Life Sciences Commons^™

Parents' Perceptions Of Life Skill Development And Satisfaction With Utah 4-H, Oakley G. Perry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The 4-H program is the nation’s largest youth development program with near six million members nationwide. Utah 4-H provides this program to the residents of Utah through Utah State University’s Extension Service. The program focuses on teaching life skills to youth to prepare them for their future using hands on educational programs tied to project areas, or particular topics like equine science or fine arts. Utah 4-H has many different stakeholders, one of which being the parents of its members. For youth programs to continue to be successful, these programs must show stakeholders their significance and ensure that its audience …

Big Fires, Big Trees, And Big Plots: Enhancing Our Ecological Understanding Of Fire With Unprecedented Field Data, Tucker J. Furniss

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wildfire is an inexorable process in western landscapes, posing a major challenge to land managers: how can we use fire to restore healthy forests without jeopardizing human communities? The purpose of this dissertation is to produce research that will help guide management and support effective wildland fire use in fire-prone forests.

I utilized a longitudinal dataset from a single, large forest plot that burned under serendipitous circumstances during the 2013 Rim Fire. My research revealed that post-fire mortality models under-predict mortality of large trees, and may need to be re-calibrated to perform well under future climates. I used satellite-derived data …

Generation Of Sheep Models Of Cystic Fibrosis By Gene Editing And Cloning, Iuri Viótti Périssé

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease that affects over 80,000 people worldwide and is caused by mutations that disrupt the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene. This gene encodes a channel protein that regulates ion transport in cells. The most common mutation in the human CFTR gene is F508del, which is characterized by the deletion of a phenylalanine amino acid in the CFTR protein. The second most common mutation is G542X, a protein synthesis “stop” mutation that prevents the production of the CFTR channel protein. An impediment that prevents the further understanding CF is the limited …

Susceptibility Of High-Elevation Forests To Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus Ponderosae Hopkins) Under Climate Change, David N. Soderberg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Across western North America, pine forests are important for timber, wildlife habitat, and at high elevations are important for water retention and yield from rain and snowmelt. The mountain pine beetle (MPB) is one of the most significant disturbance agents shaping pine forests, and like all insects, temperature is a major driver of its population success and the dynamics of the landscapes that they inhabit. Changing temperature regimes can therefore directly influence MPB population persistence at a particular location, in addition to potential shifts in the range boundaries that they inhabit. MPB is currently expanding its range northward in British …

The Periaqueductal Grey In Opioid Tolerance And Chronic Pain, Akila Ram

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pain is the body’s natural warning system to indicate one is in an environment highly detrimental to survival. The body’s response to the sensation of pain is to immediately withdraw from this environment, ensuring continued survival. However, when pain lasts beyond the window in which it is useful, it no longer serves as a helpful warning system but instead degrades the quality of life. Chronic pain leads to patients seeking opioids to alleviate their condition and regain control of their lives. A severe negative side effect of the use of opioids to treat chronic pain is the development of tolerance …

Season Advancement Of Cool Season Cut Flower Crops Snapdragon And Peony, Maegen A. Lewis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Demand and production of specialty cut flowers is growing across the U.S., but research is lacking in the U.S. Intermountain West, where the semi-arid and high elevation climate offers unique challenges for growers. The goal of this study was to evaluate the stem quality, harvest timing, and yield of snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) ‘Chantilly’, ‘Potomac’, and ‘Rocket’ and peony (Paeonia lactiflora) ‘Coral Charm’ as cool-season cut flower crops under high tunnel and field production in North Logan, Utah. Snapdragons were transplanted at three-week intervals beginning in early-February in high tunnels and ending in late-May in the field. …

Climate-Driven Impacts Of Warming And Grazing On Sub-Arctic Coastal Wetlands In Alaska, Ryan T. Choi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Climate change is rapidly warming the Arctic, especially at lower latitudes. Warmer temperatures and earlier springs are altering the timing of plants and animals, especially for long-distance migratory herbivores. Changes in the timing of both plants and herbivores have the potential to impact plant productivity and nutrient cycling, while also altering plant community diversity and composition.

In chapter 2, I conducted a field experiment to investigate how earlier growing seasons and differences in arrival times of migratory geese influence physical traits of sedge forage species. I found that both an earlier growing season and late grazing by geese had similar …

Dietary Shifts Related To Water Availability And The Demographic Response To Changing Prey Abundance Of Carnivores In The West Desert, Utah, Ashley E. Hodge

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The decrease in number and range of North American large carnivores, has often all owed smaller carnivores ( < 15 kg) to fill the role of the top predator. This has favored some carnivores such as coyotes (Canis latrans), who have expanded their distribution. Other small carnivores such as kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis) have experienced a range shrinkage and their population status throughout the United States is a concern. Historically, western U.S. natural resource management agencies installed artificial water sources to assist desert wildlife, but some researchers believe the access to water allowed more coyotes to live in Utah’s West Desert. In the late-1980s, research proposed that without free drinking water, coyotes would have to triple …

Insights On Reticulate Evolution In Ferns, With Special Emphasis On The Genus Ceratopteris, Sylvia P. Kinosian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The history of life is often viewed as a evenly branching tree; however, in reality it is more like a tangled hedgerow. Many groups of organisms are known to have such a net-like or reticulate evolutionary history, but it is particularly common in ferns and lycophytes (also known as pteridophytes). This dissertation investigates how net-like evolution affects different groups of ferns, with a special emphasis on the model species C-fern (Ceratopteris richardii, also called the antler or water sprite fern). Genomic data are utilized to under-stand hybridization, cryptic species and reticulate evolution in two groups of ferns. The …

Computational Techniques For Elucidating Plant-Pathogen Interactions: A Case Study On Citrus-Hlb Interactome, Cristian D. Loaiza

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Citrus fruit industry in the United States has been affected during the last two decades because of the outbreak of the citrus greening disease, also known as Huanglongbing (HLB). Many people and organizations are working in therapeutics to help mitigate the impact of this disease, unfortunately there is not a cure yet. There are many mechanisms that needs to be understood about this disease, especially at the molecular level. Not only HLB, but many other infectious diseases are controlled by the interaction of proteins from the host (Citrus in this case) and from the pathogen that causes the disease. …

Predator Defense And Host Selection Behavior Of Billbugs (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae), Desireè M. Wickwar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Billbugs are a complex of weevils that feed on the roots of turfgrass, causing severe damage to the plants. These pests are traditionally managed with applications of insecticides. However, there is a need for non-chemical management tools. Here I investigate billbug behavior in relation to two potential avenues for more sustainable management: using resident predators to suppress billbugs (Chapter II) and selecting specific turfgrasses that resist billbug damage (Chapter III). In Chapter II, I investigate the effects of predator presence and cues associated with their presence on billbug behavior. Though resident predators contribute very little to billbug suppression through directly …

Seeding Rate, Nitrogen Fertilzer, And Cutting Timing Effects On Teff Forage Yield And Nutritive Value, Michael C. Laca

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Teff [Eragostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] is a relatively new forage gaining popularity in the United States; however, information regarding agronomic production practices is lacking. This study was conducted to determine the combination of seeding rate, fertilization, and harvest timing to optimize teff dry-matter yield (DMY) and nutritive value. Four seeding rates (2, 5, 8, and 11 lb/acre), four nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates (0, 25, 50, and 100 lb/acre), and two harvest strategies [boot stage (2-cut) and full seed-head stage (1-cut; stockpiled)] were evaluated in 2010 and 2011 in Kaysville, UT and Yerington, NV. The effects of harvest (1- vs …

Phytochrome Physiology And Plant Perception Of Far-Red Photons, Paul Kusuma

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Photons are the primary energy source for most life on Earth, as they drive photosynthesis, a process that turns the CO₂ in air into food. One crucial parameters for the optimization of growth is leaf area, which determines the ability of a plant to capture photons for photosynthesis. In order to gain access to photons in shaded environments, plants have evolved unique sensors, called photoreceptors, which respond to changes in the color and intensity of light.

Far-red photons (photons at the edge of human vision that appear as dim red light) hold particular promise in regulating plant shape and …

Determination Of The Structure, Function, And Mechanism Of Type Iv Crispr-Cas Prokaryotic Defense Systems, Hannah Nicole Taylor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bacteria are under constant threat of invasion by bacteriophage (viruses which infect bacteria). To prevent bacteriophage from entering and overtaking the bacteria, bacteria utilize defense systems to identify and destroy foreign elements. One method of defense is called CRISPR-Cas (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats – CRISPR-Associated). Many different bacteria and most archaea use CRISPR-Cas systems. There are many diverse types of CRISPR-Cas systems, each of which provides defense in a slightly different way. One such CRISPR-Cas type is called type IV. The type IV CRISPR-Cas system is poorly understood and there are very few studies published on type IV …

Investigation Of Methionine And Lysine Derivatives As A Source Of Rumen-Protected Amino Acids For Lactating Dairy Cows, Mark Avila Fagundes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cows have a protein requirement for growth, maintenance, and lactation. In order to meet those protein requirements, dairy farmers can supplement or feed cattle with specific amino acids, the building blocks that make-up protein. However, in order for the amino acid product to be effective it must avoid degradation in the rumen and be delivered in the small intestine for absorption. Lysine and methionine have traditionally been recognized as the most limiting amino acids for lactating dairy cows. Therefore, nutrition companies have focused on finding ways to encapsulate or protect lysine and methionine from rumen microbes. The N-acetyl-L-methionine and N-acetyl-L-lysine …

Compost And Cover Crop Effects In Dryland Organic Wheat, Michael D. Deakin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Producers of dryland organic wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the western USA struggle to maintain adequate soil fertility due to the high cost of organic fertilizers and concerns over moisture use of cover crops. Low soil fertility results in decreased wheat yield and quality, and increased year-to-year variability in yield and quality based on weather. This study was conducted to measure the effects of, and interactions between, cover crop mixes and a one-time compost application on soil health and winter wheat yield and quality. The study was located on three adjacent certified organic wheat farms near Snowville, UT, each …

The Velvet Ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae): Systematics, Biology, And Biogeography Of A Little-Known Family, George Charles Waldren

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Insects are a ubiquitous and species-rich component of the biologically-diverse planet we inhabit. The majority of insects are understudied, with many species awaiting formal description and their natural history yet to be discovered. Members of the family Mutillidae, commonly known as velvet ants, are one of these little-known insect groups. Velvet ants are technically wasps, and the wingless females superficially resemble true ants of the family Formicidae. Further, they frequently have a ‘velvety’ appearance and are often brightly colored to serve as a warning to would-be predators that they have the ability to inflict a painful sting. These insects are …

An Eulerian Perspective On Spring Migration In Mule Deer, Tatum Del Bosco

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many herbivores travel between low-elevation winter ranges and high-elevation summer sites. These seasonal movements allow them to avoid deep snow cover, ensure access to favorable habitat, and maximize food intake throughout the year. During the spring season, plants at lower elevations green up earlier at lower elevations than at higher elevations. It has been shown that individual animals will track this vegetation growth during their spring migration, which allows them to maximize forage intake coming out of the nutrient scarce winter. This phenomena has previously been studied by monitoring individual movement trajectories, but it is unknown how this pattern scales …

Patterns Of Use In A Division I University Fueling Station Before And After Implementing A Nutrition Education Intervention, Cady L. Peters

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Well-timed nutrition strategies are a well-established way to improve athletic performance and minimize recovery time, however, athletes often do not prioritize nutrition as a strategy to gain an edge over their competitors. Even with a resource such as a Fueling Station, which provides athletes with nutrient dense, convenient pre- and post-workout snacks, athletes still struggle understanding which foods are an appropriate choice for their purpose of eating.

The purpose of this research was to examine the changes in the appropriateness of the athlete’s meal choices at the Fueling Station based on their macronutrient distribution and timing of workout or training …

The Effects Of Trace Mineral Supplementation On Performance, Health, And Carcass Quality Of At-Risk Mineral Deficient Feedlot Cattle, Tevan J. Brady

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Morbidity in feedlot cattle due to disease is a common economical loss for feedlot producers. Utah is not typically considered a ‘feedlot state’, but there are several producers in the southern part of the state that specialize in receiving at-risk cattle. These cattle are at-risk because they are coming from areas known to be mineral deficient. Areas such as the western US, are known to be deficient in several trace minerals important in immune response. Therefore, it is critical that producers have an adequate plan to decrease the negative effects that this has on economic viability of their beef operations, …

Mechanisms Of Overyielding And Coexistence In Diverse Tallgrass Prairie Communities, Leslie E. Forero

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Plants compete for the same basic nutrient and water resources. According to the competitive exclusion principle, when a substantial overlap in resource pools exists, the best competitor for resources should drive all other species to extinction. The ability for plants to coexist in violation of the competitive exclusion principle is the “biodiversity paradox”. Coexistence is actually beneficial for plants: as species diversity increases, you typically see increases in plant biomass production (known as the biodiversity-productivity relationship). The mechanisms behind coexistence and the biodiversity-productivity relationship remain an ecological mystery. One hypothesis is that plants obtain water and nutrients from different places …

Range-Wide Migratory Connectivity Of Painted Buntings, Andrew J. Sharp

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Painted Bunting (Passerina cirus) is a small (~16g), short/medium-distance migratory songbird that is listed as a species of conservation concern by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Painted Buntings breed in two distinct populations, one eastern population and one interior population, separated by a 500 km gap that stretches from Mississippi to Georgia. I analyzed tracking data from 112 Painted Buntings from 11 different breeding sites to explore how individuals from different breeding sites differ in wintering location (chapter 2) and migratory timing (chapter 3). Additionally, I examined differences in migratory behavior between male and females in …

Patterns Of Post-Fire Aspen Seedling Establishment, Growth, And Mortality In The Western United States, Mark Regier Kreider

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Sexual seedling establishment in aspen is increasingly recognized as an important natural regeneration pathway for the species in the western U.S. However, information on seedling abundance as well as factors influencing aspen sexual regeneration is limited and frequently anecdotal, due to historical assumptions of seedling rarity as well as difficulty identifying sexual seedlings from asexual aspen sucker regeneration. This thesis contributes to the field of aspen seedling ecology in three major ways. Chapter 1 utilizes historical aspen seedling occurrences in the western U.S. and a systematic field survey of 2018 fire footprints to explore patterns and test assumptions of aspen …

The Fate And Cycling Of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, And Trace Heavy Metals In Beaver-Altered Headwater Streams, Desneiges S. Murray

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Human land-use can increase the amount of non-point source (NPS) pollution in a stream, negatively affecting ecosystem health and beneficial services provided by an ecosystem. Unfortunately, NPS pollution remains high in many waterbodies. Beaver dams may be a passive, cost-effective strategy for removing NPS pollution in headwater streams because beaver dams slow stream flow and collect sediments. Impounded sediments can change how nutrients and pollutants are cycled in a stream through multiple pathways. In the first part of our study, we investigated whether beaver activity can reduce nitrogen, phosphorous and heavy metals from otherwise traveling downstream. Results suggest beaver ponds …

Detailed Analysis Of The Role Of Mtr4 Arch Domain In Rna Binding And Helicase Activity, Keith J. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The central dogma of biology states that DNA is transcribed into RNA, which is translated into protein. However, this concept portrays RNA purely as an intermediary step from DNA to protein. RNA plays an essential and vital role in a cell, including; regulating protein and RNA levels, act as a template for protein synthesis, cell differentiation, regulatory processes, and signaling molecules. If cells do not adequately monitor and regulate RNA levels, it can lead to disease states and even cell death. The main protein complex that regulates the maturation and degradation of RNA in the nucleus is the RNA nuclear …

Fatty Acid Composition Of Forages And Their Effect On The Fatty Acid Composition In Beef Cattle, Britney G. Allen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study focused on how diet changes the rumen microbiome in the cattle and the effects of that on the long chain fatty acids (LCFA) by microbes in the rumen, and on the short chain fatty acids (SCFA) these microbes produce from feed carbohydrates like fiber and starch. The abundance of bacteria belonging to the phyla Tenericutes and Proteobacteria increased in response to high-fiber or high-starch diets, respectively. The production of two SCFA was positively correlated with the presence of increased Tenericutes (acetate) and Proteobacteria (propionate). A greater acetate to propionate ratio is associated with elevated production of enteric methane …

Bighorn Sheep Demographics Following Pneumonia Die-Off Events, Kylie Sinclair

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bighorn sheep populations across the Intermountain West are subject to disease pressure from the respiratory bacteria Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae. Although the effects of M. ovipneumoniae-associated disease die-offs are well documented, less is known about the factors driving long-term differences in post-die-off population responses. While many herds experience years to decades in which recruitment is less than 20 lambs per 100 ewes, some herds’ lamb survival rates are able to rebound rapidly following die-off events. The reason why these herds recover quickly while others do not is currently unknown. Here, we assess the roles environmental, demographic, and pathogen-associated factors could …

Greater Sage-Grouse And Community Responses To Strategies To Mitigate Environmental Resistance In An Anthropogenic Altered Sagebrush Landscape, Justin R. Small

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems are diverse habitats found throughout western North America. Anthropogenic disturbances has resulted in the loss of over half of the sagebrush ecosystems impacting sagebrush obligate species such as sage-grouse (Centrocercus spp.). Federal, state, and private land managers have implemented landscape scale mechanical pinyon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.; conifer) removal projects in an effort to restore functioning sagebrush communities to benefit sage-grouse. However, few studies have investigated the potential for using large-scale conifer treatments to mitigate factors impeding sage-grouse seasonal movements and space-use in anthropogenic altered landscapes.

To address this management need, I …

Characterizing Oligomeric State Changes Of Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 1 As A Mechanism For Regulating Activity, Ariana N. Ortolano

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

If you imagined a living cell as a factory, enzymes would be the workers with each individually performing a very specific and important job. If a job is not done correctly it could be detrimental to the performance of assembly lines and devastate a businesses’ existence. For enzymes, their jobs occur on a biological level by catalyzing reactions inside the cell, which can include altering another protein and the pathway it is involved in. Protein arginine methyltransferases, or PRMTs, is an example of an enzyme that modifies protein substrates. It does this by adding one or two methyl groups onto …

Trends In Us Crop Yields & Water Use, Britta L. Schumacher

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Over half the land in the US is dedicated to agriculture, with the vast majority of all cropland cultivated in corn, wheat, or soybean. Despite continuing advances in agricultural technologies, and consistent yield growth over the twentieth century, research suggests that environmental change is already impacting agricultural yield and future changes are sure to exacerbate challenges to agricultural production. It follows that the future of US agriculture depends on the evolution of the changing climate, the relationship between crop yields and the environment, on-farm management and adaptations, the ecosystems that support agriculture, the political and economic incentives that shape what …