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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Utah Tick Surveillance An Animated Public Service Announcement, Keith Wilson
Utah Tick Surveillance An Animated Public Service Announcement, Keith Wilson
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
As the United States’ population grows, we develop more land into housing and recreate farther into wilderness areas, consequentially encountering ticks with increasing frequency. As the climate continues to change, tick population distributions are also changing, influencing our population’s exposure to tick-borne diseases. Lyme disease, a tick-borne disease named after Lyme, Connecticut, is one of the fastest growing emerging diseases in North America, and the most prevalent vector-borne infection in the United States. There are two species of tick in North America, Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus, known to be carriers of the causative agent of Lyme disease, a …
Environmental Racism In A Growing City: Investigating Demographic Shifts In Salt Lake City's Polluted Neighborhoods, Emma Nathel Jones
Environmental Racism In A Growing City: Investigating Demographic Shifts In Salt Lake City's Polluted Neighborhoods, Emma Nathel Jones
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
Studies investigating the spatial distribution of environmental hazards have repeatedly demonstrated the existence of environmental racism -- the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on communities of color. We aim to contribute to research on environmental racism by asking how relationships between race and hazard exposure change over time. Our study area, Salt Lake City (SLC), UT, USA is one of the largest cities in the intermountain west and is expected to see continued population growth. SLC was 99% white from 1860-1950. 2019 census estimates indicate that SLC is becoming more racially diverse with 35.6% of the population identifying as racial …
Quantifying Non-Game Fish Sampling Biases And Demographics To Better Understand The Role Of Fish In Pelican Diet And Distribution At Strawberry Reservoir, Ut, Jamie Reynolds
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
Predation and competition are natural ecological processes, though these interactions occasionally cause concern among humans when ecosystem services are involved (e.g., popular fisheries in highly managed systems). The population of American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) at Strawberry Reservoir (Utah) has increased dramatically in the last decade, as have the populations of Utah sucker (Catostomus ardens) and Utah chub (Gila atraria). Anglers and managers are concerned that predation by pelicans and competition from non-game fish species are negatively impacting the reservoir's prized Bonneville cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah) fishery. My project focused on …
Application Of Habitat And Occupancy Modeling To A Wood Duck Next Box Program, Jason D. Carlisle
Application Of Habitat And Occupancy Modeling To A Wood Duck Next Box Program, Jason D. Carlisle
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
Programs to augment wood duck (Aix sponsa) nesting habitat by providing artificial nest boxes are commonly implemented. In northern Utah, where such programs are relatively new, I proposed a method to identify sites suitable for deployment of next boxes through a combination of habitat and occupancy modeling using site-specific, biotic, and abiotic, data collected from 105 next boxes over one nesting season in Cache County, Utah. An inductive habitat model was first developed which identified possibly suitable habitat (8.74% of county) based on proximity to hydrologic features. Next, based on comparing competing single-species, single-season, occupancy models using a modified Akaike's …
Extending The Season For Sustainability In Utah, Britney Hunter
Extending The Season For Sustainability In Utah, Britney Hunter
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
The importance of providing fresh produce on a local level is becoming a widespread consideration among people concerned with the character of their food. For regions without an opportune growing climate, extending the growing season can drastically advance productivity. High tunnels are one way to effectively and profitably extend the growing season in cold climates. The benefits of growing in a high tunnel go beyond raising the temperature. High tunnels contribute to higher quality small fruits and vegetables. The benefits of growing in high tunnels have been explored in other states and could be exploited by Utah growers. Utah's climate …
The Invasion Of The Exotic Cladoceran Daphnia Lumholtzi To Willard Bay Utah: Alterations Of The Pelagic Food Web., Olivia Lester
The Invasion Of The Exotic Cladoceran Daphnia Lumholtzi To Willard Bay Utah: Alterations Of The Pelagic Food Web., Olivia Lester
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
Willard Bay, a freshwater impoundment of one of the arms of the Great Salt Lake, is shallow, with a mean volume of 9,900 acres and a maximum summer depth of six meters. This reservoir is highly productive, with a mean secchi depth of 4 meters and chlorophyll a concentrations peaking in summer at 9 micrograms per liter.
Litter Decomposition And Nutrient Release Patterns In A Subalpine Forest In Northern Utah, Amber Denton Johnson
Litter Decomposition And Nutrient Release Patterns In A Subalpine Forest In Northern Utah, Amber Denton Johnson
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
In the arid subalpine zone of the intermountain west it is common to see patchy forests interspersed with open meadows containing scattered clusters of trees referred to as tree islands. These tree islands are often composed of subalpine fir [Abies lasiocarpa (Hook) Nutt.] and Englemann spruce [Picea englemannii (Parry)]. In desert ecosystems, where lack of water is the most important factor limiting growth and nutrient dynamics, it is not unusual to see individual plants (especially in the shrub community) creating "islands of fertility", in which the plants collect nutrients by pumping them from deeper in the soil profile and redepositing …
Green River Foodweb: Colorado Squawfish Nursery Habitat Near Ouray National Wildlife Refuge, Utah, Linden Hamer Alder
Green River Foodweb: Colorado Squawfish Nursery Habitat Near Ouray National Wildlife Refuge, Utah, Linden Hamer Alder
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
Effects of fish introductions are relatively well studied in lentic habitats, and apparently range from extremely disruptive to notably benign (Kruegger and May 1991). Though researched less completely, fish introductions may also alter native faunas in lotic habitats. Ptychocheilus lucius, commonly known as the Colorado squawfish (C. squawfish), is a fish species endemic to the Colorado river system. The population is currently experiencing dramatically reduced recruitment successes relative to historical rates. Introduced fishes such as channel catfish, smallmouth bass, and green sunfish are prevalent in the Upper Colorado River. The introduced fish presence is increasingly suspected by researchers as a …