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
Lesser scaup Aythya affinis Lesser scaup Aythya affinis
No abstract available.
Authors
Jane E. Austin, Christine M. Custer, Alan D. Afton
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
Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Prairie Falcon Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Prairie Falcon
Information on the habitat requirements and effects of habitat management on grassland birds were summarized from information in more than 4,000 published and unpublished papers. A range map is provided to indicate the breeding, year-round, and nonbreeding ranges in the United States and southern Canada. Although birds frequently are observed outside the breeding range indicated, the...
Authors
John P. DeLong, Karen Steenhof
Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Merlin Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Merlin
Information on the habitat requirements and effects of habitat management on grassland birds were summarized from information in more than 5,500 published and unpublished papers. A range map is provided to indicate the breeding, year-round, and nonbreeding ranges in the United States and southern Canada. Although birds frequently are observed outside the breeding range indicated, the...
Authors
Paul M. Konrad
Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Brewer's sparrow Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Brewer's sparrow
Information on the habitat requirements and effects of habitat management on grassland birds were summarized from information in more than 5,500 published and unpublished papers. A range map is provided to indicate the relative densities of the species in North America, based on Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data. Although birds frequently are observed outside the breeding range indicated...
Authors
Brett L. Walker
Effects of distance from cattle water developments on grassland birds Effects of distance from cattle water developments on grassland birds
Many North American grassland bird populations appear to be declining, which may be due to changes in grazing regimes on their breeding areas. Establishment of water developments and confining cattle (Bos taurus L.) to small pastures often minimizes spatial heterogeneity of cattle forage consumption, which may lead to uniformity in vegetative structure. This increased uniformity may...
Authors
A.L. Fontaine, P.L. Kennedy, Douglas H. Johnson
Record high Wolf, Canis lupus, pack density Record high Wolf, Canis lupus, pack density
This report documents a year-around Wolf (Canis lupus) density of 18.2/100 km2 and a summer density of 30.8/100 km2, in a northeastern Minnesota Wolf pack. The previous record was a summer density of 14.1/100 km2, for a Wolf pack on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
Authors
L.D. Mech, S. Tracy
Analysis of predator movement in prairie landscapes with contrasting grassland composition Analysis of predator movement in prairie landscapes with contrasting grassland composition
Mammalian predation influences waterfowl breeding success in the U.S. northern Great Plains, yet little is known about the influence of the landscape on the ability of predators to find waterfowl nests. We used radiotelemetry to record nightly movements of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in two 41.4-km2 study areas in North Dakota. Study areas contained...
Authors
M.L. Phillips, W.R. Clark, S.M. Nusser, M.A. Sovada, R. J. Greenwood
Comparison of detection rates of breeding marsh birds in passive and playback surveys at Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota Comparison of detection rates of breeding marsh birds in passive and playback surveys at Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota
We compared detection rates of passive and playback breeding bird survey techniques on elusive marsh birds - Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis), Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola), and Sora (Porzana carolina) - during a two-year study at Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge, in southwestern South Dakota. We...
Authors
T. Allen, S. L. Finkbeiner, Douglas H. Johnson
Transmission of Neospora caninum between wild and domestic animals Transmission of Neospora caninum between wild and domestic animals
To determine whether deer can transmit Neospora caninum, brains of naturally infected white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were fed to 4 dogs; 2 of these dogs shed oocysts. Oocysts from 1 of the dogs were tested by polymerase chain reaction and found to be positive for N. caninum and negative for Hammondia heydorni. The internal transcribed spacer 1 sequence of the new strain...
Authors
L.F.P. Gondim, M.M. McAllister, N. E. Mateus-Pinilla, W. Pitt, L.D. Mech, M.E. Nelson, M.S. Lenarz
Modeling nest survival data: a comparison of recently developed methods that can be implemented in MARK and SAS Modeling nest survival data: a comparison of recently developed methods that can be implemented in MARK and SAS
No abstract available.
Authors
J. Rotella, S.J. Dinsmore, T.L. Shaffer
Patterns of variation in clutch sizes in a guild of temperate-nesting dabbling ducks Patterns of variation in clutch sizes in a guild of temperate-nesting dabbling ducks
Clutch sizes of temperate-nesting dabbling ducks vary widely within and between years. Biologists have long been interested in why such patterns exist but have had difficulty separating intrinsic effects from environmental influences. In an attempt to gain greater insight into the roles of intrinsic and environmental influences on clutch sizes of dabbling ducks, we compared clutch-size...
Authors
Gary L. Krapu, R. E. Reynolds, G.A. Sargeant, R.W. Renner