Publications
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center staff publish results of their research in USGS series reports and in peer-reviewed journals. Publication links are below. Information on all USGS publications can be found at the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Filter Total Items: 1934
Benefits and limitations of using decision analytic tools to assess uncertainty and prioritize Landscape Conservation Cooperative information needs Benefits and limitations of using decision analytic tools to assess uncertainty and prioritize Landscape Conservation Cooperative information needs
The Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) are a network of partnerships throughout North America that are tasked with integrating science and management to support more effective delivery of conservation at a landscape scale. In order to achieve this integration, some LCCs have adopted the approach of providing their partners with better scientific information in an effort to...
Authors
Max Post van der Burg, Catherine Cullinane Thomas, Tracy R. Holcombe, Richard D. Nelson
Annual grass invasion in sagebrush-steppe: The relative importance of climate, soil properties and biotic interactions Annual grass invasion in sagebrush-steppe: The relative importance of climate, soil properties and biotic interactions
The invasion by winter-annual grasses (AGs) such as Bromus tectorum into sagebrush steppe throughout the western USA is a classic example of a biological invasion with multiple, interacting climate, soil and biotic factors driving the invasion, although few studies have examined all components together. Across a 6000-km2 area of the northern Great Basin, we conducted a field assessment...
Authors
Sheel Bansal, Roger L. Sheley
Tolerance to multiple climate stressors: A case study of Douglas-fir drought and cold hardiness Tolerance to multiple climate stressors: A case study of Douglas-fir drought and cold hardiness
Drought and freeze events are two of the most common forms of climate extremes which result in tree damage or death, and the frequency and intensity of both stressors may increase with climate change. Few studies have examined natural covariation in stress tolerance traits to cope with multiple stressors among wild plant populations.We assessed the capacity of coastal Douglas‐fir...
Authors
Sheel Bansal, Constance A Harrington, John Bradley St. Clair
Book review: Ducks, geese, and swans of North America Book review: Ducks, geese, and swans of North America
As pointed out in the book’s introduction by Richard McCabe, very few books deserve being called a classic. First published in 1942, the various editions of Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America—authored by Francis K. Kortright (1942), Frank C. Bellrose (1976, 1981), and this new edition by Guy Baldassarre (2014)—are deservedly placed in that category among the waterfowl literature...
Authors
Robert E. Wilson
The Integrated Landscape Modeling partnership - Current status and future directions The Integrated Landscape Modeling partnership - Current status and future directions
The Integrated Landscape Modeling (ILM) partnership is an effort by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to identify, evaluate, and develop models to quantify services derived from ecosystems, with a focus on wetland ecosystems and conservation effects. The ILM partnership uses the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST)...
Authors
David M. Mushet, Eric J. Scherff
Factors affecting post-control reinvasion by seed of an invasive species, Phragmites australis, in the central Platte River, Nebraska. Factors affecting post-control reinvasion by seed of an invasive species, Phragmites australis, in the central Platte River, Nebraska.
Invasive plants, such as Phragmites australis, can profoundly affect channel environments of large rivers by stabilizing sediments and altering water flows. Invasive plant removal is considered necessary where restoration of dynamic channels is needed to provide critical habitat for species of conservation concern. However, these programs are widely reported to be inefficient. Post...
Authors
Susan M. Galatowitsch, Diane L. Larson, Jennifer L. Larson
Cannibalistic-morph Tiger Salamanders in unexpected ecological contexts Cannibalistic-morph Tiger Salamanders in unexpected ecological contexts
Barred tiger salamanders [Ambystoma mavortium (Baird, 1850)] exhibit two trophic morphologies; a typical and a cannibalistic morph. Cannibalistic morphs, distinguished by enlarged vomerine teeth, wide heads, slender bodies, and cannibalistic tendencies, are often found where conspecifics occur at high density. During 2012 and 2013, 162 North Dakota wetlands and lakes were sampled for...
Authors
Kyle I. McLean, Craig A. Stockwell, David M. Mushet
A novel, non-removal method for closing drainage tile for ecological restorations A novel, non-removal method for closing drainage tile for ecological restorations
This article discussing the use of a new method and approach for closing tile for hydrological restorations without removal of the tile pipe and allows for more flexibility in restoration design.
Authors
Raymond Finocchiaro, Dave A. Azure, Michael A. Vargo
RE: Costs of European wolf and human coexistence RE: Costs of European wolf and human coexistence
No abstract available.
Authors
L. David Mech
Environmental variability and population dynamics: Do European and North American ducks play by the same rules? Environmental variability and population dynamics: Do European and North American ducks play by the same rules?
Density dependence, population regulation, and variability in population size are fundamental population processes, the manifestation and interrelationships of which are affected by environmental variability. However, there are surprisingly few empirical studies that distinguish the effect of environmental variability from the effects of population processes. We took advantage of a...
Authors
Hannu Poysa, Jukka Rintala, Douglas H. Johnson, Jukka Kauppinen, Esa Lammi, Thomas D. Nudds, Veli-Matti Vaananen
Do geographically isolated wetlands influence landscape functions? Do geographically isolated wetlands influence landscape functions?
Geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs), those surrounded by uplands, exchange materials, energy, and organisms with other elements in hydrological and habitat networks, contributing to landscape functions, such as flow generation, nutrient and sediment retention, and biodiversity support. GIWs constitute most of the wetlands in many North American landscapes, provide a...
Authors
Matthew J. Cohen, Irena F. Creed, Laurie C. Alexander, Nandita Basu, Aram J.K. Calhoun, Christopher Craft, Ellen D’Amico, Edward S. DeKeyser, Laurie Fowler, Heather E. Golden, James W. Jawitz, Peter Kalla, L. Katherine Kirkman, Charles R. Lane, Megan Lang, Scott G. Leibowitz, David Bruce Lewis, John Marton, Daniel L. McLaughlin, David M. Mushet, Hadas Raanan-Kiperwas, Mark C. Rains, Lora Smith, Susan C. Walls
Taxonomic characterization of honey bee (Apis mellifera) pollen foraging based on non-overlapping paired-end sequencing of nuclear ribosomal loci Taxonomic characterization of honey bee (Apis mellifera) pollen foraging based on non-overlapping paired-end sequencing of nuclear ribosomal loci
Identifying plant taxa that honey bees (Apis mellifera) forage upon is of great apicultural interest, but traditional methods are labor intensive and may lack resolution. Here we evaluate a high-throughput genetic barcoding approach to characterize trap-collected pollen from multiple North Dakota apiaries across multiple years. We used the Illumina MiSeq platform to generate sequence...
Authors
Robert S. Cornman, Clint Otto, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Jeffery S Pettis