Systems Biology Commons^™

Avian Diversity, Abundance, And Nest Success Among Managed Prairies And Agricultural Plots In Oklahoma And Texas, Phillip J. Leonard, Douglas R. Wood, Wayne E. Meyer

The Prairie Naturalist

Over the last 50 years, grassland birds experienced rapid declines due to habitat loss and degradation as a result of agricultural practices. Our objective was to document the diversity, abundance, and nest success of bird communities using managed prairie and agricultural plots at the Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in southern Oklahoma and Hagerman NWR in northern Texas. From April 1 to July 15, 2013–2014, point count surveys, nest searches, nest monitoring, and vegetation sampling were conducted among three habitat treatments: managed prairie, unharvested wheat, and fallow agricultural plots. Species richness values for potential nesting species were higher in managed …

Severe Drought Impacts Female Pheasant Physiology In Southwest Nebraska, Jessica A. Laskowski, Gwen C. Bachman, Joseph J. Fontaine

The Prairie Naturalist

In 2012, Nebraska experienced one of the worst droughts since the 1930s, accompanied by abnormally high temperatures. We studied the impacts of the 2012 summer drought on female ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) body condition and baseline and stress-induced corticosterone concentrations (CORT). We hypothesized that drought conditions would reduce pheasant body condition, increase chronic stress resulting in elevated baseline CORT levels, and down-regulate pheasant stress response to acute stressors, resulting in reduced stress-induced CORT concentrations. In southwestern Nebraska, we captured female pheasants in 2012 (pre-drought) and 2013 (post-drought). Pheasants had poorer body condition after the drought. Although female CORT measures were …

Unique Nesting Behavior By Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus Buccinator), Heather M. Johnson, Michael Forsberg, Letitia Reichart, Mark P. Vrtiska

The Prairie Naturalist

Nesting behavior by Trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator) has been well documented for most populations. Both sexes cooperate in nest construction, which takes 11–35 days to complete (Hansen et al. 1971, Cooper 1979). Nests generally range from 1.5–3.6 meters in diameter and 1.5 meters in height and are typically built on solid structures such as a muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) house or an island (Hansen et al. 1971, Cooper 1979). However, we discovered an atypical Trumpeter swan nest built of cattail (Typha angustifolia L.) located on Vaughn Lake, in Cherry County, Nebraska on 13 May 2016.

We monitored the atypical nest by …

One More Warbler: A Life With Birds., Laura Erickson

The Prairie Naturalist

Imagine going on a Victor Emanuel Nature Tour, seated in the van next to Victor Emanuel himself. Between birding stops, this man who has seen over 6,000 species as a world-renowned conservationist and innovator in ecotourism regales you with stories. He starts with his “spark bird”: when he was eight years old, he was taken with the beauty of a pair of Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), and was hooked. Whenever people pile back into the van after a birding stop, he starts another story.

That’s how One More Warbler: A Life with Birds reads, as if Emanuel sat down with …

Notes: Range Extension Of The Virginia Opossum (Didelphis Virginiana) In North Dakota, Lisa L. Walsh, Robert Seabloom, Cody W. Thompson

The Prairie Naturalist

The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is broadly distributed across North America from Costa Rica in the south to southern Ontario in the north and from the southern Great Plains in the west to the eastern United States. The Virginia opossum also was introduced multiple times to thePacific Coast beginning in the late 1800s and has established populations in that region. This species is a habitat generalist known to frequent wetland and hardwood habitats but also can be found in grasslands, along forest edges, and in agricultural and suburban settings throughout its range. However, the Virginia opossum is adapted …

Energy Sprawl Solutions, Nicola Koper

The Prairie Naturalist

Energy sprawl affects all the major conservation issues of our age, from habitat loss and fragmentation to anthropogenic noise and climate change. As such, minimizing and solving its associated problems should be a key focus for conservation biologists. Kiesecker and Naugle provide an impressive and compact book that focusses on solving environmental and social problems likely to result from a transition from non- renewable to far less efficient renewable energy sources.

Energy Sprawl Solutions summarizes numerous relevant peer-reviewed academic papers, and outlines management and planning implications of each one, ultimately resolving these into fairly clear prescriptive recommendations for moving forward. …

The Prairie Naturalist: The Journal Of The Great Plains Natural Science Society

The Prairie Naturalist

TABLE OF CONTENTS

45 EDITOR’S NOTE

RESEARCH ARTICLES

48 Avian Diversity, Abundance, and Nest Success among Managed Prairies and Agricultural Plots in Oklahoma and Texas Phillip J. Leonard, Douglas R. Wood, and Wayne E. Meyer

57 Severe Drought Impacts Female Pheasant Physiology in Southwest Nebraska Jessica A. Laskowski, Gwen C. Bachman, and Joseph J. Fontaine

66 Field Discrimination of Prairie Deer Mice and White-footed Mice using Morphological Characteristics Jacob L. Berl, Kelton M. Verble, Elizabeth A. Flaherty, and Robert K. Swihart

NOTES

72 Range Extension of the Virgina Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) in North Dakota Lisa L. Walsh

76 Prairie Falcon …

Prairie Falcon Depredation Attempts On A Greater Prairie-Chicken Lek In South-Central Nebraska, Andrew J. Caven, Joshua D. Wiese, William R. Wallauer

The Prairie Naturalist

Little information exists concerning Prairie falcons’ (Falco mexicanus; PRFA) seasonal movements, habitat use, and diet outside of the breeding season; this is especially true in the eastern portion of its wintering and migratory range (Steenhof 1998, Sharpe et al. 2001, Steenhof et al. 2005). Prairie falcons prey on ground squirrels (Spermophilus spp.), prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), wood rats (Neotoma spp.), and other rodents during the breeding season (Bond 1936, 1942, MacLaren et al. 1988, Steenhof 1998, Steenhof et al. 1999, Johnsgard 2013). They utilize avian prey regionally as well, including western meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta …

Field Discrimination Of Prairie Deer Mice And White-Footed Mice Using Morphological Characteristics, Jacob L. Berl, Kelton M. Verble, Elizabeth A. Flaherty, Robert K.S. Swihart

The Prairie Naturalist

Field discrimination of prairie deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii) and white-footed mice (P. leucopus noveboracensis) can be difficult throughout much of the central United States where they co-occur. We live-trapped prairie deer mice and white-footed mice within forested and row-crop habitats in central Indiana and used multiplex PCR with species-specific primers to positively determine species identification. We collected a suite of commonly measured external morphological traits (body weight and lengths of ear, hindfoot, tail, and body) from each captured animal. Individuals were assigned to species based on analysis of DNA; discriminant function analysis was used to …

Book Reviews: American Serengeti: The Last Big Animals Of The Great Plains. Dan Flores., Daniel S. Licht

The Prairie Naturalist

Before describing what Flores’ book is, I must state what it is not. It is not a technical book designed for scholarly readers. Sources are not fully cited, and the bibliography is of limited scope. Nor is it a comprehensive book of all the megafauna of the Great Plains. Although chapters are devoted to extant species such as American bison (Bison bison), pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), and coyote (Canis latrans), there are only passing references to mule and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus and O. virginianus, respectively), elk (Cervus canadensis), and bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). Rather, Flores devotes chapters to grizzly bears …

Pheasant Response To Lead Ingestion, Travis J. Runia, Alex J. Solem

The Prairie Naturalist

Lead is toxic to all vertebrate species and ingestion of spent lead pellets from hunting is the primary method of exposure in birds. Both acute and chronic effects occur in response to lead ingestion including death, weight loss, and reduced body function, but the effect is highly variable among species. Most research has focused on lead ingestion impacts on waterfowl, but less is known about the effects of lead ingestion by upland game such as ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus). We gavage- fed zero, one, or three lead pellets to 90 (n = 30/group) captive-raised adult hen pheasants and monitored survival …

The Prairie Naturalist: The Journal Of The Great Plains Natural Science Society Volume 49 No. 1

The Prairie Naturalist

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 EDITOR’S NOTE

RESEARCH ARTICLES

3 Diel and Monthly Movement Rates by Migratory and Resident Female Pronghorn Paul F. Jones, T. Andrew Hurley, Chelsea Jensen, Karl Zimmer, and Andrew Jakes

13 Pheasant Response to Lead Ingestion Travis J. Runia and Alex J. Solem

NOTES

19 Examining the Potential Competitive Effects of Ventenata dubia on Annual and Perennial Grasses Shawn McKay, Lesley R. Morris, Christopher E. Morris, and Elizabeth A. Leger

23 Adult Red-Headed Woodpecker Interaction with Bullsnake After Arboreal Nest Depradation Brittany J. Yohannes and James L. Howitz

26 Breeding Trumpeter Swans in Northeastern North Dakota Mark …

Notes: Examining The Potential Competitive Effects Of Ventenata Dubia On Annual And Perennial Grasses, Shawn Mckay, Lesley R. Morris, Christopher E. Morris, Elizabeth A. Leger

The Prairie Naturalist

Portions of the United States are becoming increasingly dominated by annual species, with cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) and medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae [L.] Nevski) as the most common and well-known invaders (Bansal et al. 2014). Other invasive annual species also are present and increasing in abundance, including ventenata (Ventenata dubia [Leers] Coss.), an invasive annual grass that has been expanding within the Pacific Northwest, Great Basin, and Great Plains regions of the United States. Ventenata was first reported in North America in 1952 in Washington (Old and Callihan 1987) and has since spread to 7 western states in the USA (CA, …

Adult Red-Headed Woodpecker Interaction With Bullsnake After Arboreal Nest Depredation, Brittney J. Yohannes, James L. Howitz

The Prairie Naturalist

Nest success rates often are higher among cavity-nesting birds than those that nest in open cups or on the ground. Among cavity-nesting birds, woodpeckers have some of the highest rates of nest success. A review of woodpecker nesting ecology across species documented nest success ranging from 0.42 to 1.00 with a median of 0.80 (n = 84 populations), and that predation was low, ranging from 0.00 to 0.35 with a median of 0.13 (n = 33 populations). The constrained opening to a cavity nest limits predation to relatively small animals or those able to break open cavity walls. …

Diel And Monthly Movement Rates By Migratory And Resident Female Pronghorn, Paul F. Jones, T. Andrew Hurly, Chelsea Jensen, Karl Zimmer, Andrew Jakes

The Prairie Naturalist

Animal movement patterns are variable, with certain species primarily being diurnal and others nocturnal. Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) are regarded as diurnal animals moving predominately during daylight hours. Anecdotal accounts, however, suggest that pronghorn move during the night but the extent, frequency, and importance of these nocturnal movement behaviors are unknown. To evaluate movements, we combined global positioning system relocation data from collared female pronghorn in the Northern Sagebrush Steppe between 2003 and 2007 with sunrise/sunset data within a geographical information system platform. We assessed whether mean and maximum movement rates were influenced by diel period (dawn, day, dusk, and night), …

Use Of Satellite Trap Transmitters In Capturing Mountain Lions, Randy D. Johnson, Jonathan A. Jenks, Stephanie A. Tucker

The Prairie Naturalist

The use of safe and humane methods for the capture of wild animals is imperative in wildlife research, wildlife damage management, and feral animal control. When capturing animals successfully and humanely, several items must be addressed, including animal safety, personnel safety, non-target captures, and cost (Sikes et al. 2016). Additionally, public pressures against the use of traps have led to significant changes in trapping regulations across North America and beyond (Andelt et al. 1999, Darrow and Shivik 2008) and can place research projects at risk to loss of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval (Larkin et al. 2003). …

Erratum

The Prairie Naturalist

In the June 2016 issue (48:1, page 56), the Editorial Staff inadvertently omitted corrections provided by the corresponding author prior to publication. In the second paragraph of the left column (i.e., 5 lines from the bottom), “is” should be replaced with “could be.” Similarly, in the right column (9 lines from the top), “In additional” should be replaced with “In addition.” On page 58, the following text should be placed after “institutions” in the Appendix caption: “University of Central Missouri (CMSU), Truman State University (TSU).” Lastly, within the appendix, all instances of MHP should be replaced with FHSM and “OF” …

Long-Term Changes In Canada Goose Nest Success And Nest Densities At An Iowa Wetland Complex, Brenna N. Ness, Robert W. Klaver, Guy G. Zenner

The Prairie Naturalist

Giant Canada geese (Branta canadensis maxima) were extirpated from Iowa by the early 1900s due to unregulated hunting, egg gathering, and wetland drainage in the nineteenth century (Bishop 1978). Ef- forts to reintroduce Canada geese in Iowa began in 1964 (Bishop and Howing 1972) and involved releasing flightless adults and goslings at nearly 30 sites across the state (Zenner and LaGrange 1998a). In 1972, 13 flightless pairs were released at Rice Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA; Bishop 1978). By 1989, the breeding population of Canada geese at Rice Lake WMA had increased to 420 nesting adults (G. G. Zenner, Iowa …

Assessing Parturition Date Synchrony For North Dakota Ungulates, Eric S. Michel, Jonathan A. Jenks, William F. Jensen

The Prairie Naturalist

Reproductive parameters such as conception date, and therefore parturition date, influence offspring characteristics such as sex ratio and birth mass. For example, late-conceiving reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) produced more female than male offspring compared to those who conceived early (Holand et al. 2006). Females that conceive later and therefore give birth later also can produce lighter offspring compared to those who conceive early (Schwartz et al. 1994, Holand et al. 2006). Because birth mass is positively related to adult body mass (Michel et al. 2015), conception and parturition date likely affect adult phenotype. In turn, this may influence survival because heavy …

The Pitfalls Of Data Analysis, Christopher N. Jacques

The Prairie Naturalist

Greetings GPNSS members! I hope summer finds you well and enjoying the Great Plains in some way, whether that be starting a new field season, a long-overdue break from the office, or planning your next family vacation. For me, transitioning away from the demands of the Spring 2017 semester to data analyses and preparation of my own manuscripts are particularly exciting (well, as exciting as “office life” can be!). Over the past month, I have initiated a number of grandiose summer objectives, most of which include analysis or in some instances, re-analysis of data to address concerns raised during peer-review. …

Breeding Trumpeter Swans In Northeast- Ern North Dakota, Mark R. Fisher, Matthew D. Sprenger, Chris R. Roed, David O. Lambeth

The Prairie Naturalist

The trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator) is North America’s largest waterfowl species and breeds in wetland habitats across the northern United States, Alaska and Canada. Summer observations by ornithologists, including those of John James Audubon in 1843, indicated a substantial number of trumpeter swans were breeding in North Dakota prior to European settlement. However, the species was extirpated by the late 1800s and there were no subsequent breeding records for over a century (Stewart 1975). Since 2007, 5 recent nesting records indicate that trumpeter swan has returned as a regular breeding species in North Dakota.

A continental range-wide breeding trumpeter swan …

Review Of Booming From The Mists Of Nowhere: The Story Of The Greater Prairie-Chicken By Greg Hoch, Ross H. Hier

The Prairie Naturalist

The Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) is an iconic species inhabiting one of the most iconic and rarest habitats in the world—the tallgrass prairies of central North America. To tell the story of the Greater Prairie-Chicken is a monumental task. Its history is intricately woven into pre- and post-European settlement of the North American prairies in such a way that knowledge of the species is spread over several centuries. Thus, researching the “old and the new” regarding the Greater Prairie-Chicken requires a substantial literature review, much of which occurs in publications from the 1800s. Hoch has done a …

Review Of Plants Have So Much To Give Us, All We Have To Do Is Ask: Anishinaabe Botanical Teachings By Mary Siisip Geniusz (Edited By Wendy Makoons Geniusz, Illustrated By Annmarie Geniusz), Natasha Myhal, Kelly Kindscher

The Prairie Naturalist

Plants Have So Much to Give Us, All We Have to Do Is Ask offers a new look at Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) ethnobotany as told through traditional stories. Botanical teachings through stories are a way to pass down traditional knowledge from generation to generation. For example, Anishinaabe knowledge on plants was written and recorded in communities willing to share their knowledge with early scholars, such as Albert B. Reagan (1928), Huron H. Smith (1932), and Melvin R. Gilmore (1933). Each of these scholars spent time with an Anishinaabe community to learn about plants and primarily to provide written descriptions of plants …

Review Of Estimation Of Parameters For Animal Populations: A Primer For The Rest Of Us By Larkin A. Powell And George A. Gale, Max Post Van Der Burg

The Prairie Naturalist

“Me? A modeler? Never!” This is the opening challenge of the book, Estimation of Parameters for Animal Populations: A Primer for the Rest of Us, by Larkin Powell and George Gale. I say “challenge” because I think this book attempts to challenge the misconception that quantitative methods are out of reach for most biologists and wildlife scientists. When many of us attend college or graduate school to study wildlife science there’s a sense that, at some point, there will be math. But it appears that the attitude of many students toward this reality is to simply suffer through the …

Assessment Of Smallmouth Bass Growth And Mortality In Nebraska Waters, Benjamin J. Schall, Keith D. Koupal, Casey W. Schoenebeck, Keith L. Hurley

The Prairie Naturalist

Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) have been introduced across Nebraska into a variety of waterbodies. However, an estimate of smallmouth bass growth and mortality in Nebraska waters has not been produced. The objectives of this study were to use historic sampling data to describe the growth of smallmouth bass in Nebraska lakes in relation to other regional models, growth among waterbody types (reservoirs, Interstate 80 [I-80] lakes, and rivers), estimates of age at quality, preferred, and memorable lengths, and mortality for Nebraska smallmouth bass populations. Mean length ± SE of Nebraska smallmouth bass at age 7 was 383 ± …

Finding The Best Remaining Black Hills Montane Grasslands, The First Step In Conservation, Hollis Marriott, Don Faber-Langendoen, David J. Ode

The Prairie Naturalist

Black Hills Montane Grassland is a rare and endangered plant community endemic to the Black Hills of western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming. It is restricted to higher elevations on the Limestone Plateau in the western part of the uplift. Early visitors to the Black Hills wrote glowing reports of flower-filled grasslands on the Limestone Plateau. Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer and his soldiers reveled in lush grass, and decorated the headgear of their horses with flowers (Custer 1875). Expedition botanist A. B. Donaldson “estimated the number of flowers in bloom in Floral Valley at 50, while an equal number …

Changes In The Prairie Naturalist For 2017: Some Bumps In The Road During Transition, Christopher N. Jacques

The Prairie Naturalist

By now it is obvious to most of our members and authors that The Prairie Naturalist (TPN) has experienced some delays in conducting journal-related business over the past few months. Publication of the June 2016 issue was slightly delayed and the December 2016 was mailed much later than planned. So I wanted to update our members on the current status, and other aspects, of TPN. As most of you know, when I transitioned into the Editorship of TPN, one of my first orders of business was to secure a new publication venue for the journal. Fortunately, the Department …

Review Of Birds Of Montana By Jeffrey S. Marks, Paul Hendricks, And Daniel Casey, Scott G. Somershoe

The Prairie Naturalist

The Birds of Montana is an impressive-looking tome, that includes 659 pages, 155 color range maps, 73 illustrations of species, and 16 color photos of Montana’s habitats. Upon the first bend of the binding, the reader will quickly realize the impressive depth of detail and research that went into writing and completing this book. Although Montana is the fourth largest state, one of the least populated states, and has few “binoculars on the ground,” the state has a fascinating and extensive ornithological history. The Birds of Montana is not a field guide, but rather it is an astonishingly comprehensive reference …

Spatial Variation In Germination Of Two Annual Brome Species In The Northern Great Plains, Erin K. Espeland, Jane M. Mangold, Natalie M. West

The Prairie Naturalist

Downy brome or cheat grass (Bromus tectorum L.) and field brome (B. arvensis L.; Synonym = Bromus japonicus Thunb. ex Murr.; Japanese brome) are two annual exotic species that have increased the intensity and frequency of fire cycles in the Intermountain West of the United States, with millions of dollars in associated costs (DiTomaso 2000). These invasive brome species have a different impact in the Northern Great Plains of North America where they commonly co-occur in disturbed sites (White and Currie 1983, Haferkamp et al. 1993). In these mixed-grass prairie rangelands, annual bromes compete against other forage species …

Review Of Waterfowl Of North America, Europe, And Asia: An Identification Guide By Sébastien Reeber, William L. Hohman

The Prairie Naturalist

Ducks, geese and swans (Family Anatidae) are the most popular and best studied group of birds in the world. The group has been the subject of classical books by Kortright (1942), Delacour (1954-1964), Bellrose (1976), Palmer (1976), Johnsgard (1978), and, most recently, Kear (2005) and Baldassarre (2014). The latest contribution to this rich legacy is an impressively illustrated identification guide for waterfowl found in North America, Europe and Asia by author and artist, Sébastien Reeber. This is an English-language version of Canards, Cygnes et Oies d’Europe, d’Asie et d’Amérique du Nord, published by Delachaux and Niestlé in late 2015. …