Other Life Sciences Commons^™

Design, Implementation, And Reflection From An Interdisciplinary Course In Museum Studies, Brenna L. Decker

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this introduction here.

In Spring of 2023, I developed a special topics course titled Collection Material Handling to introduce students to museum management using Utah State University collections on the Logan, UT campus. The cross-listed upper-level course brought 16 USU students together from two disciplines: anthropology and natural sciences. The publication details how I used various learning theories to guide the creation of course content and how I structured and implemented activities in the classroom and in the collections. Examples of worksheets, activities, student feedback, and recommended improvements to assignments are provided. I encourage …

An Effective Method For Long-Term Control Of American Bullfrogs Syntopic With Special-Status Native Amphibians In California, Usa, Jeff A. Alvarez, Jeffery T. Wilcox

Human–Wildlife Interactions

American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) are invasive in western North America and are well established in California, USA, where they are widespread. This invasive species has been implicated in the decrease of native amphibian populations and is believed to have contributed to the decline of threatened and endangered amphibians regionally. We utilized air rifles, tin alloy pellets, and 2 shooters to systematically control L. catesbeianus in both lentic and lotic habitat types within 2 counties in California. We visited sites monthly (April through November) for approximately 8 and 14 years to lethally target and remove L. catesbeianus …

Public Benefits And Private Costs: Implications For Moose Management In The Adirondacks, Heidi E. Kretser, Nancy A. Connelly, T. Bruce Lauber, Richard C. Stedman, Jeremy Hurst, David W. Kramer, James H. Stickles

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Private lands beyond protected area boundaries have long been recognized as important to sustaining wildlife as a public resource. However, private landowners may perceive disproportionate negative impacts from wildlife sustained by these lands, and these perceptions may impede effective management. We explore perceived issues related to managing moose (Alces alces), a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in New York State (NYS), USA, as a public benefit while simultaneously addressing private landowners’ concerns. We examined the public benefits of moose and attitudes toward potential management actions using surveys of NYS residents and Northern New York (NNY) residential landowners. We …

Thriving Hives: The Beekeeper's Annual Journal, Andree' Walker Bravo, Shauna Collard Bagley, Sheriden M. Hansen, Jaydee Gunnell

All Current Publications

This beekeeping journal organizes apiary information at your fingertips, along with monthly tasks and tips to help beekeepers be successful with their hives.

An Introduction To The Special Issue: Island Invaders, Aaron B. Shiels, Shane R. Siers, S. Nicole Frey

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This is the introductory letter from the associate editors of the special issue on Island Invaders.

Identifying Optimal Stocking Strategies To Support Recovery Of An Endemic Lake Sucker, Dale R. Fonken

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Endemic fishes in the intermountain west experienced significant population declines in the 20th century due to a variety of disturbances, including habitat fragmentation, water development, and the introduction of non-native, predatory fish species. The combination of habitat degradation with increased predation risk can severely limit natural recruitment for native fish species, and in response, fisheries managers have employed a variety of recovery strategies to prevent extinction. Among the most prominent strategies is artificial propagation and subsequent release of individuals into the natural environment (i.e., stocking). Artificial propagation is an expensive endeavor, and when not coupled with a research component, can …

Comparing Multiple Approaches To Reconstructing The Phosphorus History Of Marl Lakes: A Utah Lake Case Study, Mark R. Devey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Freshwater lakes around the world have suffered from the increasing occurrence of harmful algal blooms in recent decades. One of the most pressing reasons water quality managers try to address harmful algal blooms is that some of the species that occur with them produce toxins which can affect humans, pets, and wildlife. In many lakes, the nutrient phosphorus controls whether these harmful algal and bacterial species can occur. Therefore, efforts to control harmful algal blooms often center around reducing inputs of phosphorus from a variety of sources within the watershed. Scientists and water quality managers have long been challenged by …

Human–Carnivore Conflicts In A Recently Established Pakistani National Park, Rukhsana Khatoon, Maqsood Anwar, Charles H. Nilon, Matthew E. Gompper

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Human–carnivore conflicts (HCCs) are increasing globally. These conflicts may encompass competition for food resources, crop and livestock depredations, and attacks on humans. Concerns over conflicts may result in retaliatory killings of carnivores and negative views of wildlife or landscape conservation. Yet, despite the economic and conservation implications of HCCs, data regarding the magnitude and severity of the conflicts may be lacking because many incidents are unreported. To better inform this issue, we compared HCC data for 2016 to 2018 obtained from official records of the Punjab Wildlife and Parks Department for a newly established national park in the Punjab Region …

Hunter Motivations And Use Of Wild Pigs In Texas, Usa, Rachael L. Connally, Maureen G. Frank, Gary E. Briers, Nova J. Silvy, Keith M. Carlisle, John M. Tomeček

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are a widespread exotic, invasive species that pose ecological, agricultural, and human health risks in their invaded range. Wildlife managers must manage wild pig abundance and range expansion to mitigate these risks. The diversity of stakeholders involved in the issue of wild pig management complicates efforts to manage the species, and, to be successful, wildlife professionals must consider the human dimensions associated with wild pig management. The prevalence of privately owned lands in Texas, USA necessitates cooperation to enact effective management policies. In this study, we investigate the impact of hunter motivations on wild …

Characteristics Of Non-Fatal Attacks By Black Bears: Conterminous United States, 2000–2017, Janel M. Scharhag, Cady Sartini, Shawn M. Crimmins, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Jeffrey B. Stetz

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Attacks on humans by bears (Ursus spp.) have increased in recent decades, as both human and bear populations have increased. To help mitigate the risk of future attacks, it is important to understand the circumstances in past attacks. Information and analyses exist regarding fatal attacks by both American black bears (Ursus americanus) and brown bears (U. arctos) as well as non-fatal attacks by brown bears. No similarly thorough analyses on non-fatal attacks by black bears are available. Our study addressed this information gap by analyzing all (n = 210) agency-confirmed, non-fatal attacks by black …

Constraining The Atmospheric Limb Of The Plastic Cycle, Janice Brahney, Natalie Mahowald, Marje Prank, Gavin Cornwell, Zbigniew Kilmont, Hitoshi Matsui, Kimberly Ann Prather

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental and social issues of the 21st century. Recent work has highlighted the atmosphere’s role in transporting microplastics to remote locations [S. Allen et al., Nat. Geosci. 12, 339 (2019) and J. Brahney, M. Hallerud, E. Heim, M. Hahnenberger, S. Sukumaran, Science 368, 1257–1260 (2020)]. Here, we use in situ observations of microplastic deposition combined with an atmospheric transport model and optimal estimation techniques to test hypotheses of the most likely sources of atmospheric plastic. Results suggest that atmospheric microplastics in the western United States are primarily derived from secondary re-emission …

A Decision Tool To Identify Population Management Strategies For Common Ravens And Other Avian Predators, Andrea F. Currylow, Brenda J. Hanley, Kerry L. Holcomb, Timothy Shields, Stephen Boland, William I. Boarman, Mercy Vaughn

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Some avian species have developed the capacity to leverage resource subsidies associated with human manipulated landscapes to increase population densities in habitats with naturally low carrying capacities. Elevated corvid densities and new territory establishment have led to an unsustainable increase in depredation pressure on sympatric native wildlife prey populations as well as in crop damage. Yet, subsidized predator removal programs aimed at reducing densities are likely most effective longer-term when conducted in tandem with subsidy control, habitat management, and robust assessment monitoring programs. We developed decision support software that leverages stage structured Lefkovitch population matrices to compare and identify treatment …

Individual Behavior Drives Ecosystem Function And The Impacts Of Harvest, Jacob E. Allgeier, Timothy J. Cline, Timothy E. Walsworth, Gus Wathen, Craig A. Layman, Daniel E. Schindler

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Current approaches for biodiversity conservation and management focus on sustaining high levels of diversity among species to maintain ecosystem function. We show that the diversity among individuals within a single population drives function at the ecosystem scale. Specifically, nutrient supply from individual fish differs from the population average >80% of the time, and accounting for this individual variation nearly doubles estimates of nutrients supplied to the ecosystem. We test how management (i.e., selective harvest regimes) can alter ecosystem function and find that strategies targeting more active individuals reduce nutrient supply to the ecosystem up to 69%, a greater effect than …

Engaging Faculty In Preparing Students For Non-Academic Environmental Careers, Carmen R. Cid, Mark W. Brunson

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

As a biology major at New York University, I was introduced to ecology in a course that bused the class out of New York University's Greenwich Village campus every weekend, to investigate biodiversity patterns in nearby forests and wetlands. After a day crossing bogs and walking through forests, I would take the subway home, hip boots in hand, reflecting on how the day's activities connected to my routine city life. Engaging others in understanding the city connections to adjacent habitats became my life's work. As Dean of Arts and Sciences at a public liberal arts university, I encourage faculty and …

Hydrods: Data Services In Support Of Physically Based, Distributed Hydrological Models, Tseganeh Zekiewos Gichamo, Nazmus S. Sazib, David G. Tarboton, Pabitra Dash

Publications

Physically based distributed hydrologic models require geospatial and time-series data that take considerable time and effort in processing them into model inputs. Tools that automate and speed up input processing facilitate the application of these models. In this study, we developed a set of web-based data services called HydroDS to provide hydrologic data processing ‘software as a service.’ HydroDS provides functions for processing watershed, terrain, canopy, climate, and soil data. The services are accessed through a Python client library that facilitates developing simple but effective data processing workflows with Python. Evaluations of HydroDS by setting up the Utah Energy Balance …

Interactions With Humans Shape Coyote Responses To Hazing, Julie K. Young, Edd Hammill, Stewart W. Breck

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Medium and large carnivores coexist with people in urban areas globally, occasionally resulting in negative interactions that prompt questions about how to reduce human-wildlife conflict. Hazing, i.e., scaring wildlife, is frequently promoted as an important non-lethal means for urbanites to reduce conflict but there is limited scientific evidence for its efficacy. We used a population of captive coyotes (Canis latrans) to simulate urban human-coyote interactions and subsequent effects of hazing on coyote behavior. Past experiences with humans significantly affected the number of times a coyote approached a human to necessitate hazing. Coyotes that had been hand fed by …

Sage‐Grouse Breeding And Late Brood‐Rearing Habitat Guidelines In Utah, David K. Dahlgren, Terry A. Messmer, Benjamin A. Crabb, Michel T. Kohl, Shandra Nicole Frey, Eric T. Thacker, Randy T. Larsen, Rick J. Baxter

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Delineation, protection, and restoration of habitats provide the basis for endangered and threatened species recovery plans. Species recovery plans typically contain guidelines that provide managers with a scientific basis to designate and manage critical habitats. As such, habitat guidelines are best developed using data that capture the full diversity of ecological and environmental conditions that provide habitat across the species’ range. However, when baseline information, which fails to capture habitat diversity, is used to develop guidelines, inconsistencies and problems arise when applying those guidelines to habitats within an ecologically diverse landscape. Greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage‐ grouse) populations …

Improving Lake Mixing Process Simulations In The Community Land Model By Using K Profile Parameterization, Qunhui Zhang, Jiming Jin, Xiaochun Wang, Phaedra E. Budy, Nick Barrett, Sarah E. Null

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

We improved lake mixing process simulations by applying a vertical mixing scheme, K profile parameterization (KPP), in the Community Land Model (CLM) version 4.5, developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Vertical mixing of the lake water column can significantly affect heat transfer and vertical temperature profiles. However, the current vertical mixing scheme in CLM requires an arbitrarily enlarged eddy diffusivity to enhance water mixing. The coupled CLM-KPP considers a boundary layer for eddy development, and in the lake interior water mixing is associated with internal wave activity and shear instability. We chose a lake in Arctic Alaska and …

The Next Frontier: Making Research More Reproducible, David E. Rosenberg, Yves Fillion, Rebecca L. Teasley, Samuel Sandoval-Solis, Jory S. Hecht, Jakobus E. Van Zyl, George F. Mcmahon, Jeffery S. Horsburgh, Joseph R. Kasprzyk, David G. Tarboton

Publications

Science and engineering rest on the concept of reproducibility. An important question for any study is: are the results reproducible? Can the results be recreated independently by other researchers or professionals? Research results need to be independently reproduced and validated before they are accepted as fact or theory. Across numerous fields like psychology, computer systems, and water resources there are problems to reproduce research results (Aarts et al. 2015; Collberg et al. 2014; Hutton et al. 2016; Stagge et al. 2019; Stodden et al. 2018). This editorial examines the challenges to reproduce research results and suggests community practices to overcome …

Soil Net Nitrogen Mineralisation Across Global Grasslands, A. C. Risch, S. Zimmermann, R. Ochoa-Hueso, M. Schütz, B. Frey, J. L. Firn, P. A. Fay, F. Hagedorn, E. T. Borer, E. W. Seabloom, W. S. Harpole, J. M. H. Knops, R. L. Mcculley, A. A. D. Broadbent, C. J. Stevens, M. L. Silveira, Peter B. Adler, Et Al.

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Soil nitrogen mineralisation (N_min), the conversion of organic into inorganic N, is important for productivity and nutrient cycling. The balance between mineralisation and immobilisation (net N_min) varies with soil properties and climate. However, because most global-scale assessments of net N_min are laboratory-based, its regulation under field-conditions and implications for real-world soil functioning remain uncertain. Here, we explore the drivers of realised (field) and potential (laboratory) soil net N_min across 30 grasslands worldwide. We find that realised N_min is largely explained by temperature of the wettest quarter, microbial biomass, clay content and bulk density. …

Estimating Total And Bioavailable Nutrient Loading To Utah Lake From The Atmosphere, Janice Brahney

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Anthropogenic activities have led to increases in the emission, atmospheric transport, and deposition of key nutrients. In addition, climate change along with anthropogenic soil disturbance has led to recent increases in the mobilization and transport of soils and other particles through the atmosphere, collectively described here as dust. These increased emissions have led to growing interest and concern over the composition of atmospheric deposition and total loading of nutrients to aquatic systems. In the last several decades, much effort has been directed towards the measurement and modeling of nitrogen deposition through wet and aerosol deposition. Less is known about the …

Timing Of Invasion By Africanized Bees Coincides With Local Extinction Of A Specialized Pollinator Of A Rare Poppy In Utah, Usa, Amber D. Tripodi, Vincent J. Tepedino, Zachary M. Portman

All PIRU Publications

The introduction of exotic species can have profound impacts on mutualisms between native species in invaded areas. However, determining whether a new invader has impacted native species depends on accurately reconstructing the invasion timing. The arrival of Africanized honey bees (AHB) in southern Utah at some point between 1994 and 2011 has recently been implicated in the local extinction of Perdita meconis, a native specialist pollinator of an endangered poppy, Arctomecon humilis. Although AHBs were purportedly first detected in southern Utah in 2008, their presence in nearby Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico by 1998–2001 suggests that they may …

Effects Of Severe Water Stress On Maize Growth Processes In The Field, Libing Song, Jiming Jin, Jianqiang He

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

In this study, we investigated the effects of water stress on the growth and yield of summer maize (Zea mays L.) over four phenological stages: Seedling, jointing, heading, and grain-filling. Water stress treatments were applied during each of these four stages in a water-controlled field in the Guanzhong Plain, China between 2013 and 2016. We found that severe water stress during the seedling stage had a greater effect on the growth and development of maize than stress applied during the other three stages. Water stress led to lower leaf area index (LAI) and biomass owing to reduced intercepted photosynthetically active …

Effects Of Land-Use Change And Prey Abundance On The Body Condition Of An Obligate Carnivore At The Wildland-Urban Interface, Courtney A. C. Coon, Bradley C. Nichols, Zara Mcdonald, David C. Stoner

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Land-use change represents a primary driver of carnivore population declines, yet some large carnivore species have acclimated and persist within anthropogenically altered landscapes. Previous attention has been focused on the genetic and behavioral implications of land-use changes, but few studies have investigated how human development impacts animal physiology and health. Here we examined how body condition scores of a widely distributed North American carnivore, the puma (Puma concolor), are affected by anthropogenic habitat modification. For this study we collected 252 puma camera trap events across a land-use gradient in the San Francisco Bay Area. We found that pumas …

A Case For Eustress In Grazing Animals, Juan J. Villalba, Xavier Manteca

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Herbivores grazing in extensive systems are exposed to a series of challenges, rooted in the inherent spatial and temporal variability of their environment that potentially constrain their health, nutrition, and welfare. Nevertheless, in this review, we argue that challenges induced by some biotic (e.g., vegetation) and abiotic (e.g., terrain) factors may also be viewed as “positive” sources of stress or eustress, since they present complex problems, that when solved successfully elicit a greater degree of behavioral plasticity and adaptability in grazing animals. Chemically and structurally diverse landscapes require animals to display complex behaviors and exhibit adaptive capabilities, like building a …

Use Of Low-Cost Ambient Particulate Sensors In Nablus, Palestine With Application To The Assessment Of Regional Dust Storms, Abdelhaleem Khader, Randal S. Martin

Publications

Few air pollutant studies within the Palestinian territories have been reported in the literature. In March–April and May–June of 2018, three low-cost, locally calibrated particulate monitors (AirU’s) were deployed at different elevations and source areas throughout the city of Nablus in Northern West Bank, Palestine. During each of the three-week periods, high but site-to-site similar particulate matter less than 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM_2.5) and less than 10 µm (PM₁₀) concentrations were observed. The PM_2.5 concentrations at the three sampling locations and during both sampling periods averaged 38.2 ± 3.6 µg/m³, well …

Climate Change Accelerates Recovery Of The Tatra Mountain Lakes From Acidification And Increases Their Nutrient And Chlorophyll A Concentrations, Jiří Kopáček, Jiří Kaňa, Svetlana Bičárová, Janice Brahney, Tomáš Navrátil, Stephen A. Norton, Petr Porcal, Evžen Stuchlik

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

We evaluated changes in the concentration of cations, anions, nutrients (dissolved organic carbon, DOC; phosphorus, P; and nitrogen forms including nitrate, NO₃⁻ and total organic nitrogen, TON), and chlorophyll a (Chl-a) in 31 Tatra Mountain lakes in Slovakia and Poland during their recovery from acidic deposition (1992–2018). Typical effects of decreasing acidic deposition on the lakes’ water composition, such as decreasing base cation concentrations, were confounded by climate change and catchment characteristics, including areal proportions of well-developed soils and scree. A climate-related increase in physical erosion provided freshly exposed unweathered granodiorite (the dominant bedrock) to chemical …

The Future Of Blue Carbon Science, Peter I. Macreadie, Andrea Anton, John A. Raven, Nicola Beaumont, Rod M. Connolly, Daniel A. Friess, Jeffrey J. Kelleway, Hilary Kennedy, Tomohiro Kuwae, Paul S. Lavery, Catherine E. Lovelock, Dan A. Smale, Eugenia T. Apostolaki, Trisha Brooke Atwood, Jeff Baldock, Thomas S. Bianchi, Gail L. Chmura, Bradley D. Eyre, James W. Fourqurean, Jason M. Hall-Spencer, Mark Huxham, Iris E. Hendriks, Dorte Krause-Jensen, Dan Laffoley, Tiziana Luisetti, Núria Marbà, Pere Masque, Karen J. Mcglathery, J. Patrick Megonigal, Daniel Murdiyarso, Bayden D. Russell, Rui Santos, Oscar Serrano, Brian R. Silliman, Kenta Watanabe, Carlos M. Duarte

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

The term Blue Carbon (BC) was first coined a decade ago to describe the disproportionately large contribution of coastal vegetated ecosystems to global carbon sequestration. The role of BC in climate change mitigation and adaptation has now reached international prominence. To help prioritise future research, we assembled leading experts in the field to agree upon the top-ten pending questions in BC science. Understanding how climate change affects carbon accumulation in mature BC ecosystems and during their restoration was a high priority. Controversial questions included the role of carbonate and macroalgae in BC cycling, and the degree to which greenhouse gases …

Tannin-Containing Legumes And Forage Diversity Influence Foraging Behavior, Diet Digestibility, And Nitrogen Excretion By Lambs, Sebastian Lagrange, Juan J. Villalba

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Diverse combinations of forages with different nutrient profiles and plant secondary compounds may improve intake and nutrient utilization by ruminants. We tested the influence of diverse dietary combinations of tannin- (sainfoin-Onobrichis viciifolia; birdsfoot trefoil-Lotus corniculatus) and non-tannin- (alfalfa-Medicago sativa L.) containing legumes on intake and diet digestibility in lambs. Freshly cut birdsfoot trefoil, alfalfa, and sainfoin were offered in ad libitum amounts to 42 lambs in individual pens assigned to 7 treatments (6 animals/treatment): 1) single forage species (sainfoin [SF], birdsfoot trefoil [BFT], and alfalfa [ALF]), 2) all possible …

A Review And Updated Classification Of Pollen Gathering Behavior In Bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea), Zachary M. Portman, Michael C. Orr, Terry Griswold

All PIRU Publications

Pollen is the primary protein and nutrient source for bees and they employ many different behaviors to gather it. Numerous terms have been coined to describe pollen gathering behaviors, creating confusion as many are not clearly-defined or overlap with existing terms. There is a need for a clear yet flexible classification that enables accurate, succinct descriptions of pollen gathering behaviors to enable meaningful discussion and comparison. Here, we classify the different pollen gathering behaviors into two main classes: active and incidental pollen collection. Active pollen collection is subdivided into six behaviors: scraping with the extremities, buzzing, rubbing with the body …