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South Dakota State University

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Belowground Growth Strategies Of Native And Invasive Rhizomatous Perennial Grasses In Response To Precipitation Variability, Clipping, And Competition, Surendra Bam, Jacqueline P. Ott, Jack Butler, Lan Xu Oct 2023

Belowground Growth Strategies Of Native And Invasive Rhizomatous Perennial Grasses In Response To Precipitation Variability, Clipping, And Competition, Surendra Bam, Jacqueline P. Ott, Jack Butler, Lan Xu

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Invasive clonal species may exhibit different growth strategies than their native clonal competitors. In this study, we examined the spatial distribution of tiller outgrowth and the bud bank by comparing the investment in phalanx versus guerilla growth of a native and invasive perennial grass in North America. We also examined the efect of altered precipitation frequency, clipping, and competition on their clonal growth strategies. Investment in phalanx and guerilla growth was assessed by examining live propagule and tiller production from the plant crown versus its rhizomes. Although invasive Bromus inermis and native Pascopyrum smithii exhibited similar clonal growth strategies as …


Mineral Licks As A Potential Nidus For Parasite Transmission, William J. Severud, Todd M. Kautz, Jerrold L. Belant, Seth A. Moore Sep 2023

Mineral Licks As A Potential Nidus For Parasite Transmission, William J. Severud, Todd M. Kautz, Jerrold L. Belant, Seth A. Moore

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Discrete landscape features can concentrate animals in time and space, leading to non-random interspecific encounters. These encounters have implications for predator-prey interactions, habitat selection, intraspecific competition, and transmission of parasites and other pathogens. The lifecycle of the parasitic nematode Parelaphostrongylus tenuis requires an intermediate host of a terrestrial gastropod. Natural hosts of P. tenuis are whitetailed deer, and an aberrant host of conservation concern is moose, which are susceptible to high levels of mortality as a naive host to the parasite. Intermediate hosts become infected when P. tenuis larvae are shed in deer feces, then consumed or enter the gastropod …


Natural Resource Management Newsletter, June 2023, Department Of Natural Resource Management Jun 2023

Natural Resource Management Newsletter, June 2023, Department Of Natural Resource Management

NRM Newsletter

Page 1: Departmental Faculty and Staff, and Dean's Message
Page 2: NRM Newbies
Page 3: Emeriti Publications and Award, Donor Obituary, Recent Graduate News, and Ten Year Service Award
Page 4: Donor News
Page 5: Sampling of Faculty and Staff Activities & Recognition
Page 6: Sampling of Graduate Students Activities
Page 7: Sampling of Undergraduate Students Activities
Page 8: Club Activities
Page 9: NRM Events
Page 10: Opportunities to Support NRM


Trophically Integrated Ecometric Models As Tools For Demonstrating Spatial And Temporal Functional Changes In Mammal Communities, Rachel A. Short, Jenny L. Mcguire, P. David Polly, A. Michelle Lawing Feb 2023

Trophically Integrated Ecometric Models As Tools For Demonstrating Spatial And Temporal Functional Changes In Mammal Communities, Rachel A. Short, Jenny L. Mcguire, P. David Polly, A. Michelle Lawing

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

We are in a modern biodiversity crisis that will restructure community compositions and ecological functions globally. Large mammals, important contributors to ecosystem function, have been affected directly by purposeful extermination and indirectly by climate and land-use changes, yet functional turnover is rarely assessed on a global scale using metrics based on functional traits. Using ecometrics, the study of functional trait distributions and functional turnover, we examine the relationship between vegetation cover and locomotor traits for artiodactyl and carnivoran communities. We show that the ability to detect a functional relationship is strengthened when locomotor traits of both primary consumers (artiodactyls, n …


Relating Predator Community Ecology And Duck Nest Survival In Eastern South Dakota, Samantha R. Fino Jan 2023

Relating Predator Community Ecology And Duck Nest Survival In Eastern South Dakota, Samantha R. Fino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As conversion of native grasslands and wetlands to croplands continues in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), managers are tasked with maintaining sustainable waterfowl populations. Mesopredator community dynamics is a hypothesized mechanism driving spatiotemporal variation of waterfowl nest survival in the PPR, yet studies often lack detailed information on mesopredator species occurrence and abundance. Therefore, understanding spatial and temporal variation in behaviors of mesopredators provides valuable insights for understanding predator-prey interactions between mesopredators and upland duck nests. Further, differences in a predator community resulting from lethal removal of dominant species may influence composition and space use patterns of subordinate and non-target …


Factors Influencing Mortality Of Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis), Emily Moberg Jan 2023

Factors Influencing Mortality Of Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis), Emily Moberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reintroduced bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in Nebraska faced a devastating pneumonia epizootic resulting in variable ewe reproductive success and poor lamb recruitment in many of the herds. From 2015-2017, no lamb recruitment was observed in the northern Pine Ridge subpopulation and as many as 60% of adults died. This was in stark contrast to the healthier Wildcat Hills herds to the south, where lamb recruitment was estimated to be between 50-70% during the same years. From 2018-2020, we radio-collared and recaptured 76 adult female bighorn sheep from 2 of 3 Pine Ridge herds and 1 of 2 Wildcat Hills herds. …


Walleye Feeding, Movements, And Energetics Reveal The Importance Of Connected Wetlands In Glacial Lakes, Logan M. Cutler Jan 2023

Walleye Feeding, Movements, And Energetics Reveal The Importance Of Connected Wetlands In Glacial Lakes, Logan M. Cutler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fish require a variety of resources including prey, thermal refugia, and different physical habitat characteristics to grow and reproduce. All necessary resources are rarely provided by a single habitat, resulting in tradeoffs between occupying different habitats; therefore, the ability to move among heterogenous habitats is critical. These tradeoffs may occur in lakes with connected wetlands where the main lake habitats tend to be more thermally stable, but wetlands often provide more diverse and abundant prey. For my second chapter, I compared prey diversity and abundance as well as Walleye (Sander vitreus) diets and condition in a large glacial lake (Lake …


Effects Of Agricultural Chemicals On Native Plants Of The Northern Great Plains, Gabrielle Bolwerk Jan 2023

Effects Of Agricultural Chemicals On Native Plants Of The Northern Great Plains, Gabrielle Bolwerk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Agricultural chemicals are ubiquitous on the Northern Great Plains landscape and have negative impacts on non-target plant communities, even at small doses. Northern Great Plains grassland plant communities may experience herbicide drift from agricultural fields or be subject to livestock pharmaceuticals in grazing lands. My research objective was to evaluate if and how native plants are affected by agricultural chemical presence at different concentrations. In Chapter 2, I studied the effect of different concentrations of three common agricultural herbicides (2,4-D, atrazine, and trifluralin) on the germination, emergence, and growth of native plant species of the Northern Great Plains. I performed …


Why Are Some Plant Species Missing From Restorations? A Diagnostic Tool For Temperate Grassland Ecosystems, Marcello De Vitis, Kayri Havens, Rebecca S. Barak, Louise Egerton-Warburton, Adrienne R. Ernst, Matt Evans, Jeremie B. Fant, Alicia J. Foxx, Kyndall Hadley, Jim Jabcon, Joan O’Shaughnessey, Sai Ramakrishna, David Sollenberger, Sophie Taddeo, Rafael Urbina-Casanova, Chris Woolridge, Lan Xu, Jacob Zeldin, Andrea T. Kramer Oct 2022

Why Are Some Plant Species Missing From Restorations? A Diagnostic Tool For Temperate Grassland Ecosystems, Marcello De Vitis, Kayri Havens, Rebecca S. Barak, Louise Egerton-Warburton, Adrienne R. Ernst, Matt Evans, Jeremie B. Fant, Alicia J. Foxx, Kyndall Hadley, Jim Jabcon, Joan O’Shaughnessey, Sai Ramakrishna, David Sollenberger, Sophie Taddeo, Rafael Urbina-Casanova, Chris Woolridge, Lan Xu, Jacob Zeldin, Andrea T. Kramer

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

The U.N. Decade on Ecosystem Restoration aims to accelerate actions to prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems, and re-establish ecosystem functioning and species diversity. The practice of ecological restoration has made great progress in recent decades, as has recognition of the importance of species diversity to maintaining the long-term stability and functioning of restored ecosystems. Restorations may also focus on specific species to fulfill needed functions, such as supporting dependent wildlife or mitigating extinction risk. Yet even in the most carefully planned and managed restoration, target species may fail to germinate, establish, or persist. To support the successful …


The State Of Capacity Development Evaluation In Biodiversity Conservation And Natural Resource Management, Eleanor J. Sterling, Amanda Sigouin, Erin Betley, Jennifer Zavaleta Cheek, Jennifer N. Soloman, Kimberley Landrigan, Ana L. Porzecanski, Et. Al. Sep 2022

The State Of Capacity Development Evaluation In Biodiversity Conservation And Natural Resource Management, Eleanor J. Sterling, Amanda Sigouin, Erin Betley, Jennifer Zavaleta Cheek, Jennifer N. Soloman, Kimberley Landrigan, Ana L. Porzecanski, Et. Al.

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Capacity development is critical to long-term conservation success, yet we lack a robust and rigorous understanding of how well its effects are being evaluated. A comprehensive summary of who is monitoring and evaluating capacity development interventions, what is being evaluated and how, would help in the development of evidence-based guidance to inform design and implementation decisions for future capacity development interventions and evaluations of their effectiveness. We built an evidence map by reviewing peer-reviewed and grey literature published since 2000, to identify case studies evaluating capacity development interventions in biodiversity conservation and natural resource management. We used inductive and deductive …


Separating Proactive Conservation From Species Listing Decisions, Adrienne I. Kovach, Amanda E. Cheeseman, Joathan B. Cohen, Chadwick D. Rittenhouse, Christopher M. Whipps Sep 2022

Separating Proactive Conservation From Species Listing Decisions, Adrienne I. Kovach, Amanda E. Cheeseman, Joathan B. Cohen, Chadwick D. Rittenhouse, Christopher M. Whipps

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Proactive Conservation is a paradigm of natural resource management in the United States that encourages voluntary, collaborative efforts to restore species before they need to be protected through government regulations. This paradigm is widely used to conserve at-risk species today, and when used in conjunction with the Policy for Evaluation of Conservation Efforts (PECE), it allows for successful conservation actions to preclude listing of species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Despite the popularity of this paradigm, and recent flagship examples of its use (e.g., greater sage grouse, Centrocercus urophasianus), critical assessments of the outcomes of Proactive Conservation are lacking …


Belowground Mechanism Reveals Climate Change Impacts On Invasive Clonal Plant Establishment, Surendra Bam, Jacqueline P. Ott, Jack L. Butler, Lan Xu Feb 2022

Belowground Mechanism Reveals Climate Change Impacts On Invasive Clonal Plant Establishment, Surendra Bam, Jacqueline P. Ott, Jack L. Butler, Lan Xu

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Climate change and disturbance can alter invasion success of clonal plants by differentially affecting the clonal traits influencing their establishment as young plants. Clonal traits related to the vegetative reproduction of native Pascopyrum smithii and non-native Bromus inermis grass seedlings were evaluated under altered precipitation frequencies and a single grazing event. Pascopyrum smithii maintained similar vegetative reproduction under three simulated precipitation frequencies whereas B. inermis vegetative reproduction declined as precipitation became more intermittent. Vegetative reproduction of the non-native B. inermis was greater than the native P. smithii under all simulated precipitation frequencies except the most intermittent scenario. A single grazing …


Natural Resource Management Newsletter, January 2022, Department Of Natural Resource Management Jan 2022

Natural Resource Management Newsletter, January 2022, Department Of Natural Resource Management

NRM Newsletter

CAFES Awards: Teacher of the Year & Student Club Honorable Mention 2021
NRM Affiliate Professor Receives Fulbright to Norway
Service Awards
Elisha YT Summer Internship
Deva Raj Khanal 2021 ASPT Research Award
Gary Larson Memorial Burr Oak at Dakota Nature Park in Brookings
Oak Lake Field Station Jon Haertel Undergraduate Research Award
Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Day (URSCAD)
Seven Wokini Challenge Grants Awarded for FY 2022 - Lan Xu
Fire School at Oak Lake Field Station
USDA project to produce wildflower seeds, improve soil health
Pollinators in an Agricultural Context
Welcome new faculty members: Alison, Chris, Amanda & …


Application Of Pork Checkoff We Care Sustainability Principles To Pork Production: Water, Nutrition, And Biosecurity, Hannah Miller Jan 2022

Application Of Pork Checkoff We Care Sustainability Principles To Pork Production: Water, Nutrition, And Biosecurity, Hannah Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Pork Checkoff program was founded in 1986 as a means to strengthen U.S. pork in the market place (Pork Checkoff). Under this program all U.S. pork producers and importers pay $0.40 for every $100 worth of pigs is sold (Pork Checkoff). Funds are then used for pork promotion, research, and education for producers and consumers (Pork Checkoff). The Pork Checkoff program uses the We Care ethical principles as a means to address “continuous improvement in the pork industry’s production practices and promote a strong record of responsible farming to those outside of the industry” (National Pork Board, 2018a). The …


Targeted Browsing With Goats For Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus Virginiana L.) Control, Alanna M. Hartsfield Jan 2022

Targeted Browsing With Goats For Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus Virginiana L.) Control, Alanna M. Hartsfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As eastern redcedar (ERC) (Juniperus virginiana L.) grassland encroachment progresses, all potential control methods should be explored in the interest of Great Plains grassland health and longevity. Targeted browsing with goats has been proven as an effective control method on some juniper species; however, little is known about its ability to control ERC. These studies intend to mend knowledge gaps of how targeted browsing with goats control ERC by causing tree death without chemicals or machinery. The first study is two 3x3 Latin squares comparing protein-supplemented diets. The second study is a randomized complete block design of five 0.224 ha …


The Potential Of Bison Restoration As An Ecological Approach To Future Tribal Food Sovereignty On The Northern Great Plains, Hila Shamon, Olivia G. Cosby, Chamois L. Andersen, Helen Augare, Jony Bearcub Stiffarm, Claire E. Bresnan, Jeff M. Martin, Et Al. Jan 2022

The Potential Of Bison Restoration As An Ecological Approach To Future Tribal Food Sovereignty On The Northern Great Plains, Hila Shamon, Olivia G. Cosby, Chamois L. Andersen, Helen Augare, Jony Bearcub Stiffarm, Claire E. Bresnan, Jeff M. Martin, Et Al.

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Future climate projections of warming, drying, and increased weather variability indicate that conventional agricultural and production practices within the Northern Great Plains (NGP) will become less sustainable, both ecologically and economically. As a result, the livelihoods of people that rely on these lands will be adversely impacted. This is especially true for Native American communities, who were relegated to reservations where the land is often vast but marginal and non-tribal operators have an outsized role in food production. In addition, NGP lands are expected to warm and dry disproportionately relative to the rest of the United States. It is therefore …


Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus Virginiana L.) Encroachment On South-Central South Dakota Rangelands: Impact On Plant Communities, Austin K. Domeier Jan 2022

Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus Virginiana L.) Encroachment On South-Central South Dakota Rangelands: Impact On Plant Communities, Austin K. Domeier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Grasslands historically covered 46 million km2 of Earth’s surface representing nearly 42% of the living vegetation. Encroachment of woody species onto grasslands and savannas is a widely researched global phenomenon, with eastern redcedar (ERC) (Juniperus virginiana L.) trees being the most prominent woody encroacher in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) due to the lack of prescribed fire and planted ERC escaping from shelterbelts. This encroachment poses a threat to native plant communities in terms of their reproduction, regeneration, and diversity. ERC are fierce competitors and can establish in most soil types, are drought tolerant, and prolific seed reproducers. These qualities …


A Post-Pneumonia Epizootic Evaluation Of The Rapid City, South Dakota Bighorn Sheep Herd, Amanda N. Ensrud Jan 2022

A Post-Pneumonia Epizootic Evaluation Of The Rapid City, South Dakota Bighorn Sheep Herd, Amanda N. Ensrud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pneumonia is a major factor affecting populations of free-ranging bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) across western North America. Pneumonia can occur in large-scale epizootics, during which greater than half of the population typically dies. After these epizootics, surviving ewes continue to conceive and bear lambs. However, lamb recruitment may remain low due to periodic or annual pneumonia outbreaks causing high lamb mortality rates, sometimes greater than 90%. Our study focused on the Rapid City, South Dakota bighorn sheep (BHS) herd that has recorded pneumonia-induced population decline since 2009. The first objective was to improve lamb health and survival by identifying and …


Post-Fledging Habitat Selection And Movements Of Juvenile Mallards In The Prairie Pothole Region, Cynthia E. Anchor Jan 2022

Post-Fledging Habitat Selection And Movements Of Juvenile Mallards In The Prairie Pothole Region, Cynthia E. Anchor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America provides critical habitat for waterfowl across life stages, but anthropogenic changes to the landscape have negatively impacted habitat quality for waterfowl. The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is abundant and socioeconomically valuable in the PPR, as it is a preferred target species of waterfowl hunters. Extensive research has evaluated breeding ecology of mallards in the PPR, but the period between juvenile mallards fledging and migrating has rarely been studied. The post-fledging ecology of juvenile mallards is a vital consideration for comprehensive waterfowl management. Further, juvenile mallards are a significant portion of hunter harvest at …


Evaluating Avian Use Of Cover Crops In The Corn Belt, Megan Figura Jan 2022

Evaluating Avian Use Of Cover Crops In The Corn Belt, Megan Figura

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The tallgrass prairie of North America has changed drastically since colonial settlement, with up to 99% of this region converted for agriculture and other land-uses. Concurrent with grassland conversion, grassland birds have experienced the most extreme, consistent, and widespread population declines of any avian guild. Agricultural lands in the U.S. Midwest were able to provide adequate habitat for several bird species until the 1950’s; however, altered and intensified management practices have degraded much of remaining suitable habitat and undermined ecosystem functions. Consequently, many grassland birds have been identified as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in many State Wildlife Action …


Regenerative Agriculture Effects On Invertebrate And Bird Communities And Insect-Provided Ecosystem Services, Alex Michels Jan 2022

Regenerative Agriculture Effects On Invertebrate And Bird Communities And Insect-Provided Ecosystem Services, Alex Michels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conventional agricultural practices can have unintended consequences on the environment and wildlife. Insects and birds are declining at rapid rates around the world, and the current conventional agricultural paradigm is a major driver through habitat loss and the intensification of production. Invertebrates in agroecosystems provide services to both farmers and the rest of society. Regenerative systems may promote the functioning of an agroecosystem by influencing invertebrate abundance, diversity, and ecosystem services and mitigate bird and insect declines through conservation practices that increase soil health, reduce disturbances, and increase biological diversity. Here I address knowledge gaps of the effects of regenerative …


Pathogen Prevalence In Domestic Sheep In Western Nebraska: Implications For Bighorn Sheep Conservation And Coexistence On A Multi-Use Landscape, Kaytlin Bohr Jan 2022

Pathogen Prevalence In Domestic Sheep In Western Nebraska: Implications For Bighorn Sheep Conservation And Coexistence On A Multi-Use Landscape, Kaytlin Bohr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) and domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are members of the same genus and thus share multiple pathogens that can be spread between them. One specific respiratory pathogen of concern is Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M. ovipneumoniae), which has been linked to pneumonia epizootics in bighorn sheep that are often characterized by all age die offs upon initial exposure followed by years of low lamb recruitment. Domestic sheep have been identified as one carrier of M. ovipneumoniae with transmission between sheep species occurring when there is close contact on the landscape. To prevent this cross-species transmission, importance has been placed …


Global Forces Of Change: Implications For Forest-Poverty Dynamics, Priya Shyamsundar, Laura Aileen Sauls, Jennifer Zavaleta Cheek, Kira Sullivan-Wiley, J.T. Erbaugh, P. P. Krishnapriya Dec 2021

Global Forces Of Change: Implications For Forest-Poverty Dynamics, Priya Shyamsundar, Laura Aileen Sauls, Jennifer Zavaleta Cheek, Kira Sullivan-Wiley, J.T. Erbaugh, P. P. Krishnapriya

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

This article examines global trends likely to influence forests and tree-based systems and considers the poverty implications of these interactions. The trends, identified through a series of expert discussions and review of the literature, include: (i) climatic impacts mediated through changes in forests, (ii) growth in commodity markets, (iii) shifts in private and public forest sector financing, (iv) technological advances and rising interconnectivity, (v) global socio-political movements, and (vi) emerging infectious diseases. These trends bring opportunities and risks to the forest-reliant poor. A review of available evidence suggests that in a business-as-usual scenario, the cumulative risks posed by these global …


Expanding Grass-Based Agriculture On Marginal Land In The U.S. Great Plains: The Role Of Management Intensive Grazing, Tong Wang, Hailong Jin, Urs Kreuter, Richard Teague May 2021

Expanding Grass-Based Agriculture On Marginal Land In The U.S. Great Plains: The Role Of Management Intensive Grazing, Tong Wang, Hailong Jin, Urs Kreuter, Richard Teague

Economics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Revegetating Salt-Impacted Soils In The Northern Great Plains, Abigail P. Blanchard Jan 2021

Revegetating Salt-Impacted Soils In The Northern Great Plains, Abigail P. Blanchard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the northern Great Plains (NGP), an estimated 10.6 million hectares of land are affected by naturally occurring salt-impacted soil. Naturally occurring salt impaction results when rainfall causes salts in parent material to move upward through the soil profile and remain in the root zone causing osmotic and ionic stress, negatively affecting seed imbibition, germination, and plant growth. Common methods to remediate saltimpacted soils were developed in the irrigated soils of the Southwestern U.S., are ineffective in the non-irrigated soils of the NGP, and can exacerbate the problem. Therefore, new methods to remediate salt-impacted soil in the NGP are needed. …


Effects Of Harvest Regulations And Post-Release Hooking Mortality On Walleye Populations In South Dakota, Cade Lyon Jan 2021

Effects Of Harvest Regulations And Post-Release Hooking Mortality On Walleye Populations In South Dakota, Cade Lyon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Harvest regulations are commonly implemented to manipulate fisheries stocks. By regulating the size and number of fish that are harvested by anglers, managers are able to meet the goals and needs of regions. However, these management actions come with the potential for negative consequences. Overexploitation due to less restrictive harvest regulations can cause collapses in fisheries populations. In addition, indirect consequences such as hooking mortality brought on by length-based regulations can also be detrimental to populations. In this study, I investigated the effects of various harvest regulations on Walleye populations in three western South Dakota irrigation reservoirs: Angostura, Belle Fourche, …


Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Sympatric Bobcats (Lynx Rufus) And Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In An Agricultural Landscape, Marlin M. Dart Jan 2021

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Sympatric Bobcats (Lynx Rufus) And Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In An Agricultural Landscape, Marlin M. Dart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bobcat (Lynx rufus) populations experienced declines in the Midwest during the 20th century due to land conversion for agriculture and over exploitation and were practically nonexistent in areas by the 1970-80s. Populations have been recovering following changes in land-use practices and habitat improvement. Eastern South Dakota was closed to bobcat harvest in 1977 but reopened in 2012 to select counties. Bobcats are elusive, have large home ranges, and occur at low densities, making monitoring their populations difficult. Camera trapping is an effective tool for monitoring elusive carnivores but can be burdened by low detection rates. Researchers often employ …


Pheasant Ecology In An Agricultural Landscape Of South Dakota, Sprih Harsh Jan 2021

Pheasant Ecology In An Agricultural Landscape Of South Dakota, Sprih Harsh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Habitat loss and fragmentation are the greatest threats to wildlife conservation. Grasslands are among the most threatened ecosystems worldwide. The large-scale conversion of North American grasslands to cultivation has been strongly associated with declines of grassland bird populations. The ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is a common grassland bird which is negatively impacted by the conversion of grassland to cropland. Though pheasants are non-native to South Dakota, they have become naturalized in most of the state. However, with increases in agricultural intensification in South Dakota, indices of pheasant abundance from brood route surveys suggest that pheasant populations have declined to historically …


Exploring The Determinants Of Aspects Of Rotational Grazing In The U.S. Great Plains, Iftekhar Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury Jan 2021

Exploring The Determinants Of Aspects Of Rotational Grazing In The U.S. Great Plains, Iftekhar Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pasture and rangeland make up about 45 percent of the agricultural land in the U.S. Great Plains and one of the most common form of mismanagement of this pasture is overgrazing. Which results in many detrimental effects on environment. Many practitioners endorsed Rotational grazing (RG) as an improved grazing management practice over season-long continuous grazing. The overall goal of the current study is to assess the certain aspects of using RG in the U.S. Great Plains. Using mail survey data of the of 874 beef cattle producers of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Texas, the study found that neighborhood practice, …


Natural Resource Management Newsletter, Fall 2020/Winter 2021, Department Of Natural Resource Management Jan 2021

Natural Resource Management Newsletter, Fall 2020/Winter 2021, Department Of Natural Resource Management

NRM Newsletter

[Page] 2 One Day for State
[Page] 2 SDSU Extension NPI Range Roundup
[Page] 3 Con McCrea and NRLE News
[Page] 3 Pete Bauman Updates Western SD Undisturbed Land Data
[Page] 4 First Annual NPI Photo Contest
[Page] 4 Conservation Planning & Park Management Undergraduate Student Eagle Scout Project
[Page] 5 Joe Jenks' Zoom Retirement Celebration
[Page] 6 NRM Affiliate Assistant Professor, Maaz Gardezi - NSF Precision Ag Project: NSF project to build farmers’ confidence in precision ag technologies
[Page] 6 NRM Affiliate, Stella Liu - Faculty Feature video
[Page] 7 SDSU Extension to assess farm-ranch stress statewide
[Page] 8 …