Life Sciences Commons^™

Mini-Lysimeters To Monitor Transpiration And Control Drought Stress: System Design And Unique Applications, Julie Chard, Marc Van Iersel, Bruce Bugbee

Techniques and Instruments

Methods for the precise control of drought stress have been a holy grail of plant biology research. Here we describe a five-container growth chamber system and a 16-container greenhouse system, each of which uses load cells to monitor and control the mass of a soil/plant system. The calibration and signal conditioning necessary to quantify transpiration over 10 minute intervals is described. Evaporation can be reduced to less than 1% of the transpiration rate by covering the container surface. Procedures for quantifying and correcting the effect of temperature on load cell output are described. Each system can be programmed to maintain …

Genetic Characteristics And Environmental Parameters For Growing Turfgrass In Closed And Retractable Dome Stadiums, Bruce Bugbee, Paul Johnson

Turfgrass

Our analysis indicates that electric lighting for turfgrass growth is highly cost effective, if it is coupled with appropriate genetic and environmental changes.

Inadequate light levels for vigorous turf growth is the key challenge associated with growing turf in enclosed and retractable dome stadiums. The light levels of closed stadiums are too low to maintain vigorous plant growth that can quickly recover from the damage caused by athletic events. As a solution, retractable-dome stadiums have been built. However, even with the roof open, light levels in these stadiums are less than half of natural sunlight because of shading from the …

Induction Of Ip-10 By Sars-Cov Infection Of Calu-3cells And Balb/C Mice, Y. Kumaki, C. W. Day, K. W. Bailey, M. H. Wong, M. K. Wandersee, R. Madsen, J. S. Madsen, N. M. Nelson, J. D. Hoopes, J. D. Woolcott, Z. T. Mclean, L. M. Blatt, A. M. Salazar, Dale L. Barnard

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Destruction of the architectural and subsequently the functional integrity of the lung following pulmonary viral infections is attributable to both the extent of pathogen replication and to the host-generated inflammation associated with the recruitment of immune responses. The presence of antigenically disparate pulmonary viruses and the emergence of novel viruses assures the recurrence of lung damage with infection and resolution of each primary viral infection. Thus, there is a need to develop safe broad spectrum immunoprophylactic strategies capable of enhancing protective immune responses in the lung but which limits immune-mediated lung damage. The immunoprophylactic strategy described here utilizes a protein …

Development Of A New Tacaribearenavirus Infection Model And Its Use To Explore Antiviral Activity Of A Novelaristeromycin Analog, Brian B. Gowen, M. H. Wong, D. Larson, W. Ye, K. H. Jung, E. J. Sefing, Ramona T. Skirpstunas, Donald F. Smee, John D. Morrey, S. W. Schneller

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Background

A growing number of arenaviruses can cause a devastating viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) syndrome. They pose a public health threat as emerging viruses and because of their potential use as bioterror agents. All of the highly pathogenic New World arenaviruses (NWA) phylogenetically segregate into clade B and require maximum biosafety containment facilities for their study. Tacaribe virus (TCRV) is a nonpathogenic member of clade B that is closely related to the VHF arenaviruses at the amino acid level. Despite this relatedness, TCRV lacks the ability to antagonize the host interferon (IFN) response, which likely contributes to its inability to …

Contrasting Effects Of Cattle And Wildlife On The Vegetation Development Of A Savanna Landscape Mosaic, Kari E. Veblen

Kari E. Veblen

Through their effects on plant communities, herbivores can exert strong direct and indirect effects on savanna ecosystems and have the potential to create and maintain savanna landscape heterogeneity. Throughout much of sub‐Saharan Africa, periodic creation and abandonment of livestock corrals leads to landscape mosaics of long‐term ecosystem hotspots that attract both cattle and large ungulate wildlife. The development and maintenance of vegetation in these types of hotspots may be controlled in part by herbivory. Cattle and wildlife may have different, potentially contrasting effects on plant succession and plant–plant interactions. We ask how cattle and wild herbivores affect the maintenance and …

Meta-Analytic Review Of Corridor Effectiveness : Una Revisión Meta‐Analítica De La Efectividad De Los Corredores, Karen H. Beard

Karen H. Beard

Using corridors for conservation is increasing despite a lack of consensus on their efficacy. Specifically, whether corridors increase movement of plants and animals between habitat fragments has been addressed on a case-by-case basis with mixed results. Because of the growing number of well-designed experiments that have addressed this question, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine whether corridors increase movement; whether corridor effectiveness differs among taxa; how recent changes in experimental design have influenced findings; and whether corridor effectiveness differs between manipulative and natural experiments. To conduct our meta-analysis, we analyzed 78 experiments from 35 studies using a conservative hierarchical Bayesian …

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

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 …

The Soap Box Wild Horses And Blm Management Issues: What To Do With 30,000 Symbols Of The American West, James T. Smith

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Rhodamine B As A Biomarker For Raccoons, Tricia L. Fry, Todd Atwood, Mike R. Dunbar

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The USDA/APHIS/Wildlife Services (WS) oral rabies vaccination program uses tetracycline, a broad-spectrum antibiotic and relatively reliable biomarker, to quantify vaccinebait uptake by raccoons (Procyon lotor). However, obtaining samples (e.g., bone or teeth) to assess tetracycline uptake is highly invasive, and sample preparation can be expensive. By contrast, rhodamine B, a commercially available dye, is absorbed systemically in growing tissues, including hair and whiskers, and can be observed under ultraviolet (UV) light as fluorescent orange bands. Our goal was to evaluate whether rhodamine B can be used as a biomarker to monitor bait uptake by raccoons. We began by …

Evaluation Of Damage By Vertebrate Pests In California Vineyards And Control Of Wild Turkeys By Bioacoustics, Robert W. Coates, Michael J. Delwiche, W. Paul Gorenzel, Terrell P. Salmon

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Complaints of agricultural damage by wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo), particularly from wine grape growers, have increased in California. We assessed damage by vertebrate pests in vineyards and tested a bioacoustic-aversion technique for turkeys as an alternative to other control techniques (e.g., reflective tape, trapping, bird netting). We selected 12 vineyards in the Napa Valley and Sierra Foothills American Viticultural Areas of California. We conducted damage surveys to assess percentages of missing or damaged grapes (i.e., grapes that had been stripped, pecked, and plucked) for every grape cluster on 20 randomly-selected vines before harvest in 2007 and on 40 …

In Memory William B. Jackson, Michael W. Fall

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.

Regeneration Response And Seedling Bank Dynamics On A Dendroctonus Rufipennis-Killed Picea Engelmannii Landscape, R. Justin Derose, James N. Long

Aspen Bibliography

Question: How does regeneration response to a host- specific, high-severity, infrequent Dendroctonus rufipennis outbreak differ from our conceptualization of high-severity, infrequent/low-severity, frequent disturbance regimes in Picea engelmannii - Abies lasiocarpa communities? Location: Southern Utah, USA. Methods: One hundred and seven plots across a high- elevation P. engelmannii forest were sampled to re- construct pre-outbreak overstory and seedling bank densities, and calculate their associated metrics of diversity. Decade of establishment by seedling bank trees indicated ‘‘chronic’’ and ‘‘pulse’’ regenerators. Results: The post-outbreak overstory and seedling bank were dominated by A. lasiocarpa. Although Pinus flexilis, Pinus ponderosa, Picea pungens, and Psuedotsuga menziesii …

Propagating Trembling Aspen From Root Cuttings: Impact Of Storage Length And Phenological Period Of Root Donor Plants, Jessica Snedden, Simon M. Landhausser, Victor J. Lieffers, Lee R. Charleson

Aspen Bibliography

Two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of growing conditions, duration of cold storage, and distinct phenological periods of root donor plants on the propagation success of aspen rootlings. Root donor plants were produced either under greenhouse or open grown conditions. Root cuttings were periodically collected from donor plants that had been stored for various lengths of time in cold storage (up to 180 days), or that were stored dormant in cold storage (up to 150 days) and then grown for another full growing season. Longer storage of donor plants produced only slightly smaller rootlings and resulted in slightly …

Strawberry Plug Plant Production, Dan Drost, Brent Black, Daniel Rowley

All Current Publications

This publication provides information on growing strawberries including planting dates and harvesting methods.

Guidelines For Aspen Restoration On The National Forests In Utah, Mary O'Brien, Paul Rogers, Kevin Mueller, Rob Macwhorter, Allen Rowley, Bill Hopkin, Bill Christensen, Paul Dremann

Aspen Bibliography

These guidelines are a working document and will be tested within the Utah National Forests on dif- ferent aspen types.

Aspen Biology, Community Classification, And Management In The Blue Mountains, David K. Swanson, Craig L. Schmitt, Diane M. Shirley, Vicky Erickson, Kenneth J. Schuetz, Michael L. Tatum, David C. Powell

Aspen Bibliography

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) is a valuable species that is declining in the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon. This publication is a compilation of over 20 years of aspen management experience by USDA Forest Service workers in the Blue Mountains. It includes a summary of aspen biology and occurrence in the Blue Mountains, and a discussion of aspen conservation and management techniques such as fencing, conifer removal, and artificial propagation. Local data on bird use of aspen stands, insects and diseases in aspen, and genetic studies of aspen are also included. An aspen community classification developed from over …

Relationship Of Climate And Growth Of Quaking Aspen (Populus Tremuloides) In Yellowstone National Park, Erik S. Jules, Allyson L. Carroll, Matthew J. Kauffman

Aspen Bibliography

Quaking aspen is a widespread tree that is in decline across wide areas of western North America, and is predicted to experience a large range shift if future climate predictions are realized. The purpose of our study was to determine what climate factors have influenced aspen growth in Yellowstone National Park, USA, and to determine whether these climatic influences vary across a heterogeneous landscape. We extracted increment cores from 10-12 aspen in each of 16 stands spread across a 1,526 km2 area. Using ring widths, we created a182-year standardized chronology from 1821 to 2003 A.D. composed of 151 series. We …

Aspen Mortality Summit, December 18 And 19, 2006, Salt Lake City, Utah, Dale L. Bartos, Wayne D. Shepperd

Aspen Bibliography

The USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station sponsored an aspen sum- mit meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, on December 18 and19, 2006, to discuss the rapidly increasing mortality of aspen (Populus tremuloides) throughout the western United States. Selected scientists, university faculty, and managers from Federal, State, and non-profit agencies with experience working with aspen were invited. Participants were first asked to share information on recent aspen mortality. Subject matter working groups were then asked to determine factors associated with recent aspen mortality, recommend research needs, and organize those needs into testable questions and hypotheses. This report documents their …

Basal Area Growth For Aspen Suckers Under Simulated Browsing On Cedar Mountain, Southern Utah, Western United States Of America, K Tshireletso, J C. Malechek, D L. Bartos

Aspen Bibliography

The objective of the study was to determine the effects of season and intensity of clipping using simulated browsing on suckers' (Populus tremulaides Michx.) basal area growth on Cedar Mountain, Southern Utah, Western United States of America. Three randomly selected stands measuring 70 m x 70 m were clear-felled in mid-July, 2005, and fenced. Simulated browsing treatments of 0%, 20%, 40%, and 60% removal of current year's growth on aspen suckers were randomly applied in early, mid-, and late summers of2006 and 2007 on permanently demarcated quadrats. Sucker basal area was monitored by measuring basal diameter of individual suckers. These …

Cockroaches, Ryan S. Davis

All Current Publications

Cockroaches are one of the most difficult structural pests to eradicate because of their ability to hide, rapid reproduction, and resistance to and avoidance of many commonly used insecticide sprays and baits. Using an integrated pest management (IPM) program can greatly increase the possibility of successful control. There are 4 cockroach species that commonly infest structures in Utah, each with a specific biology; identify invading cockroaches before you develop an IPM plan. Proper identification of any pest will allow you to understand its biology, and use it against itself!

Presupuesto De Las Frambuesas Del Otoño En El Túnel Alto 2010, Utah State University

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

La Producción De Las Fresas Utilizando El Túnel Alto, Daniel Rowley, Brent Black, Dan Drost

All Current Publications

Las fresas locales y frescas son siempre un favorito en los mercados de productores y en los puestos ambulantes. Las fresas crecen mejor en las temperaturas alrededor de 70 a 75˚ F (21 a 24˚ C). Los inviernos fríos y los veranos calientes solo dejan una temporada de fresas muy corta. Se diseñan los invernaderos para mantener temperaturas óptimas para el crecimiento y se las puede usar para cultivar las fresas durante todo el año. Sin embargo, los invernaderos son muy costosos para construir y operar. Los túneles altos son relativamente baratos para construir, con algunos diseños costando menos de …

Toxin-Nutrient Interactions Influence Diet Selection, Usu Extension

All Current Publications

Given a choice herbivores prefer foods that are high in nutrients and low in toxins. Nevertheless, plants high in toxins are common on rangelands.

Toxins Reduce Palatability, Usu Extension

All Current Publications

Several years ago we had two research projects we assumed were unrelated. One focused on why goats avoid the current season’s growth of blackbrush and the other on how livestock learn to avoid foods high in toxins.

Training Livestock To Leave Streams And Use Uplands, Usu Extension

All Current Publications

Cattle can damage streams and surrounding vegetation—riparian areas—by breaking down banks decreasing water quality, and reducing wildlife living in the stream and on the land.