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Social and Behavioral Sciences
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
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- Grassland birds (4)
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Articles 1 - 25 of 25
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Factors Influencing Soil Invertebrate Communities In Riparian Grasslands Of The Central Platte River Floodplain, Craig A. Davis, Jane E. Austin, Deborah A. Buhl
Factors Influencing Soil Invertebrate Communities In Riparian Grasslands Of The Central Platte River Floodplain, Craig A. Davis, Jane E. Austin, Deborah A. Buhl
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
In the Platte River Valley of central Nebraska, USA, riparian grasslands (also known as wet meadows) have been severely impacted by a reduction in river flows, causing lower ground-water levels and altered seasonal hydroperiods. The potential impacts of these hydrologic changes, as well as the environmental factors that influence wet meadow soil invertebrate communities, are not well understood. An understanding of the ecological processes that influence these invertebrate communities is crucial for maintaining and restoring wet meadows along the Platte River. Our objectives were to describe the soil invertebrate community of wet meadows throughout the growing season and to examine …
Factors Influencing Soil Invertebrate Communities In Riparian Grasslands Of The Central Platte River Floodplain, Craig A. Davis, Jane E. Austin, Deborah A. Buhl
Factors Influencing Soil Invertebrate Communities In Riparian Grasslands Of The Central Platte River Floodplain, Craig A. Davis, Jane E. Austin, Deborah A. Buhl
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
In the Platte River Valley of central Nebraska, USA, riparian grasslands (also known as wet meadows) have been severely impacted by a reduction in river flows, causing lower ground-water levels and altered seasonal hydroperiods. The potential impacts of these hydrologic changes, as well as the environmental factors that influence wet meadow soil invertebrate communities, are not well understood. An understanding of the ecological processes that influence these invertebrate communities is crucial for maintaining and restoring wet meadows along the Platte River. Our objectives were to describe the soil invertebrate community of wet meadows throughout the growing season and to examine …
Are Trans-Pacific Invasions The New Wave?, Ragan M. Callaway, Shi Li Miao, Qinfeng Guo
Are Trans-Pacific Invasions The New Wave?, Ragan M. Callaway, Shi Li Miao, Qinfeng Guo
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
The movement of organisms among continents by humans has caused profound changes in the ecology of relocated species and of communities to which they have been introduced. Perhaps less than 1% of all species that arrive at foreign shores become invaders (Williamson and Fitter 1996), but the few that explode in abundance wreak tremendous environmental and economic damage (Mack et al. 2000; Pimentel et al. 2000; Xu et al. 2006). During the last decade research on invasive species has dramatically increased. For example, from 1988 to 1990 the journal Ecology published three papers with the words ‘invasive’ or ‘invader’ in …
North American Prairie Wetlands Are Important Nonforested Land-Based Carbon Storage Sites, Ned H. Euliss Jr., R. A. Gleason, A. Olness, R.L. Mcdougal, H.R. Murkin, R.D. Robarts, R.A. Bourbonniere, B.G. Warner
North American Prairie Wetlands Are Important Nonforested Land-Based Carbon Storage Sites, Ned H. Euliss Jr., R. A. Gleason, A. Olness, R.L. Mcdougal, H.R. Murkin, R.D. Robarts, R.A. Bourbonniere, B.G. Warner
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
We evaluated the potential of prairie wetlands in North America as carbon sinks. Agricultural conversion has resulted in the average loss of 10.1 Mg ha- of soil organic carbon on over 16 million ha of wetlands in this region. Wetland restoration has potential to sequester 378 Tg of organic carbon over a 10-year period. Wetlands can sequester over twice the organic carbon as no-till cropland on only about 17% of the total land area in the region. We estimate that wetland restoration has potential to offset 2.4% of the annual fossil CO2 emission reported for North America in …
Community Maturity, Species Saturation And The Variant Diversity–Productivity Relationships In Grasslands, Qinfeng Guo, Terry Shaffer, Thomas Buhl
Community Maturity, Species Saturation And The Variant Diversity–Productivity Relationships In Grasslands, Qinfeng Guo, Terry Shaffer, Thomas Buhl
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Detailed knowledge of the relationship between plant diversity and productivity is critical for advancing our understanding of ecosystem functioning and for achieving success in habitat restoration efforts. However, effects and interactions of diversity, succession and biotic invasions on productivity remain elusive. We studied newly established communities in relation to preexisting homogeneous vegetation invaded by exotic plants in the northern Great Plains, USA, at four study sites for 3 years. We observed variant diversity–productivity relationships for the seeded communities (generally positive monotonic at three sites and non-monotonic at the other site) but no relationships for the resident community or the seeded …
The Many Faces Of Replication, Douglas Johnson
The Many Faces Of Replication, Douglas Johnson
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Replication is one of the three cornerstones of inference from experimental studies, the other two being control and randomization. In fact, replication is essential for the benefits of randomization to apply. In addition to ordinary replication, the repetition of treatments within a study, two other levels of replication have been identified. Pseudoreplication, a termed coined by Stuart Hurlbert, generally involves making multiple measurements on experiment units (which is commendable) and treating them as if they reflected independent responses to treatment (which is erroneous). Metareplication is a higher level of replication in which entire studies are repeated. Scientists are too much …
Insect Visitation And Pollen Deposition In An Invaded Prairie Plant Community, Diane L. Larson, Ronald A. Royer, Margaret R. Royer
Insect Visitation And Pollen Deposition In An Invaded Prairie Plant Community, Diane L. Larson, Ronald A. Royer, Margaret R. Royer
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Invasive plants with large flowering displays have been shown to compete with native plants for pollinator services, often to the detriment of native plant fitness. In this study, we compare the pollinator communities and pollen deposited on stigmas of native plant species within and away from stands of the invasive alien plant, leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) at a large natural area in North Dakota, USA. Specifically, we ask if infestation influences (1) visitation rates and taxonomic composition of visitors to native flowers, and (2) the amount of conspecific pollen, number of pollen species, and proportion of heterospecific pollen on stigmas …
A 3-Decade Dearth Of Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) In A Wolf (Canis Lupus)–Dominated Ecosystem, Michael Nelson, L. David Mech
A 3-Decade Dearth Of Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) In A Wolf (Canis Lupus)–Dominated Ecosystem, Michael Nelson, L. David Mech
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Some 30 y after wolves (Canis lupus) were implicated in decimating wintering white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in a 3000-km2 area of northeastern Minnesota, wintering deer still have not recolonized the area. From 1976 to 2004, we aerially radio-tracked wolves there during 250 h and recorded 2 deer (in 1985 and 2000) killed or eaten by wolves during February and March. We observed no other deer or deer sign, but regularly observed deer, deer sign and wolf-killed deer in adjacent wolf-pack territories. Although habitat in the study area generally remains poor, some regeneration has taken place, …
Survival Of Adult Female Elk In Yellowstone Following Wolf Restoration, Shaney Evans, L. David Mech, P. J. White, Glen A. Sergeant
Survival Of Adult Female Elk In Yellowstone Following Wolf Restoration, Shaney Evans, L. David Mech, P. J. White, Glen A. Sergeant
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Counts of northern Yellowstone elk (Cervus elaphus) in northwestern Wyoming and adjacent Montana, USA, have decreased at an average rate of 6–8% per year since wolves (Canis lupus) were reintroduced in 1995. Population growth rates of elk are typically sensitive to variations in adult female survival; populations that are stable or increasing exhibit high adult female survival. We used survival records for 85 radio-collared adult female elk 1–19 years old to estimate annual survival from March 2000 to February 2004. Weighted average annual survival rates were approximately 0.83 (95% CI=0.77–0.89) for females 1–15 years old and …
Prediction Failure Of A Wolf Landscape Model, L. David Mech
Prediction Failure Of A Wolf Landscape Model, L. David Mech
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
I compared 101 wolf (Canis lupus) pack territories formed in Wisconsin during 1993–2004 to the logistic regression predictive model of Mladenoff et al. (1995, 1997, 1999). Of these, 60% were located in putative habitat suitabilities 50% remained unoccupied by known packs after 24 years of recolonization. This model was a poor predictor of wolf re-colonizing locations in Wisconsin, apparently because it failed to consider the adaptability of wolves. Such models should be used cautiously in wolf-management or restoration plans.
Proximate And Landscape Factors Influence Grassland Bird Distributions, Mary Ann Cunningham, Douglas H. Johnson
Proximate And Landscape Factors Influence Grassland Bird Distributions, Mary Ann Cunningham, Douglas H. Johnson
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Ecologists increasingly recognize that birds can respond to features well beyond their normal areas of activity, but little is known about the relative importance of landscapes and proximate factors or about the scales of landscapes that influence bird distributions. We examined the influences of tree cover at both proximate and landscape scales on grassland birds, a group of birds of high conservation concern, in the Sheyenne National Grassland in North Dakota, USA. The Grassland contains a diverse array of grassland and woodland habitats. We surveyed breeding birds on 2015 100 m long transect segments during 2002 and 2003. We modeled …
Influences Of Management Regimes On Breeding Bird Densities And Habitat In Mixed-Grass Prairie: An Example From North Dakota, Andrea A. Lueders, Patricia L. Kennedy, Douglas H. Johnson
Influences Of Management Regimes On Breeding Bird Densities And Habitat In Mixed-Grass Prairie: An Example From North Dakota, Andrea A. Lueders, Patricia L. Kennedy, Douglas H. Johnson
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
It is well known that North American grassland bird populations appear to be declining (Igl and Johnson 1997, Sauer et al. 2004). Most of these birds breed and winter in North America, so declines are likely associated with continental processes (Knopf 1994). Scientists have also observed parallel declines among species that have overlapping breeding ranges but disparate wintering distributions (Igl and Johnson 1997). These patterns suggest declines may be linked to problems on the breeding grounds.
Avian Response To Meadow Restoration In The Central Great Plains, Rosalind B. Renfrew, Douglas H. Johnson, Gary R. Lingle, W. Douglas Robinson
Avian Response To Meadow Restoration In The Central Great Plains, Rosalind B. Renfrew, Douglas H. Johnson, Gary R. Lingle, W. Douglas Robinson
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Native grassland is one of the most heavily degraded of all North American ecosystems, and restoration of altered grasslands is a tool used to mitigate some of the biological ramifications of past land use practices. Providing habitat for grassland-dependent bird species often is one of the many goals of restoration. We evaluated the efficacy of meadow restoration for breeding birds in the Nebraska Platte River Valley by comparing the bird community and vegetation structure on 25 natural (original sod) and 25 restored meadows. We conducted principal components analyses on the vegetation structure and on the bird community, and modeled the …
Patch Size And Landscape Effects On Density And Nesting Success Of Grassland Birds, Maiken Winter, Douglas H. Johnson, Jill A. Shaffer, Therese M. Donovan, W. Daniel Svedarsky
Patch Size And Landscape Effects On Density And Nesting Success Of Grassland Birds, Maiken Winter, Douglas H. Johnson, Jill A. Shaffer, Therese M. Donovan, W. Daniel Svedarsky
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Cumnt management recommendations for grassland birds in North America emphasize providing large patches of grassland habitat within landscapes that have few forest or shrubland areas. These Bird Conservation Areas are being proposed under the assumption that large patches of habitat in treeless landscapes will maintain viable populations of grassland birds. This assumption requires that patch size and landscape features affect density and nesting success of grassland birds, and that these effects are consistent among years and regions and across focal species. However, these assumptions have not yet been validated for grassland binls, and the relative importance of local vegetation structure, …
Distributions Of Exotic Plants In Eastern Asia And North America, Qinfeng Guo, Hong Qian, Robert E. Ricklefs, Weimin Xi
Distributions Of Exotic Plants In Eastern Asia And North America, Qinfeng Guo, Hong Qian, Robert E. Ricklefs, Weimin Xi
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Although some plant traits have been linked to invasion success, the possible effects of regional factors, such as diversity, habitat suitability, and human activity are not well understood. Each of these mechanisms predicts a different pattern of distribution at the regional scale. Thus, where climate and soils are similar, predictions based on regional hypotheses for invasion success can be tested by comparisons of distributions in the source and receiving regions. Here, we analyse the native and alien geographic ranges of all 1567 plant species that have been introduced between eastern Asia and North America or have been introduced to both …
Intercontinental Biotic Invasions: What Can We Learn From Native Populations And Habitats?, Qinfeng Guo
Intercontinental Biotic Invasions: What Can We Learn From Native Populations And Habitats?, Qinfeng Guo
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
The effectiveness of management strategies for invasive species is often hampered by a lack of clear understanding of the factors that limit species distributions. The distribution of exotic species, especially those that are invasive, are often so dynamic that limiting factors are difficult to identify. Comparisons of exotic species between their native ranges, where they are presumably close to equilibrium with controlling factors, and their ranges in areas of introduction can circumvent this difficulty. Such studies would help identify (1) limiting factors for distributions in native ranges, (2) factors associated with a high degree of invasiveness, (3) changes in genetics …
Conspecific Attraction In A Grassland Bird, The Baird’S Sparrow, Marissa A. Ahlering, Douglas H. Johnson, John Faaborg
Conspecific Attraction In A Grassland Bird, The Baird’S Sparrow, Marissa A. Ahlering, Douglas H. Johnson, John Faaborg
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Territorial songbirds generally use song to defend territories and attract mates, but conspecific song may also serve as a cue to attract other male songbirds to a breeding site. Although known to occur in some colonial and forest-associated species, only recently have investigators examined conspecific attraction in grassland species. We used a playback experiment to examine the possible role of conspecific attraction for males searching for potentially suitable breeding habitat in a grassland specialist, the Baird’s Sparrow(Ammodramus bairdii). Experimental playback plots and control plots with similar landscape and vegetation characteristics were established at two sites in North Dakota. …
Fat Dynamics Of Arctic-Nesting Sandpipers During Spring In Mid-Continental North America, Gary Krapu, Jan Eldridge, Cherri Grato-Trevor, Deborah Buhl
Fat Dynamics Of Arctic-Nesting Sandpipers During Spring In Mid-Continental North America, Gary Krapu, Jan Eldridge, Cherri Grato-Trevor, Deborah Buhl
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
We measured fresh body mass, total body fat, and fat-free dry mass (FFDM) of three species of Arctic-nesting calidrid sandpipers (Baird’s Sandpiper [Calidris bairdii], hereafter “BASA”; Semipalmated Sandpiper [C. pusilla], hereafter “SESA”; and White-rumped Sandpiper [C. fuscicollis], hereafter “WRSA”) during spring stopovers in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North Dakota, and evaluated the contribution of stored fat to (1) energy requirements for migration to their Arctic-breeding grounds and (2) nutrient needs for reproduction. All spring migrant WRSA (n = 124) and BASA (n = 111), and all but 2 of 99 SESA we …
Evidence Of A Decline In Fat Storage By Midcontinental Sandhill Cranes In Nebraska During Spring: A Preliminary Assessment, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt, Deborah A. Buhl, Gary Lingle
Evidence Of A Decline In Fat Storage By Midcontinental Sandhill Cranes In Nebraska During Spring: A Preliminary Assessment, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt, Deborah A. Buhl, Gary Lingle
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
When an ice storm killed an estimated 2,000 sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) in Nebraska on 24 March 1996, we retrieved the fresh carcasses of 118 adults to test for a decline in the condition of spring-staging cranes from that date in 1978 and 1979. We first conducted a principle component analysis on 3 morphological variables (tarsus, exposed culmen, and wing chord [flattened]) and used the first principal component (PC1) as an index of body size. Then, to account for variation in body mass due to size, we regressed body mass on …
Mallard Brood Movements, Wetland Use, And Duckling Survival During And Following A Prairie Drought, Gary L. Krapu, Pamela J. Pietz, David A. Brandt, Robert R. Cox Jr.
Mallard Brood Movements, Wetland Use, And Duckling Survival During And Following A Prairie Drought, Gary L. Krapu, Pamela J. Pietz, David A. Brandt, Robert R. Cox Jr.
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
We used radiotelemetry to study mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) brood movements, wetland use, and duckling survival during a major drought (1988–1992) and during the first 2 years of the subsequent wet period (1993–1994) at 4 51-km2 sites in prairie pothole landscapes in eastern North Dakota, USA. About two-thirds of 69 radiomarked mallard broods initiated moves from the nest to water before noon, and all left the nest during daylight. On average, broods used fewer wetlands, but moved greater distances during the dry period than the wet period. Broods of all ages were more likely to make inter-wetland moves …
A Preliminary Biological Assessment Of Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex, North Dakota, Murray K. Laubhan, Robert A. Gleason, Gregory A. Knutsen, Rachel A. Laubhan, N. H. Euliss Jr.
A Preliminary Biological Assessment Of Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex, North Dakota, Murray K. Laubhan, Robert A. Gleason, Gregory A. Knutsen, Rachel A. Laubhan, N. H. Euliss Jr.
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
This report represents an initial biological assessment of wetland conditions on Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Slade NWR, and Florence Lake NWR that was conducted as part of the pre-planning phase for development of a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP). According to the 1997 National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act (NWRSIA), decisions guiding NWR management should be based on the best available scientific information. Therefore, this report attempts to integrate relevant information from many different scientific disciplines (e.g., geology, hydrology, biology) to assist the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in identifying ecological constraints and opportunities imposed by the land …
Estimated Age Structure Of Wolves In Northeastern Minnesota, L. David Mech
Estimated Age Structure Of Wolves In Northeastern Minnesota, L. David Mech
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Information about population age structures is useful to understand survival rates, longevity, and population turnover. However, little such information is available about wolf (Canis lupus) populations. Mech (1970) estimated age structures of wolf-population age structure from pup:adult ratios applying various demographic assumptions, but no direct information has been published to test his estimate. Mech et al. (1998) aged 94 live wolves darted in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, USA, but the estimates of wolf ages were based on educated guesses because no technique was available for aging live wolves. Since then, Gipson et al. (2000) published criteria …
Age-Related Body Mass And Reproductive Measurements Of Gray Wolves In Minnesota, L. David Mech
Age-Related Body Mass And Reproductive Measurements Of Gray Wolves In Minnesota, L. David Mech
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Based on 65 free-ranging gray wolves (Canis lupus) of known age and 25 of estimated age examined during summers of 1970–2004 in northeastern Minnesota, body mass of both males and females peaked at 5 or 6 years of age, with mean masses of 40.8 kg and 31.2 kg, respectively. Testis size varied as a function of age and month through at least 8 years of age, with length plus width ranging from 1.9 to 7.8 cm. Most females aged 4–9 years bred based on assessment of nipple sizes; those that had not bred had average lower body mass …
A Historical Perspective: Changes In Grassland Breeding Bird Densities Within Major Habitats In North Dakota Between 1967 And 1992-1993, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Harold A. Kantrud
A Historical Perspective: Changes In Grassland Breeding Bird Densities Within Major Habitats In North Dakota Between 1967 And 1992-1993, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Harold A. Kantrud
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Population declines of many grassland-nesting birds are now widely recognized. Fundamental to understanding these declines is knowing if they are caused by changes in the availability of suitable habitats or changes in the densities of birds within those habitats. We address that issue with information from systematic surveys of breeding birds throughout North Dakota in 1967, 1992, and 1993. We compared the availability of 8 major habitat types, and the densities of 24 species of grassland birds in each habitat type, for 128 randomly selected quarter-sections (64.7 ha or 160 ac) that were surveyed in each of those years. Between …
Urine-Marking And Ground-Scratching By Free-Ranging Arctic Wolves, Canis Lupus Arctos, In Summer, L. David Mech
Urine-Marking And Ground-Scratching By Free-Ranging Arctic Wolves, Canis Lupus Arctos, In Summer, L. David Mech
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Urine-marking and ground-scratching were observed in an Arctic Wolf (Canis lupus) pack on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, during 16 summers between 1986 and 2005. All previously known urination postures and ground-scratching by breeding males and females were seen, and incidence of marking and scratching was greatest when non-pack wolves were present. Observations of urine-marking of food remains supported the conclusion from a captive Wolf study that such marking signals lack of edible food.