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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: 1930

Den site activity patterns of adult male and female Swift Foxes, Vulpes velox, in northwestern Texas Den site activity patterns of adult male and female Swift Foxes, Vulpes velox, in northwestern Texas

Activity of Swift Foxes (Vulpes velox) at den sites was studied in northwestern Texas during pup rearing seasons in 2000 and 2001 to determine role of males in parental care. Twenty-four percent of radio-collared females with a potential to breed successfully raised pups to eight weeks of age. We intensively monitored presence and absence of male and female Swift Foxes at two den sites...
Authors
P.R. Lemons, W.B. Ballard, R.M. Sullivan, M.A. Sovada

Does presence of permanent fresh water affect recruitment in prairie-nesting dabbling ducks? Does presence of permanent fresh water affect recruitment in prairie-nesting dabbling ducks?

In the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North Dakota, USA, American mink (Mustela vison) are a major predator of ducklings. Mink populations plummet during severe droughts, but some mink survive where permanent fresh water is available. In 1992–1993, we evaluated whether development of a permanent water body, the 125-km McClusky Canal (MC), had affected survival of gadwall (Anas strepera)...
Authors
Gary L. Krapu, P.J. Pietz, D.A. Brandt, R. R. Cox

Invertebrate egg banks of restored, natural, and drained wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States Invertebrate egg banks of restored, natural, and drained wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States

Analogous to ‘seed banks,’ ‘egg banks’ are important for seasonal succession and maintenance of invertebrate species diversity throughout wet and dry cycles in the prairie pothole region. Further, recruitment of invertebrates from relic egg banks in the sediments and dispersal of eggs into wetlands is believed to be important for reestablishment of invertebrates in recently restored...
Authors
R.A. Gleason, N.H. Euliss, D.E. Hubbard, W.G. Duffy

Guidelines for finding nests of passerine birds in tallgrass prairie Guidelines for finding nests of passerine birds in tallgrass prairie

The productivity of birds is one of the most critical components of their natural history affected by habitat quality. Birds might occur at high densities in a given habitat patch but have low nesting success. Such "population sinks" would not be detected if observers relied solely on estimates of bird density. Therefore, it is essential to monitor nests and determine their outcomes...
Authors
Maiken Winter, Shawn E. Hawks, Jill A. Shaffer, Douglas H. Johnson

Historical and recent records and first nest records of Henslow's sparrow in North Dakota Historical and recent records and first nest records of Henslow's sparrow in North Dakota

The northwestern limit of the Henslow's sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) breeding distribution occurs in southern Minnesota and central Wisconsin. In North Dakota, observations of Henslow's sparrows are reported infrequently, and there are no published nest records in the state. Herein, we summarize and review previous reports of Henslow's sparrows in North Dakota and document the first...
Authors
Jill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Frederick Vanhove

Status assessment and conservation plan for the Western Burrowing Owl in the United States Status assessment and conservation plan for the Western Burrowing Owl in the United States

The Western Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) is a grassland specialist distributed throughout w. North America, primarily in open areas with short vegetation and bare ground in desert, grassland, and shrub-steppe environments. Burrowing Owls are dependent on the presence of fossorial mammals (primarily prairie dogs and ground squirrels), whose burrows are used for nesting and...
Authors
David S. Klute, Loren W. Ayers, Michael T. Green, William H. Howe, Stephanie L. Jones, Jill A. Shaffer, Tara S. Zimmerman

Invertebrate response to snow goose herbivory on moist-soil vegetation Invertebrate response to snow goose herbivory on moist-soil vegetation

Foraging activity by snow geese (Chen caerulescens) often creates large areas devoid of vegetation ("eat-outs") in moist-soil impoundments and coastal wetlands. Open-water habitats that result from eat-outs may be valuable foraging areas for other wetland-dependent birds (i.e., waterfowl and shorebirds). However, few studies have examined the effects of goose-induced habitat changes on
Authors
M. H. Sherfy, R. L. Kirkpatrick

Nutria (Myocastor coypus) Nutria (Myocastor coypus)

No abstract available.
Authors
Dixie L. Bounds, Mark H. Sherfy, Theodore A. Mollett

Life history, diversity and distribution: A study of Japanese pteridophytes Life history, diversity and distribution: A study of Japanese pteridophytes

Many studies address the relationships between diversity or distribution and attributes of the physical environment. However, how these relationships are connected to variation in life history is poorly understood. This is particularly true in the case of pteridophytes. Japanese ferns and their allies comprise one of the best-known pteridophyte floras in the world. We analyzed ca 600...
Authors
Q. Guo, Masako Kato, R. E. Ricklefs
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