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
Automatic recorders monitor wolves at rendezvous sites: do wolves adjust howling to live near humans? Automatic recorders monitor wolves at rendezvous sites: do wolves adjust howling to live near humans?
We used automatic sound recorders to study spontaneous vocalizations of wild wolves during the pup-rearing season around rendezvous sites from 24 wolf packs in six study areas across North America, Asia, and Europe. Between 2018 and 2021, for a total of 1225 pack-days, we recorded 605 spontaneous wolf chorus howls and 224 solo-howl series. Howling occurrence varied across areas, from 12...
Authors
Vicente Palacios, Barbara Marti-Domken, Shannon Barber-Meyer, Bilal Habib, Jose Vicente Lopez-Bao, Douglas W. Smith, Daniel R. Stahler, Emilio Jose Garcia, Victor Sazatornil, L. David Mech
Towards critical white ice conditions in lakes under global warming Towards critical white ice conditions in lakes under global warming
The quality of lake ice is of uppermost importance for ice safety and under-ice ecology, but its temporal and spatial variability is largely unknown. Here we conducted a coordinated lake ice quality sampling campaign across the Northern Hemisphere during one of the warmest winters since 1880 and show that lake ice during 2020/2021 commonly consisted of unstable white ice, at times...
Authors
Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer, Ulrike Obertegger, Hugo Rudebeck, Ellinor Jakobsson, Joachim Jansen, Galina Zdorovennova, Sheel Bansal, Benjamin Block, Cayelan C. Carey, Jonathan P. Doubek, Hilary Dugan, Oxana Erina, Irina Fedorova, Janet Fischer, Laura Grinberga, Hans-Peter Grossart, Külli Kangur, Lesley B. Knoll, Alo Laas, Fabio Lepori, Jacob Meier, Nikolai Palshin, Mark Peternell, Merja Pulkkanen, James A. Rusak, Sapna Sharma, Danielle Wain, Roman Zdorovennov
Lessons learned from wetlands research at the Cottonwood Lake Study Area, Stutsman County, North Dakota, 1967–2021 Lessons learned from wetlands research at the Cottonwood Lake Study Area, Stutsman County, North Dakota, 1967–2021
Depressional wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America have a long history of investigation owing to their importance in maintaining migratory-bird populations, especially waterfowl. One area of particularly intensive study is the Cottonwood Lake study area in Stutsman County, North Dakota. Studies at the Cottonwood Lake study area began in 1967 and continue through the...
Authors
David M. Mushet, Ned H. Euliss, Donald O. Rosenberry, James W. LaBaugh, Sheel Bansal, Zeno F. Levy, Owen P. McKenna, Kyle McLean, Christopher T. Mills, Brian P. Neff, Richard D. Nelson, Matthew J. Solensky, Brian Tangen
Multiproxy paleolimnological records provide evidence for a shift to a new ecosystem state in the Northern Great Plains, USA Multiproxy paleolimnological records provide evidence for a shift to a new ecosystem state in the Northern Great Plains, USA
Wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of the North American Northern Great Plains perform multiple ecosystem services and are biodiversity hotspots. However, climatological changes can result in sudden shifts in these important ecosystems. For example, marked increases in precipitation in the last few decades have resulted in a widespread shift in wetlands across the Prairie Pothole...
Authors
Kui Hu, David M. Mushet, Jon N. Sweetman
Climate and land use driven ecosystem homogenization in the Prairie Pothole Region Climate and land use driven ecosystem homogenization in the Prairie Pothole Region
The homogenization of freshwater ecosystems and their biological communities has emerged as a prevalent and concerning phenomenon because of the loss of ecosystem multifunctionality. The millions of prairie-pothole wetlands scattered across the Prairie Pothole Region (hereafter PPR) provide critical ecosystem functions at local, regional, and continental scales. However, an estimated...
Authors
Kyle McLean, David M. Mushet, Jon Sweetman
Understanding the Avian-Impact Offset Method—A tutorial Understanding the Avian-Impact Offset Method—A tutorial
Biodiversity offsetting, or compensatory mitigation, is increasingly being used in temperate grassland and wetland ecosystems to compensate for unavoidable environmental damage from anthropogenic disturbances such as energy development and road construction. Energy-extraction and -generation facilities continue to proliferate across the natural landscapes of the United States, yet...
Authors
Jill A. Shaffer, Charles R. Loesch, Deborah A. Buhl
Nest remains are insufficient to identify predators of waterfowl nests Nest remains are insufficient to identify predators of waterfowl nests
Context: Nest predation is a leading cause of nest failure for most ground-nesting birds. Methods that allow for accurate classification of fate and identification of predators are important for understanding productivity and conservation strategies. Past studies have used a visual inspection of nest remains to determine nest fate and predict predator identity. Most formal assessments of...
Authors
Kaylan M. Kemink, Kyle J. Kuechle, Mason L. Sieges, Sam Krohn, Cailey Isaacson, John Palarski, Nick Conrad, Allicyn Nelson, Boyang Liu, Thomas K. Buhl, Susan N. Ellis-Felege
Potential effects of energy development on environmental resources of the Williston Basin in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota—Executive summary Potential effects of energy development on environmental resources of the Williston Basin in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota—Executive summary
Executive Summary The Williston Basin, which includes parts of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota in the United States and parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Canada, has been explored as a potential source of energy resources since the early 20th century; however, commercially viable petroleum drilling and recovery began in earnest in the 1950s. When oil prices rose in the mid...
Authors
Max Post van der Burg, Kevin C. Vining, Jill D. Frankforter
Potential effects of energy development on environmental resources of the Williston Basin in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota Potential effects of energy development on environmental resources of the Williston Basin in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota
About this volume The Williston Basin, which includes parts of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota in the United States, has been a leading domestic oil and gas producing area. To better understand the potential effects of energy development on environmental resources in the Williston Basin, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, and in support...
Potential effects of energy development on environmental resources of the Williston Basin in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota—Species of conservation concern Potential effects of energy development on environmental resources of the Williston Basin in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota—Species of conservation concern
The ecosystems of the Williston Basin provide direct and indirect benefits to society. These benefits include carbon sequestration, flood control, nutrient rich soils for agricultural productivity, and habitat for wildlife. This chapter’s main focus is on the effects of energy development on species that occupy the ecosystems in the Williston Basin. We compiled a list of documented...
Authors
Max Post van der Burg, Amy J. Symstad, Lawrence D. Igl, David M. Mushet, Diane L. Larson, Glen A. Sargeant, David D. Harper, Aida M. Farag, Brian A. Tangen, Michael J. Anteau