Life Sciences Commons^™

Alternative Sampling And Analysis Methods For Digital Soil Mapping In Southwestern Utah, Colby W. Brungard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Digital soil mapping (DSM) relies on quantitative relationships between easily measured environmental covariates and field and laboratory data. We applied innovative sampling and inference techniques to predict the distribution of soil properties, soil attributes, taxonomic classes, and dominant vegetation across a 30,000-ha complex Great Basin landscape in southwestern Utah. This arid rangeland was characterized by rugged topography, diverse vegetation, and intricate geology. Environmental covariates calculated from digital elevation models (DEM) and spectral satellite data were used to represent factors controlling soil development and distribution. We investigated optimal sample size and sampled the environmental covariates using conditioned Latin Hypercube Sampling (cLHS). …

A Family Home Evening Based Method For Improving Physical Activity Levels In Families, Megan Maughan Wyatt

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of physical inactivity has been recognized as a risk factor for multiple chronic disease conditions in both adults and children. Recently efforts to increase healthy behaviors have been promoted through religious groups (Ken Resnicow et al., 2002). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has a unique program called Family Home Evening (FHE) that could be used to teach and potentially improve physical activity. Six FHE lessons were designed to be taught in 6 consecutive weeks within a family environment. A total of 84 families (parents and children) were recruited for participation. Participating families were randomized …

Costs Of Implementing Collective Action And Capacity Building Among Pastoralists In Southern Ethiopia, D. Layne Coppock, Seyoum Tezera, Solomon Desta

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Since 2000, the PARIMA project has implemented risk-management activities among semi-settled pastoralists in southern Ethiopia. The goal has been to improve human welfare via collective action and capacity building. Outcomes include progress in income generation, asset conservation, and livelihood diversification. Fifty-nine collective-action groups were created. Dominated by women, they included over 2,000 founding members and groups have recently merged to form 37 cooperatives, consistent with government policy. Creating sustainable impacts via collective action and capacity building requires many inputs. Taking raw, illiterate volunteers and transforming them into sustainable groups took up to three years, on average. Costs of implementing this …

Prevalence And Biological Control Of Salmonella Contamination In Rendering Plant Environments And The Finished Rendered Meals, Brandon Kinley

All Dissertations

Although the rendering process serves as invaluable means for the disposal of inedible animal by-products, the finished products often harbor pathogenic and opportunistic microorganisms such as Salmonella and enterococci, respectively. The temperatures used during the rendering process far exceed the heat tolerance threshold of most bacterial species, so cross-contamination from the environment and/or from the incoming raw material is the proposed source of the contamination. Research has demonstrated that the raw material coming into the rendering facility is highly contaminated with pathogenic bacteria including Salmonella. While not in a rendering facility, studies have also demonstrated that bacteria such as Salmonella …

Exploring T. Brucei Hexokinase Biology: Localization And Inhibition Studies, Todd Lyda

All Dissertations

Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of the disease African sleeping sickness
in humans and nagana in animals, is a scourge of sub-Saharan Africa. There is a
desperate need for more efficacious therapies for the disease; here we describe research
validating T. brucei hexokinase 1 (TbHK1) as a drug therapeutic target for T. brucei
infection and the identification and characterization of novel inhibitors of the enzyme by
both low throughput and high throughput means. Additionally this thesis introduces
efforts at characterizing a second T. brucei hexokinase, focusing mostly on cell biology
and the determination of localization.
The small molecule quercetin (QCN) …

Characterization Of Gulf Sturgeon Diel And Seasonal Activity In The Pensacola Bay System, Florida, Beth Wrege

All Dissertations

We assess temporal and spatial distribution and diel variability in activity of Gulf of Mexico sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi in the Pensacola Bay system, Florida, using stationary ultrasonic telemetry. Gulf of Mexico sturgeon (n = 54) migrated through the bay system in fall to wintering areas in the Gulf of Mexico and Santa Rosa Sound. In spring, sturgeon migrated back through the bay system to summering habitats in rivers. Gulf of Mexico sturgeon use East Bay and Escambia Bay primarily as migration routes between riverine areas used in spring and summer and the Gulf of Mexico used in winter. North …

Eleven Years Of Parima Activities In North-Central Kenya: Impacts On Egerton University And Neighboring Communities, D. Layne Coppock, Abdillahi Aboud, Mark Mutinda, Stellamaris Muthoka

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The PARIMA project was created to improve the well-being of pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia via risk-management research, training, and outreach. The project began to collaborate with Egerton University’s Department of Natural Resources in 1998 and many joint activities were undertaken over the next 11 years. Among them were regional household research on pastoral risks and their management, a training program for Egerton teaching staff to obtain post-graduate degrees, facilitation of Egerton faculty and staff to attend professional meetings, and provision of computer hardware and software that led to the creation of a GIS teaching and …

Simple Cooling Method Improves The Quality Of Marketed Camel Milk In Northern Kenya, D. Layne Coppock, A. O. Adongo, F. Wayua, I. J. Sagalla, H. K. Walaga, C. Amboga

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Milk marketing is important for many pastoralists to generate income, especially poor households with little else to sell. Milk is accumulated at pastoral settlements and transported to local markets on foot, by pack animals, or in vehicles. Despite challenges of heat and long-distance travel, pastoralists or traders do not attempt to cool marketed milk and possibly reduce risk of spoilage. Milk spoilage is an important problem that limits urban consumer demand. Our research objective was to determine effects of water-soaked hemp (burlap), wrapped around plastic jerry cans, on reducing milk temperature and enhancing quality of marketed camel milk, a key …

Can Pastoral Linkages To Livestock Markets Be Sustained In Southern Ethiopia?, D. Layne Coppock, Getachew Gebru, Solomon Desta, Seyoum Tezera, Zewdu Edea

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The PARIMA project has facilitated collective action, empowerment of women, and increased involvement in livestock marketing among pastoralists on the Borana Plateau since 2001. Fifty-nine collective-action groups formed by PARIMA and her partners have been recently merged into market-oriented cooperatives, consistent with government policy. We used focus groups and participatory appraisals to assess the extent that market linkages have been sustained since previously reported in 2006. The markets have been growing, but are volatile. Members report they need access to early warning and livestock market-information systems, as well as more capital, to promote trade. Export firms have imposed added conditions …

Conservation Genetics And Systematics Of Several Turtles Species In The Southeastern United States, Joshua Robert Ennen

Dissertations

Chelonians (i.e., turtles) are an imperiled group of reptiles with about 66% of the recognized species listed as threatened by the IUCN. Most chelonian species have a unique set of life history traits (i.e., longevity, delayed sexual maturity, and low juvenile survivorship), which makes their populations exceedingly sensitive to increases in adult and juvenile moralities. With numerous anthropogenic effects (e.g., habitat alteration, exploitation, and over harvesting) negatively influencing mortality rates, chelonians have experienced global precipitous declines and extinctions.

This dissertation focuses on species within two chelonian genera, Gopherus and Graptemys. Although these two genera are vastly different ecologically, they are …

Summer Home Range Fidelity In Adult Female Elk (Cervus Elaphus) In Northwestern Colorado, April M. Brough

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Understanding the degree of spatial fidelity of individuals within a species increases our ability to manage appropriately. Elk (Cervus elaphus) is a highly managed species in the Intermountain West, but there is little research evaluating summer home range fidelity of individual elk. We evaluated fidelity of 72 adult female elk to individual summer-fall home ranges in the White River study area in northwestern Colorado during two consecutive summers. Based on individual kernel-estimated utilization distributions, we used (1) the Volume of Intersection (VI) statistic and (2) interannual distances between centers of mass to compare summer range overlap and distribution. …

Effects Of Coyote Removal On Pronghorn And Mule Deer Populations In Wyoming, Dylan Earl Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I studied the relationship between coyote (Canis latrans) removal and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) density and fawn:doe ratios in southwest Wyoming and northeast Utah in 2007 and 2008. Coyote removal variables studied included the number of coyotes removed, ground hours worked, total hours worked, coyotes removed/aerial gunning hour, coyotes removed/ground work hour, and coyotes removed/total effort hour. None of the variables explained changes observed in fawn:doe ratios of pronghorn or mule deer. The number of coyotes removed, ground hours worked, total hours worked, and coyotes removed/aerial gunning hour were positively …

Effects Of Starch Addition On Low Fat Rennet Curd Properties And Their Partitioning Between Curd And Whey, Kelly Marie Larsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study determined the impact of starches on the properties of low fat rennet curd as measured by microstructural and instrumental analysis. In experiment 1, 17 starches were initially screened for swelling power, impact of curd yield at 5 g/L and 10 g/L in milk, and settling in rennet-induced partially acidified low fat curd.

Starches examined were narrowed down to five in experiment 2; they included: modified waxy corn starch, waxy rice starch, instant tapioca starch, dextrin, and a modified tapioca starch. These starches were added to skim milk to make rennet-induced partially acidified milk gels. Gels were made by …

Disturbance Ecology And Vegetation Dynamics At Varying Spatial And Temporal Scales In Southern Rocky Mountain Engelmann Spruce Forests, R. Justin Derose

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

High-severity disturbances are the primary drivers of Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir ecosystems in the southern Rocky Mountain. Recently, an unprecedented, landscape-wide (at least 250 km2) spruce beetle outbreak killed virtually all the Engelmann spruce on the Markagunt Plateau in southwestern Utah, USA. Results from dendroecological analyses suggested the combination of antecedent disturbance history and drought-driven stand development was responsible for creating suitable host conditions prior to the recent outbreak. Multiple and consistent lines of evidence suggested mixed- and high-severity fires shaped the development of the Markagunt Plateau. Subsequent stand development, influenced by species-specific differential tree-ring response to drought, resulted in the …

Investigating Methods To Reduce Black Bear (Ursus Americanus) Visitation To Anthropogenic Food Sources: Conditioned Taste Aversion And Food Removal, Kari D. Signor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Conflicts between humans and black bears (Ursus americanus) jeopardize the safety of both humans and bears, especially when bears become food-conditioned to anthropogenic food sources in areas such as campgrounds. Interest in using non-lethal techniques, such as aversive conditioning, to manage such conflicts is growing. I conducted a captive experiment at The Wildlife Science Center in Minnesota and two field experiments in the La Sal Mountains, Utah, to investigate the effects of taste aversion conditioning using thiabendazole (TBZ) with a novel flavor cue and food removal on black bear food consumption and visitation to human food sources. In …

The Efficacy Of Karkadeh Tea In Controlling Post-Prandial Blood Glucose Levels, Adrian Paul Harrison, Ross Gordon Cooper, Moustafa Ahmed Suliman, Usama Alalami

All Works

Problem statement: Increasing interest from the general public to use herbal remedies, exposes a considerable need to document ancient medical practices, as well as to investigate the efficacy of "ancient" compounds currently reputed to have medicinal benefits for such diseases as diabetes and obesity. Approach: In order to investigate the efficacy of "karkadeh" Roselle-Hibiscus sabdariffa tea as a means of reducing post-prandial blood glucose levels in human subjects, 10 g of dried karkadeh was brewed in 500 mL of water, allowed to infuse for 60 min and imbibed along with a high glycemic index food. Results: Data showed that in …

Noteworthy Winter Prey Of Short-Eared Owls In Southern Texas: A Case Study, Damon Williford, Marc C. Woodin, Mary Kay Skoruppa

The Prairie Naturalist

The winter range of North American short-eared owls (Asio flammeus) encompasses much of the United States, including southern Texas, where it is a common winter resident (Oberholser 1974, Rappole and Blacklock 1985). Winter food habits of short-eared owls are relatively weJl documented, but the majority of investigations have been conducted in eastern Canada and northeastern U.S. (Clark 1975, Holt 1993); midwestern U.S. (Colvin and Spaulding 1983); and British Columbia and Pacific northwestern U.S. (Bogiatto et al. 2001). The short-eared owl has a narrow trophic niche, generally preying on small mammals, with voles (Microtus spp.) and deer mice …

Bed Site Selection Of Fawn Pronghorn In Custer State Park, South Dakota, Chad P. Lehman, Jamin D. Hartland, Barbara J. Keller, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Gary C. Brundige

The Prairie Naturalist

We evaluated pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) fawn bedding site characteristics on a prairie and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) landscape interface in Custer State Park, South Dakota. We radio-marked 16 adult female pronghorn and collected bed site information from their fawns during 2007~2008. We compared bed site selection with random sites (n = 74) during 2 periods; the early hiding phase when fawns were 1 ~28 days of age (n = 23 bed sites) and the later group phase when fawns were 29~60 days of age (n = 52 bed sites). During the hiding phase fawns selected dry …

A Partial Inventory Of Islands In North Dakota: Potential For Breeding Waterfowl Management, Michael L. Szymanski

The Prairie Naturalist

Islands can provide secure nesting habitat for ducks and other waterbirds, especially in agriculturally dominated landscapes. I inventoried natural and man-made islands in the portion of North Dakota covered by the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture (PPJV). I mapped 1,305 islands in this area; up to 46% of which could provide enhanced nest success with management (e.g., predator removal or establishment of brushy cover). Management of islands for breeding ducks may be an important method for achieving desired reproductive rates in the PP JV as substantial areas of perennial grass cover are lost from federal conservation programs, primarily the Conservation Reserve …

The Fish Crow (Corvus Ossifragus) Reaches Nebraska, Joel G. Jorgensen, Melissa J. Panella, W. Ross Silcock, Kristal J. Stoner

Nebraska Bird Review

The Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus) was formerly endemic to the southeastern United States where it inhabited coastal areas along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts (McGowan 2001). Since the early 1900s, the species has steadily expanded north and west along major river systems (McGowan 2001). Fish Crow range expansion has followed a logical pattern, expanding along major rivers in regions close to established populations, in adjacent states to the south and east of Nebraska. The species was first recorded in Missouri in 1964 (Robbins and Easterla 1992). In 1984, Fish Crow was first reported in Kansas and by 1991 …

Fall Field Days At Valentine

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Days were held in Valentine September 25–27, 2009, with 65 participants registered for the weekend. Dave Heidt organized the meeting and led field trips to Cherry County lakes and marshes. Trips to Smith Falls and along the Niobrara River in Keya Paha and Brown Counties were guided by Mark Brogie. Lanny Randolph led trips to the Ft. Niobrara NWR and the Valentine Fish Hatchery. A total of 133 species was tallied.

On Friday evening Dan Leger, Professor of Psychology at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, gave an impromptu presentation on the microphones and recording equipment he uses …

2009 (21st) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The functions and methods of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union (NOU) Records Committee are described in its bylaws (NOU Records Committee 1986). The committee's purpose is to provide a procedure for documenting unusual bird sightings and to establish a list of all documented birds for Nebraska. All records mentioned here are available to interested persons at the NOU archives at the University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM), Lincoln, NE. Interested parties should contact the current NOU Librarian, whose address can be found in the latest issue of The Nebraska Bird Review (NBR).

The "Official List of the Birds of Nebraska'" was …

Subscription And Organization Information [December 2009]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $15 in the United States, $18 in Canada, and $30 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4 each, postpaid, in the United States, $5 in Canada, and $8 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active, $15; …

Hybridization In Diabrotica Barberi Smith And Lawrence And Diabrotica Longicornis (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae): Biology, Behavior, Field Introgression, And A Reevaluation Of Taxonomic Status, Laura A. Campbell

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Diabrotica barberi Smith and Lawrence and D. longicornis (Say) are currently recognized as closely related chrysomelid species. Morphological and genetic data support that the two species are sister taxa, and hybridization has been proposed to occur. The objectives of this work were to: 1) assess life history parameters of both taxa and hybrids, 2) compare mating behavior, pheromone response, and spermatophore transfer of both taxa and hybrids, and 3) examine genetic and morphological data for evidence of introgression. Using lab-reared individuals, fitness parameters and potential for population growth were assessed. D. barberi and D. longicornis differed in longevity and fecundity. …

Synlophe Structure For Species Of Longistrongylus (Nematoda: Trichostrongyloidea), Abomasal Parasites Among Ungulates From Sub-Saharan Africa, With Comparisons To The Global Ostertagiine Fauna, Eric P. Hoberg, Arthur Abrams, Patricia A. Pilitt

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The synlophe, or system of longitudinal cuticular ridges characteristic of some trichostrongyloid nematodes, is examined in detail for 6 of 8 species in Longistrongylus (Ostertagiinae) that occur in ungulates across sub-Saharan Africa. Among the species of Longistrongylus examined, 5 are characterized by a tapering pattern laterally in the cervical zone (anterior to the esophageal-intestinal junction), which is largely consistent among multiple male and female specimens; in contrast, for Longistrongylus meyeri the lateral pattern is parallel. The synlophe is bilaterally symmetrical, with ridges extending from the base of the cephalic expansion to near the caudal extremity in males and females. Ridges …

Seasonality And Movement Of Adventive Populations Of The Arundo Wasp (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), A Biological Control Agent Of Giant Reed In The Lower Rio Grande Basin In South Texas, Alexis Racelis, Carol Goolsby, Patrick J. Moran

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

The arundo wasp, Tetramesa romana Walker, has been permitted as a biological control agent for the invasive perennial grass, the giant reed, Arundo donax L. Evidence of adventive populations of the arundo wasp in the Lower Rio Grande Basin was confirmed with a spatio-temporal survey spanning more than 350 river miles. A total of 2,414 adult females of T. romana was collected during a 14month period of study in 2008–2009. This study documents the initial locations and regional expansion of two adventive populations of T. romana, centered around the cities of Eagle Pass and Laredo, TX. Peaks in T. …

Herbicide, Salinity, And Flooding Tolerance Of Foxtail Barley (Hordeum Jubatum L.) And Desirable Pasture Grasses, Karl R. Israelsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research trials performed in the greenhouse compared the tolerance and response of Hordeum jubatum and desirable pasture grass species to herbicides, salinity, and flooding. Desirable grass species used in this study included: 'Fawn' tall fescue (Festuca arundinaceae), 'Garrison' creeping foxtail (Alopecurus arundinaceus), 'Palaton' reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea), 'Climax' timothy (Phleum pratense), 'Alkar' tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum), 'Potomac' orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata), and 'Mustang' altai wildrye (Leymus angustus). Tolerance to herbicides, salinity, and flooding varied significantly among grass species. Herbicide tolerance was tested using four herbicides at five …

Mapping The Terrestrial Reptile Distributions In Oman And The United Arab Emirates, Andrew S. Gardner

All Works

The terrestrial reptile fauna of Oman and the United Arab Emirates is rich, with at least 79 species of lizards and snakes and a single species of worm lizard. However, to date there have been no accurate maps published of their distribution ranges, and distribution data relies on scattered museum specimen localities and published accounts. Considerable numbers of locality data points do exist, collected by visting and resident herpetologists, and more recently, from ecologists working on surveys for environmental impact assessments and biodiversity action plans. These data are invaluable, as amongst other uses, they can assist conservation planning and management, …

Applications Of Variable Number Tandem Repeat Genotyping In The Validation Of An Animal Medical Model And Gene Flow Studies In Threatened Populations Of Reptiles, Candace D. Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We used variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) to validate the chicken as a human medical model for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. We identified seven regions on four chromosomes and interrogated for VNTR markers that significantly associate with Pulmonary Hypertension Syndrome/ascites. In those regions, we identified 7 candidate genes; AGTR1, ACE, p38MAPK, SST, 5HT2B, NET1, and CALM3 for further analysis as significantly contributing QTL for ascites/PHS. We also used variable number tandem repeats to measure gene flow and gather evidence for multiple paternity in a population of Timber rattlesnakes, Crotalus horridus. We were able to verify 1 VNTR that can be used …

Evaluation Of Best Management Practices To Reduce Nutrients Runoff In Watersheds In Arkansas, Hector German Rodriguez Diaz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are many non point sources (NPS) of pollution issues across the state of Arkansas. Each region of the state has different concerns. Many watersheds have been included in the Arkansas's 2008 303(d) list for NPS impairments with sediment and nutrients being the primary causes of concern. This research hypothesized that there are no cost or net returns risks when adopting best management practices (BMPs) to control nutrients runoff and that selection, timing, placement and cost have no impact on the implementation of BMPs. Using two priority watersheds, the L'Anguille River and the Lincoln Lake, as examples, the environmental benefits …