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Demography and decline of the Mentasta caribou herd, Alaska Demography and decline of the Mentasta caribou herd, Alaska

We evaluated population trends in the Mentasta caribou (Rangifer tarandus (L., 1758)) herd in Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska, from 1990 to 1997 and determined factors contributing to its decline. We postulated that predation-related mortality of adult females and juveniles was the proximate cause of the decline, and that survival of juvenile caribou reflected...
Authors
Kurt J. Jenkins, Neil L. Barten

Sonoran Desert winter annuals affected by density of red brome and soil nitrogen Sonoran Desert winter annuals affected by density of red brome and soil nitrogen

Red brome [Bromus madritensis subsp. rubens (L.) Husn.] is a Mediterranean winter annual grass that has invaded Southwestern USA deserts. This study evaluated interactions among 13 Sonoran Desert annual species at four densities of red brome from 0 to the equivalent of 1200 plants m−2. We examined these interactions at low (3 μg) and high (537 μg NO3− g soil−1) nitrogen (N) to evaluate...
Authors
L. F. Salo, G. R. McPherson, D. G. Williams

Selection of arboreal termitaria for nesting by cooperatively breeding Micronesian Kingfishers Todiramphus cinnamominus reichenbachii Selection of arboreal termitaria for nesting by cooperatively breeding Micronesian Kingfishers Todiramphus cinnamominus reichenbachii

Limited nest-site availability appears to be an important factor in the evolution of delayed dispersal and cooperative breeding in some cavity-nesting species. The cooperatively breeding Pohnpei subspecies of Micronesian Kingfisher Todiramphus cinnamominus reichenbachii excavates nest cavities from the nests of arboreal termites Nasutitermes spp., or termitaria. In this first published...
Authors
Dylan C. Kesler, Susan M. Haig

Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI): A successful start to a national program in the United States Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI): A successful start to a national program in the United States

Most research to assess amphibian declines has focused on local-scale projects on one or a few species. The Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) is a national program in the United States mandated by congressional directive and implemented by the U.S. Department of the Interior (specifically the U.S. Geological Survey, USGS). Program goals are to monitor changes in...
Authors
Erin Muths, Robin E. Jung, Larissa L. Bailey, M. J. Adams, P. Stephen Corn, C. Kenneth Dodd, Gary M. Fellers, Walter J. Sadinski, Cecil R. Schwalbe, Susan C. Walls, Robert N. Fisher, Alisa L. Gallant, William A. Battaglin, D. Earl Green

USGS: providing scientific understanding of the sagebrush biome USGS: providing scientific understanding of the sagebrush biome

Early explorers wrote about the vast sea of sagebrush that stretched in front of them. Today, the consequences of land-use practices, invasion by exotic plants, and altered disturbance regimes have touched virtually all of these seemingly endless expanses. Increasing human populations in the western United States, the infrastructure necessary to support these populations, and a growing...
Authors
Water Resources Division U.S. Geological Survey

The role of fire in structuring sagebrush habitats and bird communities The role of fire in structuring sagebrush habitats and bird communities

Fire is a dominant and highly visible disturbance in sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems. In lower elevation, xeric sagebrush communities, the role of fire has changed in recent decades from an infrequent disturbance maintaining a landscape mosaic and facilitating community processes to frequent events that alter sagebrush communities to exotic vegetation, from which restoration is...
Authors
S.T. Knick, A.L. Holmes, R.F. Miller

A geostatistical approach for describing spatial pattern in stream networks A geostatistical approach for describing spatial pattern in stream networks

The shape and configuration of branched networks influence ecological patterns and processes. Recent investigations of network influences in riverine ecology stress the need to quantify spatial structure not only in a two-dimensional plane, but also in networks. An initial step in understanding data from stream networks is discerning non-random patterns along the network. On the other...
Authors
L.M. Ganio, C.E. Torgersen, R. E. Gresswell

Taxonomic relationships among Phenacomys voles as inferred by cytochrome b Taxonomic relationships among Phenacomys voles as inferred by cytochrome b

Taxonomic relationships among red tree voles (Phenacomys longicaudus longicaudus, P. l. silvicola), the Sonoma tree vole (P. pomo), the white-footed vole (P. albipes), and the heather vole (P. intermedius) were examined using 664 base pairs of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Results indicate specific differences among red tree voles, Sonoma tree voles, white-footed voles, and...
Authors
M.R. Bellinger, S. M. Haig, E.D. Forsman, T.D. Mullins

Occupancy models to study wildlife Occupancy models to study wildlife

Many wildlife studies seek to understand changes or differences in the proportion of sites occupied by a species of interest. These studies are hampered by imperfect detection of these species, which can result in some sites appearing to be unoccupied that are actually occupied. Occupancy models solve this problem and produce unbiased estimates of occupancy and related parameters...
Authors
Larissa Bailey, Michael John Adams

Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Prairie Falcon Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Prairie Falcon

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 breeding, year-round, and nonbreeding ranges in the United States and southern Canada. Although birds frequently are observed outside the breeding range indicated, the...
Authors
John P. DeLong, Karen Steenhof

An annotated bibliography of selected guides for stream habitat improvement in the Pacific Northwest An annotated bibliography of selected guides for stream habitat improvement in the Pacific Northwest

This annotated bibliography is a response to widespread interest in stream habitat improvement in the Pacific Northwest by land managers, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and the lay public. Several guides to stream habitat improvement have been written in the past, but may not be easily accessible to people from diverse backgrounds. This annotated bibliography reviews 11...
Authors
R.F. Keim, A.B. Price, T. S. Hardin, Arne E. Skaugset, D.S. Bateman, R. E. Gresswell, S. D. Tesch
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