Life Sciences Commons^™

Lodgepole Pine Susceptibility Rating Of Mountain Pine Beetle Through The Use Of A Density Management Diagram, John Albert Anhold

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ninety-four unmanaged lodgepole pine stands were examined to evaluate the relationship between stand density and susceptibility to mountain pine beetle attack. Sample included stands from a broad geographical range in the western United States.

Beetle population trends were not significantly related to variation in stand density as measured by stand density index (SDI). The percentage of trees killed per acre by the mountain pine beetle in stands with greater than eighty percent lodgepole pine did vary significantly with changes in SDI. From these data three SDI zones were identified: 1) stands with SDI's of less than 125 showed low potential …

Impact Of The Western Spruce Budworm On Buds, Developing Cones And Seeds Of Douglas-Fir In The Intermountain Region, Charles Joseph Frank

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The western spruce budworm, Choristoneura occidentalis Freeman (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is a serious defoliator of conifers in the western U.S. and western Canada. In 1985 epidemic levels of the budworm caused average tree defoliation in west-central Idaho to increase to 83%, up substantially from the 35% average tree defoliation of 1984. Associated with this increase in defoliation was a change in the relative stand defolation ranking between the two years. found to damage all types and In 1985 the budworm was developmental stages of reproductive structures of Douglas- fir, including: seedcone buds, pollen-cones buds, maturing cones, and seeds. Differential selection of …

Investigation Of Host Selection By Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus Ponderosae) Hopk. In Lodgepole Pine (Pinus Contorta) Dougl., Thomas James Eager

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Lodgepole pines Pinus contorta (Douglas) were treated by girdling to assess the response by an endemic population of mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae (Hopkins) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). Capture in 'sticky traps' indicated that the beetles were attracted while in flight towards the wounded trees. A significant difference in the landing rates of bark beetles between the treated and untreated trees indicated that the beetles were able to distinguish wounded from non-wounded trees while still in flight. Pressure chamber readings demonstrated that water stress developed in the girded trees when compared to the non-girdled trees.

Estimating Optimum Overstory Vegetation Reduction For Increasing Understory Production, John A. Tanaka

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate analytical approaches for estimating the optimum (profit maximizing) rate of initial overstory kill for increasing seasonal forage availability on a specific ranch. The models were developed using the big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) - crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum, A. desertorum) vegetation type on a Utah cow-calf-yearling operation as an example. The models should be applicable on any ranching situation where understory forage production is constrained by the establishment and growth of undesirable overstory vegetation.

Three model forms were developed and compared for their applicability to on-the-ground investment decision …

The Effects Of Recreation Specialization And Motivations On The Environmental Setting Preferences Of Backcountry Hikers, Randy J. Virden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study explored how recreation specialization and different types of motivations were related to environmental settings preferred by backcountry hikers. A questionnaire was developed that measured the level of hiking specialization, desired psychological outcomes, and preferred environmental setting attributes. Questionnaires were mailed to 619 backcountry hikers from three Intermountain West hiking areas; a response rate of 68 percent was attained.

Results of the study revealed significant associations between the level of hiking specialization and the psychological states desired by backcountry hikers. In general, increased hiking specialization served to increase the importance of specific psychological outcomes such as autonomy, exercise, achievement …

Aspects Of The Feeding Ecology Of The Bonneville Cisco Of Bear Lake, Utah-Idaho, David C. Lentz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Bonneville cisco (Prospium gemmiferum), a small planktivorous whitefish, is an important part of the distinctive fish community of Bear Lake, Utah-Idaho. The Bonneville cisco plays a key role in the trophic structure by converting zooplankton to fish biomass and providing a major forage source for cutthroat and lake trout. Aspects of cisco feeding ecology studied include characterization of the zooplankton community composition and dynamics and cisco feeding habits and prey selection.

Composition and seasonal dynamics of the zooplankton community were determined for a fifteen month period during 1981-1982. The community was dominated by a calanoid copepod, Epischura …

Purification Of Anthrax Toxin Protective Antigen Component And Characterization Of Its Binding Interaction With Bovine Kidney Cells, Daniel Dalton Martin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Protective antigen component of B. anthracis toxin was produced and purified to the >99% level. Toxin was purified from culture supernatant utilizing concentration and liquid chromatography techniques. Purity was determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

The purified protective antigen retained biological and antigenic activity as evidenced respectively by lethality in Fischer 344 rats when injected in combination with lethal factor, and by positive results on the Ouchterlony double diffussion assay.

Radioiodinated protective antigen was used both in the in vivo and the in vitro experiments.

In vivo distribution of labelled protective antigen was determined in Fischer 344 rats. Assay …

The Effect Of Utah Population Growth On Conversion Of Agricultural Land To Residential Land, Suzanne Shoshana Dyner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Land resources are essential to the production of many goods and services, including food, fiber, housing, and recreation. Often, these alternate uses are thought to be incompatible, and the conventional wisdom holds that in a place such as Utah, where rapid population growth is occurring near farming activities, at least some agricultural land must be converted to developed uses. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the strength of the relationship between population growth and change in farmland, especially cropland, in Utah.

Theoretically, population growth has been assumed to affect the amount of land in agricultural use. An empirical …

Factors Affecting Puberty, Estrus And Ovulation In Corriedale And Criollo Sheep Of The Southern Peruvian Highlands, Pedro Walter Bravo Matheus

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research was conducted at the La Raya experiment station, Cusco, Peru (4200 m elevation, 15°S latitude, and 70 °W longitude) using 60 Corriedale, and 60 Criollo ewes during three consecutive years (April 1981 - March 1984). Age, and weight at puberty, age at physical maturity, and the effects of breed, age (physically immature and mature), year, and month were measured on body weight, incidence of estrus, and incidence and rate of ovulation. There was a significant difference (P<.05) among breed, year, and the interactions for body weight at puberty. The mean age at puberty for 1982-83 was 693.6 days (23.1 months) for Corriedale and 483.3 days (16.1 months) for Criollo. The mean liveweight at puberty was 27.2 kg for Corriedale, and 25.3 kg for Criollo. Corriedale ewe lambs weighed more than Criollo, attained puberty seven months later than Criollo. At comparable age (15-17 months) at the Southern Peruvian Highlands 100 % of the Criollo reached puberty, compared to 58% of the Corriedale. Body weight, incidence of estrus and ovulation were affected (P<.01) by breed, age, year, month, and their interactions. Physical maturity was attained at 39 and 36 months of age for Corriedale, and Criollo, respectively. Weight changes during the year were associated with feed availability. The mean overall incidence of estrus was 45.4 % for Corriedale (43.6 in physically immature, and 47.2 % in mature ewes), and 67.1 % for Criollo ewes (66.3, in physically immature, and 68.7 % in mature ewes). The mean overall incidence of ovulation was 39.6 % for Corriedale (39.7, in physically immature, and 39.5 % in mature ewes), and 58.5 % for Criollo ewes (59.4, in physically immature and 56.7 % in mature ewes). Both breeds demonstrated seasonality of estrus and ovulation with the Corriedale being shorter than the Criollo. The incidence of ovulation in both breeds was less than that of estrus. The ovulation rate was 1.00 for Corriedale, and 1.03 for Criollo (P>.05). Even though Criollo ewes weighed less than Corriedale, they attained puberty earlier, and showed less seasonality in estrus and ovulated …

Calcium Amelioration Of Salinity (Sodicity) On Nitrogen Fixation, Stomatal Resistance, Potassium/Sodium Ratio And Total Nitrogen Of Phaseolus Vulgaris L., Mahmood Akhavan-Kharazian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Extreme salinity is one of the most common environmental constraints with which legume/rhizobia symbionts must deal in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. In some areas, with good management, it has been economically possible to ameliorate the saline soil with calcium. The objective of this study, therefore, was to investigate calcium amelioration of salinity (sodicity) on nitrogen fixation, stomatal resistance, potassium/sodium ratio, and total nitrogen of Phaseolus vulgaris L. Seeds of snapbeans were grown in pots under green house conditions and were irrigated with NaCl concentrations of 0, 0.4, 0.8 or 1.2 S m^-1 combined with CaS0_{4 …}

Effect Of Spring Grazing By Cattle On Growth And Survival Of Shrub Seedlings Interplanted In Crested Wheatgrass, Lynn M. Mcconville

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A short duration-high intensity grazing trial was conducted in spring of 1985 to determine whether shrub establishment in crested wheatgrass pastures could be enhanced through spring grazing by cattle, or by fertilization of shrub seedlings. Data was collected on diet selection by cattle during spring grazing, and on subsequent shrub growth and survival. Shrubs studied were transplants of sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata, fourwing saltbush, Atriplex canescens, bitterbrush, Purshia tridentata, and one year old bitterbrush seedlings.

Cattle did not browse sagebrush or fourwing saltbush transplants, but utilization of bitterbrush transplants and seedlings averaged 15 and 42 percent, respectively. Shrub …

Manganese Toxicity In Mice: Evaluation Of Neruochemical And Immunologial Alteration, Benjamart Srisuchart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Neurochemical and immunological effects of manganese chloride (MnCl₂) were evaluated using young male CD-1 mice as the animal model. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of MnCl₂ (1, 3 and 10 mg/kg) daily for 4 weeks did not produce mortality or overt signs of toxicity in any of the treated animals. Manganese treatment increased the thymidine uptake of cultured splenic cells and the selective lymphoproliferative response to T-cell mitogens, phytohaemagglutinin and concanavalin A, in all the treated groups. No difference in the response to B-cell mitogen, lipopolysaccharide was observed. A dose of 10 mg/kg MnCl₂ increased the mixed lymphocyte …

Intercept Feeding As A Means Of Reducing Deer-Vehicle Collisions, Peggy Wood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Intercept feeding was tested for its efficacy in reducing deer-vehicle collision frequency by diverting deer movement patterns away from highways using alfalfa hay as an attractant. Ratios of roadkills in control vs. treatment zones of three highway segments indicated that feeding reduced collision frequency. Spotlighting counts of live deer were significantly higher (P < 0.001) in the control than in the treatment zone, supporting the effectiveness of feeding in keeping deer distant from the highway. In a benefit:cost analysis, the benefits accrued by reducing collision frequency exceeded the costs of feeding on each highway both years, with one exception: in 1986 one of the highways demonstrated that particular features of an area may not be conducive to effectively attracting deer away from a highway. I recommend intercept feeding be used with alternate techniques, so that the most appropriate technique is applied in each situation to reduce collision risk.

Effect Of Short Duration Grazing On Soil Moisture Depletion And Plant Water Status In A Crested Wheatgrass Pasture, Jon M. Wraith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A short duration grazing system was utilized to determine the effects of intensive periodic defoliation during spring on soil moisture depletion patterns and plant water status in a crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum and A. desertorum) pasture in central Utah. Exclosures were constructed to compare grazed and ungrazed responses. Soil moisture was monitored to a depth of 193 cm at one to two week intervals from mid-April to late-September using a neutron moisture gauge. Predawn and midday leaf water potentials were estimated using a pressure chamber technique. The two paddocks included in the study were grazed three times between …

Belowground Resource Exploitation In Semiarid Plants: A Comparative Study Using Two Tussock Grasses That Differ In Competitive Ability, David M. Eissenstat

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relative competitive abilities of Agropyron desertorum and Agropyron spicatum were compared using Artemisia tridentata transplants as indicator plants. Although these two tussock grasses have similar shoot growth forms and shoot physiological characteristics, they have substantial differences in their competitive abilities. Artemisia had lower survival, growth, reproduction, and water potential when transplanted into neighborhoods of A. desertorum than in neighborhoods of A. spicatum.

Plant attributes associated with the differences in competitive ability were explored. Agropyron desertorum and A. spicatum have remarkably similar potential growth rates at warm soil temperatures. In a prolonged cold soil temperature treatment in the greenhouse, …

Vulnerability Of Cougars To Hunting, Dan Barnhurst

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Forty radio-collared cougars (Felis concolor) were monitored for 630 cougar months. Track searches were conducted and tracking information was gathered over a 20-month period. Vulnerability was estimated to be greatest for 0 to 6-month-old kittens. This age class is the most susceptible to starvation after being orphaned, or being killed by hounds when the hunter is unaware of their presence, since their tracks were found with their mother's tracks only 19 percent of the time. Tracks of 7 to 12-month old kittens were found with their mother's tracks 43 percent of the time. Relative road-crossing frequencies of seven …

Pantothenic Acid Status Of Adolescents, Brenda Ringer Eissenstat

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Information on human needs for pantothenic acid is limited and no recommended daily allowance has been established; although a safe and adequate level of 4-7 mg/day has been suggested for adults and adolescents. The adolescent population is often at risk for nutritional problems because of unusual eating patterns and major physiological changes which occur at this time. Pantothenic acid levels in urine, whole-blood and erythrocytes were determined in a healthy adolescent population using radioimmunoassay techniques. Dietary intakes were calculated from 4 day diet records and evaluated using a computer data base developed at Utah State University in conjunction with USDA. …

The Redevelopment Of Plant Community Diversity On A Surface Coal Mine In Southwestern Wyoming, Thomas Joseph Hatton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A study was initiated in 1981 to investigate the redevelopment of plant communities on a recontoured, surface-mined site in southwestern Wyoming. The landscape pattern of vegetation was compared with topographic position, the initial topsoil pattern, and cultural practices including shrub planting density, shrub planting pattern and topsoil treatments for the years 1982-1985. In addition, differences in vascular plant species diversity within these various factors and treatments were determined, along with the trend in intracommunity (alpha), intercommunity (beta) and landscape (gamma) diversity for the entire study area.

The influence of site factors and tested cultural practices on the differentiation of the …

Animal Nutritional Response To Sward Structure Under Short Duration Grazing Management, Kenneth C. Olson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A ten-paddock short duration grazing cell was stocked with yearling heifers at a stocking rate of 0.7 ha per animal unit month and a stocking density of 0.14 ha per animal unit. A continuously-season- long-grazed (CSLG) pasture was used as a control. It was stocked at the same stocking rate, but at a stocking density of 1.4 ha per animal unit. Grazing periods in SDG paddocks were two or three days. Dietary quality was assessed by crude protein · content and in vitro digestibility of esophageal fistula estrusa samples. Three variables of ingestive behavior were measured, including ingestion rate, biting …

Carnivore Competition And Resource Use In The Serengeti Ecosystem Of Tanzania, George Walter Frame

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Coexisting ungulate-eating carnivores--lion, spotted hyena, cheetah, leopard, African wild dog, black-backed jackal, common jackal, and six species of vulture--are examined in East Africa's Serengeti ecosystem. Niche similarities year-round, by season, and by location are described using food, habitat, time of hunting, and other variables. Intraspecific niches of cheetah sex, age, and social groups show that male coalitions differ most from the others in hunting behavior and habitat use. Tests using the carnivore data failed to support hypotheses about niche breadth variation, niche overlap variation, range of food items, and niche inclusion. Densities of the five largest Carnivora in the 35,500 …

Effect Of Oxidation-Reduction Potential On Hemochrome Formation And Resultant Pink Color Defect Of Cooked Turkey Rolls, Farzaneh Vahabzadeh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A pink color defect is commonly observed in freshly cut surfaces of cooked turkey rolls and fades rapidly upon exposure to air. The non uniform pink color makes the product appear undercooked, and the product must be discounted. The oxidation-reduction potential of the meat is important in development of pink defect. A pink color similar to that of commercial product was observed when the cooked meat was treated with either sodium nitrite or sodium dithionite. The pink color in nitrite treated meat was due to nitroso pigment formation, but in samples treated with dithionite the pink color was due to …

Detection Of Abnormal Milk With Impedance Microbiology Instrumentation, Fahad Ali Abdulghany Khayat

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mastitic milk was detected by obtaining conductance measurements using an impedance microbiology Bactometer® 120 SC instruments. Conductance readings taken after 30 min at 25'C separated normal and abnormal milks when readings differed by more than 3% from the variance among instrument module wells. Samples blended from four quarters of a cow indicated milk from one quarter was abnormal if the salt level in the abnormal quarter raised the blend conductivity above that of normal samples and variance among the wells. Either solid or liquid substrates that contained bacterial stimulants could be used to accelerate bacterial acid production or to reduce …

The Effect Of Dietary Calcium And Phosphorus Levels On Audiogenic Seizure Susceptibility And Brain Neurotransmitters In Magnasium Deficient Rats, Rachaneeporn Chaistitwanich

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effects of dietary calcium and phosphorus levels on audiogenic seizure susceptibility and brain neurotransmitter were investigated in magnesium deficient rats. For 17 days, male weanling rats were fed magnesium deficient diets which also contained deficient (-), adequate (=}, and excess (+) amounts of calcium and/or phosphorus. Reduction of seizure incidence was seen in low calcium and/or low phosphorus diets. High calcium, and high calcium in combination with high phosphorus increased the severity of seizures. High calcium and low phosphorus, and high phosphorus and low calcium diets prevented seizuring. Most magnesium deficient diets resulted in elevation of serum phosphorus, calcium, …

Natural Cheese From Prefermented Whole Milk Retentate, Charles Gordon Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A new method for manufacture of natural cheese was developed using 5X ultrafiltered whole milk retentate. The retentate was prefermented to pH 5.0-5.2 before curd formation to simplify the cheese making process. It was demonstrated that the process can be made commercially feasible.

Ultrafiltration and diafiltration of whole milk were done so that the desired level of residual lactose was left in the retentate. Retentate was inoculated with lactic starter culture and incubated (prefermented) until all lactose was converted to lactic acid. The final pH stabilized at about 5.0-5.2; the desired pH of the cheese curd. Incubation at 25°C allowed …

A Model For Estimating Available Iron From Total Nutrient Intakes, Ann Marie Black

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Factors which affect iron bioavailability have been repeatedly and extensively investigated. A model, derived from these studies, has been developed for estimating available iron from meal data. However, many dietary surveys report only average daily intakes of iron, and do not report the iron present in single meals. No model to estimate available iron from daily iron intake has been presented in the literature.

Dietary questionnaires were kept for two nonconsecutive weekdays by 355 male and 382 female Utah school children, mean age 7.5 years, assisted by their parents, and recorded by household measure. Data, first recorded as meals eaten, …

Effects Of Micrococci On Improving Sensory Acceptability Of Mutton Summer Sausage, Hoon Jung

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effects of micrococci on sensory characteristics of different batches of summer sausages were determined. Sixty four salt-tolerant indigenous isolates were selected from beef or mutton treated with 1.5 or 3.0% sodium chloride and 120 ppm sodium nitrite, and held at 5 or 10 C for 5 days. These isolates (61/64) were identified as staphylococci and micrococci. Summer sausages were made from several lamb, ewe, and ram carcasses which were hand deboned and blended after grinding to contain 22% fat. Six summer sausage treatments were prepared using two different sources of commercial starter cultures including Micrococcus species or Micrococcus varians …

A Market Analysis For Adult Outdoor Education In Five Western States, Karla Joy Vanderzanden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Organizations that offer Outdoor Education programs for adults are concerned with how to best attract people to their programs. Effective program design begins with a clear understanding of the people to be served. A marketing orientation--meeting the needs of participants--has begun to pervade non-profit management; specific information on the adult market for Outdoor Education remains limited. The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize segments based upon the benefits people seek from such an experience. Secondly, this analysis describes current programs 1n a five state region and identifies discrepancies between available and needed services.

A mail survey of …

Revegetation Of Denuded High Elevation Watersheds In Mustang, Nepal, Madhukar Upadhya

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Lack of vegetative cover largely caused by such human activities as firewood collection, intensive grazing, and deforestation have accelerated the process of desertification at high elevation watersheds in Nepal. Mountain environment at high elevation is delicate and regeneration of vegetation is slow. Livestock grazing and firewood collection are the basic needs of the people. However, constant human pressure on natural vegetation upsets the hydrologic processes and results in disastrous soil erosion. Desertification caused by long-term soil erosion in semi-arid regions of Mustang district (a severely desertified, high elevation area) in Nepal probably indicates the future of other high elevation watersheds, …

Seed Rain Patterns During Early Recovery On A Strip-Mined Site In Southwestern Wyoming, Hal W. Gordon

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Revegetating surface-mined soils of the western United States is a major problem facing natural resource managers today. The Surface Mine Reclamation and Conservation Act (SMRCA, Public Law 95-87) requires that the opera tor: "… establish on the regraded areas, and all other lands affected, a diverse, effective and permanent vegetative cover of the same seasonal variety native to the area of land to be affected and capable of self-regeneration and plant succession at least equal in extent of cover to the natural vegetation of the area ... "

Historically, most of the coal produced in the U.S. came from the …

Forage Utilization Estimated By Height-Weight And Grazed-Plant Methods, Joann Clark

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Determining utilization has been one of the most difficult tasks required of range scientists down through the years (Pieper 1973). Utilization is defined as the portion of the current year's growth of the plant that the animal consumes or destroys. For this reason it is difficult to measure utilization because you are trying to measure something that no longer exists.

Numerous methods have been developed for determining utilization. Some methods are rapid while others are more detailed and time consuming, but may give greater accuracy.

This study was done to see how well utilization estimates made by the grazed-plant method …