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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: 1930

Habitat preferences of migrant and wintering northern harriers in northwestern Texas Habitat preferences of migrant and wintering northern harriers in northwestern Texas

We studied habitat preferences of northern harriers ( Circus cyaneus) in four counties of the Southern High Plains of northwestern Texas from October 1989 to May 1995. Harriers generally arrived in late July and departed in April. They hunted over a variety of habitats in the study area but mainly in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands and vegetated playa basins. CRP grasslands...
Authors
C.D. Littlefield, Douglas H. Johnson

Causes of wolf depredation increase in Minnesota from 1979-1998 Causes of wolf depredation increase in Minnesota from 1979-1998

Wolf (Canis lupus) depredations on livestock in Minnesota have been increasing over the last 20 years. A major explanation cited for this increase is wolf range expansion, but no studies have tested this explanation. Additional reasons could include 1) wolf colonization of new areas within long-existing wolf range, 2) learning by wolves in established range, and 3) increased wolf density...
Authors
E. K. Harper, W.J. Paul, L. David Mech

[Book review] The quintessential companion for North American birders, by Christopher W. Leahy [Book review] The quintessential companion for North American birders, by Christopher W. Leahy

Book review: The Birdwatcher’s Companion to North American Birdlife. Christopher W. Leahy. 2004. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 1039 pages. $39.50 (cloth).
Authors
L.D. Igl

Variability in vegetation effects on density and nesting success of grassland birds Variability in vegetation effects on density and nesting success of grassland birds

The structure of vegetation in grassland systems, unlike that in forest systems, varies dramatically among years on the same sites, and among regions with similar vegetation. The role of this variation in vegetation structure on bird density and nesting success of grassland birds is poorly understood, primarily because few studies have included sufficiently large temporal and spatial...
Authors
Maiken Winter, Douglas H. Johnson, Jill A. Shaffer

Effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning: a consensus of current knowledge Effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning: a consensus of current knowledge

Humans are altering the composition of biological communities through a variety of activities that increase rates of species invasions and species extinctions, at all scales, from local to global. These changes in components of the Earth's biodiversity cause concern for ethical and aesthetic reasons, but they also have a strong potential to alter ecosystem properties and the goods and...
Authors
D.U. Hooper, F. S. Chapin, J.J. Ewel, A. Hector, P. Inchausti, S. Lavorel, J.H. Lawton, D.M. Lodge, M. Loreau, S. Naeem, B. Schmid, H. SetSlS, A.J. Symstad, J. Vandermeer, D.A. Wardle

Population genetic structure in migratory sandhill cranes and the role of Pleistocene glaciations Population genetic structure in migratory sandhill cranes and the role of Pleistocene glaciations

Previous studies of migratory sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) have made significant progress explaining evolution of this group at the species scale, but have been unsuccessful in explaining the geographically partitioned variation in morphology seen on the population scale. The objectives of this study were to assess the population structure and gene flow patterns among migratory...
Authors
K.L. Jones, Gary L. Krapu, D.A. Brandt, M.V. Ashley

Ecosystem maturity and performance Ecosystem maturity and performance

Arising from: Bai, Y., Han, X., Wu, J., Chen, Z. & Li, L. Nature, 431, 181–184 (2004); see also communication from Wang et al.; Bai, Y., Han, X., Wu, J., Chen, Z. & Li, L. reply.The effect of maturity, or successional stage, on ecosystem performance (measured as productivity or stability, for example) is important for both basic ecology and ecosystem management. On the basis of the...
Authors
Q. Guo
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