Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ivy Chatwin and Dr. Sam St. Clair, Plant and Wildlife Sciences Introduction Quaking aspen, Populus tremuloides, is a keystone species in forest ecosystems and is the most widely distributed tree in North America (St. Clair, Guyon, and Donaldson, 2010). Although it covers less than 10% of the forested landscape, aspen contributes disproportionately to water yield […]

David Alexander Carroll II and Dr. Bryan Hopkins, Plant and Wildlife Sciences In Haiti, widespread deforestation in mountainous and hilly areas has led to a diverse array of environmental problems, including biodiversity loss, habitat fragmentation, sedimentation of rivers, severe soil erosion and lower water content in mountain soils, flooding in coastal areas, bleaching and death […]

Tayte Campbell and Dr. Richard Terry, Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences Introduction The ancient Maya were one of the largest civilizations in Mesoamerica and were spread over a large geographic area. A large population of ancient Maya lived in the northern lowlands in an area now known as the Yucatan Peninsula. Soil resources in […]

Christian Boekweg, Rachel Nettles, and Dr. Samuel St. Clair, Plant and Wildlife Science In the aspen forests on the mountains of Utah, a shift is occurring in the ecological community. The aspen stands have, over time, been invaded by multiple conifer species. The composition of these forests is shifting from a pure aspen stand to […]

Tobin Story and Dr. Bryan Hopkins, Plant and Wildlife Sciences The purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding of the factors affecting emissions of nitrous oxide and ammonia from fertilized agricultural soils. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient required for sustaining life and high-output cropping systems. However, it has been estimated that only […]

Scott Smith and Dr. Jeff Maughan, Plant and Wildlife Sciences The grain amaranths (Amaranthus sp.) are important pseudo-cereals native to the New World. During the last decade they have garnered increased international attention for their nutritional quality, tolerance to abiotic stress and importance as a symbol of indigenous cultures. Notwithstanding their renewed potential as an […]

Curtis Ransom and Dr. Von Jolley, Plant and Wildlife Science Food production is fundamental to our existence. A major component of modern agriculture is fertilizer, especially in terms of production to meet heavy demands of domesticated crops. Phosphorus (P) is one of the three major fertilizer components, and is known to be a limited resource. […]

Jason Porter and Dr. Paul Reynolds, Physiology and Developmental Biology The study of developing tissues is extremely important in the field of biology. Each organ in the body adheres to an extremely complex and organized development process involving specific signaling molecules and pathways. Pulmonary development is no exception. Lung development adheres to intimately orchestrated processes […]

Robert Nielsen and Dr. Craig Colemon, Plant & Wildlife Sciences FLOWERING LOCUST like (FTL) genes are crucial regulators of flowering in angiosperms. Recent discoveries have shown that flowering in young seedlings of C. rubrum, a model plant for the study of photoperiodic flower induction, and a close relative of C. quinoa, is highly inducible by […]

Jeremey Gneck and Dr. Brad Geary, Plant & Wildlife Sciences Each year potato yields are reduced due in part to root pathogens such as the fungus Colletotrichum coccodes (Black Dot). Research interactions among Russet Burbank potatoes, C. coccodes and mineral nutrition will be conducted in hydroponic growth chambers in order to determine the optimal concentration […]