Animal Sciences Commons^™

Factors Influencing Relocation Success Of Utah Prairie Dog (Cynomys Parvidens), Rachel Curtis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah prairie dogs have been extirpated in 90% of their historic range due to introduced disease, eradication, and habitat destruction. Most of the population lives on private land where animals burrow in lawns and agricultural fields, which keeps this threatened species continually in conflict with landowners. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has been relocating prairie dogs from private to public land since the 1970s, but relocations have been largely unsuccessful due to high mortality. Prairie dogs are highly social animals, but they are usually relocated without regard to their family group, or coterie. Coteries typically consist of one reproductive …

The Status Of Dwarfed Populations Of Short-Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma Hernandesi) And Great Plains Toads (Anaxyrus Cognatus) In The San Luis Valley, Colorado, Megan E. Lahti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The San Luis Valley is a large valley formation in Colorado surrounded on either side by mountain ranges exceeding 4,267 m. Within the Valley, two of the 14 amphibian and reptile species are dwarfed: the short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) and the Great Plains toad (Anaxyrus cognatus). Since its initial reporting in 1968 and confirmation in 1981, no research further investigating this dwarfism has been conducted. I collected morphological measurements to determine the extent and patterns of dwarfism of both species. I then investigated the genetics of both species using mitochondrial DNA to determine whether they are …

Comparative Ecology Of Narrowly Sympatric Horned Lizards Under Variable Climatic Conditions, Kevin V. Young

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

We studied the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma mcallii, and the Sonoran Horned Lizard, P. goodei, in an area of narrow sympatry near Yuma, Arizona, and found they overlapped broadly in use of available food resources, body size, and growth rates. We compared diet (Chapter 2), growth and reproduction (Chapter 3), and survivorship (Chapter 4) of P. mcallii and P. goodei during two years of drought followed by a year of higher-than-average rainfall. We predicted that P. mcallii would be more tolerant of drought conditions than its congener, since P. mcalliiis found only in an extremely arid region while …

Garter Snake (Thamnophis) Natural History: Food Habits And Interspecific Aggression, Michael J. Edgehouse

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Communication and recognition are closely intertwined and have been well documented in closely related species over the past several decades. These two types of behaviors often will aid in fostering or disrupting coexistence of similar species. Frequently, it is through different diet patterns that similar species will be able to coexist. This study uses data from 1972 through 2006 to demonstrate the diet of Thamnophis sirtalis, T. atratus, T. elegans, and T. couchii throughout their California range of sympatry with Taricha torosa. Additionally, an in depth examination of the diet of T. sirtalis, T. elegans, …

A Conceptual Framework For Understanding Effects Of Wildlife Water Developments In The Western United States, Randy T. Larsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Free water can be a limiting factor to wildlife in arid regions of the world. In the western United States, management agencies have installed numerous, expensive wildlife water developments (e.g. catchments, guzzlers, wells) to: 1) increase the distribution or density of target species, 2) influence animal movements, and 3) mitigate for the loss of available free water. Despite over 50 years as an active management practice, water developments have become controversial for several species. We lack an integrated understanding of the ways free water influences animal populations. In particular, we have not meshed understanding of evolutionary adaptations that reduce the …

Disturbance As Restoration In The Intermountain Sagebrush Steppe: Effects On Non Target Bird Species, Russell Edward Norvell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Changes in shrubsteppe passerine bird habitat associations in response to disturbance were investigated at multiple temporal and spatial scales. Spatial measures incorporated the effects of area at different ecological scales (nest site, territory, and landscape) to include ecologically meaningful extents. Temporal measures included seasonal and annual effects, and were designed to detect lagged responses should they occur. Local-to-landscape scale effects of mechanical restoration treatments on local extirpation and abundances of nine species indicated most were insensitive to changes in habitat quality, while abundance models showed only broad declines. Changing the availability of nesting habitat on both the attractiveness and quality …

Vocalizations In A Population Of Green-Tailed Towhees (Chlorura Chlorura), Timothy Andrus Burr

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Studies of vocalizations in a montane population of Green-Tailed Towhees were conducted during the summer months of 1971 and 1972 in Cache County, Utah. The song and call repertoiries of 10 breeding pairs were recorded and analyzed on a sound spectograph.

Males averaged 8.7 different song and 18.2 different not types. Song variation on the population level is high (58 different songs) but the sharing of these songs among the males is low (22.4). Populational note structure is equally diverse but reveals a greater degree of sharing (75%).

Both males and females used three calls, the meow, tick, …

The Effects Of Age And Induction On Cockroach Mixed Function Oxidase Activity And Cell Morphology, Richard L. Turnquist

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Female American cockroaches showed definite age-dependent changes in levels of activity of the microsomal mixed function oxidase chain. Cytochrome P-450 levels, EPN-detoxication, and p-nitroanisole O-demethylation activities were very low in young adult insects but increased steadily reaching a peak at about 100 days in fat body and at about 90 days in midgut and hindgut. The activities then declined rapidly reaching levels of young insects at about 130 to 140 days of age. NADPH-NT-reductase activity was high in young insects and declined during the first few weeks of adult life. This activity too showed a peak at about …

Ecology Of Aroga Websteri Clarke In Curlew Valley, Utah-Idaho, Reed L. Kirkland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The ecology, life history, and population dynamics of the sagebrush defoliator, Aroga websteri Clarke, were studied in the field and laboratory. The defoliator has one generation a year at the Curlew Valley site. It overwintered in the egg stage and passed through five larval instars. Ten parasite species attacked the defoliator at the study site. Four species, Orgilus ferus, Phaeogenes sp., Spilochalcis leptis, and Apanteles cacoeciae, contributed over 75 percent of the total incidence of parasitism. Parasitism ranged from 20 to 76 percent in 1971, but only ranged from 6 to 29 percent in 1972. This decrease …

A Study Of The Biology Of The Species Of Protocalliphora In The Northern Wasatch Range, Terry L. Whitworth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A total of 733 bird nests, representing 55 species from 23 habitats, was examined. Forty-nine percent of the nests of 39 bird species were infested with 16 species of Protocalliphora.

Infestation of bird nests by Protocalliphora is believed to be related to a number of factors, which are discussed. Loosely constructed nests, nests heavily saturated with feces, and nests occupied early in the season had low rates of infestation. Nests of colonial birds were more frequently infested than those of solitary birds. Nests of some birds were rarely or never infested.

Sixteen species of Protocalliphora are differentiated and their …

An Electrophysiological Study Of The Oral Plate Sensory Organs Of The Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera L.), Rodney R. Seeley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The oral plate sense organs of the honey bee, Apis mellifera L., have been investigated employing an electrophysiological technique which allows simultaneous stimulation and recording.

The results of the study present evidence that the four bipolar sense cells innervating the sensory papillae on the oral surface of the hypopharynx are chemoreceptors. The sensory papillae respond to cations, glucose, water, and amino acids. Evidence for the absence of a mechanosensory cell is presented. The data concerning the sensory structures agree with the current theories of chemoreception.

Isolation And Characterization Of Autosomal Male Sterile Mutants In Drosophila Melanogaster, Lynn J. Romrell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In order to study the genetic control of spermiogenesis, recessive, male-sterile, autosomal mutants of Drosophila melanogaster were induced with ethyl methanesulfonate. A total of 31 mutants were recovered, 15 of which were located on the second chromosome and 16 on the third chromosome. Eight second- and 6 third-chromosome mutants demonstrating sterility in all homozygous males were used for further analysis.

Complementation tests showed that 2 of the 8 second chromosome mutants (and none of the 6 third chromosome mutants) were noncomplementing, indicating that two of the mutants produced were alleles of the same locus. Mapping of the second chromosome mutants …

The Effect Of Chromosomal Position On Dosage Compensation And Ontogenic Expression Of The V+ Gene In D. Melanogaster, Jack E. Tobler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two manifestations of gene regulation-- dosage compensation and ontogenic regulation--were examined in normally positioned and relocated v⁺ genotypes in Drosophila melanogaster to determine the role of gene position in these control functions. Enzyme assays, used as criteria of gene activity, were performed on various genotypes containing different doses of v⁺ in normal and relocated positions in male and female flies. The results indicate that although differently positioned v⁺ genes may specify different tryptophan pyrrolase activities, they still show dosage compensation. In each case, the enzyme activity associated with each gene, either on the X, Y, or third …

The Effects Of Formaldehyde On The Frequency Of Reversion Of The White-Ivory Mutant Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Ruth Ellen D. Wood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study is an analysis of the effects of formaldehyde, a chemical which is both recombinogenic and mutagenic, on white-ivory (wⁱ) a highly mutable allele of the white locus of Drosophila. Formaldehyde is shown to significantly increase the reversion frequency of wⁱ. The results of this investigation differ from earlier observations in three respects: (1) there is a positive correlation between RNA (ribonucleic acid) concentration and reversion frequency in the presence of formaldehyde, but reversion does not appear to be totally RNA dependent; (2) female germ cells are more sensitive than those of the male; …

The Development Of The Endogenous Stages Of Eimeria Ninakohlyakimovae (Yakimoff And Rastegaieff, 1930) In Domestic Sheep, Richard S. Wacha

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Forty-five mixed breed lambs, 1 to 4 months of age, were used to study the patent period and endogenous stages in the life cycle of Eimeria ninakohlyakimovae. The lambs were inoculated with oocysts of this species and killed at daily intervals from 1 through 14 days after inoculation. From all lambs of the study sections of intestinal tissue were prepared by routine methods for histological examination.

E. ninakohlyakimovaewas observed to have 2 generations of schizonts in its endogenous development. Mature, first-generation schizonts had an average diameter of about 290 μ and had many thousands of merozoites, averaging 11.9 …

Growth Of Eimeria Alabamensis From Cattle In Vitro And The Changes In Fine Structure Associated With Schizogony, J. Robert Sampson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Monolayer primary cultures of cells from bovine embryonic intestine (BEint), kidney (BEK), spleen (BES), and thyroid (BET) and cell line cultures of embryonic bovine trachea ( EBTr) and synovium (BESy)as well as established cell line cultures of Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK), human intestine (Int 407), and Syrian hamster kidney (BHK-21) were inoculated with freshly excysted sporozoites of Eimeria alabamensis and observed for 4 days. Sporozoites penetrated all cell types during the first 24 hours in culture. Numerous intracellular sporozoites, trophozoites, and binucleate schizonts were seen in all cell cultures except Int 407. The best development occurred in BES and MDBK …

Summer Distribution And Food Habits Of Microtus In The Logan Canyon Area, Utah, James B. Monroe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Field work for the study was conducted in Logan Canyon and the valley at the base of that canyon in Cache County, Utah, during the three summer months of both 1968 and 1969, Microtus pennsylvanicus, found only in the valley, inhabits wet marshy areas. Microtus longicaudus is found in mixed deciduous woods a long the Logan River in the canyon. Microtus richardsoni, which occurs only at the higher elevations, inhabits the subalpine meadows. Microtus montanus inhabits mesic grassy fields in both the valley and Logan Canyon and also inhabits a mixed deciduous woods and tall canary grass ( …

A Description Of The Planarian Phagocata Crenophila, New Species, From Utah, Jerry H. Carpenter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A new species of planaria in the genus Phagocata was found in several springs and spring-fed streams in Logan Canyon, Cache County, Utah. This species was named Phagocata crenophila because it greatly prefers to live in springs and it seems to be adapted behaviorally to this type of habitat. Serial sections and whole mounts were made by standard methods in order to study the anatomical features which are necessary for identification of planarians. The distinguishing features of this species are the following: testes ventral and extending from near the brain to near the posterior end, ejaculatory duct opening ventrally from …

Comparisons Of Phytoseiid Predator Populations In Sprayed And Unsprayed Apple Orchards In Cache Valley, Utah, Yeboa A. Dodoo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A comparative study of phytoseiid populations was made of two well-cultivated and regularly sprayed apple orchards with two unsprayed orchards in Cache Valley, northern Utah.

Two phytoseiid species, Typhlodromus mcgregori Chant and T. occidentalis Nesbitt were observed on the apple leaves, under the bark, and occasionally in the litter and soil. Amblyseius cucumeris (Oudemans) occurred in the soil and litter and occasionally under bark. T. mcgregori was dominant in the unsprayed orchards, and T. occidentalis in the sprayed.

Of the phytophagous mites, which served as food for the phytoseiids, the two-spotted mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch was dominant. Other phytophagous mites …

The Incidence And Life Cycle Of Eimeria Utahensis Sp. N. From Kangaroo Rats Of Northwestern Utah, John V. Ernst

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A total of 176 kangaroo rats (151 Dipodomys ordii and 25 D. microps) were captured in northwestern Utah and examined for coccidia. Of these 176 rats, four D. ordii (2.6%) and four D. microps (16.0%) were infected with Eimeria utahensis, a new species of coccidia. Little seasonal difference was found in the infection rate of either species. The characteristics of the sporulated oocysts of this species were described. A sporocyst plug was reported for the first time in an eimerian oocyst.

Artificially excysted sporozoites were studied by various methods. Thirty living sporozoites averaged 22.5 𝜇 in length by …

An Examination Of A Putative System For The In Vitro Synthesis Of Drosophila Tryptophan Pyrrolase, John P. Phillips

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A system, reported by Morrison (1964), for the in vitro synthesis of Drosophila tryptophan pyrrolase has been critically studied. This putative system is based on the addition of a Drosophila "RNA" extract to a Drosophila cell-free protein synthesizing system; the synthesized enzyme is then allowed to catalyze a specific reaction, the product of which is measured by direct adsorption.

The results of this study present a three-fold argument against the interpretation of synthesis of tryptophan pyrrolase in the Morrison in vitro system: (1) RNA from a null-allele, v^36f, stimulated the same tryptophan pyrrolase "activity" in the in vitro …

Feeding Ecology And Territorial Behavior Of The Yellow Warbler, Merrill J. Frydendall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A controversy dating from the appearance of Altum's book, Der Vogel und sein Leben, 1868 (Mayr, 1935) is that of the biological function or functions of the territorial behavior in birds. However, attention was not focused upon this problem until the advent of Howard's book, Territory in Bird Life, published in 1920. In a general review of the problem Hinde (1956) discussed several functions of the territory and presented evidence both for and against their importance. The more important of these presumed functions are: (1) limitation of population density; (2) facilitation of pair formation and maintenance of the …

Life Cycles Of Three Species Of Eimeria From The Uinta Ground Squirrel, Spermophilus Armatus, Kenneth S. Todd Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A study of the coccidia of the Uinta ground squirrel, Spermophilus (Citellus) armatus, was undertaken to determine the incidence of coccidia in a population of these ground squirrels, the life cycle and pathogenicity of the coccidia, and the host specificity of certain of the species of coccidia found in this and five other species of ground squirrels (S. richardsoni, S. variegatus, S. lateralis, S. columbianus, and S. beecheyi).

Uinta ground squirrels were live trapped and their feces examined to determine the incidence of coccidian infection. Specimens of S. armatus were maintained in the laboratory and given a pure inoculum of …

The Initiation Of Infection By Dna From Bacteriophage Lambda, Gerald D. Elseth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Deoxyribonucleic acid isolated from bacteriophage λ can infect Escherichia coli K12 in the presence of adsorbed helper phage (Kaiser and Hogness, 1960; Kaiser, 1962). The manner in which λ DNA enters the cell and the possible role of helper phage in the penetration process is still not clear. Kinetic studies conducted in this laboratory during the initial stages of infection by λ DNA demonstrate a requirement for helper function during the penetration of an infectious molecule. Further investigation into this problem is needed and was the major objective of this study.

A Study Of Aquatic Insects Of Logan River, Utah, Daood Salman Mutlag

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The field of aquatic biology requires intensive work and investigation for getting the important insects for biologic a l studies in laboratory and for estimating the quantity needed as food for fish population in the river.

An Economic Study Of Rats (Genus Rattus) In Cache County, Utah, John Vincent Bruce

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The most destructive animals in the world are rats (Rattus sp.). The annual destruction caused by rats in the United States is not known. but it has been estimated to be $189,000,000, according to Silver (1942) of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Silver states that our nation’s farmers lose approximately $6,000,000 annually. Rats not only eat vast amounts of food meant for human and livestock consumption, but they contaminate and waste as much or more than they eat. Rats are able to gnaw into buildings, grain bins, and other places were food and shelter are available to …

A Study Of A Heron Nesting Colony, Linden J. Leatham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Herons are well known because of their gregarious nesting habits. Like many others of the lower orders of birds they nest together in pure or mixed colonies of many different combinations and under diverse living conditions. The population of different colonies may vary from a few pairs to many thousands of pairs depending upon the nature and extent of the breeding area, the food supply available and the protection afforded either by natural or artificial means.

In Utah and adjacent areas of bordering states, many types of heron associations have been studied and reported by ornithological workers. Breeding colonies of …

Bird Studies Of The Bear River Marshes, Ernest W. Parkinson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The establishment of the Bear River Bay Bird Refuge has created for the state of Utah an immense and valuable biological field, a veritable paradise for naturalist and sportsman alike. The naturalist wants a place to study wild life and the sportsman desires game. With the proper control of open seasons on wild fowl the hunting instinct and incentive for the sport should be satisfied for the sportsman. To the naturalist this region will open up bountiful treasures of knowledge that is to be gained only by intense and prolonged scientific study.

Within this new field, and the limited time …