Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Damage Agents And Condition Of Mature Aspen Stands In Montana And Northern Idaho, Brytten E. Steed, Holly S.J. Kearns

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Nonnative Phragmites Australis Invasion Into Utah Wetlands, Andrew Kulmatiski, Karen H. Beard, Laura A. Meyerson, Jacob R. Gibson, Karen E. Mock

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. (common reed), already one of the world’s most widespread plant species, has realized rapid range expansion in coastal wetlands of North America in the past century, but little is known about P. australis range expansion in inland wetland systems. We used genetic analyses, aerial photographs, field surveys, and a greenhouse experiment to study the extent and mechanism of nonnative P. australis invasion of Utah wetlands. We collected and genetically analyzed 39 herbarium samples across the state and 225 present-day samples from northern Utah’s major wetland complexes. All samples collected before 1993 and all samples …

Ecological Effects Of Genotypic Diversity On Community And Ecosystem Function, Megan K. Kanaga

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Genotypic diversity within populations can have important evolutionary consequences, but the ecological effects of intraspecific genetic variation on community and ecosystem function have only been studied in a few systems. I present the results of a three-year study designed to address the ecological impacts of genotypic diversity in quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), using aspen genotypes planted across genotypic diversity levels (monoculture and mixture) and watering treatment levels (well-watered and water-limited). First, I demonstrated that significant variation exists among genotypes for a wide range of growth, morphological and physiological traits, and quantified high heritability and coefficient of genetic variation …

Aspen In Scotland: Biodiversity And Management, John Parrott, Neil Mackenzie

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Consequences Of Recruitmentdecisions And Heterogeneity On Age-Specific Breeding Success In A Long-Lived Seabird, Lise M. Aubry, David N. Koons, Jean Yves Monnat, Emmanuelle Cam

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

An individual’s age at first reproduction and investment in successive reproductive attempts are involved in mechanisms that can impede somatic repair, resulting in a decline in reproductive abilities with age (reproductive senescence). We used long-term data from the Black-legged Kittiwake, a long-lived seabird, to address the relationship between recruitment age, age-specific breeding success (BS), and reproductive senescence, while accounting for breeding experience and temporal variation in BS. We first detected late-life improvement in BS across all recruitment groups, which we recognized as ‘‘within-generation selection’’ or the selective disappearance of ‘‘frail’’ phenotypes. When such heterogeneity was accurately accounted for, we showed …

Alternative Futures 2030: Ogden Valley, Louis Alan Hurst

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Ogden Valley is a high mountain community located in the northern Wasatch Mountain Range (Figure 1), and is located entirely within Weber County, Utah. Three communities sit within the valley: Huntsville, Eden, and Liberty. Early Mormon settlers established these communities in the mid-1800s; however, only the town of Huntsville is incorporated. The rural valley is in close proximity to the densely populated Wasatch Front, in particular, Ogden City. Ogden Valley is approximately 331 square miles and has an elevation that ranges between 4400 and 9700 feet. This wide range in elevation provides a diverse environment for humans, wildlife , and …

Modeling Potential Native Plant Species Distributions In Rich County, Utah, Kathryn A. Peterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Georeferenced field data were used to develop logistic regression models of the geographic distribution of 38 frequently common plant species throughout Rich County, Utah, to assist in the future correlation of Natural Resources Conservation Service Ecological Site Descriptions to soil map units. Field data were collected primarily during the summer of 2007, and augmented with previously existing data collected in 2001 and 2006. Several abiotic parameters and Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery were used to stratify the study area into sampling units prior to the 2007 field season.

Models were initially evaluated using an independent dataset extracted from data collected by …

An Alternative Futures Study For The Uintah Basin: Exploring 2030, Nicholas E. Kenczka

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The Uinta Basin is located within the Colorado Plateau consisting of various ecosystems ranging from high elevation mountainous regions to sage and juniper woodlands. The basin rests in the northeast corner of Utah with the largest communities being Vernal, Roosevelt, and Duchesne. Other key features include the Flaming Gorge Recreation Area, Green River, and Dinosaur National Monument. The basin historically has been a major region for natural resource extraction, and the population fluctuation has mirrored the "boom" and "bust" cycles of the industry. The Uintah Basin has recently recognized the need for developing a comprehensive plan for identifying the critical …

Goatsrue (Galega Officinalis) Seed Biology, Control, And Toxicity, Michelle Oldham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Goatsrue is an introduced perennial plant that has proven to have great invasive potential, leading to its classification as a noxious weed in many states and at the federal level. This research focused on seed biology, herbicide control, and toxic dynamics of goatsrue. Physical dormancy of mature goatsrue seed was tested through scarification using sulfuric acid with exposures of up to 60 minutes resulting in 100% germination. Comparison of dormancy for 26-year-old and 6-month-old goatsrue seed indicated aged seeds had reduced dormancy levels compared to newly harvested seeds, but had similar viability. Goatsrue seedling emergence was inversely related to burial …

Isolation Of 11 Polymorphic Tri- And Tetranucleotide Microsatellite Loci In A North American Sedge (Carex Scoparia: Cyperaceae) And Cross-Species Amplification In Three Additional Carex Species, Andrew L. Hipp, Karin M. Kettenring, Kevin A. Feldheim, Jaime A. Weber

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

We report on the isolation and evaluation of 11 microsatellites from a widespread eastern North American wetland sedge, Carex scoparia. Loci exhibit 3–9 alleles over five populations and significant F_IS (0.204–0.717) in most populations. All primers cross-amplify in at least two other species, and 10 cross-amplify in the more distantly related C. stipata. These markers will be used to examine population genetics and patterns of chromosomal diversification in this ecologically important sedge species and its relatives.

2009 Report : A Multi-Refuge Program To Evaluate The Effect Of Ungulate Browsing On Habitat, Richard B. Keigley, Jeffrey Warren, Wayne J. King

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

An Aspen Success Story : 2009 Aspen Monitoring Report, James L. Robertson

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Direct And Indirect Effects Of Climate Change On A Prairie Plant Community, Peter B. Adler, James Leiker, Jonathan M. Levine

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Background

Climate change directly affects species by altering their physical environment and indirectly affects species by altering interspecific interactions such as predation and competition. Recent studies have shown that the indirect effects of climate change may amplify or counteract the direct effects. However, little is known about the the relative strength of direct and indirect effects or their potential to impact population persistence.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We studied the effects of altered precipitation and interspecific interactions on the low-density tiller growth rates and biomass production of three perennial grass species in a Kansas, USA mixed prairie. We transplanted plugs of each …

Effects Of Olfactory And Visual Predators On Nest Success And Nest-Site Selection Of Waterfowl In North Dakota, Jennifer Borgo

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

No abstract provided.

Predator-Prey Relationships And Spatial Ecology Of Jaguars In The Southern Pantanal, Brazil: Implications For Conservation And Management, Sandra Maria Cintra Cavalcanti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Pantanal wetland of Brazil is an important area for the conservation of jaguars (Panthera onca) and a stronghold for the species. Although our knowledge of jaguar ecology has increased since the first field studies in the mid 1980’s, a detailed study of this cryptic species remains challenging. In the following chapters, we investigated the ecology of jaguars in the southern Pantanal of Brazil. In Chapter II, we examined the foraging ecology of jaguars, documenting predation rates, patterns, and species killed. We found individual jaguars differed in the selection of their prey. There were differences in the proportion …

Livestock Mortality At Beef Farms With Chronic Wolf (Canis Lupus) Depredation In The Western Great Lakes Region (Wglr), Arion Vandergon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Gray wolf (Canis lupus) depredation on beef calves has been studied extensively in recent years. As wolf populations increase throughout the United States there is a corresponding increase in wolf/livestock interactions. Most research concentrates on summaries of reported depredations and surveys of producers affected by depredations. The objective of this study was to present data on the fate of beef calves on 3 farms in Minnesota and Wisconsin over a 2-year period. Predator presence/absence was studied as an indicator of potential depredations. Also, data are presented comparing 2 techniques that may aid researchers and livestock producers with monitoring …

Decadal-Scale Changes On Coral Reefs In Quintana Roo, Mexico, Thaddeus Allen Nicholls

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In 1988 data on coral reef community composition were collected from two areas, Akumal and Chemuyil, Quintana Roo, Mexico, ranging from 5-35m depth. These areas were revisited in 2005 and data were collected by the same methods and at the same depths as in 1988. Data from 1988 and 2005 were compared to determine if the coral reefs had undergone significant changes, and what specific changes had occurred. Chi-square analysis determined that community composition data collected in 1988 are significantly different from data collected in 2005 at all sites and depths within the categories of corals, gorgonians, sponges, and macroalgae. …

Reproductive Tactics Of Aphidophagous Lady Beetles: Comparison Of A Native Species And An Invasive Species That Is Displacing It, Yukie Kajita

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) has been introduced to North America in recent decades, raising concerns of adverse impacts on native lady beetles, including the congeneric C. transversoguttata richardsoni (Brown). The central focus of my dissertation is to understand the importance of reproduction, in particular, in promoting invasion of C. septempunctata and its replacement of native lady beetles in alfalfa fields of western North America.

Studies were conducted to compare reproductive tactics of the invasive C. septempunctata and the native C. transversoguttata, by addressing: 1) maximum rate of reproduction of overwintered lady beetles, 2) population dynamics of the invasive …

Ecotypic Variation In Elymus Elymoides Subspecies Brevifolius Race C In The Northern Intermountain West, Matthew C. Parsons

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Little information is available on the extent of local adaptation for many native grass species. This is the case for squirreltail (Elymus section Sitanion), despite this group's prevalence and importance in rangeland restoration efforts. I evaluated 32 populations of E. elymoides ssp. brevifolius race C, a phylogenetic subdivision of bottlebrush squirreltail (E. elymoides) centered in the northern Intermountain West, for phenotypic variables and neutral genetic markers to measure their association with geographical origin. Phenotypic traits were measured in common field and greenhouse environments, and genetic diversity was assessed using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism. Three factors were extracted from the phenotypic …

An Investigation Of The Early Life-History Of Brown Trout (Salmo Trutta) And Potential Influences On Invasion Success In The Logan River, Utah, Jeremiah Wood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Due to the significant threats posed by nonnative fish species worldwide, it is important to understand how life-history strategies of individual species interact with environmental conditions to explain the success or failure of nonnative fish invasions. Brown trout are prolific invaders, but often exhibit upstream distributional limits in Intermountain West streams, potentially due to a maladaptive reproductive life-history strategy influenced by hydrologic conditions in high-elevation areas. We used redd counts, egg survival experiments, and temperature modeling to investigate the reproductive life-history strategy of brown trout and its potential for success along an elevational stream gradient. We documented brown trout spawning …

Conservation Implications Of Winter-Feeding Policies For Mule Deer In Utah, Chris C. Peterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Policies regulating wildlife winter-feeding programs may have long-term impacts on conservation and future management of both target and non-target species. In 2000, the Utah Wildlife Board, upon reviewing input from a series of public regional meetings, adopted a Utah Big Game Winter-Feeding Policy. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources used this policy to regulate winter-feeding programs for mule deer in northern Utah, 2001-2005. I monitored the program effects on mule deer biology, activity and migration, and winter browse utilization and productivity.

While feed rations generally compensated for protein and energy deficiencies, they may overlook mineral deficiencies. To determine if mule …

Marketing Of Forest Reproductive Material: The Use Of Microsatellites For Identification Of Registered Tree Clones In Finland, Leena Koviuranta, Kari Leinonen, Pertti Pulkkinen

Aspen Bibliography

According to the current legislation on the marketing of forest reproductive material, tree clones marketed in the EU must have certain traits which make them identifiable, and these traits must have been accepted and registered by an official body. Due to this obligation, there is a need for reliable, functional and practicable methods for specifying these distinctive characters. We have developed a clone identification method for European and hybrid aspens and curly birch, based on nuclear microsatellites, which can be used for determining the distinctive characters mentioned in the directive. For aspens, we have used 18 loci, of which nine …

Granivores And Restoration: Implications Of Invasion And Considerations Of Context-Dependent Seed Removal, Steven M. Ostoja

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Granivores are important components of sagebrush communities in western North America. These same regions are being altered by the invasion of the exotic annual Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) that alters physical and biological dynamics in ways that appear to promote its persistence. This research directly relates to the restoration of B. tectorum-dominated systems in two inter-related ways. First, because these landscapes have large quantities of seeds applied during restoration, it is important to determine the major granivore communities in intact sagebrush communities and in nearby cheatgrass-dominated communities. Second, it is important to develop an understanding of patterns of seed harvest …

Growth And Water Relations Of Native Wheatgrass Populations, Brian P. Bell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Screening populations for development into released plant materials can be done inexpensively and in a timely manner. A common approach has been to quantify the amount of shoot dry mass produced as a surrogate for competitiveness. Besides dry mass production , other morphological characteristics have been employed , but physiological parameters have received less emphasis. Dry mass production may be an important characteristic, but identifying the traits responsible can be just as imperative . Populations with greater drought tolerance may be less impacted by competition for water from weeds, which could lead to greater establishment of desirable grasses on disturbed …

Validation Case Study : Treatment Effectiveness In Aspen Vegetation Type : A Comparison Of Two Types Of Treatments On The Manti-La Sal National Forest, Diane M. Cote

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Environmental Variation, Stochastic Extinction, And Competitive Coexistence, Peter B. Adler, John M. Drake

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Understanding how environmental fluctuations affect population persistence is essential for predicting the ecological impacts of expected future increases in climate variability. However, two bodies of theory make opposite predictions about the effect of environmental variation on persistence. Single‐species theory, common in conservation biology and population viability analyses, suggests that environmental variation increases the risk of stochastic extinction. By contrast, coexistence theory has shown that environmental variation can buffer inferior competitors against competitive exclusion through a storage effect. We reconcile these two perspectives by showing that in the presence of demographic stochasticity, environmental variation can increase the chance of extinction while …

Bats And Mines: Evaluating Townsend's Big-Eared Bat Maternity Colony Response To Reclamation, Gabrielle F. Diamond

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

With the loss or modification of natural roosting habitat afforded by caves, abandoned mines have assumed increased importance as surrogate roosting sites for Townsend's big-eared bats (Corynorhinus townsendii) and other chiropteran species. However, increasing concerns for human safety have led to accelerated programs for mine closure. In efforts to protect roosting sites in mines showing significant bat activity, "bat compatible" gates are installed, thus allowing continued access to mine workings. Aside from ensuring public safety, these structures afford protection from disturbance to roosting bats. To date few posting-gating studies have been conducted to obtain information on the effects …

Hydroacoustic Substrate Classification Accuracy And Faunal Assemblage Variation Between Artificial And Natural Rock Regions: Bear Lake, Utah/Idaho, Mike Moon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research designed to elucidate artificial reef efficacy in attraction and production is lacking. Delineation of the rock reef habitat, coupled with faunal patterns of substrate use within artificial and natural reef regions, will allow elucidation of the potential of artificial reefs to attract sport fishes, and function as surrogate natural habitat for the conservation of endemic fish species. We compared faunal assemblages and habitat complexity between artificial and natural reefs to access the efficacy of artificial reefs in conservation of the native community, and attraction of sport fishes.

We used hydroacoustics to map artificial and natural rock reefs within Bear …

Comparison Of Water Dynamics In Aspen And Conifer: Implications For Ecology Water Yield Augmentation, Eric Martin Lamalfa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Differences in water dynamics between deciduous aspen (Populus tremuloides) and co-occurring evergreen conifer species in the Northern Rocky Mountains result from complex physical and biological interactions. A comprehensive evaluation of individual water transfer mechanisms was used to elucidate the relative importance of several components of the hydro logic cycles of aspen and conifer, and determine which water transfer mechanisms have potential to cause differences in net water yield.

Adjacent aspen and conifer stands were monitored to determine snow accumulation and ablation (snow survey), soil moisture recharge (capacitance probes), snowpack sublimation (sublimation pan), transpiration period (thermal dissipation probes), and …

Remapping The Cliff Chipmunk (Neotamias Dorsalis) Distribution And Creating A Habitat Association Model In Southern Idaho, Masako Niwa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The distribution of the cliff chipmunk in Idaho was previously considered to include only the Raft River Valley and the Goose Creek Basin. A pilot study was conducted in 2003 and 2004. Thirty-five cliff chipmunk presence locations and 124 absence locations were recorded. Habitat variables of elevation, slope, deviation from south, distance to water, and vegetation type were extracted for all of the absence and presence points by means of GIS analysis. The data were analyzed by implementing a classification tree, and a "GIS habitat association model" was created. The model was tested in 2005, and the overall model accuracy …