Genetics and Genomics Commons^™

Long-Term Vegetation Change In Utah's Henry Mountains: A Study In Repeat Photography, Charles E. Kay

Aspen Bibliography

An extensive search was conducted of archival and other sources to locate as many historical photographs as possible for the Henry Mountains in south-central Utah. Those images were then taken into the field, the original camera stations relocated, and modern pictures made of the historical scenes to evaluate long-term vegetation change and land management activities. In all, 626 repeat photo sets were compiled—608 by the author and 18 by Earl Hindley. This book includes 126 photo sets that were representative of the areas studied.

Regeneration Dynamics Of White Spruce, Trembling Aspen, And Balsam Poplar In Response To Disturbance, Climatic, And Edaphic Factors In The Cold, Dry Boreal Forests Of The Southwest Yukon, Canada, Shyam K. Paudel, Craig R. Nitschke, Suzanne W. Simard, John L. Innes

Aspen Bibliography

The southwestern region of the Yukon Territory of Canada has experienced an unprecedented spruce bark beetle outbreak (Dendroctonus rufipennis) and an increase in the frequency of forest fires that extend beyond historical trends and that have caused significant impacts on forest structure and composition. A Strategic Forest Management Plan (SFMP) for the Champagne and Aishihik Traditional Territory located in the southwest Yukon was implemented in 2004 in response to the spruce bark beetle (D. rufipennis) infestation and increased fire risk. The plan has recommended salvage harvesting of beetle-killed stands as a strategy to facilitate the development …

An Exploration Of Fern Genome Space, Paul G. Wolf, Emily B. Sessa, D. Blaine Marchant, Fay-Wei Li, Carl J. Rothfels, Erin M. Sigel, Mathew A. Gitzendanner, Clayton J. Visger, Jo Ann Banks, Douglas E. Soltis, Pamela S. Soltis, Kathleen M. Pryer, Joshua P. Der

An Exploration of Fern Genome Space

Ferns are one of the few remaining major clades of land plants for which a complete genome sequence is lacking. Knowledge of genome space in ferns will enable broad-scale comparative analyses of land plant genes and genomes, provide insights into genome evolution across green plants, and shed light on genetic and genomic features that characterize ferns, such as their high chromosome numbers and large genome sizes. As part of an initial exploration into fern genome space, we used a whole genome shotgun sequencing approach to obtain low-density coverage (1X to 2X) for six fern species from the Polypodiales (Ceratopteris …

Data From: Genotyping-By-Sequencing For Populus Population Genomics: An Assessment Of Genome Sampling Patterns And Filtering Approaches, Paul G. Wolf, Martin P. Schilling, Aaron M. Duffy, Hardeep S. Rai, Carol A. Rowe, Karen E. Mock, Bryce A. Richardson

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Continuing advances in nucleotide sequencing technology are inspiring a suite of genomic approaches in studies of natural populations. Researchers are faced with data management and analytical scales that are increasing by orders of magnitude. With such dramatic advances comes a need to understand biases and error rates, which can be propagated and magnified in large-scale data acquisition and processing. Here we assess genomic sampling biases and the effects of various population-level data filtering strategies in a genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) protocol. We focus on data from two species of Populus, because this genus has a relatively small genome and is emerging …

Sudden Aspen Decline Report For Spruce Beetle Epidemic And Aspen Decline Management Response Eis, Jim Worrall, Suzanne Marchetti, Gerald E. Rehfeldt

Aspen Bibliography

Aspen is an important component of GMUG’s forests. Over 288,000 ha (712,000 acres) of aspendominated forest type (TAA) occur across the GMUG (Table 1). Just over half (55%) of the aspen forest type is outside wilderness and roadless areas.

Data From: Further Examination Of The Geographic Range Of Eriogonum Corymbosum Var. Nilesii (Polygonaceae), Mark W. Ellis, Paul G. Wolf, Shannon Bardot, James A. Walton, Carol A. Rowe, Sarah Kulpa, Karen E. Mock

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The buckwheat Eriogonum corymbosum is widely distributed throughout the southwestern United States, forming a complex of eight varieties. Eriogonum corymbosum var. nilesii is a primarily yellow-flowered taxon reported only from Clark County, Nevada. A previous genetic study by our research group found that variety nilesii is genetically distinct from other E. corymbosum varieties, based on a limited number of populations. Here, we assess genetic variation in 14 newly sampled yellow-flowered populations from southern Nevada, southern Utah, and northern Arizona, and compare them to genetic variation in six populations of previously determined E. corymbosum varieties. Of the new populations, we identified …

Elk (Cervus Elaphus) Seasonal Habitat Selection In A Heterogeneous Forest Structure, Jesse N. Popp, David N.C. Mcgeachy, Josef Hamr

Aspen Bibliography

Seasonal habitat selection by the reintroduced Burwash elk population, approximately 30 km south of Sudbury, Ontario, has been analysed in order to assist in the development of future management. Twenty-five adult females were radio-collared and tracked 1–3 times a week for 3 years. The most prominent patterns included selection of intolerant hardwood forests (trembling aspen, white birch, and balsam poplar) during all seasons, while Great Lakes-St. Lawrence pines (white and red pine dominated stands) were used less than expected based on availability for all seasons. The selection patterns are likely associated with seasonal climatic conditions and forage preferences. Because the …

Transcriptome Characterization And Detection Of Gene Expression Differences In Aspen (Populus Tremuloides), Hardeep S. Rai, Karen E. Mock, Bryce A. Richardson, Richard C. Cronn, Katherine J. Hayden, Jessica W. Wright, Brian J. Knaus, Paul G. Wolf

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Wolf Creek Ranch Aspen Monitoring Report, Paul C. Rogers, Allison Jones, James Catlin, James Shuler, Arthur Morris, Michael Kuhns

Aspen Bibliography

In the summer of 2012 we undertook a landscape assessment of aspen forest conditions at Wolf Creek Ranch (WCR) near Kamas, Utah. Using a geographic information system (GIS) coverage of predicted aspen coverage, fifty systematically selected field "plots" were located and mapped with aspen stands around WCR. Seven plots were eventually discarded from our survey due to lack of aspen cover. Volunteer field crews, mostly WCR homeowners, collected aspen data documenting tree sizes, height/age groups, diameters, reproduction, mortality, browse levels, and browse animal use levels.

Aspen Status Report And Recommendation For The Book Cliffs, Paul C. Rogers, Cody M. Mittanck, Ronald J. Ryel

Aspen Bibliography

Regionally quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) forests are experiencing numerous impediments to resilience. In the West, recent drought, fire suppression, insects, diseases, climate trends, inappropriate management, and ungulate herbivory are impacting these high biodiversity forests. We conducted a landscape assessment of aspen communities in the Book Cliffs region, Vernal Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management, for the purposes of determining landscape-level status of aspen and making recommendations for future management of these forests. The study area consists of 268 distinct aspen polygons totaling approximately 70 ha (174 acres) of aspen forest surrounded by much larger tracts of …

Book Cliffs Roadless Area Aspen Study 2013 : Grand & Uintah Counties, Utah, Cody M. Mittanck

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Temperature On Seed Quality And Quantity In Crosses Between European (Populus Tremula) And Hybrid Aspens (P. Tremula X P. Tremuloides), L. Koviuranta, T. Latva-Karjanmaa, P. Pulkkinen

Aspen Bibliography

Hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. Populus tremuloides Michx.) plantations are expanding in Fennoscandia and the Baltic countries; however, the possible effects of plantations on the native European aspen (P. tremula) and the level of gene flow between European and hybrid aspen have not been investigated. We studied seed quantity and quality in intraspecific and interspecific crosses of the European and hybrid aspens over a two year period. In order to study whether elevated temperatures due to climate change would benefit the species differently, we performed the crosses in different temperatures. In both years, interspecific crosses produced more seeds with higher …

Effects Of Slash Pile Burning After Restoring Conifer- Encroached Aspen, Christa M. Dagley, John-Pascal Berrill, Stephanie Coppeto, Kyle Jacobson

Aspen Bibliography

Removal of conifers encroaching aspen stands has been advocated and is being practiced in the Lake Tahoe Basin (EIP Project #10080: Aspen Community Restoration Projects). In remote and roadless areas, thinning of conifers is generating large volumes of wood and pile burning is currently being implemented to handle this biomass on site. However, the effects of pile burning on aspen are unknown, and there is an urgent need for guidelines to support design of thinning treatment prescriptions; specifically burn pile size and safe distances from live aspen trees of any size to prevent injury.

Facilitation Drives Mortality Patterns Along Succession Gradients Of Aspen-Conifer Forests, W. John Calder, Samuel B. St. Clair

Aspen Bibliography

While it is well established that facilitation and competition are important structuring forces in plant communities, a clear understanding of the interactions between them and how they change through the life stages of plants and affect long-term plant community development is lacking. We have observed that conifer seedlings are rarely found growing in meadows but readily establish under adjacent aspen stands, particularly at the base of aspen trees, creating the potential for antagonistic interactions in later life stages. To examine these relationships and their potential consequences on forest community development, we characterized patterns of establishment, regeneration, and overstory mortality of …

Widespread Triploidy In Western North American Aspen (Populus Tremuloides), Karen E. Mock, Colin M. Callahan, M. Nurul Islam-Faridi, John D. Shaw, Hardeep S. Rai, Stewart C. Sanderson, Carol A. Rowe, Ronald J. Ryel, Michael D. Madritch, Richard S. Gardner, Paul G. Wolf

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Pando Clone (World's Largest Living Organism?) History And Evaluation : Case Study For Revalidation, Allen V. Henningson

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Decision Memo: Pando Aspen Clone Restoration Project, Kurt Robins

Aspen Bibliography

The Pando Clone is located in Township 26 South, Range 1 East, Sections 24 and 25 about 1 mile southwest of the Lakeside Resort on State Highway 25 and about 1 mile due east of Mallard Bay at the southwest corner of Fish Lake (see map). The Pando Clone is the largest aspen clone in the world and the largest (most massive) single living organism in existence that has been discovered to date (Grant, 1993; DeWoody et al, 2008). It encompasses approximately 106 acres and is estimated to weigh in excess of 13 million pounds (Grant, 1993). This clone is …

Fine Roots Of Aspen Clones In High Salt And Petroleum Hydrocarbon Pollution, Kim Yrjälä, Ivika Ostonen, Shinjini Mukherjee, Timo Sipila, Lu-Min Vaario, Pertti Pulkkinen

Aspen Bibliography

The quality of polluted soil can much be improved and the environmental risks reduced by use of phytoremediation. Harmful hydrocarbon compounds can be degraded through the activity of plant and its associated microbes. We previously showed that PAHs increase aromatic ring-cleavage gene diversity in rhizosphere of birch (Sipilä et al. 2008, Yrjälä et al. 2010a) and the rhizosphere of aspen harbors Burkholderia bacteria able to degrade aromatics (Yrjälä et al. 2010b). The results are promising for successful remediation of polluted soils with woody plants. The aim of our studies is to elucidate the response of the plant and the associated …

Leaf Number Indicates Salt Tolerance Of Young Seedling Families Of European Aspen (Populus Tremula L.) Growing In Different Soils, Lu-Min Vaario, Kim Yrjälä, Matti Rousi, Timo Sipila, Pertti Pulkkinen

Aspen Bibliography

Soil salinity limits plant productivity and quality. We evaluated the response of 12 aspen (Populus tremula) families to salt stress in two different soils irrigated for 4-weeks with 0, 80 or 160 mM saline solution. Easily measurable characteristics such as shoot height, leaf number, dry mass as well as the distribution of sodium (Na+) ions were measured in 5-month-old aspen seedlings raised in controlled greenhouse conditions on two different soils. Growth among families varied significantly, and the interaction between family and soil type was significant. From 2–5 months, leaf number correlated with that of the first month and salin-ity tolerance. …

Multicentury Fire And Forest Histories At 19 Sites In Utah And Eastern Nevada, Emily K. Heyerdahl, Peter M. Brown, Stanley G. Kitchen, Marc H. Weber

Aspen Bibliography

Our objective is to provide site-specific fire and forest histories from Utah and eastern Nevada that can be used for land management or additional research. We systematically sampled fire scars and tree-recruitment dates across broad gradients in elevation and forest type at 13 sites in Utah and 1 in eastern Nevada to characterize spatial and temporal variation in historical fire regimes as well as forest structure and composition. We collected similar data non-systematically at five additional sites in Utah. These 19 sites include a broad range of forest types (from pinyon-juniper woodlands to spruce-fir forests) and fire regime types. In …

Oregon Aspen Project, Forest Restoration Partnership

Aspen Bibliography

The Oregon Aspen Project was initiated in response to the decline of aspen groves in Oregon and throughout the Western United States, and the lack of information to guide managers interested in stewardship to enhance this resource. There were three central goals and accompanying objectives for this project which are listed below. The project accomplishments are provided below each bulleted objective

Phenotypic And Genetic Characterization Of Wildland Collections Of Western And Searls Prairie Clovers For Rangeland Revegetation In The Western Usa, Kishor Bhattarai

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Western prairie clover [Dalea ornata (Douglas ex Hook.) Eaton & J. Wright] is a perennial legume that occurs in the northern Great Basin, Snake River Basin, and southern Columbia Plateau, whereas Searls prairie clover [Dalea searlsiae (A. Gray) Barneby], also a perennial legume, occurs in the southern Great Basin and surrounding areas. Understanding the genetic and ecotypic variation of these prairie clovers is a prerequisite for developing populations suitable for rangeland revegetation in the western USA. DNA sequences of internal transcribed spacer (ITS/5.8S) and trnK/matK were used to study the phylogeny of these species. The species were distinguished …

Plastic And Genetic Determination Of Population, Community, And Ecosystem Properties In Freshwater Environments, Leigh C. Latta Iv

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The hierarchy of biological organization, from molecules to ecosystems, describes the relationships among various biological systems. Of particular interest is assessing how the factors that primarily determine the nature of one hierarchical level also have transcendent qualities that affect the ecology and evolution of higher hierarchical levels. The goal of this dissertation was to use a bottom-up approach to examine the transcendent effects of two factors that strongly determine the nature of their associated level of biological organization. The first, phenotypic plasticity, is a primary factor that determines the phenotype of an individual. The second factor, genetic diversity, largely determines …

Genomic Perspectives On Evolution In Bracken Fern, Joshua P. Der

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The fern genus Pteridium comprises a number of closely related species distributed throughout the world. Collectively they are called bracken ferns and have historically been treated as a single species, Pteridium aquilinum. Bracken is notorious as a toxic weed that colonizes open fields and poisons livestock. Bracken is also easily cultured and has become one of the most intensively studied ferns. Bracken has been used as a model system for the study of the fern life cycle, fern gametophyte development, the pheromonal mechanism of sex determination, toxicology, invasion ecology, and climate change. This dissertation places bracken within a global …

An Entrepreneurial Approach To Librarianship, Flora Shrode, Jennifer Duncan, Wendy Holliday

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

Librarians from Utah State University explain recent efforts to encourage subject librarians to take a more holistic view of their roles. We are shifting from a traditional emphasis primarily on collection development and refocusing on natural connections between collections, instruction, liaison, and reference service. The poster provides background about Utah State University’s situation and explains our approach to analyzing local needs and culture to inform development of a new organizational structure. We describe our vision of subject librarianship, the process by which we assessed librarians’ ideas and goals for performing as subject librarians, and the actions we are taking to …

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.

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

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

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.

Evolutionary Genetics Of Tetrodotoxin (Ttx) Resistance In Snakes: Tracking A Feeding Adaptation From Populations Through Clades, Chris R. Feldman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Understanding the nature of adaptive evolution has been the recent focus of research detailing the genetic basis of adaptation and theoretical work describing the mechanics of adaptive evolution. Nevertheless, key questions regarding the process of adaptive evolution remain. Ultimately, a detailed description of the ecological context, evolutionary history, and genetic basis of adaptations is required to advance our understanding of adaptive evolution. To address some of the contemporary issues surrounding adaptive evolution, I examine phenotypic and genotypic changes in a snake feeding adaptation.

Adaptations can arise through fixation of novel mutations or recruitment of existing variation. Some populations of the …