Other Life Sciences Commons^™

Vegetation And Nutritional Changes Over 20 Years Of White-Tailed Deer Exclusion, Gabrielle Nicole Ripa

Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge of the impacts of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; hereafter deer) as dominant herbivores throughout the Southeastern United States of America is lacking. To address this, three paired experimental units of exclosures and controls were constructed in 2000 on three Wildlife Management Areas across Mississippi within the ecoregions of the Upper Coastal Plain, Lower Coastal Plain, and the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Vegetation was sampled in the summers of 2000, 2005, and 2021 including vegetation structure, canopy coverage, basal area, and species composition. Additionally, in 2005 and 2021, biomass was sampled to determine potential impacts on nutritional carrying capacity. Among the …

Effects Of Eutrophication On Birds In Three Bays Of Great Salt Lake: A Comparative Analysis With Utah Dwr Waterbird Survey Data, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Farmington Bay and Bear River support massive numbers of migratory birds. Because of Farmington Bay’s high nutrient loading and hypereutrophic condition, the Utah DWQ has proposed to list it as impaired under EPA’s and Utah’s 303d criteria. There is concern, however, that changing nutrient loading might influence invertebrate prey of birds, but it is not known if this would be a positive or negative effect. Bear River Bay is far less eutrophic, but has a similar shallow morphometry, and thus presents an ideal comparative opportunity to assess the influence of eutrophication on birds.

From 2007‐2011 the Utah Division of Wildlife …

Habitat Features Predict The Distribution Of Recreational Shooters In The Morley Nelson Snake River Birds Of Prey National Conservation Area, Emily R. Sun, Benjamin P. Pauli, Zoe Tinkle, Romaric Mukuna, Daniel Wolfe, Jennifer S. Forbey, Julie Heath

College of Arts and Sciences Presentations

The Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA) is a popular destination of many Treasure Valley residents. There, recreationists participate in various pastimes such as target shooting, recreational shooting/hunting, and wildlife viewing. However, these activities have the potential to interfere with one another. Recreational shooting of Piute ground squirrels (Urocitellus mollis) could affect prey availability and scavenging opportunities for associated raptor species, most notably local golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) populations. To assess possible interactions among shooters, prey and raptors, the spatial density and habitat preference of human shooters must be determined. We …

Does Personality Affect The Probability That Piute Ground Squrriels (Urocitellus Mollis) Will Be Shot By Recreational Hunters?, Daniel Wolfe, Zoe Tinkle, Benjamin P. Pauli, Emily Sun, Romaric Mukuna, Jennifer S. Forbey, Julie Heath

College of Arts and Sciences Presentations

Recreational shooting of Piute ground squirrels (Urocitellus mollis) in southern Idaho is an activity growing in popularity. One factor that may influence shooting success is the personality of individuals within a population. We hypothesized that bold individual ground squirrels would be more/less likely to be targeted by a hunter and would be more/less disturbed by gun fire. To test these hypotheses, we simulated recreational shooting to identify which personalities are more susceptible hunters and more responsive to gun fire. We preformed simulations in March of 2015 on a population of Piute ground squirrels with known personalities. Bold and …

Impact Of Alternative Range Management Systems On Grasslands In The Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska, Luis E. Ramirez

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Land management strategies can directly and indirectly affect plant assemblages and their behavior. Little research has been performed in south central Nebraska to quantify the effect of fire and grazing interactions on species composition, vegetation structure, forage quality, and potential cost associated with land management.

I evaluate the effect of season-long continuous, patch-burning, and rotational grazing approaches on vegetation and ranching costs to determine their value as conservation tools. This study includes data collected between 2007 and 2009 from grasslands in south central Nebraska. I found that land management influence plant assemblages by shifting communities when grazing and/or fire are …

Minimun Riparian Buffer Width For Maintaining Water Quality And Habitat Along Stevens Creek, Sammi Bray

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

ABSTRACT Riparian buffer zones are important sites of biodiversity, sediment trapping, pollutant removal, and hydrologic regulation that have significant implications for both people and wildlife. Urbanization’s influence on and need for adequate water quality increases the need for careful planning in regards to riparian areas. Wildlife are key components in the ecosystem functions of riparian zones and require consideration in peri-urban planning as well. This study reviews relevant literature to determine the recommended minimum riparian buffer width for maintaining water quality and habitat along Stevens Creek in Lincoln, Nebraska. Only sources that listed a specific purpose related to water quality …

Diet Composition And Activities Of Elk On Different Habitat Segments In The Lodgepole Pine Type, Uinta Mountains, Utah, William B. Collins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The biweekly diets of tame elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) were established on a species dry-weight basis for different habitat segments of the lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) type, Principal species in the diets (5% or more) on each habitat segment were generally composed of preferred species. However, some highly abundant but non-preferred species took on principal dietary status, whereas some preferred species, scarce in the vegetation, contributed less than 5 percent to diets. Forbs contributed most to total consumption; grasses and sedges were the second largest contributors. Browse appeared to be of limited importance, but mushrooms had …

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 …