Life Sciences Commons^™

Carnivoran Frugivory And Its Effect On Seed Dispersal, Plant Community Composition, Migration, And Biotic Carbon Storage, John P. Draper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Seed dispersal by animals is important for the ecology of plants. It is particularly important to understand which animals are involved and how they move seeds differently from one another. Some seed dispersers are understudied despite ample evidence they consume fruits and seeds. This includes animals commonly referred to as carnivores in the order Carnivora. The overall goal of my dissertation was to describe the extent and quality of seed dispersal by Carnivorans, estimate important aspects of seed dispersal for a specific Carnivoran, the coyote, and estimate how differences between a coyote and songbirds affect where plants …

Dietary Shifts Related To Water Availability And The Demographic Response To Changing Prey Abundance Of Carnivores In The West Desert, Utah, Ashley E. Hodge

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The decrease in number and range of North American large carnivores, has often all owed smaller carnivores ( < 15 kg) to fill the role of the top predator. This has favored some carnivores such as coyotes (Canis latrans), who have expanded their distribution. Other small carnivores such as kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis) have experienced a range shrinkage and their population status throughout the United States is a concern. Historically, western U.S. natural resource management agencies installed artificial water sources to assist desert wildlife, but some researchers believe the access to water allowed more coyotes to live in Utah’s West Desert. In the late-1980s, research proposed that without free drinking water, coyotes would have to triple …

Effect Of Predator Removal On Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus Urophasianus) Ecology In The Bighorn Basin Conservation Area Of Wyoming, Elizabeth Kari Orning

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The decline of greater sage-grouse distribution and population densities across western North America has led conservation, research, and management objectives to focus efforts on understanding sage-grouse populations across their range. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of direct and indirect predation effects on hen survival and nest success of sage-grouse. The project was conducted in Hot Springs and Park Counties in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming. The study had three main objectives: 1) obtain and quantify the types and impacts of predators on sage-grouse hen survival and nest success, 2) compare the effect predator removals …

Differential Behavior Of Coyotes With Regard To Home Range Limits, Charles E. Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to examine coyote behavioral responses to novel stimuli in familiar and unfamiliar environments and the implications of this behavior with regard to specific coyote management and research techniques. A series of pen studies with captive coyotes was undertaken at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Predator Ecology and Behavior Project research site, Logan, Utah, to observe the range and type of behaviors coyotes showed towards small novel objects and standard scent stations in familiar and unfamiliar 1-ha enclosures. The initial response to these novel stimuli in familiar environments was one of neophobia and caution, whereas in …

Efficacy Of Denning In Alleviating Coyote Depredations Upon Domestic Sheep, James A. Till

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bands of domestic sheep lambing on the open range in south central Wyoming were monitored for predator losses prior to and following coyote (Canis latrans) removals. Experimental treatments, including 1) no removal (control), 2) removal of 2 adults and their pups, and 3) removal of pups only, were replicated 15 times each. Number of predation incidents (events) was reduced 98.2% by removing adults and pups. The number of sheep killed was reduced by 98.8%. Removing only litters of pups resulted in a decrease of 87.7% total kills decreased 91.6%. in predation incidents, while Overall, 23 of 30 predation …

Sheep Behavior And Vulnerability To Coyote Predation, Ernest Albert Gluesing

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the activity patterns and social relation ships between individuals in a large herd of domestic sheep (Ovis aries) in an effort to determine if behavioral characteristics predisposed certain individuals to coyote (Canis latrans) predation.

The research was conducted on the Cook Ranch near Florence, Montana, from March through September of 1975. Data were collected from a herd of 627 ewes and 1082 lambs, each individually identifiable. A random sample of 44 ewes and their 75 lambs were intensively studied over a 16-wk period to establish activity budgets and the relationships between sheep activity …