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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: 1964

Parental nest defense on videotape: More reality than "myth" Parental nest defense on videotape: More reality than "myth"

Predation is recognized as the primary source of nest mortality in most passerine species (e.g. Ricklefs 1969, Martin 1992a); thus, it is no surprise that parental nest defense has received considerable scientific attention (see below). By nest defense, we refer to any parental behavior that decreases the probability that a predator (or brood parasite) will harm the nest contents and...
Authors
Pamela J. Pietz, Diane A. Granfors

Landscape composition, patch size, and distance to edges: Interactions affecting duck reproductive success Landscape composition, patch size, and distance to edges: Interactions affecting duck reproductive success

Prairies and other North American grasslands, although highly fragmented, provide breeding habitat for a diverse array of species, including species of tremendous economic and ecological importance. Conservation and management of these species requires some understanding of how reproductive success is affected by edge effects, patch size, and characteristics of the landscape. We examined...
Authors
David Joseph Horn, Michael L. Phillips, Rolf R. Koford, William R. Clark, Marsha A. Sovada, Raymond J. Greenwood

Species abundance in a forest community in South China: A case of poisson lognormal distribution Species abundance in a forest community in South China: A case of poisson lognormal distribution

Case studies on Poisson lognormal distribution of species abundance have been rare, especially in forest communities. We propose a numerical method to fit the Poisson lognormal to the species abundance data at an evergreen mixed forest in the Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve, South China. Plants in the tree, shrub and herb layers in 25 quadrats of 20 m??20 m, 5 m??5 m, and 1 m??1 m were...
Authors
Z.-Y. Yin, H. Ren, Q.-M. Zhang, S.-L. Peng, Q.-F. Guo, G.-Y. Zhou

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

Managing inland wetlands for wildlife Managing inland wetlands for wildlife

No abstract available.
Authors
M.K. Laubhan, S.L. King, L.H. Fredrickson

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

Does choice of estimators influence conclusions from true metabolizable energy feeding trials? Does choice of estimators influence conclusions from true metabolizable energy feeding trials?

True metabolizable energy (TME) is a measure of avian dietary quality that accounts for metabolic fecal and endogenous urinary energy losses (EL) of non-dietary origin. The TME is calculated using a bird fed the test diet and an estimate of EL derived from another bird (Paired Bird Correction), the same bird (Self Correction), or several other birds (Group Mean Correction). We evaluated...
Authors
M. H. Sherfy, R. L. Kirkpatrick, K. E. Webb
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