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
The effects of management practices on grassland birds — An introduction to North American grasslands and the practices used to manage grasslands and grassland birds The effects of management practices on grassland birds — An introduction to North American grasslands and the practices used to manage grasslands and grassland birds
The Great Plains of North America is defined as the land mass that encompasses the entire central portion of the North American continent that, at the time of European settlement, was an unbroken expanse of primarily herbaceous vegetation. The Great Plains extend from central Saskatchewan and Alberta to central Mexico and from Indiana to the Rocky Mountains. The expanses of herbaceous...
Authors
Jill A. Shaffer, John P. DeLong
The effects of management practices on grassland birds The effects of management practices on grassland birds
Since the mid-1960s, populations of grassland birds have been declining more precipitously than any other group of birds in North America. These long-term declines highlight the need to better understand the habitat requirements of grassland birds and how management practices affect individual species and their habitats. Although resource managers have long recognized that every...
Wolf 7271 and the “Wink of the Wild”. Wolf 7271 and the “Wink of the Wild”.
No abstract available
Authors
Shannon Barber-Meyer
Carnivores of the World 2nd edition: Book review Carnivores of the World 2nd edition: Book review
No abstract available.
Authors
Shannon Barber-Meyer
Typha (cattail) invasion in North American wetlands: Biology, regional problems, impacts, ecosystem services, and management Typha (cattail) invasion in North American wetlands: Biology, regional problems, impacts, ecosystem services, and management
Typha is an iconic wetland plant found worldwide. Hybridization and anthropogenic disturbances have resulted in large increases in Typha abundance in wetland ecosystems throughout North America at a cost to native floral and faunal biodiversity. As demonstrated by three regional case studies, Typha is capable of rapidly colonizing habitats and forming monodominant vegetation stands due...
Authors
Sheel Bansal, Shane Lishawa, Sue Newman, Brian Tangen, Douglas Wilcox, Dennis Albert, Michael J. Anteau, Michael J Chimney, Ryann L. Cressey, Edward S. DeKeyser, Kenneth J Elgersam, Sarah A Finkelstein, Joanna Freeland, Richard Grosshans, Page E. Klug, Daniel J Larkin, Beth A. Lawrence, George Linz, Joy Marburger, Gregory E. Noe, Clint Otto, Nicholas Reo, Jennifer Richards, Curtis J. Richardson, LeRoy Rodgers, Amy J Shrank, Dan Svedarsky, Steven E. Travis, Nancy Tuchman, Arnold van der Valk, Lisamarie Windham-Myers
Aquatic vegetation and invertebrate communities of Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge Aquatic vegetation and invertebrate communities of Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge
Observed degradation of aquatic systems at Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge, located in west-central Minnesota, have been associated with sediment-laden inflows from riverine systems. To support management, a study was conducted during 2013–2014 with overall goals of characterizing the aquatic invertebrate and vegetation communities of the Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge and...
Authors
Brian Tangen, Raymond Finocchiaro, Wesley E. Newton, Charles F. Dahl
Feeling the sting? Addressing land-use changes can mitigate bee declines Feeling the sting? Addressing land-use changes can mitigate bee declines
Pollinators are an essential component of functioning and sustainable agroecosystems. Despite their critical economic and ecological role, wild and managed bees are declining throughout the United States and across the globe. Commercial beekeepers lost nearly 40.5% of their colonies in 2015–2016 and estimated wild bee abundance declined 23% between 2008 and 2013. These losses are due to...
Authors
Jennie Durant, Clint Otto
Review of Gulls simplified: A comparative approach to identification by Pete Dunne and Kevin T. Karlson Review of Gulls simplified: A comparative approach to identification by Pete Dunne and Kevin T. Karlson
No abstract available.
Authors
Garrett J. MacDonald
Comparison of beaver density estimates from aerial surveys of waterways versus transects Comparison of beaver density estimates from aerial surveys of waterways versus transects
Historic beaver-sign (Castor canadensis) survey flights were often conducted over waterways to maximize beaver detections. However, densities determined from strip transect surveys are more useful to compare across and within study areas than waterway indices based on observations per distance flown because transects are more representative of the wider landscape. Yet, it is unknown if...
Authors
Shannon Barber-Meyer
Hydrologic lag effects on wetland greenhouse gas fluxes Hydrologic lag effects on wetland greenhouse gas fluxes
Hydrologic margins of wetlands are narrow, transient zones between inundated and dry areas. As water levels fluctuate, the dynamic hydrology at margins may impact wetland greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes that are sensitive to soil saturation. The Prairie Pothole Region of North America consists of millions of seasonally-ponded wetlands that are ideal for studying hydrologic transition states...
Authors
Brian Tangen, Sheel Bansal
Fire risk in revegetated bunchgrass communities Infested with Bromus tectorum Fire risk in revegetated bunchgrass communities Infested with Bromus tectorum
In rangeland ecosystems, invasive annual grass replacement of native perennials is associated with higher fire risk. Large bunchgrasses are often seeded to reduce cover of annuals such as Bromus tectorum L. (cheatgrass), but there is limited information about how revegetation reduces fire risk over the long-term. For this research note, we conducted a pilot study to assess how community
Authors
Steve O Link, Randall W Hill, Sheel Bansal
Can multi-element fingerprinting of soils inform assessments of chemical connectivity between depressional wetlands? Can multi-element fingerprinting of soils inform assessments of chemical connectivity between depressional wetlands?
The question of wetland connectivity is particularly relevant regarding depressional wetlands because these wetlands often seem to be “isolated” from other wetlands on a landscape. In this study, multi-element fingerprinting of soils was used to assess similarity in element composition of depressional-wetland soils as a measure of wetland connectivity. We determined the concentrations of...
Authors
Xiaoyan Zhu, Yuxiang Yuan, David M. Mushet, Marinus L. Otte