Digital Commons Network^™

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 23, No. 1. March 1991

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Seabloom, Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

CONTENTS

AGRICULTURAL LAND USE AND MOURNING DOVES IN EASTERN COLORADO: IMPLICATIONS FOR NESTING AND PRODUCTION IN THE GREAT PLAINS ▪ T E. Olson, C. E. Braun, and R. A. Ryder

DISTRIBUTION OF SANDHILL CRANES IN THE NORTH PLATTE RIVER VALLEY 1980 AND 1989 ▪ M. J. Folk and T. C. Tacha

NOCTURNAL BEHAVIOR OF SANDHILL CRANES ROOSTING IN THE PLATTE RIVER, NEBRASKA ▪ B. S. Norling, S. H. Anderson, and W A. Hubert

LEAD POISONING OF A MARBLED GODWIT ▪ L. N. Locke, M. R. …

Pheasants In Asia 1989, David A. Hill, Peter J. Garson, David Jenkins

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Conference Proceedings

Section 1: Studies of Pheasants in China

Distribution and Status

An overview of research on pheasants in China, 1978-88, Cheng Tso-Hsin

Pheasant conservation in Asia:Ssome introductory remarks, Keith Howman and Lew Young

The distribution of pheasants and partridges in China, Tang Chan-Zhu

The ecological and geographical distribution of pheasants in Wolong Nature Reserve, Deng Wei Jie

The gamebirds of Boaxing, Sichuan, China, He Fen-Qi and Cui Xie-Zhen

Galliformes of Yunnan Province in China, Yang Lan

Pheasant and partridge species of the Nu River Autonomous Region, Northwestern Yunnan, China, He Fen-Qi, Gao Ying-Xing and Zheng Yang-Zhi

Pheasants on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, …

Species Richness Gradients Of Oak Forest Plants Along The Missouri River In Nebraska And Iowa, Steven B. Rolfsmeier

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

The upland deciduous forests of the Missouri River valley contain many plants typical of forests to the east of this area, which are assumed to have migrated northward and westward along the river in postglacial times. Previous workers have reported a gradient of decreasing species richness upstream among woody species, which is suggested to be the result of climatic gradients and differential dispersal capabilities of the immigrant species. Floristic work on all vascular species in eight woodland sites along the Nebraska-Iowa border quantifies the presence of similar gradients for herbaceous species, but of differing degrees. These studies also reveal the …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 21, No.2 June 1989

The Prairie Naturalist

THE MISSISSIPPI KITE IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF THE SOUTHERN GREAT PLAINS ▪ E. G. Bolen and D. L. Flores

TAPE-RECORDED CHICK CALLS TO LOCATE GRAY PARTRIDGE NESTS ▪ J. P. Carroll

BORROW DISTRIBUTION OF THE THIRTEEN-LINED GROUND SQUIRREL IN GRAZED MIXED-GRASS PRAIRIE: EFFECT OF ARTIFICIAL HABITAT STRUCTURE ▪ D. W. Kaufman and G. A. Kaufman

PIPING PLOVERS NESTING AT NELSON RESERVOIR, MONTANA ▪ D. W. Prellwitz, T. A. Prellwitz, K. L. Stutzman, and J. W. Stutzman

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA - 1988 ▪ R. N. Randall

CHANGING HABITATS IN THE PLATTE RIVER VALLEY OF NEBRASKA ▪ J. …

Wolf Population Survival In An Area Of High Road Density, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Wolf mortality in a high-road-density area of Minnesota exceeds that in an adjacent wilderness, and is primarily human-caused. The wolf population there is maintained primarily by ingress from the adjacent wilderness areas. A road density of 0.58 km/km² can be exceeded and the area still support wolves if it is adjacent to extensive roadless areas.

Neue Literatur (Page 42), Martin-Luther-Universität

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Neue literatur listed on page 42 of Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolischen Volsrepublik, Band 6 (1985/1986).

In der Zeitschrift Polish Ecological Studies, Vol. 8, No 1-2 (1982) erschienen folgende Beiträge.

In der Zeitschrift "Acta Facultatis Rerum Naturalium Universitatis Comenianae" Zoologia Nr. 28 (1985), Bratislava, erschienen folgende Beiträge.

Bats Of The Ouachita Mountains, David A. Saugey, Darrell R. Heath, Gary A. Heidt

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A survey was conducted from June, 1982 through January, 1989 to determine the occurrence of bat species in the Ouachita Mountain region of west-central Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma, with emphasis on censusing lands managed by the USDA Forest Service, Ouachita National Forest. Seven genera and 13 species of bats in the families Vespertilionidae and Molossidae were captured. Species represented included: Eptesicus fuscus, Lasionycteris noctivagans, Lasiurus borealis, Lasiurus cinereus, Lasiurus seminolus, Myotis austroriparius, Myotis keenii, Myotis leibii, Myotis lucifugus, Myotissodalis, Nycticeius humeralis, Pipistrellus subflavus, and Tadarida brasiliensis cynocephala.

Loss Of Biological Diversity: A Global Crisis Requiring International Solutions: A Report To The National Science Board, Craig Call Black, Perry L. Adkisson, Gardner Mallard Brown, Rita Rossi Colwell, Charles E. Hess, James B. Holderman, K. June Lindstedt-Siva, William A. Nierenberg, Peter Hamilton Raven, Theodore M. Smith, Edward O. Wilson, W. Franklin Harris

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Executive Summary

Biological diversity refers to the variety and variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur. Diversity can be defined as the number of different items and their relative frequency. For biological diversity, these items are organized at many levels, ranging from complete ecosystems to the chemical structures that are the molecular basis of heredity. Thus, the term encompasses different ecosystems, species, genes, and their relative abundance (OTA, 1987).

There is an ongoing, unprecedented loss of the variety as well as absolute numbers of organisms-from the smallest microorganism to the largest and most spectacular of …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 20, No. 4. December 1988

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Seabloom, Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

TABLE OF CONTENTS

RANGE PLANT COMMUNITIES OF THE CENTRAL GRASSLAND RESEARCH STATION IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA ▪ C. L Lura, W. T. Barker, and P. E. Nyren

SEASONAL PATTERNS IN SAMPLING DATA FOR LARGEMOUTH BASS AND BLUE GILLS IN A NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS IMPOUNDMENT ▪ E. A. Bettross and D. W. Willis

INTRODUCTION, ESTABLISHMENT, AND DISPERSAL OF WESTERN MOSQUITOFISH IN NEBRASKA (ACTINOPTERYGII: POECILIIDAE) ▪ J. D. Lynch

OBSERVATIONS ON THE ECOLOGY OF CHIGGERS (ACARI: TROMBICULIDAE) FROM SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ E. R. Easton and W. …

Wpa News 19 (1988), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (February 1988), number 19

Published by the World Pheasant Association

The Characteristics And Phytogeographic Affinities Of The Flora Of Nine-Mile Prairie, A Western Tall-Grass Prairie In Nebraska, Robert B. Kaul, Steven B. Rolfsmeier

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Three hundred ninety-two species, subspecies, and varieties have been recorded at Nine-Mile Prairie, a relict tall-grass prairie that has been reduced from 323 to 97 ha in the past 50 years. There are 218 native and 17 introduced herbaceous perennial species, and 73 native and 24 introduced annuals. Analogous numbers for biennials are 15 and 11, for shrubs are 14 and one, for trees are ten and three, and for woody vines are six and none. One hundred twenty-one native species are of central and eastern North American phytogeographic affinity, and 109 are of transcontinental affinity. Seventy-nine of the Prairie's …

Mortality Of White-Tailed Deer In Northeastern Minnesota, Michael E. Nelson, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Abstract: Two hundred nine white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were radiotracked in the central Superior National Forest, Minnesota, from 1973 through winter 1983-84; 85 deaths were recorded. Annual survival was 0.31 for fawns (<1.0 years old), 0.80 for yearling (1.0-2.0 years old) females, 0.41 for yearling males, 0.79 for adult (≥2.0 years old) females, and 0.47 for adult males. Monthly survival rates were high from May through December (0.94-1.00), except for yearling (0.60) and adult (0.69) bucks during the November hunting season. Most mortality occurred from January through April when gray wolf (Canis lupus) predation was an important mortality source for all cohorts. Yearlings males were most vulnerable to hunting and adult males to wolf predation.

Relationship Between Snow Depth And Gray Wolf Predation On White-Tailed Deer, Michael E. Nelson, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Abstract: Survival of 203 yearling and adult white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) was monitored for 23,441 deer days from January through April 1975-85 in northeastern Minnesota. Gray wolf (Canis lupus)predation was the primary mortality cause, and from year to year during this period, the mean predation rate ranged from 0.00 to 0.29. The sum of weekly snow depths/month explained 51% of the variation in annual wolf predation rate, with the highest predation during the deepest snow.

Wpa News 12 (1986), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (April 1986), number 12

Published by the World Pheasant Association

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 17, No. 4. December 1985

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Seabloom, Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MOVEMENTS AND HABITAT USE OF MALE RUFFED GROUSE IN THE TURTLE MOUNTAINS, NORTH DAKOTA ▪ E. L. Bakke and J. W. Schulz

THE BIRDS OF KONZA PRAIRIE RESEARCH NATURAL AREA, KANSAS ▪ J. L. Zimmerman

VASCULAR FLORA OF RANSOM, RICHLAND, AND SARGENT COUNTIES, NORTH DAKOTA ▪ G. J. Seder and W. T. Barker

NORTH DAKOTA FLEAS. IX. SIPHONAPTERANS OF MAMMALS IN SOUTHWESTERN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ O. R. Larson, M. G. McKenna, and N. R. Fellows

NOTES

Breakup and Sibling Dispersal of Two …

Wpa News 8 (1985), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (April 1985), number 8

Published by the World Pheasant Association

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 17, No. 1. March 1985

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Seabloom, Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COMMUNITY ANALYSIS OF THE FOREST VEGETATION IN THE LOWER PLATTE RIVER VALLEY, EASTERN NEBRASKA ▪ S. J. Rothenberger

RECOLONIZATION OF A BURNED PRAIRIE BY MEADOW VOLES (Microtus pennsylvanicus) ▪ P. L. Vacanti and K. N. Geluso

AMERICAN COOT HABITAT IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ H. A. Kantrud

OBSERVATIONS ON PRAIRIE DOG DISPERSAL IN MONTANA ▪ C. J. Knowles

WINTER FOOD HABITS OF THE SWIFT FOX ON THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS ▪ D. M. Zumbaugh and J. R. Choate

BOOK REVIEW

Ground …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 16, No. 2. June 1984

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Sea bloom , Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUTUMN WEIGHTS OF PLAINS SHARP-TAILED GROUSE IN MONTANA ▪ J. E. Swenson and R. L. Eng

VEGETATION PROFILE AND GRASSLAND BIRD RESPONSE TO SPRING BURNING ▪ G. E. Huber and A. A. Steuter

WETLAND PRESERVATION CONFLICTS IN NORTH DAKOTA: ECONOMIC INCENTIVES AND LANDOWNER ATTITUDES ▪ R. D. Saylor, R. A. Stromstad and M. E. Winger

COLLEMBOLA OF SOUTHWESTERN NORTH DAKOTA: SPECIES COMPOSITION AND HABITAT DISTRIBUTION ▪ B. L. Benner and P. B. Kannowski

NEW RECORDS OF EARTHWORMS FROM KANSAS (Oligochaeta: …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 16, No. 1. March 1984

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Seabloom, Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MORTALITY OF RACCOONS IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ E. K. Fritzell and R. J. Greenwood

THE EFFECTS OF MOWING ON THE RODENT COMMUNITY OF A NATIVE TALL GRASS PRAIRIE IN EASTERN NEBRASKA ▪ C. A. Lemen and M. K. Clausen

PARASITES OF FISH FROM THE JAMES AND SHEYENNE RIVERS, JAMESTOWN RESERVOIR COMPLEX, AND LAKE ASHTABULA IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ M. D. Forstie and H. L. Holloway

LEAD POISONING OF SANDHILL CRANES (Grus canadensis) ▪ R. M. Windingstad, S. M. Kerr, and …

Vergleichend Biologisch-Ökologische Untersuchungen In Hochgebirgen Der Nordwest- Und Südmongolei: Allgemeiner Bericht, Werner Hilbig, Michael Stubbe, N. Dawaa, Z. Schamsran, M. Dorn, K. Helmecke, D. Bumžaa, K. Ulykpan

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

In den Jahren 1976 bis 1978 führten Biologen der Martin-Luther-Universität HalleWittenberg und der Staatlichen Mongolischen Universität Ulan-Bator Arbeiten zur Höhenstufenzonierung des Charchiraa-Gebirges in der Nordw estmongolei d urch. In der Steppen- (1340 m), Lärchenwald- (2150 m) und alpinen Zone (2375 m) wurden Meßstationen errichtet, in denen über mehrere Wochen der Monate Juni bis August gearbeitet wurde. Paralleluntersuchungen konnten im Juni/Juli 1979 in dem ariden Gebirgszug Ich-bogd im Gobi-Altai (Halbwüste 1300 m, Bergsteppe 2500 m, alpine Matte 2740 m) durchgeführt werden. Der allgemeine Bericht .informiert über Aufgabenstellung, Ablauf der Expeditionen, Untersuchungsmethoden, Lage, Geologie und Klima der Untersuchungsgebiete sowie über allgemeine Erkenntnisse …

The Dynamics Of Animal Distribution: An Evolutionary/Ecological Model, Charles H. Smith

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Investigators have sometimes assumed that the factors underlying animal distribution are too complex to lend themselves to normative modelling. In this work, a model of environment and community interaction is constructed which lends itself to the latter kind of interpretation. It is posed that spatially-varying rates and magnitudes of availability of moisture at given locations act as stresses on the nature of community infrastructure, and secondarily on the rates at which new populations may become integrated into these. Populations are thereby viewed as tending to change range in common directions, though at overall rates remaining peculiar to each. This interpretation …

An Evaluation Of Small Rodents In Four Dismal Swamp Plant Communities, F. Elizabeth Breidling, Frank P. Day Jr., Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Diversity and density of small rodents in the Dismal Swamp are believed to be low. Reasons for this may be excessive predation, heavy interspecific pressure from large rodents, lack of suitable habitat, low food availability or flooding.

Rodent populations were evaluated using live-traps and pitfall traps in four different Dismal Swamp plant communities. Habitat was compared on the basis of phytomass studies previously reported. Flood levels were recorded during live-trapping sessions. Mast from trees was collected in modified mast collectors, and fed to Peromyscus leucopus in the laboratory.

Only two small rodent species were captured: Ochrotomys nuttalli and Peromyscus leucopus …

Comparison Of Old Field Succession On A Tallgrass Prairie And A Nebraska Sandhills Prairie, Mary Bomberger Brown, Shelly L. Shields, A. Tyrone Harrsion, Kathleen H. Keeler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Long held to be reasonably well understood, the process of ecological succession has recently come under attack. The predictability of successional changes has been doubted (Walker 1970), the mechanism of species replacement has been questioned (Connell and Slatyer 1977), and the reality of steady-state (climax) challenged (Botkin and Sobel 1975, Connell and Slatyer 1977, Connell 1978). In particular, several communities are presently recognized as having "cyclic succession" (Ricklefs 1973), in which the process is continually repeating. Such communities include heaths (Watt 1947), prairie pot-hole marshes (Vander Valk and Davis 1978), spruce-fir forests (Sprugel 1976, Sprugel and Bormann 1981), and intertidal …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 14, No. 4. December 1982

The Prairie Naturalist

THE MICROBIAL AND VEGETATIONAL RESPONSE TO FIRE IN THE LYNX PRAIRIE PRESERVE, ADAMS COUNTY, OHIO ▪ A. E. Annala and L. A. Kapustka

ASPECTS OF BEHAVIOR IN FREE-RANGING BARBARY SHEEP (AMMOTRAGUS LERVIA) G. G. Gray and C. D. Simpson

HOME RANGES OF MULE DEER BUCKS IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE ▪ B. H. Koerth and F. C. Bryant

DETERMINING SEX OF PLAINS POCKET GOPHERS BY INCISOR WIDTH ▪ R. M. Case and A. B. Sargeant

BOOK REVIEWS:

On Counting Birds ▪ S. A. Mikol

Freshwater Marshes ▪ R. M. Kaminiski

NOTICE TO AUTHORS ▪ Editor

INDEX TO VOLUME 14 …

Karyotypic Relationships Within The Short-Tailed Shrews, Genus Blarina, Sarah B. George, Hugh H. Genoways, Jerry R. Choate, Robert J. Baker

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Short-tailed shrews of the genus Blarina exhibit considerable geographic variation in both diploid number and fundamental number. Four chromosomal groups are recognized within the genus: Blarina brevicauda, FN = 48; 2N = 50, 49, or 48; B. carolinensis, FN = 45 or 44; 2N = 46, 39, 38, or 37; B. c. peninsulae, FN = 52; 2N = 52, 51, or 50; B. hylophaga, FN = 62, 61, or 60; 2N = 52. B. c. peninsulae also may be a distinct species, but exact determination must await location and analysis of a zone of contact with …

Intraisland And Interisland Variation In Antillean Populations Of Molossus Molossus (Mammalia: Molossidae), Hugh H. Genoways, Robert C. Dowler, Catherine H. Carter

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Significant levels of secondary sexual variation and expected levels of individual variation were demonstrated in all samples of Molossus molossus from Jamaica, Guadeloupe, and Trinidad examined with univariate analyses. Significant morphometric differences were demonstrated among samples of Molossus molossus that originated from geographically close localities on the same island. Using multivariate techniques, broader patterns of geographic variation were demonstrated among the Antillean populations of M. molossus.

Herpetofauna Of Mormon Island Preserve Hall County, Nebraska, Royce E. Ballinger, Steven M. Jones, J. W. Nietfeldt

Papers in Herpetology

Introduction: Studies of reptiles and amphibians in the grasslands of North America have primarily concerned the compilation of state faunal lists (e.g. Smith 1956, Hudson 1942, Webb 1970, Wheeler and Wheeler 1966). There have been a large number of reports on range extensions to augment this basic data. With the exception of the extensive studies by Fitch (1954, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1963) primarily on reptiles and Bragg (1940a, 1940b, 1943, 1953) primarily on anurans, the ecology of the herpetiles of the grasslands are not well studied. Lynch (1978) provided an excellent analysis of the ecological distributions of the leopard frogs …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 13, Number 2. June 1981

The Prairie Naturalist

HERPETOFAUNA OF MORMON ISLAND PRESERVE, HALL COUNTY, NEBRASKA ▪ S. M. Jones, R. E. Ballinger and J. W Nietfeldt

COYOTE USE OF PLAYAS IN THE TEXAS HIGH PLAINS ▪ R. W. Whiteside and F. S. Guthery

NEW RECORD OF THE LEAST WEASEL IN WYOMING ▪ M. R. Stromberg, D. E. Biggens and M. Bidwell

STATUS OF AMERICAN WOODCOCK IN NEBRASKA WITH NOTES ON A RECENT BREEDING RECORD ▪ G. R. Lingle

WINTER FOODS OF THE PINE GROSBEAK IN EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ R. C. Reigh

SEASONAL VARIATION IN HOME RANGE OF A FEMALE BADGER (Taxidea taxus) ▪ R. …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 13, Number 1. March 1981

The Prairie Naturalist

EDITOR: Dr. Paul B. Kannowski

BOOK REVIEW EDITOR: Douglas H. Johnson

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WATERFOWL USE OF A MUNICIPAL SEWAGE LAGOON ▪ G-A. D. Maxson

MASS MORTALITY OF MUSSELS FROM SLUMPING ALONG THE RED LAKE RIVER NEAR CROOKSTON, MINNESOTA ▪ A. M. Cvancara, D. J. Brown, D. K. Cudworth, and T. R. Klett

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA — 1980 ▪ R. N. Randall

BREEDING BIRDS ON WATERFOWL PRODUCTION AREAS IN NORTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ H. F. Duebbert

FURTHER EVIDENCE OF MARSH HAWKS FEEDING ON DUCKS ▪ R. A. Wishert, R. M. Kaminski, and D. W. Soprovich

FIRST NEST …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 12, Numbers 3 And 4. September–December 1980

The Prairie Naturalist

THE FLORA AND SANDHILLS PRAIRIE COMMUNITIES OF ARAPAHO PRAIRIE, ARTHUR COUNTY, NEBRASKA ▪ K. H. Keeler, A. T. Harrison and L. S. Vescio

USE OF ULTRASONIC SOUND TO ESTIMATE BODY FAT DEPOTS IN THE MALLARD ▪ G. A. Baldassarre, R. J. Whyte and E. G. Bolen

NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD BREEDING IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ D. Child, J. Fontaine, T. Gatz, M. Johnson and J. Oswald

SPRING ARRIVAL OF BIRDS AT WOODWORTH, NORTH DAKOTA ▪ K. F. Higgins, L. M. Kirsch, and J. M. Callow

HYBRIDIZATION AND TAXONOMIC STATUS OF GREATER PRAIRIE CHICKENS AND SHARP-TAILED GROUSE (HYBRIDIZATION IN GROUSE) ▪ D. W. …