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Articles 1 - 12 of 12
Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences
Variable Palatability Of Quaking Aspen For Large Ungulate Herbivores, Patrice Alexa Nielson
Variable Palatability Of Quaking Aspen For Large Ungulate Herbivores, Patrice Alexa Nielson
Theses and Dissertations
Aspen is a key resource in the Rocky Mountain Region for wildlife forage and habitat, lumber products, scenery, and plays important roles in fire ecology and hydrological processes. There is evidence of aspen decline over much of the Intermountain West for approximately 100 years. In Dixie and Fishlake National Forests, UT, aspen distribution has decreased by nearly half. Causes of this decline are not well understood, although wildlife browsing by ungulates has been implicated as playing a major role. The objective of this research was to examine what soil or plant factors might be involved in wildlife browse choice in …
Community Response To False Hellebore (Veratrum Californicum Durand) Harvest 18 Years After Treatment, Craig Douglas Johnson
Community Response To False Hellebore (Veratrum Californicum Durand) Harvest 18 Years After Treatment, Craig Douglas Johnson
Theses and Dissertations
Discoveries revolving around false hellebore (Veratrum californicum Durand) have caused a paradigm shift in treatment from eradication to harvest and preservation. Test plots set in place 18 years ago to analyze the effectiveness of eradication treatments (tilling, herbicide, mow, and remow) give us a better idea of how false hellebore communities might respond to disturbances caused by harvest. We focused mainly on the tilling, mow, and remow treatments because of similarities to harvest techniques.We found that mow and remow treatments have little effect on the population of false hellebore in the wild. Tilling treatments were effective in reducing …
The Dirt On The Ancient Maya: Soil Chemical Investigations Of Ancient Maya Marketplaces, Daniel Aaron Bair
The Dirt On The Ancient Maya: Soil Chemical Investigations Of Ancient Maya Marketplaces, Daniel Aaron Bair
Theses and Dissertations
Various criteria or lines of evidence have been used to identify ancient Maya marketplaces, including location near trade routes, artifactual evidence of trade, open space adjacent to transportation routes, proximity to public structures, low platforms and rock alignments to denote market spaces, and regular patterns in soil and floor chemical concentrations. Seibal and Mayapán were important economic Maya polities controlling the trade routes at the apex of their civilizations. The objectives of these studies were to apply geochemical and geospatial analyses of the soils and floors from public plazas and household patios, to discover the anthropogenic chemical residues of phosphorus …
Multidisciplinary Assessment And Documentation Of Past And Present Human Impacts On The Neotropical Forests Of Petén, Guatemala, Christopher Stephen Balzotti
Multidisciplinary Assessment And Documentation Of Past And Present Human Impacts On The Neotropical Forests Of Petén, Guatemala, Christopher Stephen Balzotti
Theses and Dissertations
Tropical forests provide important habitat for a tremendous diversity of plant and animal species. However, limitations in measuring and monitoring the structure and function of tropical forests has caused these systems to remain poorly understood. Remote-sensing technology has provided a powerful tool for quantification of structural patterns and associating these with resource use. Satellite and aerial platforms can be used to collect remotely sensed images of tropical forests that can be applied to ecological research and management. Chapter 1 of this article highlights the resources available for tropical forest remote sensing and presents a case-study that demonstrates its application to …
Developmental Contributions To Variation In Aspen Clones And The Influence Of Pre-Fire Succession Status On Aspen Regeneration Success, Eric A. Smith
Developmental Contributions To Variation In Aspen Clones And The Influence Of Pre-Fire Succession Status On Aspen Regeneration Success, Eric A. Smith
Theses and Dissertations
This thesis includes two studies: The first examined developmental changes that take place in the physiology of aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) and to characterize developmental influences on patterns of phenotypic trait variation among different aged ramets within the aspen clones. We surveyed eight clones, each with 8 distinct age classes ranging from 1 to 170 yrs in age. Using regression analysis we examined the relationships between ramet age and expression of functional phenotypes. Eight of the phenotypic traits demonstrated a non-linear relationship in which large changes in phenotype occurred in the early stages of ramet development and stabilized thereafter. …
Diet Reconstruction Of Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis) Using Stable Isotopes, Joshua M. Whitaker
Diet Reconstruction Of Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis) Using Stable Isotopes, Joshua M. Whitaker
Theses and Dissertations
We determined the diet contributions of grasses, forbs and shrubs for three herds of bighorn sheep along the Wasatch Front, Utah using stable isotope techniques and determined the electivity values for different forage species for four herds. Forbs were generally the most common forage eaten across all herds while shrubs were the least used forage resource. The Provo Peak and Mount Nebo herds used grasses, forbs and shrubs at proportions similar to other bighorn sheep populations across the west, while the Antelope Island herd used forbs at higher levels than any other local herd. Additionally, the herd on Antelope Island …
An Examination Of The Dna Content, Taxonomy And Phylogeny Of Penstemon (Plantaginaceae), Shaun R. Broderick
An Examination Of The Dna Content, Taxonomy And Phylogeny Of Penstemon (Plantaginaceae), Shaun R. Broderick
Theses and Dissertations
Penstemon is the largest genus in North America with more than 270 reported species. However, little is known about the genome size of this genus and how this information may be useful in selecting species in developing hybrids for landscape use. Using flow cytometry, we estimated the genome size of approximately 40% of the genus (117 specimens from 104 different species.) Genome sizes for the putative diploids ranged from 2C = 0.94 – 1.89 pg (1C = 462 – 924 Mbp) and the putative polyploids ranged from 2.57 – 6.54 pg (1C = 1,257 – 3,156 Mbp). Chromosome counts were …
Development And Use Of Microsatellite Markers For Genetic Diversity Analysis Of Canahua (Chenopodium Pallidicaule Aellen), Amalia Vargas
Development And Use Of Microsatellite Markers For Genetic Diversity Analysis Of Canahua (Chenopodium Pallidicaule Aellen), Amalia Vargas
Theses and Dissertations
Cañahua (Chenopodium pallidicaule Aellen) is a poorly studied, annual subsistence crop of the high Andes of South America. Its nutritionally value (high in protein and mineral content) and ability to thrive in harsh climates (drought, extreme elevations, etc.) make it an important regional food crop throughout the Andean region. The objectives of this study were to develop genetic markers and to quantify genetic diversity within cañahua. A set of 43 wild and cultivated cañahua genotypes and two related species (C. quinoa and C. petiolare) were evaluated for polymorphism using 192 microsatellite markers derived from random genomic …
Diversity And Abundance Of The Dark Kangaroo Mouse, Microdipodops Megacephalus, In Communities Of Nocturnal Granivorous Rodents In Western North America, Ashley Sagers Haug
Diversity And Abundance Of The Dark Kangaroo Mouse, Microdipodops Megacephalus, In Communities Of Nocturnal Granivorous Rodents In Western North America, Ashley Sagers Haug
Theses and Dissertations
The dark kangaroo mouse, Microdipodops megacephalus, is a sensitive species in the Great Basin Desert. This thesis explores the structure of desert rodent communities of the Great Basin to better understand M. megacephalus' place in the community and the conditions that promote large and stable populations. To determine community structure, I used nestedness analysis to evaluate 99 communities of nocturnal granivorous rodents. I found that the community structure was non-random, indicating the existence of assembly rules and ecological constraints. I also found that M. megacephalus was the second most vulnerable species in the community. To explore the correlation …
Diet Reconstruction Of Wild Rio-Grande Turkey Of Central Utah Using Stable Isotope Analysis, Benjamin D. Stearns
Diet Reconstruction Of Wild Rio-Grande Turkey Of Central Utah Using Stable Isotope Analysis, Benjamin D. Stearns
Theses and Dissertations
The wild turkey is endemic to North America and has played a role in human cultures past and present. However, with the turkey's elusive behavior some aspects of its ecology are challenging to understand. Diet is one of these difficult aspects to study. The purpose of this study was to determine the diet selection of wild turkeys in central Utah using non invasive stable isotope technology. We hypothesize that turkey diet is highly specific, that consumption of specific plant species correlates with the needs of the individual turkey, and that stable isotope analysis will reveal patterns in annual dietary intake. …
Historic Fire Regimes On Eastern Great Basin (Usa) Mountains Reconstructed From Tree Rings, Stanley G. Kitchen
Historic Fire Regimes On Eastern Great Basin (Usa) Mountains Reconstructed From Tree Rings, Stanley G. Kitchen
Theses and Dissertations
Management of natural landscapes requires knowledge of key disturbance processes and their effects. Fire and forest histories provide valuable insight into how fire and vegetation varied and interacted in the past. I constructed multi-century fire chronologies for 10 sites on six mountain ranges representative of the eastern Great Basin (USA), a region in which historic fire information was lacking. I also constructed tree recruitment chronologies for two sites. I use these chronologies to address three research foci. First, using fire-scar data from four heterogeneous sites, I assert that mean fire interval (MFI) values calculated from composite chronologies provide suitable estimates …
Part I: Evaluation Of Student Assessment Of Learning Gains (Salg)In Two Different Biology 100 Classes Part 2: What Biology Concepts Are Important In General Education?: Analysis Of Seventeen Core Concepts, Jessica Marie Rosenvall Howelle
Part I: Evaluation Of Student Assessment Of Learning Gains (Salg)In Two Different Biology 100 Classes Part 2: What Biology Concepts Are Important In General Education?: Analysis Of Seventeen Core Concepts, Jessica Marie Rosenvall Howelle
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this two-part study is to examine how to improve introductory level non-majors biology courses to improve student attitude and learning gains in the sciences. The first part of this study examines the collective effect of three different pedagogies (service learning, concept mapping and guest lectures) on student attitude and learning gains in a freshman, non-majors biology course. Two classes, one with the three pedagogies, and one without, were compared. Data were collected from two classes in Fall 2008 (one treatment and one control) and two similar classes replicated in Fall 2009. Learning and attitude gains were measured …