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
Conclusion Conclusion
Wolves can live almost anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, and almost everywhere they do, they are an issue. In the vast emptiness of the northern tundra or the Arabian desert, on the outskirts of a European town or in the safety of an American national park, in meager agricultural lands in India or in mountains in rich Norway or Switzerland, wolves always attract people’s attention...
Authors
L. David Mech, Luigi Boitani
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
Patrick R. Lemons, Warren B. Ballard, Robert M. Sullivan, Marsha A. Sovada
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
Incidence of Mink, Mustela vison, and River Otter, Lutra canadensis, in a highly urbanized area Incidence of Mink, Mustela vison, and River Otter, Lutra canadensis, in a highly urbanized area
Mink (Mustela vison) frequently inhabited or traversed a residential, business, and industrial part of the Twin Cities, Minnesota, with little water or natural vegetation. At least one River Otter (Lutra canadensis) also resided on a small pond on a golf course in the area for several winter months.
Authors
L. David Mech
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
Wolves: Behavior, ecology, and conservation Wolves: Behavior, ecology, and conservation
Wolves are some of the world's most charismatic and controversial animals, capturing the imaginations of their friends and foes alike. Highly intelligent and adaptable, they hunt and play together in close-knit packs, sometimes roaming over hundreds of square miles in search of food. Once teetering on the brink of extinction across much of the United States and Europe, wolves have made a
Effects of ungulates and prairie dogs on seed banks and vegetation in a North American mixed-grass prairie Effects of ungulates and prairie dogs on seed banks and vegetation in a North American mixed-grass prairie
The relationship between vegetation cover and soil seed banks was studied in five different ungulate herbivore-prairie dog treatment combinations at three northern mixed-grass prairie sites in Badlands National Park, South Dakota. There were distinct differences in both the seed bank composition and the aboveground vegetation between the off-prairie dog colony treatments and the on...
Authors
J. T. Fahnestock, D.L. Larson, G. E. Plumb, J.K. Detling
Effects of leafy spurge infestation on grassland birds Effects of leafy spurge infestation on grassland birds
Grassland bird populations are declining. Invasive plant species may be contributing to these declines by altering habitat quality. However, the effects of invasive plants on grassland birds are largely unknown. Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) is an exotic, invasive weed in the northern Great Plains. We examined the effects of leafy spurge infestation on densities of breeding birds, nest...
Authors
D.M. Scheiman, E.K. Bollinger, Douglas H. Johnson
Population and nesting ecology of sandhill cranes at Grays Lake, Idaho, 1997-2000 Population and nesting ecology of sandhill cranes at Grays Lake, Idaho, 1997-2000
No abstract available.
Authors
I.J. Ball, J. E. Austin, A.R. Henry
A natural history survey of fens and palustrine wetlands in intermittent drainages of the Little Missouri Grassland A natural history survey of fens and palustrine wetlands in intermittent drainages of the Little Missouri Grassland
No abstract available.
Authors
N.H. Euliss, R.R. Tramontano, D.M. Mushet
Body size and condition of male mallard during mid-winter in North Dakota, USA Body size and condition of male mallard during mid-winter in North Dakota, USA
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) may winter in northern areas if they have access to adequate food and open water. We compared individual body size (indexed by first principal component scores from three morphometric measurements) and body condition (body mass adjusted for body size) of male Mallard wintering in North Dakota, USA during 1996-99 with a baseline reference group of Mallard from...
Authors
R.E. Olsen, R. R. Cox
Breeding season of wolves, Canis lupus, in relation to latitude Breeding season of wolves, Canis lupus, in relation to latitude
A significant relationship was found between Wolf (Canis lupus) breeding dates and latitudes between 12 deg. and 80 deg. N, with Wolves breeding earlier at lower latitudes, probably because of differences in seasonality.
Authors
L. David Mech