Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 5 of 5
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Food Habits Of Wintering Waterfowl On The Great Salt Lake, Utah, Josh L. Vest, Michael R. Conover
Food Habits Of Wintering Waterfowl On The Great Salt Lake, Utah, Josh L. Vest, Michael R. Conover
Wildland Resources Faculty Publications
Two invertebrates, brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) and brine flies (Ephydridac), occur in great densities in the Great Salt Lake (GSL) but it is unknown whether ducks forage extensively on them during winter or rely on freshwater food. Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeala) and Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) were collected from the GSL during winters 2004–05 and 2005–06 to evaluate their food habits. Brine shrimp and brine flies comprised more than 70% of the winter diet of these ducks. Common Goldeneyes consumed mainly brine fly larvae (68% based on dry weight biomass), which live primarily along the substrate. …
Nonnative Phragmites Australis Invasion Into Utah Wetlands, Andrew Kulmatiski, Karen H. Beard, Laura A. Meyerson, Jacob R. Gibson, Karen E. Mock
Nonnative Phragmites Australis Invasion Into Utah Wetlands, Andrew Kulmatiski, Karen H. Beard, Laura A. Meyerson, Jacob R. Gibson, Karen E. Mock
Wildland Resources Faculty Publications
Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. (common reed), already one of the world’s most widespread plant species, has realized rapid range expansion in coastal wetlands of North America in the past century, but little is known about P. australis range expansion in inland wetland systems. We used genetic analyses, aerial photographs, field surveys, and a greenhouse experiment to study the extent and mechanism of nonnative P. australis invasion of Utah wetlands. We collected and genetically analyzed 39 herbarium samples across the state and 225 present-day samples from northern Utah’s major wetland complexes. All samples collected before 1993 and all samples …
Greater Sage-Grouse Select Nest Sites To Avoid Visual Predators But Not Olfactory Predators, Michael R. Conover, Jennifer S. Borgo, Rebekah E. Dritz, Jonathan B. Dinkins, David K. Dahlgren
Greater Sage-Grouse Select Nest Sites To Avoid Visual Predators But Not Olfactory Predators, Michael R. Conover, Jennifer S. Borgo, Rebekah E. Dritz, Jonathan B. Dinkins, David K. Dahlgren
Wildland Resources Faculty Publications
Birds can hide from visual predators by locating nests where there is cover and from olfactory predators where habitat features create updrafts, high winds, and atmospheric turbulence, but sites optimal for hiding from visual and olfactory predators often differ. We examined how Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) balance the dual needs of hiding from both visual and olfactory predators on Parker Mountain, Utah, where the Common Raven (Corvus corax) is the main visual predator and the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) and American badger (Taxidea taxus) are the main olfactory predators. By comparing nest sites to random sites during 2005 and 2006, …
Flying Squirrel Removal Does Not Reduce Their Use Of Simulated Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Nest Cluster, Jennifer S. Borgo, Michael R. Conover, L. Michael Conner
Flying Squirrel Removal Does Not Reduce Their Use Of Simulated Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Nest Cluster, Jennifer S. Borgo, Michael R. Conover, L. Michael Conner
Wildland Resources Faculty Publications
Reproductive success of the endangered Picoides borealis (Red-cockaded Woodpecker) is thought to be reduced by the presence of Glaucomys volans (Southern Flying Squirrels); hence, these squirrels are often removed when found inside woodpecker cavities. For this management practice to benefit Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, however, squirrel removal must both reduce the future probability of a flying squirrel re-occupying cavities and increase reproductive success for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. In this study, using simulated Red-cockaded Woodpecker clusters (pseudo-clusters), we tested the first assumption regarding squirrels reoccupying nest cavities. We found no differences between removal and control pseudo-clusters in the amount of time that flying squirrels …
A History Of Moose Management In Utah, Michael L. Wolfe, Kent R. Hersey, David C. Stoner
A History Of Moose Management In Utah, Michael L. Wolfe, Kent R. Hersey, David C. Stoner
Wildland Resources Faculty Publications
During the first half of the 20th century a moose (Alces alces) population gradually established itself on the North Slope of Utah’s Uinta Mountains from founders in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Formal management of the species commenced with an aerial survey conducted in 1957, and the first legal hunt in 1958. From this small initial population moose have expanded into other areas of northern Utah and, augmented by transplants, the statewide population has increased to an estimated 3,200 animals as of 2009. In the northern portion of the state moose appear to prosper in riparian willow (Salix sp.) habitats as …