Biology Commons^™

Energetics Of The American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius) During Three Seasons In Northern Utah, Lucinda Haggas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Behavioral activities and predatory behavior of 18 American Kestrels (Falco sparverius, 9 males and 9 females) were observed for 350+ hours during 3 seasons (nonbreeding = Jan-Feb , breeding = mid-Mar-Apr, and postbreeding = late-Aug-Sept) in northern Utah. Daily energy expenditure (DEE) of male and female kestrels was estimated with a model that incorporated flight activity data from free-living birds and laboratory measurements on daytime and nighttime metabolic rates and energy costs of tissue production derived from captive kestrels. Production costs were included in the DEE for breeding and postbreeding kestrels.

The energy cost of gonadal growth for males (0.02 …

The Isolation, Property Analysis And Determination Of In Planta Growth Ability Of Extracellular Polysaccharide Mutants Of Corynebacterium Michiganense Pv Insidiosum, Mary C. Paschke

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Corynebacterium michiganense pv insidiosum, the organism responsible for bacterial wilt of alfalfa, produces an extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) that has been linked to its virulence. The EPS is composed of three different-sized molecules (components I, II and III). It has been demonstrated that this EPS accumulates in the vascular system of infected plants and causes disruption of the flow of water.

The importance of EPS to the survival and pathogenicity of C.m. pv insidiosumis not known. In order to begin assessing the value of EPS, mutant strains that are EPS-deficient were isolated after UV mutagenisis. Analysis by gel filtration …

Factors Affecting Feeding Injury To Grasses By Adult Billbugs (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Dale C. Nielson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Factors associated with feeding injury to grass plants by two species of adult billbugs, Sphenophorus gentilis and S. parvulus, were evaluated. Early season tests utilized adult bluegrass billbugs while later studies involved wildrye billbugs. Types of feeding injury were determined and preferred feeding locations on host plants were identified for each billbug species. Greenhouse and field studies compared different species of grasses, individual plants within a species, and plants from different locations, for billbug susceptibility. The effect of grass plant age and stem size were also tested using bluegrass billbugs.

Using analysis of variance and multiple comparison tests, significant …

Production Of Monoclonal Antibodies Specific For The Microgametocytes Of Eimeria Tenella, Marc A. Laxer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this study was to produce a monoclonal antibody specific for the microgametocytes of Eimeria tenella, examine the site and stage specificity of the antibody, and investigate the immunopotency of the antibody. BALB/c mice were immunized with antigen containing Eimeria tenella microgametocytes isolated from in vitro systems. After three intraperitoneal immunizations with the antigen and one booster immunization administered by tail vein injection, the mice were sacrificed and their spleen cells fused with SP2/0 mouse myeloma cells using polyethylene glycol as a fusing agent. Resultant hybridomas were screened by immunoelectrophoresis, indirect immunofluorescent antibody assay, and immunoelectron microscopy …

Cellular Immunity In Children With Down Syndrome (Trisomy-21), Roger Lee Noble

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Individuals with Down syndrome (US) suffer from increased incidence of respiratory infections and lymphoblastic leukemia, and a death rate that is particularly high in the first 5 years of life. Relatively few studies have probed immune parameters in young US children. Primary immune defects in DS may be masked by a degree of immune maturity in adults, and hygienic factors may have an effect on immune capability throughout the years. A study of young children can give clearer evidence of the actual primary immune defects in DS.

Blood samples were drawn from 20 DS children under 6 years old and …

Source Of Inoculum, Yield And Quality Of Tomato As Affected By Leveillula Taurica, Wayne B. Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Tomato transplant stock from southern Nevada served as a source of inoculum and developed disease symptoms of tomato powdery mildew approximately three weeks before Utah-grown transplants. Plants from Nevada and Utah were equally infected seven weeks after planting and no differences in severity or yield were detected at the end of the season due to rapid spread of the fungus. Tomato yields were reduced ca 40% in check plots when compared to plots treated with triadimefon, propiconazol or sulfur. The amount of sunburned fruit in check plots was three to four times greater than in plots where the disease was …

Effects Of Folic Acid Or Zinc Malnutrition On Rotaviral Infection In A Murine Model, John Douglas Morrey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The influences of dietary deficiencies of folic acid or zinc on rotaviral disease infant mice were studied. Preliminary studies indicated that bovine and simian rotaviruses, but not porcine rotavirus, caused diarrhea in infant mice. Bovine and porcine rotaviruses were not, however, sufficiently infectious to replace murine rotavirus in studies utilizing the murine model. It was also determined that murine rotavirus purified by a cesium chloride gradient was highly infectious and useful for subsequent studies on nutritional influences of rotaviral disease. In dietary studies, female Swiss Webster mice were fed diets containing deficient, moderately deficient, or adequate levels of folic acid …

Vocal Behavior And Interactions Among Parents And Offspring In The American Dipper, Mary Kathleen Fite

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus), an inhabitant of rapidly flowing mountain streams, is an aquatic passerine whose vocalizations have previously been undescribed. This study examines the spectrographic characteristics and contexts of calls and song in a color-banded population of Dippers. Calls of adults are the Jih, Weep and Grawk calls; calls of nestlings and fledglings are the Chip and Beg calls. Adult Dippers have a limited number of call types which occupy a middle range of frequencies (3 to 6kHz) and have structural characteristics which enhance detection of vocal signals. Gradation is present between call types. Possible explanations …

Plant Responses To Clinostating And Mechanical Stress: Growth And Flowering Responses, Chauncy Steed Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Plants rotated about a horizontal axis show certain growth responses. This research was designed to clarify which of the responses of clinostating are caused by gravity compensation and which are caused by mechanical stresses. Plants used were Xanthium strumarium L. (cocklebur) Chicago strain and Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. (tomato) cv. Rutgers. Six automated treatments that ran for five days were used to separate out the effects. Treatments were: 1) controls, 2) horizontal clinostat, 3) intermittent clinostat, 4) inversion (every 10 min), 5) invert and return, and 6) vertical rotation. Plant height and diameter changes were measured at ink dots with a …

Effects Of Physical And Emotional Stress, Catecholamines And Naloxone On Hdl And Ldl Cholesterol Levels In Rats And Man, Andrew G. Goliszek

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A series of investigations were undertaken to determine whether physical or emotional stress, catecholamines or naloxone (B-endorphon blocker) would increase serum total cholesterol and LDL and HDL levels. Physical stress given daily over a period of time caused a steady increase in serum total cholesterol and LDL without a significantly altering high density lipoproteins (HDL) or serum triglycerides. Daily injections of epinerphrine in oil caused an increase in both serum total cholesterol and LDL levels while daily injections of norepinephrine did not. Reversal of the treatments caused a reversed response in both groups of rats. Similar increases in both total …

Rhizosphere N2 Fixation In A Forest Ecosystem In Situ Assays And Evaluation Of The Acetylene Reduction Technique, Inger Börjesson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In situ assays of N₂ fixation activity, using the acetylene reduction technique, were performed in four successional stages of a Northern Wasatch Mountain subalpine forest ecosystem, elevation 2,800 m. Emphasis was made on rhizosphere fixation in association with Antennaria microphylla and Achillea millefolium. The vegetation period was approximately 100 days.

Assays were performed in Saran bags. A defined amount of propane was injected at initiation of the assay and acetylene was generated from CaC₂. Samples were analyzed for ethylene and propane. Data were evaluated assuming that the ethylene production was directly proportional to the increase in …

Natural Killer Activity In Gardner's Syndrome, Ann Marie Stembridge

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Gardner's syndrome is an autosomal dominant disease presenting multiple colonic polyps with a predisposition for malignant change. In addition to colonic polyp formation by early adolescence, extracolonic lesions appear often prior to polyp formation. One theoretical mechanism for the origin of polyps and malignancies in Gardner's syndrome is a genetic defect in the natural killer cell activity of patients with this disease. Natural killer cells are a subpopulation of lymphocytes that spontaneously lyse tumor cells and virally transformed cells. A study was undertaken to determine the natural killer activity of patients with Gardner's syndrome.

A technique termed chromium release was …

Alteration In Serum Enzyme Levels, Activity Of Hepatic Monooxygenases, And Hepatocyte Morphology Due To Liver Enzyme Inducers In Microtus Montanus, Jeffrey Robert Hincks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Microtus sp. have been used in microcosm simulations of polluted environments. In this study, female Microtus montanus (mountain vole), 8 - 12 weeks of age, were pretreated with phenobarbital (PB), ß-naphthoflavone (BNF), or Aroclor 1254 (PCB) for 3 consecutive days. Doses ranged from 5 to 80 mg/kg for each pretreatment, while control animals received saline or corn oil only. The voles were sacrificed 1 day after the last dose of PB and 2 days after BNF and PCB. Hepatic microsomal enzyme activity of aniline hydroxylase (AH), p-nitroanisole-O-demethylase (PNA) and cytochrome C reductase (CCR) were measured in relation …

Plant Spacing: A Size Sensitive Model With Implications For Competition, Robert L. Bayn Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An algorithm is presented which partitions space among mapped plants according to their relative sizes and positions using one of eight rules for locating boundaries between individuals. The performance of those rules is examined using several natural and artificial data sets with diverse measures of individual size. The relative performance of the rules was the same for all natural data sets examined. The best rule, as measured by a high correlation between individual size and assigned space, placed the boundary at a distance between neighbors proportional to the relative sizes of neighbors as long as a maximum distance (also a …

Estimating Esterase And Monooxygenase Detoxication By Bioassay, Electrophoresis And Metabolic Studies In Pea Aphid, Acrythosiphon Pisum (Harris) Populations (Homoptera: Aphididae), Deifalla H. Al-Rajhi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The role of esterases and monooxygenase in the detoxication vii processes of field populations of pea aphids was studied in relation to seasonal changes, developmental stage, and treatment with DEF and piperonyl butoxide. LCSO values for 12 hour exposure periods in glass vials ra nged from 0.04-2.3 micrograms / vial and 820-4871 J.Jg/vial for paraoxon and carbaryl, respectively. Topical bioassays showed the adults to be more tolerant to paraoxon (LDSO of 1. 4-12.3 ng/aphid) toxicity than nymphs (LDSO of 0.13-4. 7 ng/aphid).

Treatment with DEF® (S,S.S-tributylphosphorotrithioate) enhanced paraoxon toxicity against the pea aphid whereas piperonyl butoxide had little …

The Characterization Of Carbamate Resistance In The Colorado Potato Beetle, Leptinotarsa Decemlineata (Say), In Comparison With The House Fly, Musca Domestica (L), Randy L. Rose

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Resistant and susceptible populations of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), and the house fly, Musca domestica (L), were compared with respect to carbofuran and carbaryl toxicity in the presence and absence of the synergist, piperonyl butoxide. Resistance levels of the New Jersey population when compared with the susceptible Logan population by topical application of carbaryl and carbofuran were > 833 and 820, respectively. A resistance level of 583 was determined from carbofuran bioassays of Rutgers and NAIDM house flies. Similar levels of resistance development between these species suggests the possibility that similar resistance mechanisms may be involved.

Utilization of …

Reproductive Behavioral And Physiological Traits In Domestic, Wild, And Hybrid Ovis, Kara-Lynn Crocker-Bedford

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was part of a program to develop new genotypes of sheep (Ovis spp.) and goats (Capra spp.) which are more useful for food and fiber production. The study examined the influence of domestication on behavioral and physiological traits of ewes and lambs, the influence of a single or twin offspring on ewe and lamb behaviors, and general relationships between ewes and lambs during the lambs' first month of life.

Domestication has caused the intensities of observed traits to diverge greatly from the tendencies shown by wild populations. Domestication has produced increases in measurements associated with maternal …

Western White Pine: The Effect Of Clone And Cone Color On Attacks By The Mountain Pine Cone Beetle, Michael J. Jenkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relationship between clone and cone color in western white pine, Pinus monticola Douglas, to attack by the mountain pine cone beetle, Conophthorus monticolae Hopkins, was studied in the Sandpoint Seed Orchard, Idaho. A positive relationship was shown to exist during a 5 year field evaluation. Cone beetles were found to prefer dark colored cones and to attack certain clones at a higher rate than others.

Laboratory dissections did not indicate that cone color affected oviposition, brood development or brood mortality.

Olfactometer experiments demonstrated that olfactory stimuli are involved in the cone beetle attack sequence. Visual cues relating to cone …

A Revision Of The North American Species In The Genus Euodynerus (Hymenoptera: Eumenidae), Ali Shallan Moalif

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Twenty-eight species of Euodynerus Dalla Torre are recognized from the Nearctic Region, of which one is Holarctic. Literature on the biology of fourteen species is reviewed and new biological information discussed for four species. The phylogenetic relationships of the genus Euodynerus to other genera and the classification and relationships of the species of Euodynerus are discussed. Seven subgenera are recognized of which four are new: Euodynerus, Pareuodynerus Bluethgen, Leucodynerus Bohart, Annodynerus new subgenus, Gonodynerus n. subgenus, Holodynerus n. subgenus and Plecodynerus n. subgenus. Their comparative morphology, phylogeny, and distrubution are discussed. Larval instars of E. hidalgo (Saussure), E. scutellaris …

The Pathogenicity Of Blue-Stain Fungi On Lodgepole Pines Attacked By Mountain Pine Beetle, Richard Grant Ballard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the western regions of North America, mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopk., infestations take a tremendous toll of pines , especially lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.. Mass attack by the beetles is a devastating event for the trees. As well as girdling the tree, a massive inoculation of blue stain fungus "complex" (composed of several species of Ceratocystis, numerous yeasts and other mycelial fungi) is made beneath the bark. These fungi colonize and destroy the parenchyma tissue system of the host sapwood, primarily the ray parenchyma and resin duct epithelium.

A blue stain is produced …

Biphenyl Hydroxylation By Vole Hepatic Microsomes, Moheb H. Makary

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Metabolism of biphenyl by meadow voles (Microtus montanus) liver microsomes was studied by gas liquid chromatography. The microsomal biphenyl hydroxylation of Swiss Webster mice (outbred) was also investigated to provide a species comparison. 4-hydroxybiphenyl (major metabolite), 3-hydroxy biphenyl (minor) and smaller amounts of 2-hydroxybiphenyl were identified as metabolites of biphenyl incubated with vole liver microsomes. Liver microsomes from Swiss mice formed 4-hydroxy biphenyl (major metabolite) and almost equal amounts of 2- and 3-hydroxy biphenyl (minor metabolite). The amount of the hydroxy biphenyls formed by vole liver microsomes was considerably less per milligram of microsomal protein than for mice. …

Effects Of Ddt Upon The Hematology And Immunology Of The Goldfish (Carassius Auratus), Maurice G. Zeeman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

DDT can cause hematological and immunological alterations in mammals and birds. Interference with normal hematological and immunological defense systems has been strongly linked to increased incidences of disease and tumors. Fish exposed to pesticides have been noted to be more susceptible to disease. This study examined DDT effects on goldfish hematological and immunological parameters.

Adult goldfish were kept in 250 liter aquaria at 25 ± 1° C. Fish were dosed intraperitoneally with p,p'-DDT in corn oil. Doses ranged from 0 to 500 mg/kg for acute (96 hour) hematology studies to 0 to 50 mg/kg for sub-acute hematology and immunology studies. …

Humoral And Secretory Immunoglobulins Of The Sheepshead, Archosargus Probatocephalus, A Marine Teleost, Craig J. Lobb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The sheepshead has two readily isolatable humoral immunoglobulins, a 16S tetrameric form and a 6S monomeric form. The 16S tetrameric form is composed of two subpopulations, one being a disulfide linked form (~700,000 daltons) and the other a noncovalently linked population of predominantly disulfide linked dimers (~350,000 daltons). The 6s immunoglobulin (~140,000 daltons) is composed of two noncovalently linked units (~70,000 daltons) each having one heavy and one light chain. The 6S immunoglobulin is antigenically deficient to the 16S immunoglobulin, this deficiency may be due to the heavy chain of the 6s protein lacking a~25,000 dalton segment present in the …

Growth Of Phytophthora Infestans Race 1.2.4 And Synthesis Of Steroid Glycoalkaloids By The Fungus In Synthetic Media, Melanie R. Maas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A chemically defined synthetic medium was developed in which Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary race 1.2.4 grew extensively. This medium consisted of: 90.0 grams maltose, 20.0 grams DL-alanine, 20.0 grams L-proline, 1.0 gram KNO₃, 0.5 gram KH₂PO₄, 0.25 gram MgSO_4. 7H₂O, 1.0 milligram thiamin per liter of distilled water. The average level of growth in this medium was 0.5864 gram dry weight mycelium per 50 milliliters medium.

The glycoalkaloids, solanidine and solanine, were synthesized by Phytophthora infestans in the above medium with 62.5 percent of the samples positive and an overall …

The Flora Of Leslie Gulch Malheur County, Oregon, James W. Grimes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A study of the flora of Leslie Gulch Malheur County, Oregon was undertaken to elucidate the relationships of the flora and of the endemic species in the flora, and to determine if these endemic species are restricted to their present distribution by chemical factors of their substrate.

A checklist of native plants and a description of the major communities was made and floristic relationships were studied.

Chemical and mineralogical tests such as emission spectrography, x-ray diffraction and cation-exchange capacity as well as physical tests such as particle-size distribution and gravimetric water content were performed.

The results of the tests gave …

Sodium And Potassium Nutrition Studies Of Halogeton Glomeratus (M. Bieb) C.A. Mey, Ali A. Alhelal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Halogeton glomeratus (M. Bieb) C.A. Mey when grown in nutrient solution, caused the solution pH to decrease very rapidly as plants increased in size, especially during the fifth week of growth. This might be attributed to hydrogen ion exchange for cations. Also, the cation uptake, especially K and Na, may exceed that of the major anions. The control of pH is effective in increasing shoot weights markedly.

In general there was no difference between plants grown at the same NaCl concentration at low and high relative humidity. An increase in plant size, shoot weights, leaf length and diameter was detected …

Pollination Dynamics In Two Subalpine Flower Meadows, Peter Andrew Beedlow Iii

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Plant-pollinator interactions were studied in two subalpine meadows to determine the role of pollination in structuring the herbaceous flower communities. The majority of the entomophilous plant species set significantly less seed when caged to prevent visitation than when exposed to flower visitors. Visitation rate was directly related to temperature and radiation. The number of animal species visiting flowers each week was directly related to the number of plant species in bloom. Most visitor species used ≤3 species of plants, while most plant species hosted ≤8 species of flower visitors. Floral niche breadth increased with increasing animal species diversity, but animal …

The Effect Of Various Environmental Factors On The Growth Of A Red Pigmented Dunaliella Species From The Great Salt Lake, Sam Oeun May

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A red, obligately halophilic Dunaliella species believed to be D. salina was isolated from the North Arm of the Great Salt Lake, Utah, and its optimum growth conditions were determined.

The red pigmented Dunaliella species required an optimum NaCl concentration of 10%, temperature 28°C, and an illuminance of 7500 lux. Ammonium carbonate was preferred over potassium nitrate and ammonium chloride. Potassium nitrate was preferred over ammonium chloride. The average division (generation) time under the above conditions was 46.5 hours.

The alga grown in ammonium carbonate showed a lower content of chlorophyll a compared to those grown in potassium nitrate and …

Feeding Habits And Reproduction Of Three Sympatric Lizard Species From West-Central Utah, John B. Andre

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The feeding habits and reproduction of Uta stansburiana, Crotaphytus collaris and Cnemidophorus tigris during spring and summer 1976 are described. Feeding habits are expressed in percent total number and volume of prey items and frequency of occurrence of each prey category. Importance Values are also calculated. These values better illustrate the feeding habits of the lizard species than either percent total number and volume and frequency of prey category occurrence.

Lizards consume a variety of food items throughout the growing season. Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Orthoptera and Arachnida are the major prey categories of U. stansburiana. The major prey categories …

A Study Of Sedge-Dominated Areas In The Uinta Mountains, George Murchie Briggs

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Twenty-six sedge-dominated sites in the Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah were studied. These sites could be placed into two categories, wetland sites (those with water-saturated soils) and alpine tundra sites.

The alpine sites had above-ground standing crops between 37 and 206 g/m². The soils were sandy and low in nutrients. Indirect gradient analysis of the alpine sites showed a relationship between soil stability and vegetation. No other factors were found to be related to overall vegetation patterns.

The wetland sites were dominated by different Carex species than the alpine sites. These wetlands were often patches of monotypic stands. …