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: 1961
Grassland conservation supports migratory birds and produces economic benefits for the commercial beekeeping industry in the U.S. Great Plains Grassland conservation supports migratory birds and produces economic benefits for the commercial beekeeping industry in the U.S. Great Plains
Although declines in grassland birds have been documented, national initiatives to conserve grasslands and their biota have fallen short in part because the non-market values of natural ecosystems and species are often not recognized in political decision making. Identifying shared, anthropogenic threats faced by market-valued and non-market-valued species may generate additional support...
Authors
Clint R.V. Otto, Haochi Zheng, Torre J. Hovick, Max Post van der Burg, Benjamin A. Geaumont
Assessing conservation and management actions with ecosystem services better communicates conservation value to the public Assessing conservation and management actions with ecosystem services better communicates conservation value to the public
Fish and wildlife populations are under unprecedented threats from changes in land use and climate. With increasing threats comes a need for an expanded constituency that can contribute to the public support and financial capital needed for habitat conservation and management. Using an ecosystem services approach can provide a framework for a more holistic accounting of conservation...
Authors
David M. Mushet, Max Post van der Burg, Michael J. Anteau
Adaptive management framework and decision support tool for invasive annual bromes in seven Northern Great Plains National Park Service units Adaptive management framework and decision support tool for invasive annual bromes in seven Northern Great Plains National Park Service units
National Park Service (NPS) units in the northern Great Plains (NGP) were established to preserve and interpret the history of the United States, protect and showcase unusual geology and paleontology, and provide a home for vanishing large wildlife. A unifying feature among these national parks, monuments, and historic sites is northern mixed-grass prairie, which not only provides...
Authors
Amy Symstad, Heather Baldwin, Max Post van der Burg
Testing environmental DNA from wolf snow tracks for species, sex, and individual identification – An addendum Testing environmental DNA from wolf snow tracks for species, sex, and individual identification – An addendum
No abstract available.
Authors
Shannon Barber-Meyer, Victoria Zeller, Kristy Pilgrim
Protocols for collecting and processing macroinvertebrates from the benthos and water column in depressional wetlands Protocols for collecting and processing macroinvertebrates from the benthos and water column in depressional wetlands
Freshwater aquatic macroinvertebrates are key links in food webs and nutrient cycles, and thus often serve as biological indicators of ecosystem health. Macroinvertebrate investigations in research and monitoring require consistent and reliable field and laboratory procedures. Comprehensive standard operating procedures for sampling macroinvertebrates from depressional wetlands, which...
Authors
Breanna R. Keith, Jake D. Carleen, Danelle M. Larson, Michael J. Anteau, Megan J. Fitzpatrick
Prairie wetlands as sources or sinks of nitrous oxide: Effects of land use and hydrology Prairie wetlands as sources or sinks of nitrous oxide: Effects of land use and hydrology
National and global greenhouse gas (GHG) budgets are continually being refined as data become available. Primary sources of the potent GHG nitrous oxide (N2O) include agricultural soil management and burning of fossil fuels, but comprehensive N2O budgets also incorporate less prominent factors such as wetlands. Freshwater wetland GHG flux estimates, however, have high uncertainty, and...
Authors
Brian Tangen, Sheel Bansal
Restoration for resilience: The role of plant-microbial interactions and seed provenance in ecological restoration Restoration for resilience: The role of plant-microbial interactions and seed provenance in ecological restoration
With global efforts to restore grassland ecosystems, researchers and land management practitioners are working to reconstruct habitat that will persist and withstand stresses associated with climate change. Part of these efforts involve movement of plant material potentially adapted to future climate conditions from native habitat or seed production locations to a new restoration site...
Authors
Jennifer Larson, Robert Venette, Diane L. Larson
Reassessing perennial cover as a driver of duck nest survival in the Prairie Pothole Region Reassessing perennial cover as a driver of duck nest survival in the Prairie Pothole Region
Conservation plans designed to sustain North American duck populations prominently feature a key hypothesis stating that the amount of the landscape in perennial cover surrounding upland duck nests positively influences nest survival rates. Recent conflicting research testing this hypothesis creates ambiguity regarding which management actions to pursue and where to prioritize...
Authors
Aaron T. Pearse, Michael J. Anteau, Max Post van der Burg, Mark H. Sherfy, Thomas K. Buhl, Terry L. Shaffer
Space use and site fidelity of wintering whooping cranes on the Texas Gulf Coast Space use and site fidelity of wintering whooping cranes on the Texas Gulf Coast
The Aransas-Wood Buffalo population (the only non-reintroduced, migratory population) of endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) overwinters along the Texas Gulf Coast, USA. Understanding whooping crane space use on the wintering grounds reveals essential aspects of this species' ecology, which subsequently assists with conservation. Using global positioning system telemetry data...
Authors
Matthew J Butler, David R. Stewart, Grant M Harris, Mark T. Bidwell, Aaron T. Pearse
Improving pollinator habitat using mycorrhizal inoculum: Evaluating the impact of differences in remnant and reconstruction mycorrhizas on performance of conservative prairie plant species Improving pollinator habitat using mycorrhizal inoculum: Evaluating the impact of differences in remnant and reconstruction mycorrhizas on performance of conservative prairie plant species
No abstract available.
Authors
Nicholas R. Jordan
Limited land base and competing land uses force societal tradeoffs when siting energy development Limited land base and competing land uses force societal tradeoffs when siting energy development
As human populations grow, decisions regarding use of the world's finite land base become increasingly complex. We adopted a land use–conflict scenario involving renewable energy to illustrate one potential cause of these conflicts and resulting tradeoff decisions. Renewable energy industries wishing to expand operations in the United States are limited by multijurisdictional regulations...
Authors
Jill A. Shaffer, Neal D. Niemuth, Charles R. Loesch, Clayton E. Derby, Aaron T. Pearse, Kevin W. Barnes, Terry L. Shaffer, Adam J. Ryba
Behavioural adjustments in the social associations of a precocial shorebird mediate the costs and benefits of grouping decisions Behavioural adjustments in the social associations of a precocial shorebird mediate the costs and benefits of grouping decisions
Animals weigh multiple costs and benefits when making grouping decisions. The cost-avoidance grouping framework proposes that group density, information quality and risk affect an individual’s preference for con or heterospecific groups. However, this assumes the cost–benefit balance of a particular grouping is constant spatiotemporally, which may not always be true. Investigating how
Authors
Luke R. Wilde, Rose J. Swift, Nathan R. Senner