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: 1952
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Willet (Tringa semipalmata inornata) The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Willet (Tringa semipalmata inornata)
Keys to Willet (Tringa semipalmata inornata) management include providing large expanses of native grasslands and wetland complexes. Wetland complexes should contain a diversity of wetland sizes and classes, such as ephemeral, temporary, seasonal, semipermanent, and permanent wetlands, as well as intermittent streams. Willets use wetlands of various salinities. Willets require short...
Authors
Jill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Barry D. Parkin, Jason P. Thiele, Betty R. Euliss
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa)
Keys to Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) management include providing large expanses of short, sparsely to moderately vegetated landscapes that include native grasslands and wetland complexes. Optimal wetland complexes should contain a diversity of wetland classes and sizes, such as ephemeral, temporary, seasonal, semipermanent, permanent, and alkali wetlands, as well as intermittent...
Authors
Jill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Melvin P. Nenneman, Betty R. Euliss
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus)
The key to Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) management is maintaining sparsely vegetated grasslands. Grasslands can be made suitable for breeding Mountain Plovers by preserving large prairie dog (Cynomys species) towns, conducting prescribed burns, or implementing heavy grazing in some situations. Mountain Plovers have been reported to use habitats with 2–38 centimeters average...
Authors
Jill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Melvin P. Nenneman, Travis L. Wooten, Betty R. Euliss
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus) The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus)
Keys to Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus) management include providing large, open, level to gently rolling grasslands with short vegetation, and tailoring grazing regimes to local conditions. Long-billed Curlews have been reported to use habitats with 3–75 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, less than or equal to 27 cm visual obstruction reading, 20–71 percent grass cover...
Authors
Jill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Paul A. Rabie, Betty R. Euliss
Estimating offsets for avian displacement effects of anthropogenic impacts Estimating offsets for avian displacement effects of anthropogenic impacts
Biodiversity offsetting, or compensatory mitigation, is increasingly being used in temperate grassland ecosystems to compensate for unavoidable environmental damage from anthropogenic developments such as transportation infrastructure, urbanization, and energy development. Pursuit of energy independence in the United States will expand domestic energy production. Concurrent with this...
Authors
Jill A. Shaffer, Charles R. Loesch, Deborah A. Buhl
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Rates of Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism in nests of North American grassland birds The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Rates of Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism in nests of North American grassland birds
The Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) is an obligate brood parasite that relies entirely on host species to incubate its eggs and rear its young. The Brown-headed Cowbird is a host generalist; eggs of the cowbird have been found in nests of more than 220 species of North American birds. Although cowbirds are not considered a serious threat to their primary avian hosts, cowbird brood...
Authors
Jill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson
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 B. Noe, Clint R.V. 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