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
Native weeds and exotic plants: relationships to disturbance in mixed grass prairie Native weeds and exotic plants: relationships to disturbance in mixed grass prairie
The paper compares distributions of native weedy species and exotic species with respect to three kinds of disturbance, roads, trails, and prairie dog towns. Data were collected at the north and south units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and at Wind Cave National Park. The paper concludes that many exotic species differ substantially from native weeds in their exploitation of...
Authors
D.L. Larson
Genetic variations in the midcontinental population of sandhill crane, Grus canadenis Genetic variations in the midcontinental population of sandhill crane, Grus canadenis
Three subspecies of sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) are recognized in the Midcontinental population, the lesser (Grus c. canadensis), Canadian (G. c. rowani), and greater (G. c. tabida). Blood samples collected on the population's primary spring staging area in Nebraska, U.S.A., were used to resolve the genetic relationship among these subspecies. Phylogenetic analysis of 27 G...
Authors
Jessica L. Petersen, Richard Bischof, Gary Krapu, Allen L. Szalanski
Brown-headed cowbirds in grasslands: Their habitats, hosts, and response to management Brown-headed cowbirds in grasslands: Their habitats, hosts, and response to management
The brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) is an obligate brood parasite whose numbers have increased in recent decades to the potential detriment of the species that they parasitize. Thus, most management efforts focus on discouraging brown-headed cowbird parasitism or controlling brown-headed cowbird populations. Keys to discouraging cowbird parasitism or controlling populations of...
Authors
Jill A. Shaffer, Christopher M. Goldade, Meghan F. Dinkins, Douglas H. Johnson, Lawrence D. Igl, Betty R. Euliss
Predator selection of prairie landscape features and its relation to duck nest success Predator selection of prairie landscape features and its relation to duck nest success
Abstract has not been submitted
Authors
M.L. Phillips, W.R. Clark, M.A. Sovada, D.J. Horn, Rolf R. Koford, R. J. Greenwood
Predator exclusion methods for managing endangered shorebirds: Are two barriers better than one? Predator exclusion methods for managing endangered shorebirds: Are two barriers better than one?
Reproductive success of shorebirds can be improved by placement of predator exclosure fences along beaches or wire-mesh exclosure “cages” over nests. We predicted that these two types of exclosures used simultaneously might further improve reproductive success over that when cages alone are used. Field experiments were carried out on Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) on prairie alkali...
Authors
Robert K. Murphy, R. J. Greenwood, Jacob S. Ivan, Karen A. Smith
Evaluation of landscape models for wolverines in the interior northwest, United States of America Evaluation of landscape models for wolverines in the interior northwest, United States of America
The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is an uncommon, wide-ranging carnivore of conservation concern. We evaluated performance of landscape models for wolverines within their historical range at 2 scales in the interior Northwest based on recent observations (n = 421) from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. At the subbasin scale, simple overlays of habitat and road-density classes were...
Authors
M.M. Rowland, M.J. Wisdom, Douglas H. Johnson, B.C. Wales, J.P. Copeland, F.B. Edelmann
Modeling species-abundance relationships in multi-species collections Modeling species-abundance relationships in multi-species collections
Species-abundance relationship is one of the most fundamental aspects of community ecology. Since Motomura first developed the geometric series model to describe the feature of community structure, ecologists have developed many other models to fit the species-abundance data in communities. These models can be classified into empirical and theoretical ones, including (1) statistical...
Authors
S. Peng, Z. Yin, H. Ren, Q. Guo
Temporal species richness-biomass relationships along successional gradients Temporal species richness-biomass relationships along successional gradients
Diversity-biomass relationships are frequently reported to be hump-shaped over space at a given time. However, it is not yet clear how diversity and biomass change simultaneously and how they are related to each other over time (e.g. in succession) at one locality. This study develops a temporal model based on the projected changes of various community variables in a generalized...
Authors
Q. Guo
New nesting dates for some breeding birds in North Dakota New nesting dates for some breeding birds in North Dakota
Abstract has not been submitted
Authors
L.D. Igl, H.A. Kantrud
Plant abundance: the measurement and relationship with seed size Plant abundance: the measurement and relationship with seed size
There are many inconsistencies in early reports describing the relationships between plant abundance and other biotic (e.g., seed size) or abiotic variables (e.g., precipitation). It has been difficult to generalize such relationships when abundance is measured differently (e.g., density, biomass, cover). This article suggests using abundance in two broad categories: numerical abundance...
Authors
Q. Guo
Large-scale phytogeographical patterns in eastern Asia in relation to latitudinal and climatic gradients Large-scale phytogeographical patterns in eastern Asia in relation to latitudinal and climatic gradients
This paper aims at determining how different floristic elements (e.g. cosmopolitan, tropical, and temperate) change with latitude and major climate factors, and how latitude affects the floristic relationships between East Asia and the other parts of the world. The large-scale patterns of phytogeography in East Asia are strongly related to latitude, which covaries with several climatic...
Authors
H. Qian, J.-S. Song, P. Krestov, Q. Guo, Z. Wu, X. Shen, X. Guo
American avocet nesting on constructed islands in North Dakota American avocet nesting on constructed islands in North Dakota
Abstract has not been submitted
Authors
A.L. Dahl, Douglas H. Johnson, L.D. Igl, K.L. Baer, M. A. Johnson, R. E. Reynolds