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Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
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Articles 1 - 25 of 25
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Causes And Impacts Of Salinization In The Lower Pecos River, Christopher W. Hoagstrom
Causes And Impacts Of Salinization In The Lower Pecos River, Christopher W. Hoagstrom
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
River salinization is a byproduct of water resource development that results from cumulative impacts of flow-regime modifications and crop irrigation. However, historical salinization in the Lower Pecos River is often attributed to natural, high-salinity groundwater. Here, evidence from literature and U.S. Geological Survey gaging stations is reviewed to summarize historical changes associated with water development that potentially contributed to Pecos River salinization. A suite of hydrological changes, initiated in the 1880s, likely contributed to streamflow salinization: (1) reduced flood frequency and magnitude, (2) diminished streamflow, (3) increased evapotranspiration, and (4) increased prevalence of natural, high-salinity groundwater. Salinization is presently highest …
Mapping Agricultural Land Cover For Hydrologic Modeling In The Platte River Watershed Of Nebraska, Patti R. Dappen, Ian C. Ratcliffe, Cullen R. Robbins, James W. Merchant
Mapping Agricultural Land Cover For Hydrologic Modeling In The Platte River Watershed Of Nebraska, Patti R. Dappen, Ian C. Ratcliffe, Cullen R. Robbins, James W. Merchant
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
Throughout the western United States, natural resources managers are attempting to address the growing, and often competing, demands that municipal, agricultural and environmental interests have for water. The Platte River Cooperative Hydrology Study (COHYST) is a multi-agency effort that seeks to improve understanding of the ecology, geology, and hydrology of the Platte River watershed in central and western Nebraska. Information regarding the types, areal extent, and locations of crops (especially irrigated crops) is critical for estimating consumptive use of water. Digital land-cover and land-use datasets of the central and western Platte River valley have been prepared for four years: 1982, …
Literature Review Of Mule Deer And White-Tailed Deer Movements In Western And Midwestern Landscapes, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Scott R. Groepper, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Chuck J. Frost, Justin R. Boner, Travis C. Kinsell, Gregory M. Clements
Literature Review Of Mule Deer And White-Tailed Deer Movements In Western And Midwestern Landscapes, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Scott R. Groepper, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Chuck J. Frost, Justin R. Boner, Travis C. Kinsell, Gregory M. Clements
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
The relationships among seasonal change, population dynamics, social pressures, landscape dynamics, anthropologic disturbances, and behavioral ecology are complex. Therefore, migration and seasonal movements are poorly understood and dispersal continues to be one of the least understood aspects of animal ecology in North America. We reviewed scientific literature on movements of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (O. virginianus) in western and midwestern landscapes to identify gaps in our knowledge and direct future research. We used electronic databases, library catalogs, Internet search engines, and peer-reviewed journals to conduct key word searches for pertinent articles. We found …
Engineer Cantonment, Missouri Territory, 1819-1820: America's First Biodiversity Ineventory, Hugh H. Genoways, Brett C. Ratcliffe
Engineer Cantonment, Missouri Territory, 1819-1820: America's First Biodiversity Ineventory, Hugh H. Genoways, Brett C. Ratcliffe
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
It is our thesis that members of the Stephen Long Expedition of 1819-20 completed the first biodiversity inventory undertaken in the United States at their winter quarters, Engineer Cantonment, Missouri Territory, in the modern state of Nebraska. This accomplishment has been overlooked both by biologists and historians, but it should rank among the most significant accomplishments of the expedition. The results of this inventory allow us to evaluate the environmental, faunal, and floral changes along the Missouri River in the intervening nearly 190 years. The historical records form a visual image of a dynamic riverine system in which a highly …
Review Of The Niobrara: A River Running Through Time. By Paul A. Johnsgard., Fritz L. Knopf
Review Of The Niobrara: A River Running Through Time. By Paul A. Johnsgard., Fritz L. Knopf
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
Paul Johnsgard has authored an exemplary list of books as an ornithologist and natural historian. This volume approaches (may actually be) his 50th. The Niobrara reads as if one is on an auto tour with a premier naturalist who has a trunk full of documented species data. Residents from Harrison to Niobrara will find herein a welcome overview of their own unique natural history.
Book Review Of Twilight Of The Mammoths: Ice Age Extinctions And The Rewilding Of America By Paul S. Martin, Michael Fosha
Book Review Of Twilight Of The Mammoths: Ice Age Extinctions And The Rewilding Of America By Paul S. Martin, Michael Fosha
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
Applying ecological studies to the adaptations of prehistoric human hunter-gatherer groups has greatly increased our abilities to interpret effects of an ever-changing environment and our access to critical resources on these populations. The Pleistocene/Holocene transition, its climate and human genesis in the new world, draws intensive interest from a number of scientific communities. In Twilight of the Mammoths, Paul Martin adds his views, which are of no surprise, on the megafaunal extirpations during a cultural period referred to in North America as Clovis.
Breeding Bird Communities In Riparian Forests Along The Central Platte River, Nebraska, Craig Davis
Breeding Bird Communities In Riparian Forests Along The Central Platte River, Nebraska, Craig Davis
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
The Platte River has changed from a nearly treeless prairie river to a heavily forested river. These habitat changes have likely benefited many woodland birds, but have harmed other migratory birds such as cranes. In response to this impact on migratory birds, conservation groups implemented a tree-clearing program to enhance habitat for these species. This practice is not without controversy because of concerns about its effect on woodland birds. The goal of this study was to determine the composition and abundance of breeding birds that use these forests and discuss the potential impacts of tree clearing on woodland birds. Surveys …
Habitat Use And Migration Patterns Of Sandhill Cranes Along The Platte River, 1998 – 2001, Craig Davis
Habitat Use And Migration Patterns Of Sandhill Cranes Along The Platte River, 1998 – 2001, Craig Davis
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
During spring migration, sandhill cranes (Crus Canadensis) rely on the central Platte River valley in Nebraska as a staging area to replenish depleted energy and nutrient reserves. From mid-February to mid-April 1998-2001, we conducted ground and aerial surveys of sandhill cranes in the central Platte River valley. Peak numbers of sandhill cranes (121,000-285,000 cranes) detected during ground surveys occurred in mid-March (1998, 2001) or early March (1999, 2000). From 42% to 55% of the cranes occurred in cornfields, 26%-38% in lowland grassland, 7%-13% in alfalfa, and 2%-12% in other habitats (soybean, winter wheat, shrub-grassland, upland grassland). In general, …
Abundance And Habitat Associations Of Birds Wintering In The Platte River Valley, Nebraska, Craig Davis
Abundance And Habitat Associations Of Birds Wintering In The Platte River Valley, Nebraska, Craig Davis
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
The abundance and habitat associations of overwintering birds in Platte River Valley of central Nebraska may influence their long-term survival. I observed a total of 51 species over a three-year period in shrub-grassland, forest, grassland, and cropland habitats during the winter. Grassland habitats had the lowest abundance of wintering birds, while abundances in shrub-grassland, forest, and cropland habitats were higher and similar. Species richness was highest in forests ( x= 2.97 species) and lowest in grasslands (x = 0.73 species) and croplands (x = 0.57 species). Overall, horned larks (Eremophila alpestris), American tree sparrows (Spizella arborea), …
Habitat Fragmentation Effects On Birds In Grasslands And Wetlands: A Critique Of Our Knowledge, Douglas Johnson
Habitat Fragmentation Effects On Birds In Grasslands And Wetlands: A Critique Of Our Knowledge, Douglas Johnson
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
Habitat fragmentation exacerbates the problem of habitat loss for grassland and wetland birds. Remaining patches of grasslands and wetlands may be too small, too isolated, and too influenced by edge effects to maintain viable populations of some breeding birds. Knowledge of the effects of fragmentation on bird populations is critically important for decisions about reserve design, grassland and wetland management, and implementation of cropland set-aside programs that benefit wildlife. In my review of research that has been conducted on habitat fragmentation, I found at least five common problems in the methodology used. The results of many studies are compromised by …
Review Of Standard Soil Methods For Long-Term Ecological Research Edited By G. Philip Robertson, David E. Coleman, Caroline S. Bledsoe, And Phillip Sollins, Mary Ann Vinton
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
Standard Soil Methods for Long-Term Ecological Research is the second in a series of books dedicated to summarizing the research results and methods of ecological studies being conducted at sites around North America and Antarctica under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation's Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program. The twenty-one sites range from arctic tundra to hot desert and from natural tropical rainforest to urban and suburban areas.
What The Past Can Provide: Contribution Of Prehistoric Bison Studies To Modern Bison Management, Kenneth Cannon
What The Past Can Provide: Contribution Of Prehistoric Bison Studies To Modern Bison Management, Kenneth Cannon
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
For over 100 years, bison in the Greater Yellowstone Area have been managed intensely. Even during the years of "natural regulation," bison herds have been heavily managed by culling. One of the fundamental goals of the plan for the Greater Yellowstone Area is to maintain the ecosystem's integrity using sound science. In order to reach this goal, it must be recognized that it is a dynamic system, continually undergoing change. However, our knowledge of such changes is extremely limited. In the case of bison, our knowledge is based on nonsystematically collected historic records and modern studies of small, isolated populations. …
Carbon And Nitrogen Isotopes In Archeological Bison Remains As Indicators Of Paleoenvironmental Change In Southern Alberta, Jeremy J. Leyden, Gerald Oetelaar
Carbon And Nitrogen Isotopes In Archeological Bison Remains As Indicators Of Paleoenvironmental Change In Southern Alberta, Jeremy J. Leyden, Gerald Oetelaar
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
Between 1995 and 1997, archeological excavations in northwest Calgary, Alberta, uncovered cultural materials from several occupations dating back 8,500 years. Samples of bison bone recovered at the sites were chemically prepared and analyzed for isotopic ratios. Using the resultant carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios, we reconstructed the diet of bison from four different cultural occupations spanning the last 8,500 years. Based on current and established models of bison subsistence behavior, this dietary information was used to infer large-scale environmental changes during this time interval in our study area. The inferred changes in vegetation and climate were compared with paleoenvironmental reconstructions …
The Structure And Function Of Ecosystems In The Central North American Grassland Region, W. K. Luaenroth, I .C. Burke, M. P. Gutmann
The Structure And Function Of Ecosystems In The Central North American Grassland Region, W. K. Luaenroth, I .C. Burke, M. P. Gutmann
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
The central grassland region occupies the center of North America in the United States, Canada and Mexico and is a unique resource for the continent. While there are no other areas with comparable features, the largest similar grassland areas occur in Europe and Asia. The uniqueness of the region derives from its size, its relative flatness, and the smoothness of its physical gradients. The smooth gradients in precipitation and temperature are the reasons why most gradients in ecosystem properties are also smooth. The west-east gradient in precipitation and the north-south gradient in temperature result in corresponding gradients in plant community …
Recent Biodiversity Patterns In The Great Plains: Implications For Restoration And Management, Carolyn Hull Sieg, Curtis H. Flather, Stephan Mccanny
Recent Biodiversity Patterns In The Great Plains: Implications For Restoration And Management, Carolyn Hull Sieg, Curtis H. Flather, Stephan Mccanny
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
Ecosystem, species and genetic dimensions of biodiversity have eroded since widespread settlement of the Great Plains. Conversion of native vegetation in the region followed the precipitation gradient, with the greatest conversion in the eastern tallgrass prairie and eastern mixed-grass types. Areas now dominated by intensive land uses are "hot spots" for exotic birds. However, species of all taxa listed as threatened or endangered are well-distributed across the Great Plains. These species are often associated with special landscape features, such as wetlands, rivers, caves, sandhills and prairie dog towns. In the long run, sustaining biodiversity in the Great Plains, and the …
Response Of Riparian Vegetation To Streamflow Regulation And Land Use In The Great Plains, W. Carter Johnson
Response Of Riparian Vegetation To Streamflow Regulation And Land Use In The Great Plains, W. Carter Johnson
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
The influence of human activities on riparian zone vegetation differs markedly by ecoregion and stream size. Large rivers, dams and water diversions affect ecological processes more than local land uses do. However, for small streams, the reverse is generally true. Examples demonstrating these relationships include studies completed on the Missouri River in North Dakota, the Platte River in Nebraska, and Foster Creek in western South Dakota. On the Missouri River, damming has stopped river meandering and the regeneration of riparian forests in gaps between reservoirs. In contrast, on the Platte River, diversion of a large portion of the flow for …
Review Of Ecology And Conservation Of Great Plains Vertebrates Edited By Fritz L. Knopf And Fred B. Samson, Rolf Koford
Review Of Ecology And Conservation Of Great Plains Vertebrates Edited By Fritz L. Knopf And Fred B. Samson, Rolf Koford
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
Focusing on the plight of natural ecosystems in the Great Plains, Fritz Knopf and Fred Samson give prominent coverage to the region's “charismatic megafauna" and provide an excellent overview of the ecology and conservation of most vertebrate taxa. The editors granted their individual authors considerable leeway, resulting in contributions that are authoritative but unintegrated with each other. For example, in the Preface and most of the chapters, the Great Plains includes the tall grass prairie as well as the short and mixed grass prairie traditionally associated with the Great Plains region. In chapters on wetlands and fishes, tall grass prairie …
The Platte River Cooperative Agreement: A Basin-Wide Approach To Endangered Species Issue, Allan Jenkins
The Platte River Cooperative Agreement: A Basin-Wide Approach To Endangered Species Issue, Allan Jenkins
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
This paper reviews current endangered species issues associated with the development of the Platte River and the "Cooperative Agreement for Platte River Research and Other Efforts Relating to Endangered Species Habitats." The Platte River is an important economic resource, providing water essential for irrigation in a highly productive, but semiarid, agricultural region. However, the Middle Platte region of south central Nebraska is also recognized as a critical environmental zone for several endangered species. Thus, Platte River water users are subject to the provisions of the Endangered Species Act. In 1994, the Governors of Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming agreed to work …
Review Of People And The Land Through Time: Linking Ecology And History By Emily W. B. Russell, Emily Greenwald
Review Of People And The Land Through Time: Linking Ecology And History By Emily W. B. Russell, Emily Greenwald
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
While some environmental historians have used the insights of the natural sciences in their historical work, Emily Russell, offering a scientist's perspective, challenges ecologists to incorporate historians' methods and insights into their studies. In People and the Land through Time, Russell outlines working principles for the "historical ecologist," a scholar who traces past human impacts on particular ecosystems. She makes it clear that her emphasis is on ecological systems rather than humans, but argues that ecosystems can't be fully understood without accounting for how human actions have affected them.
The book provides an introduction to methods and a variety …
Microclimate Of An Aboriginal Winter Campsite At Wanuskewin Heritage Park, Saskatoom, E. A. Ripley, O. W. Archibold, C. Jackson, E. J. Walker
Microclimate Of An Aboriginal Winter Campsite At Wanuskewin Heritage Park, Saskatoom, E. A. Ripley, O. W. Archibold, C. Jackson, E. J. Walker
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
The microclimate of an aboriginal winter campsite, set in an incised, south-facing meander of a small creek, is compared to the conditions on the adjacent open prairie at Wanuskewin Heritage Park, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Maximum and minimum temperatures and wind speeds were measured daily, on the prairie and in the valley, along with temperatures in a modern canvas tipi erected in the valley. Maximum temperatures tended to be about 1 °C higher in the valley, and 2 °C higher in the tipi, than on the prairie, while minima were 1-2 °C lower. Wind speeds were reduced to about 50% in the …
Biological Control Of Weeds In Great Plains Rangelands, Svata M. Louda , Robert A. Masters
Biological Control Of Weeds In Great Plains Rangelands, Svata M. Louda , Robert A. Masters
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
Chemical control of weeds has increased agricultural productivity, but complete reliance on chemicals has serious drawbacks. These include high cost per acre, decreasing effectiveness, negative effects on plant community diversity, and increased opportunities for environmental contamination. One alternative is biocontrol, the use of biological factors that naturally limit weed populations. Long-term research goals focus on improving our knowledge of the processes that control and limit potential plant pests naturally and to use that knowledge to develop predictable, sustainable, low-cost, biologically-based weed management strategies. This paper reviews the ecological underpinnings of classical biological control of weeds, including basic research on the …
Is The Distribution Of Sandhill Cranes On The Platte River Changing?, Craig A. Faanes, Michael J. Levalley
Is The Distribution Of Sandhill Cranes On The Platte River Changing?, Craig A. Faanes, Michael J. Levalley
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
Data collected during 1957-1989 on the Platte and North Platte rivers was analyzed to detect changes in the temporal and spacial distribution of staging sandhill cranes. The data indicate that a significant west-to-east shift in crane distribution has developed since the late 1960s. The most negative changes have occurred between Lexington and Kearney, Nebraska, where vegetation encroachment has been most pronounced. A significant increase in crane numbers between the Wood River and Highway 34 bridges is attributed to the result of vegetation scouring flows and active removal of woody vegetation.
A Chromosome Study Of Blue Grama (Bouteloua Gracilis) In Northern Colorado, T. Tsuchiya, W. Mcginnies, A. Shahla
A Chromosome Study Of Blue Grama (Bouteloua Gracilis) In Northern Colorado, T. Tsuchiya, W. Mcginnies, A. Shahla
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
Chromosomes were studied in somatic cells of 60 plants of blue grama, Bouteloua gracilis (Willd. ex Kunth) Lag ex Griffiths, collected from a 7-hectare field of native range at the Central Plains Experiment Range (CPER), Nunn, Colorado, to determine chromosome constitution in relation to the plant characteristics. Somatic chromosomes were studied in root tips collected from vigorously growing plants in the greenhouse. Acetocarmine squash method was used to make slide preparation. The majority of the plants were 2n =40. However, three plants were 2n=50 and two were 2n=60. The pentaploid plants (2n =50) were recorded for the first time in …
Review Of Cheyenne Bottoms: Wetland In Jeopardy By John L. Zimmerman, John Janovy
Review Of Cheyenne Bottoms: Wetland In Jeopardy By John L. Zimmerman, John Janovy
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
The Cheyenne Bottoms, Barton County, Kansas, has long been hallowed ground for birders and scientists as well as hunters. The dikes let one drive slowly through the marshes, scanning the flats for favorite sandpiper species and experiencing first hand the isolation of the central Kansas prairies. John Zimmerman, professor of biology at Kansas State University, had captured the Cheyenne Bottoms aura in eloquent prose, giving us a taste of wetlands natural history, while bringing to life the political and economic conflicts surrounding Arkansas River, and Walnut Creek, water. In many ways, the Cheyenne Bottoms case is a modern archetypical prairie …
Global Change In The High Plains Of North America, Jane H. Bock, William D. Bowman, Carl E. Bock
Global Change In The High Plains Of North America, Jane H. Bock, William D. Bowman, Carl E. Bock
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences
The High Plains of North America extends from Canada to northern Mexico. This grassland region is subject to prolonged drought, herbivory, and wildfire. Organisms that are indigenous to the High Plains are adapted to these environmental factors. Periodic droughts occur at inexact, but few year, intervals. The grazing by free ranging bison, the indigenous large herbivore, has been replaced by grazing of fenced domestic stock. Fire regimes throughout human occupation of the region have been greatly influenced by human activities. Cultivation of wheat and corn also is carried out in the region.
Predicted climate changes in this region are increased …