Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Bridging Post-Wildfire Communication Gaps Between Managers, Researchers, And Local Communities, Including A Biological Soil Crust Case Study, Hilary Louise Whitcomb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Immediately after a wildfire land managers act quickly to protect water supplies, soil stability, habitat, and forage. We don't currently understand how managers make trade-off decisions between social, political, and ecological factors in these tight timelines or if they are able to use new science. We do know ecosystems often benefit from local engagement, and new, scientifically-grounded methods that improve restoration efforts are needed. As post-wildfire timelines don’t often allow for outside input, I asked managers what they and stakeholders think about post-wildfire projects and what managers think about new science. I asked local citizens what they think about postwildfire …

Survey Of Hatching Spines Of Bee Larvae Including Those Of Apis Mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apoidea), Jerome G. Rozen Jr., Corey Shepard Smith, James H. Cane

All PIRU Publications

This article explores the occurrence of hatching spines among bee taxa and how these structures enable a larva on hatching to extricate itself from the egg chorion. These spines, arranged in a linear sequence along the sides of the first instar just dorsal to the spiracles, have been observed and recorded in certain groups of solitary and cleptoparasitic bee taxa. After eclosion, the first instar remains loosely covered by the egg chorion. The fact that this form of eclosion has been detected in five families (Table 1 identifies four of the families. The fifth family is the Andrenidae for which …

Evolution Of Mammalian Migrations For Refuge, Breeding, And Food, Gitanjali E. Gnanadesikan, William D. Pearse, Allison K. Shaw

Biology Faculty Publications

Many organisms migrate between distinct habitats, exploiting variable resources while profoundly affecting ecosystem services, disease spread, and human welfare. However, the very characteristics that make migration captivating and significant also make it difficult to study, and we lack a comprehensive understanding of which species migrate and why. Here we show that, among mammals, migration is concentrated within Cetacea and Artiodactyla but also diffusely spread throughout the class (found in 12 of 27 orders). We synthesize the many ecological drivers of round-trip migration into three types of movement—between breeding and foraging sites, between breeding and refuge sites, and continuous tracking of …

Mpb Spot Infestation Data, James A. Powell

Browse all Datasets

This folder contains ASCII text raster files describing the pine density model and yearly aerial detection survey (ADS) data for three study areas: Sawtooth (central Idaho, USA), Chelan (north-central Washington, USA) and Northern Colorado (USA). These data supported analyses presented in

Powell, J.A., M.J. Garlick, B.J. Bentz and N.A. Friedenberg. (2017) Differential Dispersal and the Allee Effect Create Power-Law Behavior: Distribution of Spot Infestations During Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreaks. Journal of Animal Ecology.

Each raster is at 30m resolution, and each pixel is a density in a space-separated ascii file. The top five rows of each file are commented using …

Evaluating Habitat-Based Niche Requirements And Potential Recruitment Bottlenecks For Imperiled Bluehead Sucker (Catostomus Discobolus), Bryan C. Maloney

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Changes to rivers that alter physical and thermal habitat may cause fish population abundance to decline, due to fewer individuals maturing and entering the adult population. The Weber River has become highly degraded with many dams and diversions altering fish habitat, river volume, velocity, and temperature, and limiting movement between reaches. Bluehead suckers (Catostomus discobolus) occupy only 47% of their historical range and the genetically-distinct Weber River (northern UT) population is declining and contains few young, juvenile fish. My objectives were to determine whether spawning and rearing habitat available in the Weber River may be limiting bluehead sucker …

Foraging Ecology Of Mountain Lions In The Sierra National Forest, California, Bradley C. Nichols

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

We conducted this research to gain insight into mountain lion (Puma concolor) prey composition in the Sierra National Forest of California. Managers in the region are concerned with both causes of declines and inability to increase fisher (Pekania pennanti) populations. Research has shown that mountain lions are a threat to fishers due to direct predation of this forest specialist. We radio-collared 5 adult mountain lions in order to determine prey composition and kill rates. As expected, mountain lions selected primarily for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). However we did detect other prey such as gray …

Effect Of Foliage And Root Carbon Quantity, Quality, And Fluxes On Soil Organic Carbon Stabilization In Montane Aspen And Conifer Stands In Utah, Antra Boča

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Soil organic carbon (SOC) positively affects many soil properties (e.g., fertility and water holding capacity), and the amount of carbon (C) in soil exceeds the amount in the atmosphere by about three times. Forest soils store as much C as is found in trees. Tree species differ in their effect on SOC pools. Quaking aspen forests in the Western US often store more stable SOC in the mineral soil than nearby conifers. During the last decades a decline in aspen cover, often followed by conifer encroachment, has been documented. A shift from aspen to conifer overstories may negatively affect the …

Effects Of Changing Environments On Survival Of A Widely Distributed Ungulate, S Andrew Sims

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wildlife species distributed over large areas of land inhabiting varying environments are experiencing shifts in their home ranges due to human expansion and climate change. As these species home ranges shifts out of familiar, critical habitat they are forced to interact with novel environments, which in turn affects the species population demographics. In order to manage and conserve these species accordingly, specifically in a time of large-scale change, it is imperative that we add to current understandings of how they interact with various environments. Furthermore, frequently generating short-term predictions of demographic drivers will allow for conservation and management insight that …

The Influence Of Aspen Chemistry And The Nutritional Context On Aspen Herbivory, Kristen Y. Heroy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Consumption of aspen by herbivores is one major force causing aspen decline in North America. In this Dissertation, I aimed to determine why herbivores prefer browsing on certain aspen stands over others, and why they prefer consuming aspen that contains chemical defenses over understory forages like grasses, forbs, and shrubs. I explored the influence of nutrients and chemical defenses within aspen on aspen intake and preference by lambs in pen experiments. I also explored drivers of aspen preference on the landscape by looking at relationships between aspen herbivory, indicators of aspen health, amount of nutrients available in the understory, and …

Direct And Indirect Effects Of Climate Change On Plant Populations And Communities In Sagebrush Steppe, Andrew R. Kleinhesselink

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rapid climate change presents humanity with a number of big problems. Foremost among these is the sad fact that the climate we will pass on to our children will likely be nothing like the climate that we inherited from our parents. Ecologists have collected solid evidence that climate change has already begun to affect the living things around us and the ecosystems humans depend on. Unfortunately, predicting the future effects of climate change on life on earth is not easy. We focused on three research goals as part of an effort to improve our ability to predict how plants and …

Effects Of Variable And Changing Environments On Demography: Inferences From A Lesser Snow Goose Colony, David T. Iles

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The mean and variability of environmental conditions have changed as a result of human activity, and continued changes are predicted. The strongest effects on natural populations will often be channeled through species interactions, as shifts in species range limits and life cycle schedules will shift in relation to each other. These changes will often impact rates of survival, growth, and reproduction simultaneously, and these effects will likely differ across habitats.

In chapter 2, I used mathematical modeling and computer simulations to investigate the evolutionary significance of increasingly variable environments, and examine how evolutionary pressures change when multiple vital rates are …

The Performance Of A Bioenergetics Model In A System With An Abundant Population Of Salmonids: A Case Study Of Cutthroat Trout In The Logan River, Utah, Martha L. Jensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Widespread habitat degradation and fragmentation has significantly altered the distribution and abundance of salmonids across the Western United States. To effectively conserve these fish, managers need tools to evaluate habitat quality in physically diverse streams and watersheds. Traditionally, habitat assessment for stream fish has focused on the physical characteristics of sites. Thus, such research has often overlooked important biological factors, such as the availability of prey or the presence and abundance of competitors or predators. In recent years, however, researchers have considered habitat from both physical and biological dimensions.

Bioenergetics models offer a way to combine the both the biotic …

The Behavior And Ecology Of Cursorial Predators And Dangerous Prey: Integrating Behavioral Mechanisms With Population-Level Patterns In Large Mammal Systems, Aimee Tallian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Driving into Yellowstone National Park for the first time is a moving experience. Gazing over the sweeping landscapes, seeing a geyser erupt 80 feet into the air, and having your first ‘wildlife encounter’, whether that be a 2 ton bull bison aggressively wallowing on his dirt mound, snorting and kicking up dust, or watching a pack of 6 wolves move through a valley off in the distance, pausing to howl in search of their companions. Yellowstone staff wishes to manage our park in a way that preserves these remarkable experiences. In order to effectively manage this dynamic ecosystem, it is …

Spatial Ecology Of Coyotes And Cougars: Understanding The Influence Of Multiple Prey On The Spatial Interactions Of Two Predators, Peter J. Mahoney

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The coyote (Canis latrans) has expanded throughout much of North America over the past century following the regional extirpation of apex predators. These highly adaptable canids can occupy a variety of landscapes from the rainforests of Central America to the dense, human-dominated urban centers of the United States. As a generalist predator, coyotes can capitalize on a variety of food resources, including anthropogenic subsidies such as domestic livestock and food tailings at landfills. These tendencies often bring coyotes in direct conflict with humans, forcing managers to consider mitigation strategies ranging from the targeted removal of problem individuals to …

Predicting The Impact Of A Northern Pike (Esox Lucius) Invasion On Endangered June Sucker (Chasmistes Liorus) And Sport Fishes In Utah Lake, Ut, Jamie Reynolds

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Invasive species introductions are associated with negative economic and environmental impacts, including reductions in native species populations. Successful invasive species populations often grow rapidly and a new food web structure is established. The ability of invasive species to outcompete and prey upon native species are two characteristics that make them a leading cause of fish extinctions in North America.

Northern pike (Esox lucius; hereafter pike) are voracious ambush top predators \native to the upper Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the lower 48 United States, Alaska, and southern Canada. Pike have been spreading across the Intermountain West and Pacific …

Spatial And Behavioral Patterns Of Captive Coyotes, Jeffrey T. Schultz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Environmental enrichment is a technique used at many captive animal facilities that can improve the well-being of their animals. It seeks to enhance habitat features and promote natural behavior by providing a variety of practical ways for captive animals to control their environmental settings, especially during stressful circumstances. Enclosure features, such as shelter structures, are one tool that promotes wild behavior by adding complexity to an enclosure’s physical environment. Enrichment efforts for captive wildlife are most effective when they are specialized to the biological needs of the animals. Human activity may alter captive animal behavior and utility of enclosure features, …

Psychobiology Of Ingestive Behavior Of Herbivores, Juan J. Villalba

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

This article describes the process of food selection and consumption in herbivores based on smell, taste, and touch.

Patterns In Greater Sage-Grouse Population Dynamics Correspond With Public Grazing Records At Broad Scales, Adrian P. Monroe, Cameron L. Aldridge, Timothy J. Assal, Kari E. Veblen, David A. Pyke, Michael L. Casazza

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Human land use, such as livestock grazing, can have profound yet varied effects on wildlife interacting within common ecosystems, yet our understanding of land-use effects is often generalized from short-term, local studies that may not correspond with trends at broader scales. Here we used public land records to characterize livestock grazing across Wyoming, USA, and we used Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) as a model organism to evaluate responses to livestock management. With annual counts of male Sage-grouse from 743 leks (breeding display sites) during 2004-2014, we modeled population trends in response to grazing level (represented by a relative grazing index) …

Species Delimitation And Lineage Separation History Of A Species Complex Of Aspens In China, Honglei Zheng, Liqiang Fan, Richard I. Milne, Lei Zhang, Yaling Wang, Kangshan Mao

Aspen Bibliography

Species delimitation in tree species is notoriously challenging due to shared polymorphisms among species. An integrative survey that considers multiple operational criteria is a possible solution, and we aimed to test it in a species complex of aspens in China. Genetic [four chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) fragments and 14 nuclear microsatellite loci (nSSR)] and morphological variations were collected for 76 populations and 53 populations, respectively, covering the major geographic distribution of the Populus davidiana-rotundifoliacomplex. Bayesian clustering, analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), Principle Coordinate Analysis (PCoA), ecological niche modeling (ENM), and gene flow (migrants per generation), were employed to …

Quantifying The Contribution Of Plant-Soil Feedbacks To Coexistence In A Sagebrush Steppe, Peter Adler

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Career: Robust Aquatic Habitat Representation For Water Resources Decision-Making, Sarah Null

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Restoration Of The Iconic Pando Aspen Clone: Emerging Evidence Of Recovery, Paul C. Rogers, Jody A. Gale

Aspen Bibliography

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) is being stressed across the America West from a variety of sources including drought, herbivory, fire suppression, development, and past management practices. Rich assemblages of plants and animals that utilize aspen forests, as well as economic values of tourism, grazing, hunting, and water conservation, make aspen ecosystems among the most valuable vegetation types in this region. The 43-ha Pando clone near Fish Lake, Utah, is an iconic example of an aspen community undergoing rapid decline due to overstory mortality and chronic recruitment failure. As part of a larger project to restore Pando, we fenced, …

Herbivore Effects On Productivity Vary By Guild: Cattle Increase Mean Productivity While Wildlife Reduce Variability, Grace K. Charles, Lauren Mcgeoch Porensky, Corinna Riginos, Kari E. Veblen, Truman P. Young

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Wild herbivores and livestock share the majority of rangelands worldwide, yet few controlled experiments have addressed their individual, additive, and interactive impacts on ecosystem function. While ungulate herbivores generally reduce standing biomass, their effects on aboveground net primary production (ANPP) can vary by spatial and temporal context, intensity of herbivory, and herbivore identity and species richness. Some evidence indicates that moderate levels of herbivory can stimulate aboveground productivity, but few studies have explicitly tested the relationships among herbivore identity, grazing intensity, and ANPP. We used a long- term exclosure experiment to examine the effects of three groups of wild and …

Influence Of Mature Overstory Trees On Adjacent 12-Year Regeneration And The Woody Understory: Aggregated Retention Versus Intact Forest, Miranda T. Curzon, Susan C. Baker, Christel C. Kern, Brian J. Palik, Anthony W. D'Amato

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Guide To Quaking Aspen Ecology And Management With Emphasis On Bureau Of Land Management Lands In The Western United States, Paul C. Rogers

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Genotypic Variability In Populus Tremula L. Affects How Anthropogenic Nitrogen Enrichment Influences Litter Decomposition, Franziska Bandau, Benedicte Riber Albrectsen, Riitta Julkunen-Tiitto, Michael J. Gundale

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Can Carbon Fluxes Explain Differences In Soil Organic Carbon Storage Under Aspen And Conifer Forest Overstories?, Antra Boca, Helga Van Miegroet

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Aspen Health On National Forests In The Northern Rocky Mountain Region, James T. Blodgett, Kurt K. Allen, Kendra Schotzko, Al Dymerski

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Climatic Sensitivity Of A Mixed Forest Association Of White Spruce And Trembling Aspen At Their Southern Range Limit, Sophan Chhin, G. Geoff Wang

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Post-Glacial Biogeography Of Trembling Aspen Inferred From Habitat Models And Genetic Variance In Quantitative Traits, Chen Ding, Stefan G. Schreiber, David R. Roberts, Andreas Hamann, Jean S. Brouard

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.