Other Life Sciences Commons^™

An Introduction To The Ethology Of The Uinta Ground Squirrel (Citellus Armatus), David F. Balph

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study describes behavior of the Uinta ground squirrel (Citellus armatus) in a free-living population. Its objective is to provide basic behavioral information on a small mammal which can fill in part of the gaps in our knowledge of behavior and social organization of the vertebrates. This would contribute to the long-term goal of viewing the progressive evolutionary changes in behavior from lower forms to man.

The Airplane In Unit Sampling Of Mule Deer Populations In Harding County, South Dakota, Karl B. Kuhlmann

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The prairie deer region of South Dakota extends west from the Missouri River to the Black Hills. The region borders the states of Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota, and is approximately 40,000 square miles in extent. Biologists believe that present deer numbers on these prairies are similar to those of pre-homestead days. The present large numbers of deer in certain counties have given many prairie ranchers and farmers cause for concern. The region's first deer season (bucks only) in 1952 resulted from earlier increases in mule and whitetail herds. After a closed season in 1953, a hunter's choice of …

Survey And Evaluation Of Big Game Exclosures In Utah, Stanford Young

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An "exclosure" is defined by Daubenmore (1940) as an experimental area which is protected from the activities of a particular class of animals by a barrier such as a fence or screen thereby controlling a single factor of environment, namely, the animal influence.

Several different types of exclosures are employed by the land management agencies in Utah. Small portable "paddocks" a few feet square are extensively used to gauge seasonal grazing pressure by livestock. Permanently fenced areas, ranging up to many acres in size, serve to demonstrate the effects of livestock use on the range. Another modification is the "big …

An Economic Evaluation Of Selected Treatments For Avian Botulism In Waterfowl On Utah Marshes, 1953-54, Donald A. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Each year thousands of western waterfowl succumb to disease, predators, mechanical injury and other decimating factors . Based on a review of records it is conservatively estimated that an average of 25,000 ducks have succumbed to botulism on western marsh areas annually.

In a recent study, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service valued each duck and goose at $8.00 (McLeod, 1950). Applying this value to the estimated annual numerical loss, a total of $200,000 has been lost each season in mortality of western waterfowl from botulism. Control of this malady would reduce annual waterfowl and monetary losses.

Prevention and …

The Status And Management Of Pheasant Posted Hunting Areas In Utah, William G. Parsons

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Since 1900 the ringneck pheasant Phasianus colchicus torquatus Gmelin has assumed major importance in the United states as an upland game bird. This is particularly evident in Utah where, in 1951, 76,000 hunters bagged an estimated one quarter million pheasants (8).

Some Of The Relationships Between Livestock Grazing And Duck Nesting In The Saltgrass Vegetation Type In Utah, Horatio W. Murdy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Little is known of the relationships between livestock grazing and duck nesting. This dearth of information occurs in spite of the fact that an understanding of these relationships is necessary in order to evaluate duck production on range land, and to formulate grazing policies for lands devoted to the production of ducks.

Recognizing the need for information on this subject, the Utah Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit and the Wildlife Management Institute jointly sponsored a study, during 1948-1949, of livestock grazing-duck nesting relationships in the saltgrass vegetation type in northern Utah. The study was financed by the Institute and supervised by …

Studies In The Life History And Ecology Of The American Pintail (Anas Acuta Tzitzihoa Vieliot) In Utah, Robert W. Fuller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wildlife management has been defined as lithe manipulation of wild populations of vertebrate animals in their relation to man and his interests" Wildlife management, then, could not exist in the absence ot either wildlife or humans. Converting this idea to the waterfowl situation, we can say that there are no waterfowl problems other than as they exist in the minds of men. (Wil1s, 1951) These words by the Chief of the IllinoIs Natural History Survey precede a plea for fundamental facts and a basic understanding of waterfowl upon which sound management can in turn be based. l"or only through sound …

Biology Of The Boxelder Bug In Cache Valley, Arab Bakir Al-Tikrity

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The boxelder bug, Leptocoria trivittatue (say), is a hanipterous insect belonging to the family corisidae. Although it rarely is a pest of agricultural crops, its habit of invading homes and other buildings for hibernation and to warm itself has made it an annoying household pest. It has proven to be a difficult insect to control. Only a few of the contact insecticides, useful in control of related insect pests, have given satisfactory control of the Boxelder Bug. Because it has not been considered a critical problem, it has not received detailed attention from the scientific investigators. Its close association with …

A Method Of Estimating Fishing Pressure And Harvest As Used On Logan River, Utah, Albert Frank Regenthal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Completely accurate statements of fishing pressure and harvest can only result from an ennumeration of all anglers and their catch. On most bodies of water it has not been economically feasible for management agencies to effect a complete census of fishermen and harvest. Practically, absolute accuracy is not necessary for management. The development of creel census methods resulting in estimates of known accuracy, yet requiring only a practical outlay of time and money, would be a step toward more effective management.

A Survey Of Extension Work In Wildlife Management And The Development Of A Guide To Wildlife Extension Work In Utah, Edwin V. Rawley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The most efficient wildlife research programs and the most satisfactory methods of applying their results are greatly enhanced if the information is present in such an interesting and understandable manner that it becomes of practical value of the people. Extension education has the function of translating the results of research into usable form and presenting it to the people. The development of a wildlife extension program is based on the needs of the people, and the various phases of the program are designed to meet and solve wildlife problems confronting the people. The purposes of this study are: 1. To …

An Investigation Concerning The Incidence And Pathogenicity Of Pentatrichomonas Gallinarum And Its Relationship To Histomonas Meleagridis In Turkeys In Utah, Ross S. Hadfield

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Turkey raising has become big business. During the period 1942 to 1946, the average annual return in Utah amounted to about nine and one-half million dollars (4). This amount would have been increased considerably if the death loss among poults had been lower. As an example, using the percentage of mortality given by Miner (9, p. 5), it is estimated that the death-loss of turkeys in 1944 resulted in a loss of gross income by the farmers of Utah of more than four million dollars provided that the price the farmer received had remained the same.

Among the prevalent causes …

Harvest Of Wild And Stocked Fish From The Logan River Drainage, Louis S. Pechacek

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Logan River, one of Utah's better trout streams, has carried more than its share of the increased fishing pressure of the past few years. Careful management of the drainage by the U.S. Forest Service has kept the Logan River free of serious water fluctuations and relatively unpolluted by silt and wastes. The only noticeable fluctuations in the stream is the annual runoff cycle which usually reaches its peak in May. This alone has contributed greatly to the ability of the river to withstand the increased fishing pressure which it has done quite well. The increase in fishing pressure can …

Life History Of The Cutthroat Trout Salmo Clarkii Richardson In The Logan River, Utah, George Gordon Fleener

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The study of the cutthroat trout in the Logan River drainage was initiated in cooperation with the Utah Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit and the Utah Fish and Game Department during May of 1948. The first field work began that month. The taking of fish was terminated in November, 1949, although several trips were made into the study area as late as January, 1950.

Consumptive Use Of Water Studies In The Colorado River Area Of Utah, J. Y. Christiansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

At the request of the State Engineer of Utah, a cooperative study beginning January 1, 1948, was initiated by the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station and the Division of Irrigation, U. S. Soil Conservation Service. These research agencies are being assisted financially, and by consultation, by the State Engineer who has also made arrangements for certain observations to be made and furnished by the U. S. Geological Survey, U. S. Weather Bureau, and the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation. The objective of this study is to obtain basic information regarding the consumptive use of water by agricultural crops, native vegetation, and …

Emergence And Survival Of Four Introduced Wheatgrasses As Influenced By Rate And Season Of Planting On Abandoned Farm Lands Of Utah, Donald N. Hyder

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A great deal has been accomplished in developing methods of restoring abused lands through seeding, yet there is much to be desired in refinement of techniques and in substantiation of previous experimental results. Controversial opinions as to the best season of planting indicate that additional trials are needed. New species need to be introduced, developed, and proved. Methods are needed which lead to more efficient utilization of those factors limiting the degree of success in establishment. Since moisture is the most predominant limiting factor throughout the arid and semi-arid range land, special attention is given to more efficient utilization of …

An Evaluation Of Trout Stocking In The Logan River Drainage, Nels Andrew Thoreson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

One of the more important forms of recreation in Utah is fishing. Each year since the end of World War II more than 100,000 resident and 4,000 non-resident fishermen have taken to the streams and lakes of this state. They spend approximately $2,200,000 each year in the quest of fish, mostly trout. In 1916, 25,473 licenses were sold, in 1937 the number of licenses had risen to 41,200, in 1945 the sales amounted to 104,000 and in 1947 had increased to nearly 131,000. Because of the increased number of fishermen each year, the desirability of greater numbers of legal-sized fish …

Utilization Of Forage Plants And Diet Of Sheep On Utah Winter Range, Lisle R. Green

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Although there is an abundance of material available concerning forage consumption by livestock on pasture land and in the feed lot, there is relatively little known about the grazing habits and forage preferences of livestock under range conditions. There has been still less scientific effort expended toward solving the riddle of the grazing animal's diet under winter range conditions. Investigators have suggested means to determine the quantity of forage available on range areas, the carrying capacities of range lands, and methods of determining the degree to which forage has been utilized. The diet of the foraging animal is affected by …

Factors Influencing The Validity Of Pheasant Census Methods, Sevier County, Utah, Eldon H. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The measurement of animal populations is a most important phase of wildlife management. The initiation of systematic management of any unit of specific game habitat usually involves the measurement of the stock on hand as a primary step. In practice game inventory performs a twofold function; namely, as a medium determining the efficacy of past management practices as a basis for future manipulations and as an aid in the establishment of game protective or removal policies.

A census, in the sense applied in this study, is best defined as the enumeration of a population on a given area at a …

Investigations Of The Fishery Of Fish Lake, Utah, Vaughn D. Madsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fish Lake, which is located in Sevier County, Utah, is considered to be one of the most productive lakes in the intermountain regions. It is visited annually by thousands of fishermen from Utah and surrounding states. In 1934, a thirteen day check made by the Utah Fish and Game Department showed that anglers caught 17,521 fish with a total weight of 13,844 pounds, and spent a sum of $27,246.21 on expenses.

Because of the great recreational value of Fish Lake, chiefly as a fishing resort, it is desirable to find out whether or not any great change has taken place …

Analysis Of Rocky Mountain Mule Deer Kill Records Of Five-Year Deer Removal From The Logan River Drainage Of Northern Utah, Wilmur Bartels

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Checking stations operated during the deer hunting season serve a two-fold purpose. It has long been recognized that such inspection stations aid greatly in the enforcement of hunting laws through the detection of illegal practices, and in many cases have been set up with this as a primary purpose. A more far reaching objective, however, is the collection of information to aid in the solution of the problems of maintenance of the range and the deer herd, and determination of the quality and quantity of the deer removal.

The Ecology Of Agropyron Inerme On Protected And Heavily Grazed Range Land In Cache Valley, Utah, Wallace R. Hanson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the past decade much attention has been attracted to the great range lands of the West. The inherently low productivity of these arid lands coupled with abnormal drought and constantly heavy use by livestock because of lack of grazing control, have caused these lands to become greatly depleted over most of the West. That the vegetation on most range land in the intermountain states is depleted appreciably is evident to the careful observer. Undoubtedly the vegetation of much of the range has decreased in quantity, but more serious in many cases is the decrease in quality. Valuable forage species …

A Taxonomic And Ecological Study Of Acridinae Of Utah (Orthoptera-Locustidae), Herald C. Bennion

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Orthoptera, especially the family Locustidae, is one of the most important and most interesting orders of insects in the state of Utah. It includes a polyphagus group of great economic importance in the state. The topography and climate of Utah varies from forested alpine slopes to hot arid desert wastes, several life zones being represented. This great variation from desert to alpine in Utah presents a rather unique region for taxonomic and ecological studies of the Orthoptera.

The most familiar representatives of the insect order Orthoptera are the long-horned grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, katydids, and cockroaches. Orthoptera are characterized by Comstock …

A Study Of The Sage Grouse (Centrocercus Urophasianus), With Special Reference To Life History, Habitat Requirements, And Numbers And Distribution, Lynn A. Griner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The sage grouse or sage hen Centrocercus urophasianus (Bonaparte) was formerly the most important upland native game bird of the Western States, but has steadily been declining in numbers over most of its range in recent years. This reduction in numbers has aroused the interest of the conservationists of the nation, who, for the past decade or more, have been proposing that something be done for this game species. In recent years along with this interest of the conservationists, there has been an increasing local interest among the sportsmen of the West, with the result that several groups have become …