Life Sciences Commons^™

Blue Grouse Ecology And Habitat Requirements In North Central Utah, David A. Weber

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The ecology and habitat requirements of a population of blue grouse were studied during 1970 and 1971 on the Cache National Forest 25 miles south of Logan, Utah.

Baseline data concerning numbers of blue grouse, vegetative composition, and insect abundance on the study area were gathered. These data were to be compared to similar measurements made following a herbicidal spraying of the area during 1972.

Information concerning the breeding, nesting, brood rearing, and wintering habits of the grouse was also collected. Male blue grouse migrated to the study area in early April to set up territories. These were located on …

Early Life History Of The Mountain Whitefish Prosopium Williamsoni (Girard) In The Logan River, Utah, Lawrence Guy Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Growth and food habits of 399 Age 0 mountain whitefish from the Logan River, Utah, were studied between March, 1970, and April, 1971. At the end of their first six months of life, whitefish were 86-96 mm total length and weighed 6-8 grams (wet). Total temperature experience was 2,950-3,430 degree-days above 32° F. The length-weight relationship for Age 0 mountain whitefish was best described by three stanzas with slopes of 4.3333 for fish 12.5-17.0 mm total length, 3.4437 for fish 17.0-55.0 mm total length, and 2.8043 for fish 50.0-112.0 mm total length. Scalation commenced at 30-35 mm total length and …

Comparison Of Tensiometer And Climatological Methods For Estimating Soil Moisture Depletion And Scheduling Irrigation For Potatoes, Thayne B. Wiser

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis was to compare the tensiometer and climatic methods of scheduling irrigation of potatoes under field conditions. Tensiometers were placed in a 160 acre field to maintain the crop within the optimum moisture range and schedule irrigations. An automatic solid set system was used to apply water to the potato crop. Instrumentation was used to determine daily input for the climatological method. Daily evapotranspiration (Et) was computed and Et (tensiometer) was compared with Et (climatic). The results showed total variation of the climatic method from the tensiometer method of .62 inches or less than 5 per …

Linkage And Inheritance Studies Involving An Annual Pollen Restorer And Other Genetic Characters In Beta Vulgaris L., Theron E. Roundy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A pollen-restorer sugarbeet inbred, developed by four generations of selection of highly fertile plants from a CMS X table beet cross, was studied to determine if a change from sterile to fertile cytoplasm had occurred. Data showed that the fertility expressed by the restorer inbred was the result of genetic factors and not cytoplasmic reversion. Linkage tests with the R^f gene showed independence of the YRB group, m and vi₄. A yellow-leaf mutant was inherited as a simple recessive factor. A partial pollen-restorer character, found in the yellow-leaf material, was inherited as a single dominant gene. The …

The Effects Of Dcpa And Trifluralin On Northern Root-Knot Nematode (Meloidogyne Hapla Chitwood) Infection Of Selected Vegetables, Rulon Kent Romney

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The interaction of herbicides and Northern root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne hapla Chitwood) on onions and beans was studied in the greenhouse. Seeds of onions (Allium cepa L.) were planted in soil treated with different levels of dimethyl 2,3,5,6-tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA). Seeds of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were planted in soil treated with different levels of DCPA or α, α, α-trifluoro-2,6-dinitro-N,N-dipropyl-p-toluidine (trifluralin). Seedlings were inoculated with root-knot nematode larvae after 2 week's growth.

DCPA reduced root and shoot growth on onions but did not significantly affect bean growth. Trifluralin significantly reduced root and shoot …

The Effect Of Heat Treatment Of Fresh Frozen Vells On Rennin Extractability, Leesther Mifflin Holm

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A procedure was developed for the extraction of rennet from fresh frozen vells. Frozen vells were minced in a Model VCM-25 Hobart Vertical Cutter/Mixer. Dry sodium chloride was added until the salt concentration in the moisture of the tissue was 10%. Salted tissue was placed in galvanized steel cells and heated in a water bath to 49, 54, 57 and 60 C for 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes. The heated tissue was dried to about 4% moisture at ambient temperature with the aid of an electric fan. The dried salted tissue was extracted with a sodium chloride solution …

Purification And Characterization Of A Protease From A Lamb Gastric Extract Used For Cheese Flavor Improvement, Ramjibhai V. Chaudhari

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An assay for catheptic activity of lamb gastric tissue extract has been proposed which involves the use of a pH 3.5 hemoglobin substrate following activation of zymogens at pH 2.0, 25C for 30 min.; and inactivation at pH 8.0, 40C for 30 min thereby eliminating the effects of pepsin and rennin. Cathepsin was isolated and purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation, acetone precipitation and gel filtration. The purified cathepsin represented approximately 50 fold increase in specific activity over the original extract and a recovery of 15% of the original activity. Degree of purity was monitored by isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gels. …

Assay And Control Of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin A Development In Cheddar Cheese Slurries, Niranjan R. Gandhi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Attempts were made to adapt the microtiter hemagglutination inhibition assay technique for the assay of enterotoxin A. The presence of a potent hemagglutinin in crude and partially purified preparations and the instability of sensitized erythrocytes prevented its use for routine analysis of enterotoxin from culture media and foods.

A capillary tube immunological assay was developed in which 1 μ g of enterotoxin/ml was detected in less than 1 hr . Interfacial reaction of antisera and enterotoxin solutions in a 1 mm internal diameter capillary tube allowed rapid detection and serological typing of enterotoxins.

Staphylococcus aureus growth and enterotoxin A development …

Essential Tyrosine Residues In Calf Liver Uridine Diphosphoglucose Pyrophosphorylase, E.C. 2.7.7.9., Robert Carl Bachmann

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The catalytic necessity of tyrosine residues in uridine diphospho- glucose pyrophosphorylase [E.C. 2.7.7.9] was investigated. Chemical modification of the pyrophosphorylase by N-acetylimidazole indicated that tyrosine residues were essential for activity. Approximately 23 of 112 tyrosines per molecule of 475,000 Daltons could be 0-acetylated. Solvent perturbation difference spectroscopy supported this number of exposed tyrosine side chains and in conjunction with chemical modification indicated that at least 11 to 12 tyrosyl residues per protein molecule are fully exposed. it her subst rate, uridine t riphosphate or uridine diphosphoglucose, afforded significant protection against inactivation by N-acetylimidazole.

The significance of these tyrosine residues is …

Formation And Control Of Chlorophyll And Solanine In Tubers Of Solanum Tuberosum, L. And Evaluation Of Solanine Toxicity, Bhaskarrao C. Patil

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Chlorophyll and solanine syntheses as influenced by cultivars, specific gravities, light intensities, and duration of exposure to light were studied in potato (Solanum tuberosum, L.) tubers. Chemicals, gamma radiation, clear polyethylene packaging in 15 per cent CO₂, and storage at subatmospheric pressure were employed to control the formation of these two compounds. The toxicity of solanine to mice, the fungus Trichoderma viride, and cholinesterase inhibition patterns in rabbits and a dog were evaluated. The influence of the central nervous system stimulating drugs was investigated to find if they counteracted solanine toxicity.

Of the 11 cultivars …

Study Of Air Cell Migration And The Effect Of Whipping Temperature On The Overrun, Body And Storage Stability Of A Dairy-Based Frozen Whipped Topping, William J. Locker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A dairy-based whipped topping consisting of 22.0 percent milk fat, 7.5 percent milk solids-not-fat, 12.0 percent sucrose, 10.0 percent corn syrup solids, 0.60 percent gum arabic, 0.06 percent carrageenin, 0.19 percent polyoxyethylene sorbitan rnonostearate, 0.19 percent polyoxythylene sorbitan tristearate, and 0.12 percent sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate was developed that would withstand the rigors of frozen storage. The best products were obtained when the topping was whipped on a Creamery Package 3M-30 continuous type ice cream freezer. Toppings whipped in the laboratory at temperatures higher or lower than -2.2 to -1.0 centigrade were weak and slightly wet. After 18 days frozen storage the …

Tissue Mineral Imbalances In Cattle With Brisket Disease, Patricia H. Field

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Twenty four cattle, six each of healthy cows and calves, and cows and calves with brisket disease, were obtained, examined and slaughtered. The concentrations of calcium, chloride, cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc; and percent absolute dry matter and percent ash were determined in tissues selected from the following: cardiac, hepatic, renal, osseous, whole blood and blood serum. In addition, certain physical and biological parameters were recorded for each animal. The results were analyzed as a 2 x 2 factorial, segregating the effects of age and brisket disease, and the age-disease interaction.

The following statistically significant …

The Surface Movement Of A New S-Triazine Herbicide From Treated Cropland And Its Environmental Effects, Zeldon A. Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Six days following the application of 1.5 and 3.0 lb/A of 2- methoxy-4-sec.-butylamino-6-ethylamino-s-triazine (GS-14254) to established plots of alfalfa, water samples were collected at several distances from the plots and analyzed for herbicide residues with a Beckman DB-G grating spectrophotometer. The data indicate that GS-14254 is transported in small amounts but that the concentrations in the runoff water decline rapidly with increased distance from the treated areas and time.

S-14254 produced no visual injury symptoms of leaf chlorosis or plant stunting on alfalfa at the two rates used. However, some initial injury has been reported by other workers. …

The Influence Of Atmospheric Dust And Foliar Leachates On The Chemical Quality Of Throughfall In Northern Utah, Dennis R. Parent

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the summer of 1971 a research project was carried out in an attempt to determine the influence of dust and leachates on rainfall quality. Open precipitation collectors, collectors under polyethylene screens, collectors under Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and juniper (Juniperus scopulorum), and leaf analyses were used to determine the relative effects of these two processes by which chemicals are incorporated into the rainwater. All samples were analyzed for sodium (Na⁺), calcium (Ca⁺⁺), magnesium (Mg⁺⁺), potassium (K⁺), and available phosphorus. Under the trees, sodium concentrations increased as much as …

Effects Of Selected Herbicides On Perennial Grasses And Water Pollution Under Tropical, High Rainfall Condition, Richard L. Chase

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The following herbicides were evaluated for their effect on perennial grasses and water pollution in El Salvador, Central America: MSMA (monosodium methanearsonate), DSMA (disodium methanearsonate), cacodylic acid (hydroxydimethylarsine oxide), paraquat (1 ,1 'dimethyl- 4,4'-bipyridinium ion), dalapon (2,2-dichloropropionic acid), amitrole (3-amino-s-triazole), atrazine (2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)- s-triazine), diuron (3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea), and karbutilate (m-(3,3-dimethylureido)phenyl-t-butylcarbamate), The herbicides were sprayed on drainage channels at different dosage levels, Some plots received one application, others received two, and still others received three applications.

All herbicides except atrazine effectively controlled perennial grasses, Cacodylic acid was the most effective contact chemical, with dosage levels of 7 and 10 kg/ha achieving 77 percent …

An Isolation And Partial Purification Of A Small Tobacco Mosaic Virus Nucleoprotein Unit And A Study Of Its Polymerization By Carbodiimides, Alicia Bruna De Tosso

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A small tobacco mosaic virus nucleoprotein unit, thought to be the basic infectious unit of TMV, was isolated and purified from systemically-infected Turkish tobacco leaves. This small TMV particle was characterized by a doughnut shaped form as shown in the electron micrographs and by the induction of gray lesions when inoculated on Scotia bean leaves. Four carbodiimides, organic chemical condensing reagents, were compared for effectiveness in inducing polymerization of this starting material into longer rod-shaped viral particles. Dicyclohexyl carbodiimide, a wax-like solid, was found to be the most suitable reagent when used with an organic solvent such as ethanol in …

Effects Of Six Herbicides On Three Common Fresh Water Algae, Mridulika Virmani

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Six herbicides (diuron, karbutilate, propham, chloropropham, atrazine and simazine) were tested for their effects on Chlorocuccum hypnosporum, Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Anabaena sp. Experiments were conducted to determine minimum lethal dosages, algicidal versus algistatic concentrations and the uptake of ¹⁴CO₂ fixation by diuron containing cultures, as well as the uptake of radioactive diuron.

All three investigated species have shown a high degree of sensitivity to diuron at or below 1 ppm. Karbutilate was found to inhibit the growth of Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Anabaena sp. at lower concentrations than were required in the case of Chlorococcum hypnosporum.

Chloropropham …

A Taxonomic Study Of Single Spikelet Elymus Species Of Western United States, Earl R. Jensen Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two single-spikelet species, including three varieties, of naturally occurring wild-ryes of the genus Elymus native to the Rocky Mountain and Intermountain West were investigated using morphological, anatomical, ecological, and cytogenetical methods to determine their biosystematic relationships.

One species, Elymus ambiguus Vasey and Scribn., was found to be a distinct species without any recognizable varieties. This species had been previously recognized with three varieties.

One taxon, Elymus salina (C. L. Hitchc.) E. Jensen, often considered a variety of Elymus ambiguus, was found to be a distinct species. It shared features with both Elymus ambiguus and Elymus salina but was sufficiently …

Induction And Initial Characterization Of Male-Sterile Mutants On The Second Chromosome Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Susan M. Graves

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fourteen recessive, male-sterile, autosomal mutants of Drosophila melanogaster were induced using ethyl methanesulfonate. The techniques employed restricted the recovery of mutants to those located on the second chromosome. Eleven of the mutants were male-sterile at 23°C, and the remaining three, though fertile at 23°C, were male-sterile at 28°C. Complementation tests involving all possible pairs of mutations showed each to be located in a unique cistron.

Spermiogenesis in each mutant was studied by light microscopy to determine the stage at which cellular differentiation deviates from normal and to characterize the associated gross abnormalities. Phase contrast microscopy showed that each mutant sterile …

Inorganic Mercury Uptake And Mercury Tolerance Demonstrated By Several Species Of Algae, Daniel S. Filip

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The inhibition by low concentrations of inorganic mercury has been established for several species of freshwater algae, and a method has been developed to determine mercury levels in algal cells, having good precision at levels as low as one hundred parts per billion.

Rapid sorption of inorganic mercury by glassware was minimized by using heavy algal cultures and short term incubations. The rates and extent of mercury uptake by three species of freshwater green algae were delineated under laboratory conditions. Replicate mercury containing cultures yielded slightly different mercury concentrations upon analysis due to analytical errors and glass sorption. Therefore, percent …

Xanthium Strumarium L.: Extraction And Assay Of Floral Promotive Principles And Additional Investigations Into Inhibition Of Flowering, David D. Gibby

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

New techniques in extraction and assay of florigenic substances were tested. Initial response to the buffer-PVP extracts proved promising, but after several successful experiments, results could not be duplicated. Possible reasons for the failure are discussed.

A long-day inhibitory effect, demonstrated earlier by Gibby and Salisbury (25), was further investigated. Experiments with ¹⁴C-labled assimilates disproved the hypothesis that the inhibition is a result of assimilate translocation. Other experiments pointed to the probability of phytochrome involvement as well as protein synthesis as part of the inhibitory process. The nature of inhibition was ascribed to a localized inhibitory condition, probably a …

Spermiogenesis In Two Male-Sterile Third-Chromosome Mutants Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Richard F. Wilkinson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An ultrastructural study of sperm differentiation was made on two male-sterile mutants of Drosophila melanogaster. The mutations were induced on the third chromosome with the monoalkylating agent ethyl methanesulfonate and were maintained in stock cultures over a balancer chromosome using a system of multiple inversions. The stages of sperm differentiation, a most dramatic form of cellular differentiation, were then studied at the electron microscope level to determine the effect of the mutations on sperm structure and to correlate those changes with normal sperm development.

Studies of the genetic control of cellular differentiation have been hampered by difficulties in devising …

Host-Parasite Relationship Studies Of The Larval Alfalfa Weevil And The Ichneumonid Parasite Bathyplectes Curculionis (Thomson), Yeboa A. Duodu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The parasitic effects of the ichneumonid Bathyplectes curculionis (Thomson) on the larval alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), were studied.

Results of experiments on the rates of parasitism of the four host larval instars indicated that the first three are either preferred by the parasite over the fourth instar larvae or are more susceptible to the parasite's attack. Survival of the younger weevil larvae after their exposure to female parasites was markedly poorer than that of unparasitized larvae. Premature death of host larvae was probably from both the puncturing by the parasite's ovipositor and the feeding and other activities of parasite …

The Action Of Antibiotics And Antimetabolites On The Tobacco Mosaic Virus Infection Process In Bean Leaves, Virendra Nayyar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The action of 28 antibiotics and antimetabolites at varying concentrations was studied in coincidence with the bioassay of tobacco mosaic virus on detached bean leaves by using an ultrasonic method of inoculation developed by Lamborn, Cochran and Chidester.¹ All tested chemicals were classified, in regard to the virus infection process, as inhibitory or stimulatory and their optimal concentrations in the inoculum were determined. Of the 28 antibiotics and antimetabolites studied, eight were found to stimulate while twenty inhibited TMV infection in bean leaves. From the results of these experiments, an attempt was made to characterize the nature of the …

An Analysis Of Flock Organization In Black-Capped Chickadees, John Ivan Mosher

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An analysis was made of individual behavior and flock organization among 33 color-banded Black-capped Chickadees (Parus atricapillus) on a woodland tract in wester New York State, from December 1967 to June 1970. Also, three of these flocks were confined at various periods for an average aviary tenure of 26 days. From these observations I concluded that the hierarchy and interindividual relationship of a flock remain as observed in the field; testosterone propionate causes an increase in injected subordinate bird's activity; but did not effect a change in its rank.

From the observations in the aviary, it was found …

Nitrification Potential In Arid Western Soils, Hasumati R. Patel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nitrification rates were determined by perfusion method in Southern Curlew Valley (Utah) soils from 0 to 1.3 meter profiles as a function of seasons. Ammonification rates were determined at various moisture contents and seasonal variations of ammonium concentration in the same soils were estimated.

Rate of nitrification was higher in warm showery periods (May and June) than in colder periods (September, October and November). In the top 3 cm layer, nitrifying activity was several fold higher than in the rest of the profile. Cultivation increased the nitrification rate.

Considerable ammonium fixation by soil particles, volatilazation of ammonia and nitrite accumulation …

Low Temperature Germination Of Tomato Seeds, Dawn M. Gatherum

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine the pattern of inheritance of low temperature germination of tomato. This was accomplished by crossing a tomato (P.I. 341988) that germinates at a low temperature (10 C) with a commercial mechanical harvest cultivar (VF 145-B-7879). The parents, F₁, F_2, and F₃ progenies were tested for low temperature germination responses at 10 C for 15 days. The results show that a single recessive gene is responsible for the low temperature germination character.

Also, a study of the seed coat thickness of the tomatoes VF 145-B-7879 and P.I. 341988 was …

Effects Of Several Solutes And Water Stress On Succinic Dehydrogenase Activity, Rex Alton Richards

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The influence of the concentration of several solutes on the activity of succinic dehydrogenases from acetone powders of several species was studied spectrophotometrically. The plants used were: Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, L.) sugarbeet (Beta vugaris, L.) sunflower (Helianthus annus, L.), Halogeton glomeratus (M. Bieb) C.A. Mey., and Samphire (Salicornia rubra, A. Nels.). Sodium chloride, potassium chloride, mannitol, sucrose, glycerol, glucose, and Hoagland's solution, at increasing concentrations, were used.

Decreased (more negative) osmotic potential produced by sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and Hoagland's solution resulted in a slight increase in enzyme activity at low …

Xenobiotic Detoxication Potential And Drug Induced Changes In Carbaryl Toxicity In The Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee, Megachile Rotundata (Febricius), Richard M. Lee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The alfalfa leafcutter bee, Megachile rotundata, one of the most important pollinators of alfalfa, generally became more susceptible to carbaryl as the adults aged. LD₅₀ values for carbaryl toxicity were 240,166, 109, and 51 μg carbaryl/gram for the 1, 2, 3, and 4 days-old adult male bees. For the female bees, these were 245 , 551, 289, and 262 μg car-baryl/ gram. Lipid content and microsomal enzyme activity (measured by EPN detoxication in vitro) decreased in both sexes as the bees aged.

Synergist ratios, defined as the ratio of the LD₅₀ of carbaryl alone …

Reproduction And Hematology Of The Cache Elk Herd, Thomas B. Follis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The initial three years of a 10-year reproductive study of elk involved three major phases. A fourth was added because of convenience. Objective 1 was to ascertain pregnancy rates in yearling and mature elk by rectal palpation, associate these rates with subsequent fall cow/calf ratios, and to test concurrently an ultrasonic fetal heart detector. Rectally observed anatomical changes in gravid uteri of cattle were directly applicable to elk. Ultrasonic detections of pregnancies in elk and deer were unsuccessful.

Pregnancy rates in the 1969-70 winter of 100 and 0 percent, respectively, for 19 adult and five yearling elk were associated with …