The New Mexico whiptail, Cnemidophorus neomexicanus (Squamata: Teiidae), in the Great Basin of north central Utah

We report the discovery of established populations of Cnemidophorus neomexicanus in the Salt Lake City area. These are the 1st records of this species in Utah and in the Great Basin and are far from all other known populations of the species. We conclude that C. neomexicanus was introduced in the Salt Lake City area, perhaps within the last 30 years.     

First record of a range extension of the cliff chipmunk ( Tamias dorsalis ) into the Huachuca Mountains

Chipmunks are widely distributed throughout the mountain ranges of Arizona. However, no living chipmunks are known from the Huachuca Mountains despite the availability of favorable habitat. Based upon pelage characteristics of captured individuals, we provide the first report of a breeding population of cliff chipmunks ( Tamias dorsalis ) in the Huachuca Mountains and discuss possible mechanisms of their arrival.     

Checklist of the mosses of Grand Teton National Park and Teton County, Wyoming

Symphyotrichum expansum (Puepp ex Spreng.) Nesom is reported new to Utah from the Escalante River drainage. A major range extension is reported for Aralia racemosa L. in the Escalante drainage, and additional populations are reported of the rare species Imperata brevifolia Vasey in Utah, including the 1st record for the Grand Staircase--Escalante National Monument. Heterotheca grandiflora Nutt. is reported new to north central Arizona. New locations and notes on an additional 22 rare species in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area are listed.     

Fall diet of blue grouse in Oregon

The early fall diet of Oregon blue grouse ( Dendragapus obscurus pallidus ) from Wallowa County, Oregon, was determined from 145 crops obtained during 1981 and 1982. Of more than 50 plant and animal foods in the diet, short-horned grasshoppers ( Acrididae ), prickly lettuce ( Lactuca serriola ), yellow salsify ( Tragopogon dubius ), wild buck-wheat ( Eriogonum spp.), and snowberry ( Symphoricarpos albus ) occurred in 30% or more of the crops and collectively amounted to 68% of the diet by weight. Seven of the 12 most common foods were consumed differentially by the four sex and age classes of birds. Results indicated that blue grouse foraged in forest and grassland habitats.     

Gray Partridge foraging ecology in eastern South Dakota

We examined crop contents of 217 Gray Partridge ( Perdix perdix ) collected during a two-year period in eastern South Dakota. Row crop grains (corn, sunflowers) dominated late fall, winter, and spring diets. Small grains (oats, barley, wheat, rye) were rarely consumed although fields of small grains were widely available. During a severe winter when waste row crop grains were buried by snow, partridge consumed more leafy vegetation. Insects dominated the early summer diet, while foxtail ( Setaria spp.) seeds were a major late summer and early fall food.     

Reproductive cycle of the Belding ground squirrel ( Spermophilus beldingi beldingi ): seasonal and age differences

The reproductive cycle in Belding ground squirrels was studied in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at two locations, one at 2,100 m elevation, the other at 3,000 m. Adults emerged from hibernation completely prepared physiologically for reproduction. Males tended to emerge slightly ahead of females and yearlings tended to emerge later than adults. Yearling females were fertile but produced smaller litters than adults, 4.48 vs. 6.31. Yearling males were infertile. They exhibited a slight seasonal cycle in testicular growth but did not reach sexual maturity. Testicular growth and spermatogenesis were incipient in many adults and in yearlings prior to hibernation.       

Evaluation of a program to control hydatid disease in central Utah

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} A program to control hydatid disease in central Utah was evaluated by: (1) surveillance of infection in dogs and sheep, (2) questioning adult residents of two Sanpete County communities (Fountain Green and Spring City) about their knowledge of hydatid disease and their attitudes toward preventive measures, (3) interviewing local officials to evaluate the proposed implementation of proper community-wide measures, (4) analyzing records of prophylactic treatment of dogs with praziquantel, and (5) comparing scores of tests given to third and fourth grade students before and after they colored an educational pamphlet about hydatid disease. Infection rates of Echinococcus granulosus in dogs brought to volunteer diagnostic clinics dropped from 28.3 percent in 1972 to 1.0 percent in 1979, but increased to 9.8 percent in 1981. This last rise was due mainly to the fact that some dogs were examined that belonged to range sheepmen who had either not attended a field clinic recently or had never attended at all. Prevalence of the parasite in slaughtered sheep decreased steadily from 13.2 percent in 1972 to 2.8 percent in 1981. With regard to the questionnaire phase of the project, 87.3 percent and 84.3 percent of the respondents understood the role of dogs in the life cycle of E. granulosus in Fountain Green and Spring City, respectively. Over 50 percent of the respondents of these two communities had worked directly with sheep sometime in their life. In general, residents were more willing to practice preventive measures involving sheep than they were to implement measures involving dogs alone. However, many of the recommended community-wide preventive measures were not implemented. With the coloring book, students answered an average of 62.5 percent of the questions correctly before they colored the pamphlet and 83.3 percent afterward. Overall, our results suggest that residents of Sanpete County are knowledgeable about hydatid disease and its mode of transmission, and that, in general, progress has been made in control of hydatid disease in central Utah.       

Influence of precipitation and temperature on ring, annual branch increment, and needle growth of White Fir and Douglas-fir in central Utah

The study evaluates growth variations in mixed stands of Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) and White Fir ( Abies concolor Hoopes) from the Bighorn Ranch in northern Sanpete County, Utah. The study area lies 26 km southwest of Thistle, Utah. Tree-ring width, annual branch growth and needle length for the period 1970–1976 were obtained from Douglas-Fir and White Fir individuals distributed along an altitudinal and moisture gradient. Elevation ranged from 2257 m to 2500 m above sea level. Temperature and precipitation are shown to exert a significant influence on needle and annual branch growth and width of the annual rings. It was found that multiple correlation coefficients were always larger than the simple correlation coefficients. This suggests that the trees are responding to both temperature and precipitation. Annual branch growth is shown to be positively correlated with ring width and needle length. The influence of precipitation on growth is synchronized with 1 October–1 June precipitation. Best growth occurs in cool, moist years and at lower elevations.     

Reproductive ecology of bison on Antelope Island, Utah

Autumn musters of bison ( Bison bison ) on Antelope Island State Park, Utah, conducted annually since 1987, provided data on temporal and age-specific reproductive patterns and a basis to evaluate the efficacy of management measures implemented to elevate reproductive performance in the herd. Pregnancy rates were variable and low ( x = 46.2%) in comparison to other free-ranging, noncommercial bison herds in North America. Cows in the 3- and > 6-yr range age classes exhibited lower-than-expected pregnancy rates ( P r = 0.64, P = 0.047) linear decline of 2.5% per annum. Variance in distribution of fetal ages observed in 6 yr indicates substantial temporal fluctuation. Long-term reproductive performance of cohorts born prior to implementation of management measures did not differ from that of cohorts born subsequent to these changes.