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Brown-Headed Cowbirds In Grasslands: Their Habitats, Hosts, And Response To Management, Jill Shaffer, Christopher Goldade, Meghan Dinkins, Douglas Johnson, Lawrence Igl, Betty Euliss May 2004

Brown-Headed Cowbirds In Grasslands: Their Habitats, Hosts, And Response To Management, Jill Shaffer, Christopher Goldade, Meghan Dinkins, Douglas Johnson, Lawrence Igl, Betty Euliss

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

The brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) is an obligate brood parasite whose numbers have increased in recent decades to the potential detriment of the species that they parasitize. Thus, most management efforts focus on discouraging brown-headed cowbird parasitism or controlling brown-headed cowbird populations. Keys to discouraging cowbird parasitism or controlling populations of brown-headed cowbirds in the Great Plains are maintaining large expanses of grassland, eliminating foraging areas (e.g., feedlots) and perch sites, and reducing the extent of overgrazed pastures.


Effects Of Management Practices On Grassland Birds: American Bittern, Jill A. Dechant, Marriah L. Sondreal, Douglas H. Johnson, Lawrence D. Igl, Christopher M. Goldade, Amy L. Zimmerman, Betty R. Euliss Jan 2004

Effects Of Management Practices On Grassland Birds: American Bittern, Jill A. Dechant, Marriah L. Sondreal, Douglas H. Johnson, Lawrence D. Igl, Christopher M. Goldade, Amy L. Zimmerman, Betty R. Euliss

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Information on the habitat requirements and effects of habitat management on grassland birds were summarized from information in more than 4,000 published and unpublished papers. A range map is provided to indicate the relative densities of the species in North America, based on Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data. Although birds frequently are observed outside the breeding range indicated, the maps are intended to show areas where managers might concentrate their attention. It may be ineffectual to manage habitat at a site for a species that rarely occurs in an area. The species account begins with a brief capsule statement, which …


Less Waste Corn, More Land In Soybeans, And The Switch To Genetically Modified Crops: Trends With Important Implications For Wildlife Management, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt, Robert R. Cox Jr. Jan 2004

Less Waste Corn, More Land In Soybeans, And The Switch To Genetically Modified Crops: Trends With Important Implications For Wildlife Management, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt, Robert R. Cox Jr.

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

American agriculture has provided abundant high-energy foods for migratory and resident wildlife populations since the onset of modern wildlife management. Responding to anecdotal evidence that corn residues are declining in cropland, we remeasured waste corn postharvest in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) of Nebraska during 1997 and 1998 to compare with 1978. Post-harvest waste corn averaged 2.6% and 1.8% of yield in 1997 and 1998, respectively. After accounting for a 20% increase in yield, waste corn in 1997 and 1998 was reduced 24% and 47% from 1978. We also evaluated use of soybeans by spring-staging sandhill cranes ( Grus …


Effects Of Distance From Cattle Water Developments On Grassland Birds, Andrea L. Fontaine, Patricia L. Kennedy, Douglas H. Johnson Jan 2004

Effects Of Distance From Cattle Water Developments On Grassland Birds, Andrea L. Fontaine, Patricia L. Kennedy, Douglas H. Johnson

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Many North American grassland bird populations appear to be declining, which may be due to changes in grazing regimes on their breeding areas. Establishment of water developments and confining cattle (Bos taurus L.) to small pastures often minimizes spatial heterogeneity of cattle forage consumption, which may lead to uniformity in vegetative structure. This increased uniformity may provide suitable habitat for some bird species but not others. We assessed how cattle use, vegetative structure, and bird population densities varied with increasing distance from water developments (0-800 m) on the Little Missouri National Grassland (LMNG) in North Dakota. Lark buntings ( …


The Wetland Continuum: A Conceptual Framework For Interpreting Biological Studies, Ned H. Euliss Jr., James W. Labaugh, Leigh H. Fredrickson, David M. Mushet, Murray K. Laubhan, George A. Swanson, Thomas C. Winter, Donald O. Rosenberry, Richard D. Nelson Jan 2004

The Wetland Continuum: A Conceptual Framework For Interpreting Biological Studies, Ned H. Euliss Jr., James W. Labaugh, Leigh H. Fredrickson, David M. Mushet, Murray K. Laubhan, George A. Swanson, Thomas C. Winter, Donald O. Rosenberry, Richard D. Nelson

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

We describe a conceptual model, the wetland continuum, which allows wetland managers, scientists, and ecologists to consider simultaneously the influence of climate and hydrologic setting on wetland biological communities. Although multidimensional, the wetland continuum is most easily represented as a two-dimensional gradient, with ground water and atmospheric water constituting the horizontal and vertical axes, respectively. By locating the position of a wetland on both axes of the continuum, the potential biological expression of the wetland can be predicted at any point in time. The model provides a framework useful in the organization and interpretation of biological data from wetlands by …