Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Evaluating Beaver Translocation Methods For Desert River Restoration, Christine E. Sandbach

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wildlife translocation, or moving wild animals from their original home to a new location, is a common conservation practice; however, translocation programs have variable success rates. Beaver translocation is often used in stream restoration projects due to beavers’ role as ecosystem engineers—beavers enhance riparian habitat by building dams that hold water and create more diverse channels. Beaver translocation success is often limited by high mortality and long distance movement after release, and improvement in translocation methods is needed. My objective was to evaluate two methods of improving beaver translocation success in a degraded desert river in east-central Utah: beaver dam …

Intraspecific Variation In Prey Susceptibility Mediates The Consumptive Effect Of Predation: A Case Study Of Yellowstone Elk And Wolves, Lacy M. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The reintroduction of wolves (Canis lupus) to Yellowstone National Park starting in 1995 is an important case study for understanding the consequences of predation on a prey population. Simulation studies conducted prior to and shortly after wolf reintroduction predicted that wolf predation of elk (Cervus canadensis) would have a modest influence on elk abundance. Predation of elk by wolves has been well documented and elk have remained the primary prey for wolves despite a decline in elk abundance. I used two quantitative approaches to estimate the influence of wolf predation on adult female elk survival and …

A Comparison Of The Ecology Of Resident And Translocated Beavers Used For Passive Restoration In Degraded Desert Rivers, Emma Doden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ecosystem engineers are species that create, destroy, modify, or maintain habitat. As ecosystem engineers, beavers have the potential to assist in stream restoration. Translocation is the capture and relocation of an animal to another area. Translocation of nuisance beavers has become a popular method to reduce human-wildlife conflict and restore waterways. However, few projects monitor beavers after release and compare behavior to naturally occurring resident beavers. Translocations to desert rivers are also rare. We captured, tagged, and monitored 47 beavers which we translocated to desert river restoration sites on the Price and San Rafael Rivers, Utah, USA. We compared translocated …

Efficacy Of Translocation As A Management Tool For Urban Mule Deer In Utah, Channing R. Howard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An increase in urbanization in the United States has led to an increase in human-wildlife interactions with deer (Odocoileus spp.) which have been able to adapt and thrive in these urban environments. In Utah, urbanization has occurred along the Wasatch Front which was once traditional mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) winter range habitat. This urban expansion coupled with an increasing use of these urban areas by mule deer, have led to increasing conflicts with deer. Overabundant urban deer have led to increased concerns over safety from deer-vehicle collisions, and damage to personal property including gardens and landscaping. …

Influence Of Environmental Variables On Survival Rates Of Pronghorn (Antilocapra Americana) Neonates Across Idaho, Brett R. Panting

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was completed to better understand pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) populations found throughout Idaho. Antelope were studied in three separate and distinct study areas. The Big Desert, Camas Prairie, and Little Lost and Pahsimeroi valleys were all selected as study sites. Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) is concerned with current pronghorn populations found throughout Idaho. Pronghorn are a valued big game species found in Idaho. Increasing pronghorn populations in Idaho is a focus of IDFG.

We captured and VHF-collared pronghorn fawns found in our three study areas. Fawns were monitored daily with telemetry equipment for …

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 …

Effect Of Predator Removal On Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus Urophasianus) Ecology In The Bighorn Basin Conservation Area Of Wyoming, Elizabeth Kari Orning

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The decline of greater sage-grouse distribution and population densities across western North America has led conservation, research, and management objectives to focus efforts on understanding sage-grouse populations across their range. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of direct and indirect predation effects on hen survival and nest success of sage-grouse. The project was conducted in Hot Springs and Park Counties in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming. The study had three main objectives: 1) obtain and quantify the types and impacts of predators on sage-grouse hen survival and nest success, 2) compare the effect predator removals …

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 …

Mule Deer Reproduction And Survival In The Lasal Mountains, Utah, Randall B. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) reproduction and survival on the LaSal Mountains, Utah were studied from 1978-81. Reproductive rates were high, suggesting that summer and fall forage quality was adequate and was not responsible for low recruitment observed in recent years. The combined fetal rate, determined from laparotomies and carcasses, was 1.72 for all females older than 1 year (N = 114). Fetal rates were 1.15 for yearlings (N = 20), 1.80 for prime females (2-7 years, N = 78), and 1.75 for old females (8+ years, N = 16). No evidence of breeding was found among fawns (N …

Microenvironmental Effects Of Erosion Control Treatments On Seedling Survival In A Southeastern Utah Salt Desert Area, Ross W. Wein

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A study of the microclimate of erosion control treatments was carried out in two habitat types in a semiarid southeastern Utah, salt desert shrub area. The soils are highly eroded Mancos shale and support a low density of salt desert shrub species which offers little protection against high intensity summer convectional rainstorms.

Gully plugs and contour furrows had been installed by the Bureaus of Reclamation and Land Management to prevent runoff of soil laden water which results from these summer rainfalls. Formerly this sediment was carried to the Colorado River and deposited in Lake Powell.

The purpose to t he …