Prior to 1968, the National Park Service contended that an unnaturally large population of elk had severely damaged Yellowstone Park's northern winter range, including aspen and willow communities. However, under "natural regulation" management adopted in the earl y 1970s the agency now believes that vegetation changes in the park are due to normal plant succession, climatic change, or fire suppression, not ungulates. The agency also believes that large numbers of elk (12, 000 - 15, 000) have wintered on the park's northern range for the last several thousand years. This study tested several of the major assumptions or predictions of the Park Service's "natural regulation" paradigm by collecting vegetational data, reviewing historical source materials, and analyzing archaeological reports. The available evidence suggests that observed changes in Yellowstone's tall willow and aspen communities are due primarily to ungulate browsing, not other factors. The future of sexually reproducing willow and aspen communities on the park's northern range appears to be in jeopardy. Under current management, their extinction is only a matter of time. Moreover, entire plant and animal communities have been affected, not just aspen and willows. Historical accounts and archaeological data indicate that few elk inhabited Yellowstone prior to creation of that national park in 1872. These results do not support the "natural regulation" paradigm. Prior to European influence, predation by Native Americans and carnivores limited elk, as well as other ungulate numbers throughout the Greater Yellowstone area.

American elk, by virtue of their distributio.n, were the most cosmopolitan members of the cervid family at the time of white settlement of North America. At this early date elk were present in every major region of what is now continental United States, as well as in northern Mexico. They likewise were abundant in upper and lower Canada, though records do not corroborate their presence too far north on the Atlantic coast. Although generally existent throughout the western states, elk were sparsely distributed in Nevada, southern Utah, and most of Arizona and New Mexico. Paucity of elk was also noted in eastern portions of Washington and Oregon.

Elk (Cervus elaphus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) density and foraging behavior were monitored in conjunction with disturbance by livestock (cattle and sheep) from 1991 to 1993 at Deseret Land and Livestock property near Woodruff, Utah. Elk and deer densities declined by as much as 92% in response to introduction of livestock, while associated areas where livestock were absent did not show this response. Biting rates and bite sizes were estimated and used to determine instantaneous intake rate. These measures were similar between pastures with cattle present or absent in 1992 but differed in 1993 for bite rate and marginally so for instantaneous intake rate. Bite rate and bite size but not instantaneous intake rate showed significant differences among years when the data for both treatments were combined. My results indicated that livestock locally displaced wild ungulates but displacement occurred only while the livestock were present. Differences in elk foraging behavior were greater between years than between treatments, and instantaneous intake rate alone was viewed as an inaccurate indicator of potential reductions in fitness.

Understanding the degree of spatial fidelity of individuals within a species increases our ability to manage appropriately. Elk (Cervus elaphus) is a highly managed species in the Intermountain West, but there is little research evaluating summer home range fidelity of individual elk. We evaluated fidelity of 72 adult female elk to individual summer-fall home ranges in the White River study area in northwestern Colorado during two consecutive summers. Based on individual kernel-estimated utilization distributions, we used (1) the Volume of Intersection (VI) statistic and (2) interannual distances between centers of mass to compare summer range overlap and distribution. We also examined the role of landcover in summer habitat selection by elk from three distinct perspectives: landscape, individual, and philopatric. While many previous habitat studies included landscape analysis, few incorporate individual analysis and none contain a philopatric assessment, to our knowledge. We found adult female elk in the White River Study area exhibit fidelity to individual home ranges. VI values indicated that 93% of the elk showed some home range overlap, with a median value of 0.42 (SE = 0.02, n = 72). Between-year center-of-mass distances ranged from 183 m to 34,170 m (x = 3819, SE = 619, n = 72), while within-year maximum distances between location points ranged from 4,320 m to 31,680 m (x = 13,958, SE = 628, n = 72). Our landcover results indicated elk can be characterized as both generalists and specialists. While elk occurred across a very diverse landscape, we found a preference for Aspen-Mixed Conifer, Aspen, and Dry-Mesic Spruce-Fir landcover types, and a general avoidance of Agriculture, Sagebrush Steppe, Subalpine Meadow, and Grassland. We also found a high degree of similarity in landcover composition between years for individual elk. Elk home range fidelity could impact habitat management, specifically with respect to browsing and successful aspen (Populus tremuloides) regeneration. Incorporation of the philopatric perspective into future elk behavior and habitat selection studies could make results more rigorous and expand understanding of landscape-level results.

Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) managers were concerned about low elk recruitment observed at the same time as an apparent increase in sightings of coyotes and observations of coyote predation on elk calves. The goal of this study was to describe coyotes’ ecological interactions with elk, particularly coyote diet and movements on the Valle Grande, a large grassland meadow in the southeastern portion of the VCNP. We examined coyote diet by quantifying undigested remains of food items in coyote scats (feces). The most frequent taxa were rodents (montane voles and pocket gophers), elk (adult and calf), insects (grasshoppers and beetles), mountain cottontail rabbits, and plants. Most food types varied significantly seasonally and annually, likely due to climatic variation and the relative availability or vulnerability of food items. In particular, an increase in calf elk consumed during summer 2006 followed a dry winter when elk may have been in a lower nutritional state. We analyzed locations of 33 coyotes, obtained via global positioning system (GPS) collars and radio-tracking. We classified 23 coyotes as residents, living with a social group in a defined area (11.0 km2 mean), and 10 coyotes as transient, with less fidelity to specific areas and often travelling around the edges of the areas occupied by the four resident packs. Coyotes spent most of their time in dry meadow habitat. Coyotes spent more time in riparian habitat than expected based on its availability within home range and less time in forests. We found no relationship between coyote social cohesion (proximity of pack members to each other) and the proportion of elk in coyote diets. We concluded that coyote sociality on VCNP was relatively stable year-round despite changes in biological needs and prey size.

Managing and analyzing large volumes of logs can be challenging, and a log management solution can effectively address this issue. However, selecting the right log management solution can be a daunting task, considering various factors such as desired features and the solution's efficiency in terms of storage and resource usage. This thesis addressed the problem of choosing between two log management solutions: ELK and PLG. We compared their tailing agents, log storage and visualization capabilities to provide an analysis of their pros and cons. To compare the two log management solutions we conducted two types of evaluations: performance and functional evaluation. Together these two evaluations provide a comprehensive picture of each tool's capabilities. The study found that PLG is more resource-efficient in terms of CPU and memory compared to ELK, and requires less disk space to store logs. ELK, however, performs better in terms of query request time. ELK has a more user-friendly interface and requires minimal configuration, while PLG requires more configuration but provides more control for experienced users. With this study, we hope to provide organizations and individuals with a summary of the pros and cons of ELK and PLG that can help when choosing a log management solution.

Three new types of arthropod from Cambrian intertidal lithofacies of the Elk Mound Group and Lodi Member of Wisconsin, and the Potsdam Group of Quebec are described. These arthropods are preserved ventrally in three dimensions – allowing detailed characterization of morphology. Arenocaris inflata, from the Furongian Elk Mound Group and St. Lawrence Formation, is the earliest occurrence of a phyllocarid. Mosineia macnaughtoni, a large (>10 cm long) euthycarcinoid arthropod, also occurs in Elk Mound strata. Mictomerus melochevillensis represents a new family of early euthycarcinoids, and is a large (8–10+ cm long) arthropod with eleven pairs of homopodous, uniramous limbs. Phylogenetic analyses and reviews of Paleozoic phyllocarid systematics are presented, using morphology-based characters from Cambrian to Recent taxa. Resulting cladograms place Arenocaris inflata into a systematic context, and reveal that the families Ceratiocarididae and Caryocarididae, as traditionally defined, are paraphyletic. Caryocarididae is elevated to subordinal rank (Caryocaridina n. suborder), resulting in two monophyletic suborders. Emended diagnoses are integrated into this analysis, and result in synonymy of 30 Cambrian – Silurian caryocaridids and ceratiocaridids into 11 pre-existing species. The phyllocarid Arenocaris inflata from the Elk Mound Group of Wisconsin and the large enigmatic arthropod Mictomerus melochevillensis from The Potsdam Group of Quebec are both directly associated with trace fossils. Direct association between these arthropods and their traces allows functional morphological details of the animal to be assessed, provides a framework for understanding how arthropods can be sand-cast in three-dimensions, and helps provide insight about subaerially-produced traces from the Potsdam Group.

Moab, located in southeastern Utah, began as an agricultural village, in accordance with the economy of early Utah. However, Moab's growth was limited by a restricted physical site. The purpose of this study is to trace the development of the economic functions of Moab in relation to its resource base. Despite the physical limitations of the area, agriculture remained the chief economic activity up to the mid-twentieth century. Periodic booms in speculative mining were only temporary and not significant to the permant economy of the community.However, in the 1950s, a spectacular uranium boom brought unprecedented growth to the town. As the uranium boom slackened, economic and population decline threatened the town's new status. Potash production and tourist-service industries emerged to buoy up the sagging economy. Although the economy was aided by the addition of other activities, the sectors of the economy still remained disproportionately unbalanced in comparison to the norm. The future economic stability of the community remains questionable unless balance can be attained.

No description available.

No description available.