Three new records for diatoms from the Great Basin, USA

Three diatom species recently collected from Great Basin localities represent new records of these taxa from this region of western North America. Cocconeis scutellum   Ehr. and Melosira dubia   Kuetz. were collected from a thermal spring in Tooele County, Utah. Nitzschia hustedtiana   Salah was collected from newly flooded marshes at the south end of the Great Salt Lake, Tooele Countv, Utah.     

In memoriam: William Wallace Newby (1902-1977)

W. W. Newby, professor of biology at the University of Utah from 1927 to 1971, was renowned as a great teacher and a clear and forceful writer and for his meticulous research in invertebrate embryology. Ancillary skills were counseling (especially of premedical students), illustrating, wood crafting, and paper preserving. Some of his writings pertained to the history of research in the biological sciences at the University of Utah. His specialty areas in teaching were embryology and genetics, and he served as chairman of the Department of Genetics and Cytology from the year of its creation in 1948 until 1962. The most outstanding example of his research pertained to the early embryology of the echiuroid worm Urechis caupo .         

New records of diatoms from Blue Lake Warm Spring, Tooele County, Utah

Blue Lake Warm Spring in Tooele County, Utah, contains a rich diatom flora with a significant number of taxa that are unusual in this region. We have identified a total of 136 taxa in our samples from this locality, several of which are new records for Utah and North America.         

A comparison of epiphytic diatom assemblages on living and dead stems of the common grass Phragmites australis

Diatoms epiphytic on Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steaded stems were collected from a single clone at the southern end of Provo Bay, Utah Lake, Utah. Diatom populations from both living and dead stem sections were analyzed. Species diversity in each sample was high, indicating that the stems provide a relatively stable habitat for diatom epiphytes. Of the 23 genera found, only Gomphonema and Navicula showed significant trends toward stem preference. The diatoms in this study support the current view that Utah Lake is a slightly saline, eutrophic system.     

Gary L. Vinyard

Editor's Note: This issue of the Western North American Naturalist is dedicated to Gary L. Vinyard, professor of biology at the University of Nevada-Reno and major contributor to conservation of Great Basin organisms and systems. Gary died in 1998, age 49, at the height of his professional career. Articles in this issue were submitted by professional colleagues as well as former students of Dr. Vinyard. Some authors were involved in research with Dr. Vinyard at the time of his death; their papers represent results of their studies. Other authors were invited to submit articles detailing past or present research. All felt a desire to honor Gary for his personal and professional contributions. The following biographical sketch was compiled by Richard W. Rust, a colleague and friend at UNR, and Gary's wife, Deidre Vinyard.     

Breeding ecology of Long-billed Curlews at Great Salt Lake, Utah

We qualified nest site characteristics, breeding densities, and migratory chronology of Long-billed Curlews at the Great Salt Lake, Utah. The species is apparently declining in Utah, and little is known about their breeding in the eastern Great Basin Desert. This study was designed to provide wildlife biologist with the baseline data useful for their successful management. Curlews arrived in northern Utah in late March and generally departed by mid-August. Nest densities at Great Salt Lake ranged from 0.64 to 2.36 males/km 2 . The habitat at curlew nest sites consisted of significantly shorter vegetation than nearby random locations ( ˉx = 5.7 versus 9.0 cm, respectively; P < .01). Nests tended to be located in small patches of vegetation near barren ground. Maintenance of relatively short vegetation appears to be important in managing curlew habitat. In addition, only 2 of 10 nests we monitored in 1992 were successful, with most lost to mammalian predators. Further research is needed to determine impact of mammalian predators on curlew populations.     

New records and comprehensive list of the algal taxa of Utah Lake, Utah, USA

Utah Lake is a slightly saline ecosystem containing more than 700 algal taxa. During the past decade a total of 106 algal taxa has been found that has not previously been reported in this water. These new records are reported herein, together with a comprehensive listing of all algal taxa reported from Utah Lake to date. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;     

Taphonomy and significance of Jefferson's ground sloth (Xenarthra: Megalonychidae) from Utah

While a variety of mammalian megafauna have been recovered from sediments associated with Lake Bonneville, Utah, sloths have been notably rare. Three species of ground sloth, Megalonyx jeffersonii, Paramylodon harlani, and Nothrotheriops shastensis , are known from the western United States during the Pleistocene. Yet all 3 are rare in the Great Basin, and the few existing records are from localities on the basin margin. The recent discovery of a partial skeleton of Megalonyx jeffersonii at Point-of-the-Mountain, Salt Lake County, Utah, fits this pattern and adds to our understanding of the distribution and ecology of this extinct species. Its occurrence in Lake Bonneville shoreline deposits permits a reasonable age determination of between 22 and 13 ka.     

Habitat relationships of saltcedar ( Tamarix ramosissima ) in central Utah

Nineteen study sites were established in areas infested with saltcedar bordering Utah Lake in central Utah. Saltcedar cover on the sites averaged 57&#37; but varied widely from community to community. Seventeen soil factors were measured relative to the stands studied. Cover of saltcedar was regressed against the different soil factors, but no patterns were detected. Saltcedar functioned equally well at all levels of each gradient studied and appeared able to accommodate wide variations in all factors studied. It is suggested that saltcedar has evolved a general-purpose genotype that contributes to its being a vigorous and troublesome weed. Criteria as to why it is such an aggressive weed are listed.     

Canids from the late Pleistocene of Utah

Two canids, Vulpes vulpes and Canis lupus , are recorded from shoreline deposits of Lake Bonneville in north central Utah. Both species are new records in the Pleistocene sediments of Utah and add to our scarce knowledge of the large carnivores that inhabited the shoreline environments of Lake Bonneville.     

Reproduction by June sucker in a refuge population: successful spawning in a lake habitat

The June sucker ( Chasmistes liorus ) is an endangered lake sucker endemic to Utah Lake, Utah. As part of recovery actions, June suckers were introduced into Red Butte Reservoir, Utah, as a wild grow-out site. Since their introduction, June suckers have successfully reproduced in Red Butte Reservoir, producing a large population in this refuge. I used passive egg collectors (egg traps and nets) and observational surveys to determine the location of spawning sites within the reservoir, and larval light trapping to determine successful recruitment (i.e., egg survival through larval swim-up) at these sites. Eggs were collected between 18 June and 15 July at 2 general sites along or near the reservoir’s dam, although spawning was only observed at 1 of these sites. Suckers were not observed at, and eggs were not collected in or around, the mouth of Red Butte Creek as expected. At the site where spawning was observed, suckers were spawning over gravel substrates (mean diameter = 32 mm) at depths of 0.5–1.75 m. At the other site, suckers were spawning over silt/clay substrates (mean diameter < 1 mm) at depths of 1.1–4.75 m. Larval suckers were first captured along the dam where spawning was observed and eggs were captured, demonstrating that successful recruitment occurred at this spawning site. Larval suckers were never captured at the mouth of Red Butte Creek, confirming egg collecting data and observations that suckers did not utilize the stream for spawning. This June sucker refuge population is supported by lacustrine spawning, an important finding for management and recovery of this species.     

Breeding biology of the Double-crested Cormorant on Utah Lake

Research on the nesting of the Double - crested Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax auritus auritus ) was undertaken to determine the breeding biology of the bird on Utah Lake, Utah County, and the possible effects that diking Provo Bay would have on the cormorants breeding there. In 1973, two colonies in Provo Bay were visited weekly to determine laying dates, incubation period, clutch size, and hatching dates. Another colony, located on the dike of the Geneva Steel Works Reservoir near Orem, was visited daily during the spring and summer of 1973. At this colony egg-laying occurred from 13 April to 17 May. The average clutch size was 3.8, and the egg length and width averaged 60.50 mm x 39.05 mm. The average period of incubation was 28 days, and 29.5 percent of the eggs hatched, beginning on 20 May and ending on 9 June. The young weighed an average of 36 gm at hatching with a beak length of 17 mm and tarsometatarsal length of 11 mm. These measurements increased to 1543 gm, 73 mm, and 58 mm, respectively, in 23 days. The cormorant population on Utah Lake may be severely reduced by the proposed diking of Provo Bay.     

New taxa in miscellaneous families from Utah

Named are the following: Astragalus limnocharis Barneby var. tabulaeus Welsh var. nov., from the pass between Boulder Mountain and the Table Cliff Plateau, Garfield County, Utah; A. eremiticus Sheldon var. ampularioides Welsh var. nov. from Washington County, Utah; Lupinus argenteus Pursh var. moabensis Welsh var. nov., from southeastern Utah, validated by inclusion of a Latin diagnosis; Erigeron zothecinus Welsh sp. nov. described from moist alcoves along Lake Powell, eastern Kane County, Utah; Cleomella palmerana Jones var. goodrichii Welsh var. nov. described from Uintah County, Utah; Arabis vivariensis Welsh sp. nov. named from northeastern Uintah County, Utah; Draba kassii Welsh sp. nov. described from material taken in the Deep Creek Mountains, western Tooele County, Utah.     

Productivity, food habits, and associated variables of Barn Owls utilizing nest boxes in north central Utah

Productivity and food habits of the Barn Owl ( Tyto alba ) utilizing nest boxes in Juab, Utah, and Salt Lake counties, Utah, During 1979-1984 were examined. Average clutch size was 5.8 eggs for the 6-yr period; mean number fledged was 3.9 young per successful nest. While severe weather during the 1981-82 winter did not result in significant decrease in productivity during the 1982 breeding season, it may have resulted in a significant overproduction of female young. Barn Owls in north central Utah fed almost exclusively on mammalian species, particularly Microtus spp. Difference in clutch size between areas and years may be a response to availability as well as abundance of prey.     

Utah botanical explorer Charles Christopher Parry (28 August 1823-20 February 1890)

The Utah botanical contributions of Charles Christopher Parry are discussed. Especial emphasis is on his trips to Utah in 1874 and 1875. Plants taken during those years, which were subsequently listed as type-specimens, are listed. Insight is gained into this window in Utah botanical history through his letters to Dr. George Engelmann and limited correspondence from Engelmann and Joseph Ellis Johnson.     

Competitive displacement as a factor influencing phytoplankton distribution in Utah Lake, Utah

Phytoplankton studies during the summer of 1974 in Utah Lake, Utah, demonstrated the development of disjunct distributions of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Ceratium hirundinella. Differential response to environmental factors and competitive displacement are proposed as probable explanations for this phenomenon.     

Comparative tolerance of four stocks of cuttthroat trout to extremes in temperature, salinity, and hypoxia

Four stocks of cutthroat trout ( Oncorhynchus clarki ) were exposed to high temperature, high salinity, and low dissolved oxygen to determine inherent differences. The fish tested included 2 stocks of Bonneville cutthroat trout ( O. c. utah ), a lacustrine stock derived from Bear Lake and a fluvial-origin stock from southern Utah (Manning Meadow Reservoir). The other 2 stocks tested were from Electric Lake (largely Yellowstone cutthroat trout, O. c. bouvieri ) and Jackson Hole, Wyoming (fine-spotted Snake River cutthroat trout, O. c. subsp.). Temperature tests were either critical thermal maximum (CTM) or 96-hour trials using juveniles acclimated between 12.5° C and 18.0° C. Two CTM end points were temperature at first loss of equilibrium (CTM eq ) and onset of spasms (CTM s ). There were no significant differences in CTM eq among test fish acclimated to 18.0° C, but CTM s was significantly higher for Bear Lake Bonneville (30.0°C) than for Snake River (29.6° C) or southern Bonneville (29.7° C) stocks. With fish acclimated at 13.0° C, there were no significant differences among the stocks in CTM eq or CTM s . Differences among stocks varied significantly among nine 96-hour tests. Overall, it appeared that the southern Bonneville stock had slightly better survival at warmer temperatures than other stocks. In 24-hour survival tests at high salinities, the Snake River stock had the lowest tolerance, with significant mortality occuring at 18% (29.5 mS · cm -1 conductivity). The southern Bonneville stock had the highest tolerance, with no mortality until 22% (38 mS · cm -1 ). Bear Lake Bonneville and Electric Lake stocks had 60% and 30% mortality, respectively, at 21% (36 mS · cm -1 ). Hypoxia tolerance measured by resistance time, 24-hour mortality, or probit analysis (LEC 50 ) did not differ among stocks. The 24-hour LEC 50 was 2.34 mg O 2 · L -1 for all stocks combined.     

Decreases of juniper woodland in the Utah and Salt Lake valleys since settlement

Although pinyon-juniper woodland is common throughout most of Utah, it is less so in Utah and Salt Lake valleys. Even so, stands do occur in the valleys and are known to have been there since presettlement times. Three such stands occurring along the eastern sections of the valleys have shown major decreases in area since settlement times, and one has all but disappeared. Their disappearance is attributed to early use for fuel, agricultural, and urbanization purposes. &nbsp;     

Occurrence of Phaedactylum Tricornutum in the Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA

The diatom Phaedactylum tricornutum Bohlin forms blooms in the south arm of the Great Salt Lake, Utah, during cool months. This represents the first report of this taxon from Utah and the first from nonmarine waters in the United States.