Life Sciences Commons^™

Dusky Grouse Population Ecology And Thermal Landscape Ecology In The Great Basin Ecosystem, Stephanie M. Landry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Dusky Grouse are a mountainous forest grouse found throughout the western, inland mountain ranges of the United States and Canada. While a few studies have looked at Dusky Grouse in the Rocky Mountain Ecosystem of their range, there have been no prior studies of the Dusky Grouse in the Great Basin Ecosystem aside from a brief survey by Zwickel and Bendell in 2004 in the Duck Creek Range of Nevada. With the available habitats differing in both species diversity and availability on the landscape between the two Ecosystems, I wanted to assess characteristics about the Dusky Grouse populations at the …

Geographic Variation In Blue Orchard Bee (Osmia Lignaria) Development And Performance As A Managed Pollinator In The Western United States, Morgan B. Scalici

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Most flowering plants, including many cultivated food crops, will only produce well-developed fruits and seeds if pollen is transferred from one flower to another with the help of an animal pollinator. Honey bees are the most well-known and ubiquitous but are poor pollinators of some commercially important crops, or are in poor supply during crop bloom. In such cases, farmers will employ other managed pollinators such as bumble bees or solitary bees like mason and leafcutting bees. The blue orchard bee is North America's most agriculturally important native mason bee as effective pollinators of spring-blooming fruit crops. Differences in developmental …

Thermal Tolerance, Physiology, And Microhabitat Use Of Eleutherodactylus Coqui Across An Elevational Gradient In Hawai‘I, Jack Marchetti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The coqui frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui) is an invasive species in Hawai‘i, and has spread across much of the island. While elevational temperature differences are thought to restrict the coqui’s spread, it is unclear if they have resulted in changes to the coqui’s physiology and microhabitat use as it has expanded into higher elevations.

We first sought to determine if the coqui’s substrate use and baseline physiology differs between elevations. We found that frogs at high elevation were found closer to the forest floor and used different substrates than frogs from low and mid-elevations. This change in microhabitat use …

Asparagus Breeding: Future Research Needs For Sustainable Production, Daniel Drost

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Productivity in asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) is determined in part by (1) the selection of superior, adaptive genetics, (2) matching the selected genetics to the production environment, and (3) managing the crop production system in ways to maximize harvest potential that are sustainable, profitable, and efficient. Over the last 100 years, a considerable effort by asparagus researchers has gone into breeding superior genetic lines, testing those in numerous locations, and studying how asparagus responds to a multitude of inputs (fertilizers, irrigation, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides). Farmers worldwide have benefited from all of these improvements. However, as we look to the …

Low Tunnels For Field Cut Flower Production, Shannon Rauter, Melanie Stock, Brent Black, Dan Drost

All Current Publications

Cut flower production in Utah can be limited by cold winters, late-spring freezes, daily temperature fluctuations, canyon winds, and intense sunlight. For growers who lack the space to construct a high tunnel, low tunnels can advance, extend, and improve seasonal production. Temperature increases from low tunnels during winter and spring can increase emergence and yield compared to unprotected beds, but require venting to avoid heat damage. During summer, low tunnels easily transition into shade structures that provide cooling and protection from the sun. This fact sheet describes a simple and cost-effective low tunnel design with metal-conduit hoops that are tall …

Climate Change And Utah Ski Resorts: Impacts, Perceptions, And Adaptation Strategies, Emily J. Wilkins, Hadia Akbar, Tara C. Saley, Rachel Hager, Colten M. Elkin, Patrick Belmont, Courtney G. Flint, Jordan W. Smith

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Climate change is a threat to ski resorts, the ski industry, and mountain communities that rely on ski tourism. Ski resorts may be able to mitigate some of the social and economic impacts caused by climate change with proactive adaptation strategies. Using historical weather data, future climate projections, and interviews with ski resort managers in Utah (United States), this research investigates the effects of climate change on ski resorts across the state. We examine temperature change at all resorts within the state from 1980–2018 and climate projections from 2021–2100 under different climate change scenarios (RCPs 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5). We …

Impacts Of Eutrophication On Benthic Invertebrates & Fish Prey Of Birds In Farmington And Bear River Bays Of Great Salt Lake, Trip Armstrong, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Farmington Bay’s watershed is primarily in the heavily populated metropolitan Salt Lake City, and consequently, it receives approximately 50% of its inflow from nutrient‐ rich wastewater releases. The high nutrient loads make it eutrophic and reducing the loading has been suggested to reduce blooms of toxic cyanobacteria. However, the bay also supports thousands of wading birds and waterfowl, and there is concern that reducing nutrient inflows might reduce the production of bottom‐dwelling insects and other invertebrates that the birds rely upon.

Investigating An Unusually Large 28‐Day Oscillation In Mesospheric Temperature Over Antarctica Using Ground‐Based And Satellite Measurements, Yucheng Zhao, Mike J. Taylor, Pierre-Dominique Pautet, Tracy Moffat-Griffin, Mark E. Hervig, Damian J. Murphy, W. J. R. French, Han-Li Liu, William R. Pendleton Jr, James M. Russel Iii

Conference Presentations

The Utah State University Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper was deployed at the Amundsen‐Scott South Pole Station in 2010 to measure OH temperature at ~87 km as part of an international network to study the mesospheric dynamics over Antarctica. During the austral winter of 2014, an unusually large amplitude ~28‐day oscillation in mesospheric temperature was observed for ~100 days from the South Pole Station. This study investigates the characteristics and global structure of this exceptional planetary‐scale wave event utilizing ground‐based mesospheric OH temperature measurements from two Antarctic stations (South Pole and Rothera) together with satellite temperature measurements from the Microwave Limb …

Interacting Stressors And The Potential For Adaptation In A Changing World: Responses Of Populations And Individuals, Gareth R. Hopkins, Susannah S. French, Edmund D. Brodie Jr.

Biology Faculty Publications

To accurately predict the impact of environmental change, it is necessary to assay effects of key interacting stressors on vulnerable organisms, and the potential resiliency of their populations. Yet, for the most part, these critical data are missing. We examined the effects of two common abiotic stressors predicted to interact with climate change, salinity and temperature, on the embryonic survival and development of a model freshwater vertebrate, the rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) from different populations. We found that salinity and temperature significantly interacted to affect newt embryonic survival and development, with the negative effects of salinity most pronounced …

Precision Drought Stress In Orchards: Rootstock Evaluation, Trunk Hydration And Canopy Temperature, Lance V. Stott

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Tree fruit crops are of high value, but use a lot of water. Precision irrigation has the potential to save water while simultaneously improving crop quality. The timing and method of precision water stress in various tree fruit crops has been widely studied. However, in order to successfully employ precision irrigation methods in orchards, an accurate measurement of tree water status is required. Currently, stem water potential is the preferred indicator. However, this measurement is tedious and cannot be automated. Because measurements must be taken near solar noon (approximately 1:30 PM MDT in the summer in northern Utah), the number …

Selecting Trees For High Elevations, Michael R. Kuhns, Megan Dettenmaier

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes the importance of careful species selection when planning and planting cultivated landscapes in unique, high elevation conditions in Utah. We recommend native and non-native tree species that can stand the stresses of living above 5,000 feet.

Postharvest Degradation Of Microalgae: Effect Of Temperature And Water Activity, Jacob A. Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Though usually a nuisance in swimming pools and ponds, algae has the potential to be a valuable commodity for use as food and fuel. But before algae butter and biofuel become commonplace, issues with harvesting and storing this new crop need to be overcome. Though there has been ample research into how to grow and use algae, scientists have spent little time figuring out what to do after you pull it out of the water and before you eat it (or turn it into biodiesel). Algae, like all food products, starts to spoil as soon as it is harvested.

This …

Jackson Lake Limnology, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

The limnology of Jackson Lake has been studied very little, despite the fact that it is the uppermost large lake on the headwaters of the Snake River, one of the larger rivers in the country (Hayden 1969). It is also an important fishery, largely for introduced lake trout. In 2014 we took our incoming graduate students to the Jackson Hole and one part of this introductory course focused on the limnology of the lake. Prior to the arrival of the students, a nutrient addition bioassay was initiated to demonstrate an experimental approach to understanding what nutrients might control production processes …

Approaches For Studying Fish Production: Do River And Lake Researchers Have Different Perspectives? – Extended Abstract, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Nicholas A. Heredia, Brian G. Laub, Christy S. Meredith, Harrison E. Mohn, Sarah E. Null, David A. Pluth, Brett B. Roper, W. Carl Saunders, David King Stevens, Richard H. Walker, Kit Wheeler

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Biased perspectives of fisheries researchers may hinder scientific progress and effective management if limiting factors controlling productivity go unrecognized. We investigated whether river and lake researchers used different approaches when studying salmonid production and whether any differences were ecologically supported. We assessed 564 peer‐reviewed papers published between 1966 and 2012 that studied salmonid production or surrogate variables (e.g., abundance, growth, biomass, population) and classified them into five major predictor variable categories: physical habitat, fertility (i.e., nutrients, bottom‐up), biotic, temperature, and pollution. The review demonstrated that river researchers primarily analyzed physical habitat (65% of studies) and lake researchers primarily analyzed fertility …

Kinetics Of Various Chemical Changes During Storage Of Processed Cheese, H. R. Gupta, K. L. Arora, Prateek Sharma, S. K. Kanawjia

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Three batches of processed cheese (PC) were manufactured by the standard procedure and packed aseptically in polystyrene (Sunpet) pet jars with screw cap of about 200 g capacity and stored at 5, 30 and, 45°C. The PC samples were analysed for proximate composition, selected physico-chemical characteristics and sensory attributes at intervals of 7 days for the product stored at 5°C upto 56 days, 3 days for the product stored at 30°C upto 6 days and 24 days at 45°C till the sample became organoleptically unacceptable. The results revealed that 30°C was conducive for mold growth, due to which the product …

Assessing Linkages Among Landscape Characteristics, Stream Habitat, And Macroinvertebrate Communities In The Idaho Batholith Ecoregion, Andrew C. Hill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Understanding the composition of lotic communities and the landscape processes and habitat characteristics that shape them is one of the main challenges confronting stream ecologists. In order to better understand the linkages among landscape processes, stream habitat, and biological communities and to understand how accurately our measurements represent important factors influencing biological communities, it is important to test explicit hypotheses regarding these linkages. Increasing our understanding of aquatic communities in a hierarchical context and recognizing how well our measurements represent factors structuring aquatic communities will help managers better evaluate the influence of land management practices on aquatic ecosystems, direct conservation …

Optimizing The Physical And Nutritional Environment Of Unleached Root-Zones, Curtis B. Adams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Unleached root-zones represent an environmental ideal by eliminating wasteful leaching of nutrients and water. NASA grows plants in space in unleached root-zones, incorporating polymer-coated fertilizer (PCF) into a ceramic media (Turface or Profile). However, lack of growth productivity in space has led to the need for research to improve the nutritional and physical environment of the root-zone, which is the objective of this research. PCF types are diverse in release characteristics and the effects of temperature and substrate water content have not been well characterized. In spite of widespread use, studies on chemical properties and applied studies to verify soil …

Landscape Patterns Of Streams & Lakes In Montane Watersheds Determine Water Temperatures & Nutrient Transport: Watershed Analyses And N Tracer Experiments, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, J. Garrett, G. Burkart, W. Fleenor, K. Nydick, R. Hall, Michelle A. Baker

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

In glaciated mountains, lakes are interspersed through watersheds and connected by streams. Although lakes or streams are frequently studied as individual water bodies, studying them as integrated functional units provides considerable insight on temperature patterns, nutrient transport and other functions. In the Sawtooth Mountains (Idaho), inter-lake distance averages 2.8 km. In summer, lakes are solar collectors, and warm outflow streams as much as 10 C, thus increasing metabolic rates. These streams seldom cool to equilibrium temperatures before encountering another lake, where the waters tend to overflow and mix into the epilimnion. With overflow, N-15 tracer experiments demonstrated that water and …

Influence Of Storage Duration, Temperature, And Oxygen On Quality Of Stored Dehydrated Foods, Omima Ali Darag

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was undertaken to determine the effect of oxygen absorber packets (OAP) (AGELESS Z.300 E) in improving the shelf-life of selected dried food products, including dried potato pearls, dried sliced apple, dried carrot, white rice, nonfat dry milk, all purpose flour, rolled oats, and wheat. Items were stored at four different temperatures (-20, 10, 21, and 29.5°C) over a period of 24 months with observations at 6-month intervals. Hunter colorimeter, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) germination rate, gluten weight, and volume were parameters used as quality indicators of various dried foods.

Statistical analysis indicated a significant time and temperature …

How Do I Keep My Food Safe During Summer Outings?, Georgia Lauritzen

All Archived Publications

No abstract provided.

Reversibility Of The Temperature-Dependent Opacity Of Nonfat Mozzarella Cheese, R. I. Dave, Donald J. Mcmahon, Jeff Broadbent, C. J. Oberg

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Salted and unsalted nonfat mozzarella cheese was made by direct acidification and stored at 4 degrees C over 60 d. Changes in cheese opacity were measured by using reflectance L* values while the cheese was heated from 10 to 90 degrees C, then cooled to 10 degrees C, and reheated to 90 degrees C. A characteristic opacity transition temperature (T(OP)) was obtained for each cheese. Both salt content and storage time influenced T(OP). Opacity during heating, cooling, and reheating formed a hysteresis. At d 1, the unsalted cheese became opaque when heated to 20 degrees C, but the salted cheese …

Effect Of Blue Light And Temperature On Leaf Expansion, Stem Elongation, And Growth, Tracy A. O. Dougher

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Short height and high yield per unit energy in controlled environments are essential to the success of a food production system for spaceflight. Temperature and light quality can be manipulated in controlled environments to reduce plant height and increase yield. Although the effects of temperature on height and yield are well studied at ambient CO₂, temperature effects at elevated CO₂ with a hydroponic root zone are not well characterized. We studied soybean yield and height under two lamp types over a broad range of temperatures. Temperature had little effect on yield or height, but lamp type had …

Influence Of Food Resources And Temperature On The Distribution And Energy Balance Of Bear Lake Sculpin, Cottus Extensus, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Clyde Lay

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Changes in the abundance, diet, and daily ration of adult and sub-adult Bear Lake sculpin (Cottus extensus) were investigated seasonally along a littoral to profundal transect in Bear Lake to determine if or when sculpin were food limited. During different seasons, sculpin migrated inshore or offshore. These were most pronounced for age 1 + sculpin, 35-55 mm in length. This age class was most abundant in the littoral zone, particularly in August. The migrations of age two and older sculpin were less pronounced, and most of these fish were located in the profundal zone (>30 m). The …

Winter Activity Patterns Of American Martens (Martes Americana): Rejection Of The Hypothesis Of Thermal-Cost Minimization, Gary S. Drew, John A. Bissonette

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

Despite their temperate to subarctic geographic range, American martens (Martes americana) possess a thermally inefficient morphology. The lack of morphological adaptations for reducing thermal costs suggests that marten may use behavioral strategies to optimize thermal budgets. During the winters of 1989-1990 and 1990-1991, we radio-collared and monitored the diel activity of 7 martens. A log-linear model suggested that the presence or absence of light was the only factor associated with marten activity patterns (p < 0.001). A regression of the percentage of active fixes on ambient temperature failed to detect an association (b = -4.45, p = 0.084, n = 12). Contents of marten seats suggested that their activity was consistent with the prey-vulnerability hypothesis. While martens must balance multiple life requisites, their activity patterns suggest that they accept increased thermal costs in order to increase foraging efficiency. However, the nocturnal activity of martens during winter was also consistent with the hypothesis that they may be able to limit their own exposure to predation risk. The nocturnal habits of Newfoundland martens in the winter were consistent with the hypothesis of avoidance of predation risk.

Determinants Of Weddellite Formation: Chondroitin Sulfates And Citrate Determine Weddellite Formation In Vitro, Kookmin M. Kim

Scanning Microscopy

In synthetic urine (SU), addition of oxalate tends to form monohydrates of calcium oxalate. However, addition of oxalate to natural urine preferably forms calcium oxalate dihydrate (COD). Urine apparently contains a determinant for COD formation. To identify the determinant, the effects of pH, temperature, oxalate, calcium, urate, citrate, magnesium, sulfate and chondroitin sulfates (CS) on calcium oxalate crystal formation were studied. Lower temperatures, higher oxalate concentrations and higher pH favored COD formation in a SU. Mixed CS in the presence of citrate were the most decisive determinant of COD formation. Substitution of CS for agar and gelatin produced similar results, …

Habitat Selection By Lacustrine Rainbow Trout Within Gradients Of Temperature, Oxygen, And Food Availability, Chris Luecke, D. Teuscher

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss [Walbaum]) in Castle Lake, California were concentrated at certain depths during day and evening hours. A fish bioenergetics simulation model based on vertical gradients of temperature, oxygen concentration, and food availability indicated that rainbow trout selected habitats that maximized growth rate. In 1 of the 2 years of study, a strong pattern of diel vertical migration of rainbow trout was evident and was associated with vertical migrations of daphnids in the lake. The simulation model correctly predicted the occurrence and magnitude of fish migration. During the day some trout resided at depths with little potential for …

Reversible And Irreversible Effects Of Temperature On Amelogenesis Of Hamster Tooth Germs In Vitro, J. H. M. Wöltgens, D. M. Lyaruu, Th. J. M. Bervoets, A. L. J. J. Bronckers

Scanning Microscopy

Hamster first hamster molar tooth germs in early secretory stage of amelogenesis were cultured for one day in vitro at 6°C, 22°C, 37°C or 45°C in the presence of ³H-proline, ⁴⁵Ca and ³²P-orthophosphate. Other explants were cultured without these labels and after culture examined by histology. The highest temperature tested was lethal to the explants, decreased total dry weight and rapidly increased total uptake of the radio-labelled mineral ions, probably merely due to physicochemical modification of the existing preculture minerals. Optimal synthesis and secretion of amelogenins were measured at physiological temperature (37°C). Effects of exposure to both …

An Empirical Model Of Gastric Evacuation Rates For Fish And An Analysis Of Digestion In Piscivorous Brown Trout, E. He, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

The gastric evacuation rates of brown trout Salmo trutta (0.9–1.6 kg) feeding on fingerling rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (3.5–7.6 g) were measured in the laboratory at five temperatures (4.5, 9.0, 14.0, 19.0, and 22.5°C). Instantaneous gut evacuation rates (Re) increased exponentially with temperature (T): Re = 0.053se^0.073T, r^2 = 0.98; they varyied from 7%sh^–1 at 4.5°C to 29%sh^–1 at 22.5°C. Linear regressions described the relationship between time and qualitative measures of fish digestion, thus allowing investigators to determine how long an ingested fish would be identifiable at different temperatures. An analysis of published evacuation rates (N = 121) of 22 …

Functional Properties And Microstructure Of Chicken Breast Salt Soluble Protein Gels As Influenced By Ph And Temperature, S. F. Wang, D. M. Smith

Food Structure

The effects of different pH's (4 .5 , 5.5, 6.5 and 7.5) and temperatures (30-80 •c) on the functional properties and microstructure of chicken breast salt soluble protein (SSP) in 0.6 M NaCI were investigated. Protein solubility decreased from 98% at pH 6.5 to less than I% at pH 4.3 and below. Salt soluble protein at pH 4.5 produced a discontinuous gel which could not be measured by back extrusion and had an expressible moisture above 80% at all heating temperatures . Aggregated globular microstructures were observed at pH 4.5 by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thin-sectioned images as seen by …

Behavioral And Thermoregulatory Responses Of Moose To High Ambient Temperatures And Insect Harassment In Aspen-Dominated Forests, Lyle A. Renecker, Robert J. Hudson

Aspen Bibliography

Heart rate and insect annoyance were studied in hand-reared adult moose (Alces alces) cows released into a 65-ha enclosure in April, May, July, and October. Radiant heat load exerted the greatest influence on heart rates of bedded moose in all months. Wind and insects had lesser, but significant effect during April and May, respectively. Respiratory rate was related to ambient temperature showing a dramatic increase about 14℃.