Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Publications
Response of vegetation in open and partially wooded fens to prescribed burning at Seney National Wildlife Refuge
The health and function of northern peatlands, particularly for fens, are strongly affected by fire and hydrology. Fens are important to several avian species of conservation interest, notably the yellow rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis). Fire suppression and altered hydrology often result in woody encroachment, altering the plant community and...
Austin, Jane E.; Newton, Wesley E.
Demographic responses of least terns and piping plovers to the 2011 Missouri River flood—A large-scale case study
A catastrophic flood event on the Missouri River system in 2011 led to substantial changes in abundance and distribution of unvegetated sand habitat. This river system is a major component of the breeding range for interior Least terns (Sternula antillarum; “terns”) and piping plovers (Charadrius melodus; “plovers”), both of which are Federally...
Anteau, Michael J.; Sherfy, Mark H.; Shaffer, Terry L.; Swift, Rose J.; Toy, Dustin L.; Dovichin, Colin M.
Whooping crane use of riverine stopover sites
Migratory birds like endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) require suitable nocturnal roost sites during twice annual migrations. Whooping cranes primarily roost in shallow surface water wetlands, ponds, and rivers. All these features have been greatly impacted by human activities, which present threats to the continued recovery of the...
Baasch, David M.; Farrell, Patrick D.; Howlin, Shay; Pearse, Aaron T.; Farnsworth, Jason M.; Smith, Chadwin B. Landscape genetics reveal broad and fine‐scale population structure due to landscape features and climate history in the northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) in North Dakota
Prehistoric climate and landscape features play large roles structuring wildlife populations. The amphibians of the northern Great Plains of North America present an opportunity to investigate how these factors affect colonization, migration, and current population genetic structure. This study used 11 microsatellite loci to genotype 1,230...
Waraniak, Justin M.; Fisher, Justin D. L.; Purcell, Kevin; Mushet, David M.; Stockwell, Craig A. Modeling effects of crop production, energy development and conservation-grassland loss on avian habitat
Birds are essential components of most ecosystems and provide many services valued by society. However, many populations have undergone striking declines as their habitats have been lost or degraded by human activities. Terrestrial grasslands are vital habitat for birds in the North American Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), but grassland conversion...
Shaffer, Jill A.; Roth, Cali L.; Mushet, David M. Multi-element fingerprinting of waters to evaluate connectivity among depressional wetlands
Establishing the connectivity among depressional wetlands is important for their proper management, conservation and restoration. In this study, the concentrations of 38 elements in surface water and porewater of depressional wetlands were investigated to determine chemical and hydrological connectivity of three hydrological types:...
Yuan, Yuxiang; Zhu, Xiaoyan; Mushet, David M.; Otte, Marinus L. Mortality in Aransas-Wood Buffalo Whooping Cranes: Timing, location, and causes
For long-lived species with low fecundity rates, population growth rate can be sensitive to changes in annual survival. Understanding where, when, and why animals die provides useful information for prioritizing conservation practices designed to increase survival. As part of a satellite tracking study, we identified 19 confirmed and suspected...
Pearse, Aaron T.; Brandt, David; Hartup, Barry K.; Bidwell, Mark T. Revisiting the historic distribution and habitats of the Whooping Crane
The endangered Whooping Crane (Grus americana) historically had a wide distribution that covered diverse ecoregions across North America while retaining consistent habitat preferences within each ecoregion. We reevaluate the historic information compiled by Robert Porter Allen in 1952 and added 74 other records. Based on the ecological...
Austin, Jane E.; Hayes, Matthew A.; Barzen, Jeb A.
The Pothole Hydrology-Linked Systems Simulator (PHyLiSS)—Development and application of a systems model for prairie-pothole wetlands
The North American Prairie Pothole Region covers about 770,000 square kilometers of the United States and Canada (including parts of 5 States and 3 provinces: North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Iowa, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta). The Laurentide Ice Sheet shaped the landscape of the region about 12,000 to 14,000 years ago. The...
McKenna, Owen P.; Mushet, David M.; Scherff, Eric J.; Mclean, Kyle I.; Mills, Christopher T. Distance models as a tool for modelling detection probability and density of native bumblebees
Effective monitoring of native bee populations requires accurate estimates of population size and relative abundance among habitats. Current bee survey methods, such as netting or pan trapping, may be adequate for a variety of study objectives but are limited by a failure to account for imperfect detection. Biases due to imperfect detection could...
McNeil, Darin J.; Otto, Clint R. V.; Moser, Erin L.; Urban-Mead, Katherine R.; King, David E.; Rodewald, Amanda D.; Larkin, Jeffrey L.
Adaptive management in native grasslands managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—Implications for grassland birds
Burning and grazing are natural processes in native prairies that also serve as important tools in grassland management to conserve plant diversity, to limit encroachment of woody and invasive plants, and to maintain or improve prairies. Native prairies managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in the Prairie Pothole Region of the...
Igl, Lawrence D.; Newton, Wesley E.; Grant, Todd A.; Dixon, Cami S. Emerging themes from the ESA symposium entitled “Pollinator nutrition: Lessons from bees at individual to landscape levels”
No abstract available.
Corby-Harris, Vanessa; Bowsher, Julia H.; Carr-Markell, Morgan; Carroll, Mark J.; Centrella, Mary; Cook, Steven C.; Couvillon, Margaret; DeGrandi-Hoffman, Gloria; Dolezal, Adam; Jones, Julia C.; Mogren, Christina; Otto, Clint R. V.; Lau, Pierre; Rangel, Juliana; Schurch, Roger; St. Clair, Ashley