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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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International and Area Studies

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USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

1997

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Changes In Breeding Bird Populations In North Dakota: 1967 To 1992-93, Lawrence Igl, Douglas Johnson Jan 1997

Changes In Breeding Bird Populations In North Dakota: 1967 To 1992-93, Lawrence Igl, Douglas Johnson

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

We compared breeding bird populations in North Dakota using surveys conducted in 1967 and 1992-93. In decreasing order, the five most frequently occurring species were Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris), Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater), Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), and Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus). The five most abundant species-Horned Lark, Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus), Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, and Brown-headed Cowbird-accounted for 31-41% of the estimated statewide breeding bird population in the three years. Although species composition remained relatively similar among years, between year patterns in …


Perspectives On The Diagnosis, Epizootiology, And Control Of The 1973 Duck Plague Epizootic In Wild Waterfowl At Lake Andes, South Dakota, Gary Pearson, Delmar Cassidy Jan 1997

Perspectives On The Diagnosis, Epizootiology, And Control Of The 1973 Duck Plague Epizootic In Wild Waterfowl At Lake Andes, South Dakota, Gary Pearson, Delmar Cassidy

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

An epizootic of duck plague occurred in early 1973 in a population of 163,500 wild waterfowl, primarily mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), wintering on Lake Andes and the nearby Missouri River in southeastern South Dakota (USA). The diagnosis was based on pathologic lesions and confirmed by virus isolation. Control measures included quarantine, attempts to reduce virus contamination of the area, dispersal of waterfowl, and monitoring of wild waterfowl populations for mortality. The epizootic resulted in documented mortality of 18% and estimated mortality of 26% of the waterfowl at risk. Prompt implementation of control measures might have limited mortality to approximately …


Birds Of Western North America, Lawrence D. Igl Jan 1997

Birds Of Western North America, Lawrence D. Igl

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

This photographic identification guide covers more than 530 species of birds that regularly occur in the western half of North America. It is slightly larger than most field guides, including the popular National Geographic Society's Field Guide to the Birds of North America, which is continental in coverage. Nonetheless, it is small and sturdy enough to conveniently carry in a jacket pocket or backpack. The field guide begins with a short section on how to use the book; the bulk of the book consists of species accounts. Each species account occurs on one page (a few species are jointly …


Metapopulations And The Real World, Douglas H. Johnson Jan 1997

Metapopulations And The Real World, Douglas H. Johnson

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Metapopulations are currently a hot topic in ecological theory and conservation biology. Fundamentally, a metapopulation is a population of populations, and the term describes certain populations that inhabit discrete habitat patches. Individuals move between patches often enough to recolonize extirpated patches, but not so frequently that the patches exhibit similar population trajectories. The term "metapopulation" was coined and a theory formalized by Richard Levins in 1969, but the concept of spatially divided populations has been around for a longer time.


Pattern And Process In Biological Invasion, Diane L. Larson Jan 1997

Pattern And Process In Biological Invasion, Diane L. Larson

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

A cohesive theory of biological invasion has been frustratingly elusive. If nothing else, Mark Williamson's book, Biological Invasions, has convinced me of the futility in looking for broad patterns among the widely disparate creatures that have invaded almost every conceivable environment.