator Of The Tradeoff Between Survival And Reproduction, Stephen Harold Patterson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Organisms cannot simultaneously maximize their investment in survival and reproductive success, thus these traits are said to trade off against one another. The physiological mechanisms that help guide these investment decisions are not fully understood. Stress-induced corticosterone is a strong candidate mechanism, because it is thought to promote survival-oriented behavior and physiology at the expense of non-critical functions such as reproduction. In this dissertation, I studied multiple components of corticosterone physiology (baseline corticosterone and stress-induced corticosterone) in several species of passerine birds to address this question from a variety of angels. I first provide direct support for corticosterone playing a …

Evaluating Repeat Photography In Documenting Natural And Cultural Landscape Changes: A Changing Crown Of The Continent Ecosystem Between 1899 And 2010, Dusty Leigh Waltner

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Photography can be an invaluable tool in human geographical research, for example, to better understand the importance of place to people. Increasingly, geographers are looking at how photography can play an active role in the construction of geographical knowledge, that is, how photographs are seen rather than what they show. This study examines the use of repeat photography as a research method by conducting a case study on landscape change in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. Grounded in extensive archival research on the past, present, and future uses of photography as a research method, a repeat photography survey was …

Synthesis Of NB-Aryl-Aspartamides, NA-Arylamide-Aspartates, And Hydroxy-L-Proline Derivatives As Inhibitors Of Amino Acid Transport For Evaluating The Glutamine / Glutamate Cycle, Brent Russell Lyda

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The glutamate / glutamine cycle is most traditionally described as the recycling of L-glutamate and L-glutamine via a concerted effort by a variety of cell membrane spanning amino acid transporters and amino acid converting enzymes, glutaminase and glutamine synthetase. This work details the design and synthesis of amino acid analogs, based off of an L-aspartate or L-proline scaffold, to be evaluated as inhibitors of the amino acid transporters ASCT (subtypes 1 & 2) and the excitatory amino acid transporters EAATs (subtypes 1-3), both involved in the glutamate / glutamine cycle. Furthermore, we have identified a number of potent substrate and …

Listen To The Bones: An Analysis Of The Variation Within The Faunal Remains At The Bridge River Site, Ogden Wyatt Ward

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Analysis of faunal material from the 2008 and 2009 excavations at the Bridge River site (EeR14) show that variation exists within the assemblages, particularly through time between the occupation phases of Bridge River 2 and Bridge River 3. The data show that reliance on anadromous salmon (Oncorhynchus sp.) remain an important food source between Bridge River (BR) 2 and Bridge River 3 occupation phases, while reliance on important secondary resources, particularly deer (odocoileus sp.) increases. A shift in the distribution of elements from deer remains suggests a change in subsistence strategies that were used to harvest theses animals. It is …

Microbial Community Assembly And Diversification Of The Genus Chloroflexus Along An Alkaline Hot Spring Gradient, Michael Louis Weltzer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This research aims to achieve a greater understanding of the structure of bacterial communities present in alkaline hot springs in Yellowstone National Park. I focus specifically on White Creek and Rabbit Creek in the Lower Geyser Basin. I show that, overall, the bacterial communities of both creeks are non-randomly assembled. However, at finer taxonomic scales, bacterial groups differ in their community assembly patterns. Specifically, phototrophic groups show the strongest evidence for non-random assembly, most likely due to competition for light. A major exception to this pattern is the genus Chloroflexus, a major member of these communities. Members of this genus …

A Case Study Of Problems And Possibilities In The Establishment Of A Guide Training Institute In Uttarakhand, India, Benjamin Schwartz

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This project sought to explore the problems and possibilities experienced during the establishment of a guide training institute in Uttarakhand, India. As originally proposed by the Mountain Shepherds Initiative, a small tourism organization based in Uttarakhand, the aim of the guide training institute was to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to gain employment as guides within, and expand the extent of, high quality/low quantity birdwatching tourism within northern Uttarakhand. This project was undertaken in conjunction with the Mountain Shepherds Initiative and the problems and possibilities were identified during a six month stay in the region from May-November, …

Can Sheep Control Leafy Spurge Without Compromising Efforts To Restore Native Plants?, Eva S. Masin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis includes two studies on the ecological effects of using sheep to control Euphorbia esula (leafy spurge). While sheep can effectively reduce E. esula when used as a long-term management strategy, little is known about their impacts on native plants. The efficacy of sheep grazing for restoration depends both on its potential for controlling undesirable plants and its ability to promote native species that provide key ecosystem goods and services. I investigated the effects of sheep grazing on native plants at both seed and mature-plant stages. To assess impacts on seedling establishment, I measured density of forb and graminoid …

An Examination Of Elementary Physical Education Teachers’ Perceived Self-Efficacy Toward Teaching Children With Orthopedic Impairments In Montana: Do Teachers Feel Competent?, Patricia A. Holman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

An Examination of elementary physical education teachers' perceived self-efficacy toward teaching children with orthopedic impairments in Montana: Do teachers feel competent? Chairperson: Dr. Arthur Miller The purpose of this study was to explore elementary physical educators' self-efficacy beliefs toward teaching children with orthopedic impairments in general physical education class and identify adapted physical education teacher training needs in Montana. The method for this study is based on the Physical Educators' Self-Efficacy Toward Including Students with Disabilities - Autism (PESEISD-A) (Talliaferro et al, 2010) electronic survey instrument and Bandura's (2006) guidelines. A modification of the PESEISD-A instrument was utilized to examine …

Painting For The Eye: Carle Vanloo's Drunken Silenus And The 18th Century French Academy, Anna Buxton

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Buxton, Anna, M.A., Spring 2012 Major Art Painting for the Eye: Carle Vanloo’s Drunken Silenus and the 18th Century French Academy Chairperson: Dr. Valerie Hedquist In 1747, newly appointed Directeur general des Bâtiments du Roi, Charles – François Le Normand de Tournehem organized a concours, or competition, in the French Royal Academy. He hoped to reinvigorate history painting at a time when Rococo themes dominated. With this challenge before him, Tournehem invited ten of the better known academic painters to produce works which challenged the norms of the popular frivolous style. De Tournehem expected edifying subject matter, such as the …

Staphylococcus Aureus Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (Pvl) Alters Human Neutrophil Viability And Function, Shawna Graves

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) infections are the leading cause of community bacterial infections in the United States. Genes encoding Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) are present in most Staphylococcus aureus strains that cause CA-MRSA infections. Despite an association of PVL with the most abundant CA-MRSA strains, its role in pathogenesis--if any--remains unknown. PVL is a pore-forming toxin with specificity for myeloid cells, including polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs or neutrophils). It is widely assumed that PVL-mediated pore formation in the plasma membrane of PMNs leads ultimately to cytolysis. However, this hypothesis has not been tested and previous studies indicate that levels of PVL …

Fifty Years On The Fringe: Murray Bookchin And The American Revolutionary Tradition, 1921-1971, Aaron David Hyams

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Hyams, Aaron, M.A., Spring 2011 History Fifty Years on the Fringe: Murray Bookchin and the American Revolutionary Tradition 1921-1971 Chairperson: Dr. Michael Mayer Murray Bookchin was an American revolutionary and political theorist born in New York City in 1921. His career as both an activist and a theorist through the thirties, forties, fifties and sixties, made him an active participant and influential voice for both the American Old Left, and the New Left. Writing for Contemporary Issues, a left wing journal edited by Josef Weber, Bookchin became an important part of the schismatic Left, a loose conglomeration of Marxist and …

Orphanhood And The Search For Home In L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz" And Boris Pasternak's "Doctor Zhivago", Amanda Marie Peterson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Defining home is not an easy task. Protagonists Dorothy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Yuri of Doctor Zhivago are alike in their search for home. They journey through the texts learning what home means to them, which leads to their own discoveries of home. Through these discoveries, they also learn about finding place within space, and how attachments to and love for other people can help to transform the enormity of space into a place of comfort.

The Genetics Of Parallel Evolution: A Case Study Using Thermal And Non-Thermal Ecotypes Of Mimulus Guttatus From Yellowstone National Park, Margaret Frisbie Hendrick

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Understanding the genetic mechanisms of adaptation has long been a goal of evolutionary biologists. However, the predictability of genetic change across adaptive events and the patterns observed during adaptive transitions across species remain poorly understood. Numerous parallel evolutionary transitions within the model plant genus Mimulus (monkeyflowers) provide a wonderful comparative context for investigating the predictability of the underlying mechanisms. Because multiple traits, with inherent differences in the underlying molecular pathways and potentially different vulnerabilities to negative pleiotropy, are often involved in parallel adaptation to harsh edaphic conditions, the diversity in Mimulus provides an opportunity to compare genetic architecture among traits …

Communal Empathy In Native American Older Adults, Heather Lynn Dorlando

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Recently it has been posited that resilience is a dynamic process that develops, fluctuates, and is embedded in social context. With a dynamic systems approach it is possible to investigate resilience within a Native American community, which includes addressing the concept of cultural resilience and empathy. A secondary qualitative data analysis of 28 interviews with Native American older adults was conducted. Research questions addressed the context in which empathy was demonstrated, what dimensions of empathy were utilized, if empathy was used as an emotion-focused or communal coping strategy, and what outcomes were described when using empathy as a coping strategy. …

Conservation Genetics Of Sauger In The Upper Missouri River Drainage, Daniel Michael Bingham

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Hybridization with non-native walleye may play a substantial role in sauger declines throughout the upper Missouri River drainage of Montana and Wyoming. I identified 11 microsatellite loci to detect interspecific hybridization and describe the genetic population structure of sauger. Two major population groupings of sauger were revealed by principal component analysis. The first consisted of samples from the Missouri and lower Yellowstone River drainages, which showed no evidence for genetic divergence among each other. The second major grouping contained samples from the Bighorn River drainage and the upper Yellowstone River. Samples from the upper Bighorn River drainage were genetically distinct …

Effects Of Different Canopy Tree Species On Belowground Biogeochemistry In A Wet Lowland Tropical Forest, Adrienne Blair Keller

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Tropical rain forests are known for their tremendous biological diversity, but the effects of plant diversity on important ecosystem processes remain unclear. Interspecies differences in both the demand for nutrients and in foliar nutrient concentrations could drive differences in litter chemistry that affect both pools and fluxes of belowground resources. Yet, our understanding of the effects of aboveground biogeochemical heterogeneity on belowground ecosystems is poor, especially in the species-rich forests of the wet tropics. To investigate the effects of tree species diversity on belowground biogeochemical processes, I examined how carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) cycles vary under canopy …

Essential Elements Of Ecological Literacy And The Pathways To Achieve It: Perspectives Of Ecologists, Brooke Baldauf Mcbride

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

National assessments have led many to conclude that the level of ecological literacy among the general population in the United States is too low to enable effective social responses to current environmental challenges. However, the actual meaning of ecological literacy varies considerably between academic fields and has been a topic of intensive deliberation for several decades. Within the field of ecology in particular, a driving purpose behind this ongoing discussion has been to advance a complete, pedagogy-guiding, and broadly applicable framework for ecological literacy, allowing for the establishment of guidelines and tools for assessing educational achievement; yet, a widely accepted …

Exploring Public Participation Decision-Making At Superfund Sites: A Mental Models Approach, Walter Steven Ackerlund

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

While public policies and programs in the United States encourage public participation in agency decisions on environmental issues, how best to engage the public remains controversial. Public participation is more challenging when complex and uncertain scientific or technical issues are involved. This research applies a mental model methodology to explore what people engaged in Superfund site cleanup decisions think about when making public participation decisions. The intent is to find better ways of engaging people in constructive processes that achieve mutual understanding and lead to better decisions.

An initial expert-informed mental model of public participation decision-making is developed based on …

Green Roofs In The Garden City: Exploring The Opportunities For Green Roof Policies In Missoula, Montana, Matthew Ryan Hodges

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Global climate change is expected to have adverse impacts on the Rocky Mountain West, including impacts on water and land use, energy consumption, weather patterns, and wildlife stewardship. The State of Montana, Missoula County and the City of Missoula all have recognized these threats and are taking steps to address climate change impacts. In response to the unique challenges posed by urban environments, the practice of green, or vegetative, roofing has been promoted through policy measures by a number of cities in the United States and abroad. This project explores green roofing and the policies used to encourage the practice …

Heterogeneity Of Stand Structure, Fuels, And Wildfire Hazard In Dry And Moist Old-Growth Ponderosa Pine Forests: Case Studies From Western Montana, Kyle Crosby Stover

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Silvicultural restoration treatments are increasingly proposed to restore ecological function and remediate catastrophic wildfire hazards in old-growth ponderosa pine stands throughout the western United States. However, stand heterogeneity has been inadequately addressed in restoration and fuel treatment planning. In response, we analyzed two old-growth ponderosa pine forest restoration projects in western Montana with different moisture regimes. We utilized available fixed-area plot data to describe heterogeneity by analyzing the distributions of current and anticipated post-treatment plot conditions, and contrasted these with stand-average depictions. The study’s findings illustrate that distributions of overstory structure, fuels, and modeled fire hazards are typically non-normal, skewed, …

Incentives And Disincentives Of Adolescent Girls Participation In Outdoor Activities And Recommendations For Practitioners, Sarah Anne Megyesi

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In order to increase adolescent girls’ participation in and enjoyment of outdoor activities (OAs), with the ultimate goal of increasing the number of future advocates and stewards of our natural environment, outdoor activity practitioners and other interested parties must gain an understanding of adolescent girls and their perceptions of the outdoors and outdoor activities. Every girl has unique insight and perceptions related to their own as well as other girls’ participation in outdoor activities. In order to best serve adolescent girls through outdoor activity, research must seek answers to how families, schools, mentors, and outdoor activity practitioners can best encourage …

Interactive Effects Of Wildfire And Disturbance History On Amphibians And Their Parasites, Blake Roger Hossack

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Climate-driven changes in wildfire and other disturbance regimes are expected to affect populations and communities worldwide. Understanding how these changes will affect native species is critical for future conservation efforts, especially on managed forests. Using data from several wildfires that burned between 1988 and 2003 in and next to Glacier National Park, Montana, I examined how fire affected the distribution, abundance, and infection status of 3 native amphibians. In Chapter 1, I used long-term data on wetland occupancy to show the long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) and Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) were resistant to change during the first 6 years …

Modeling Risk Of Hunting Pressure On Large Mammals In Northwestern Argentina, Loretta Kathleen Baker

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The subtropical Yungas and Chaco forests of northwestern Argentina are two of the most biodiverse and threatened biomes in South America. It is unclear how development pressure and increased human presence may be affecting wildlife in this increasingly fragmented and degraded landscape. We initiated a broad-scale analysis of the spatial distribution and magnitude of anthropogenic factors that may influence large mammal mortality due to potential human hunting pressure in a landscape linkage connecting these threatened forests. We conducted a literature review of Neotropical study sites that reported hunting of large mammals by indigenous people or colonists, and used this information …

Opposition And Barriers To Conservation Easements: Insights From Montana Landowners, Alayna S. Dupont

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

A conservation easement (CE) is a voluntary agreement that perpetually limits development on private land in order to protect open space, agricultural land, and scenic amenities, as well as ecological or historic resources. Due to the fact that CEs are voluntary, an understanding of the landowner’s decision about whether or not to participate in conservation easement programs is imperative if CE use is to continue and expand. Moreover, understanding how non-participating landowners view CEs, how they regard the incentives, and how CEs fit or do not fit with their ideas regarding private property and conservation is of critical importance for …