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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: 1961

Implications of habitat-driven survival and dispersal on recruitment in a spatially structured piping plover population Implications of habitat-driven survival and dispersal on recruitment in a spatially structured piping plover population

Natal survival and dispersal have important consequences for populations through the movement of genes and individuals. Metapopulation theory predicts either balanced natal dispersal among regions or source–sink dynamics, which can dramatically change population structure. For species reliant on dynamic, early-successional habitats, availability and location of habitat will shift from...
Authors
Rose J. Swift, Michael J. Anteau, Kristen S. Ellis, Megan M. Ring, Mark H. Sherfy, Dustin L. Toy, David N. Koons

Classifying mixing regimes in ponds and shallow lakes Classifying mixing regimes in ponds and shallow lakes

Lakes are classified by thermal mixing regimes, with shallow waterbodies historically categorized as continuously mixing systems. Yet, recent studies demonstrate extended summertime stratification in ponds, underscoring the need to reassess thermal classifications for shallow waterbodies. In this study, we examined the summertime thermal dynamics of 34 ponds and shallow lakes across...
Authors
Meredith Holgerson, David Richardson, Joseph Roith, Lauren E. Bortolotti, Kerri Finlay, Daniel J. Hornbach, Kshitij Gurung, Andrew Ness, Mikkel R. Andersen, Sheel Bansal, Jacques Finlay, Jacob Cianci-Gaskill, Shannon Hahn, Benjamin Janke, Cory P. McDonald, Jorrit Mesman, Rebecca L. North, Cassandra Roberts, Jon N. Sweetman, Jackie Webb

Rare window into an ancient struggle Rare window into an ancient struggle

No abstract available.
Authors
Megan Carolyn Petersohn, Shannon Barber-Meyer

Belowground mutualisms to support prairie reconstruction—Improving prairie habitat using mycorrhizal inoculum Belowground mutualisms to support prairie reconstruction—Improving prairie habitat using mycorrhizal inoculum

As a first step toward understanding the feasibility of using arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in reconstruction practice, we addressed four objectives: (1) compare root-associated AMF communities of plants between high-quality remnant prairies and reconstructed prairies, (2) compare root-associated AMF communities between plant species that declined in reconstructions and species that...
Authors
Stefanie N. Vink, Laura Aldrich-Wolfe, Sheri C. Huerd, Jennifer L Larson, Sara C. Vacek, Pauline M. Drobney, Marsha Barnes, Karen Viste-Sparkman, Nicholas R. Jordan, Diane L. Larson

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea)

Keys to Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) management include providing areas of short, sparse vegetation and maintaining populations of prey species and of burrowing mammals to ensure availability of burrows as nest sites. In particular, the conservation of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) and Richardson’s ground squirrel (Urocitellus richardsonii) colonies is...
Authors
Jill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Paul A. Rabie, Jason P. Thiele, Betty R. Euliss

Can’t see the flowers for the trees: Factors driving floral abundance within early-successional forests in the central Appalachian Mountains Can’t see the flowers for the trees: Factors driving floral abundance within early-successional forests in the central Appalachian Mountains

Silviculture can be a powerful tool for restoring and enhancing habitat for forest-dependent wildlife. In eastern North America, regenerating timber harvests support abundant wildflowers that provide essential forage for native pollinators. Factors driving floral resource availability within regenerating forests remain almost entirely unstudied. Recent efforts to increase the area of...
Authors
Codey L. Mathis, Daren J. McNeil, Monica R. Lee, Christina M. Grozinger, Clint R.V. Otto, Jeffery L. Larkin

Grassy–herbaceous land moderates regional climate effects on honey bee colonies in the Northcentral US Grassy–herbaceous land moderates regional climate effects on honey bee colonies in the Northcentral US

The lack of seasonally sustained floral resources (i.e. pollen and nectar) is considered a primary global threat to pollinator health. However, the ability to predict the abundance of flowering resources for pollinators based upon climate, weather, and land cover is difficult due to insufficient monitoring over adequate spatial and temporal scales. Here we use spatiotemporally...
Authors
Gabriela Quinlan, Douglas B. Sponsler, Hannah Gaines-Day, Harper McMinn-Sauder, Clint R.V. Otto, Autumn Smart, Theotime Colin, Claudio Gratton, Rufus Isaacs, Reed Johnson, Meghan O. Milbrath, Christina M. Grozinger

Sample size estimation for savanna monitoring protocol development Sample size estimation for savanna monitoring protocol development

When designing data collection protocols for a new research project, it is important to have a large enough sample size to detect a desired effect, but not so large to be wasting time collecting more data than needed. Power analysis methods can be used to estimate this sample size. In this report, power analyses used to estimate sample sizes needed for a savanna monitoring study, for...
Authors
Deborah A. Buhl

Dynamic sensitivity to resource availability influences population responses to mismatches in a shorebird Dynamic sensitivity to resource availability influences population responses to mismatches in a shorebird

Climate change has caused shifts in seasonally recurring biological events leading to the temporal decoupling of consumer-resource pairs – i.e., phenological mismatching. Although mismatches often affect individual fitness, they do not invariably scale up to affect populations, making it difficult to assess the risk they pose. Individual variation may contribute to this inconsistency...
Authors
Luke R. Wilde, Josiah E. Simmons, Rose J. Swift, Nathan R. Senner

Newly documented behavior of free-ranging Arctic wolf pups Newly documented behavior of free-ranging Arctic wolf pups

Whereas much is known about the behavior and development of captive young wolf (Canis lupus) pups, less detail has been published about some aspects of free-ranging wolf pup behavior. This article synthesizes 42 observations of free-ranging Arctic wolf pups from ages 13 through 52 days made during 10 summers from 1987 through 2006 on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Besides listing key...
Authors
L. David Mech

Association of antler asymmetry with hoof disease in elk Association of antler asymmetry with hoof disease in elk

Treponeme-associated hoof disease (TAHD) is an emergent disease of elk (Cervus canadensis) in the Pacific West of the United States. Although lesions are usually restricted to the feet, anecdotal reports suggested increased prevalence of abnormal antlers in affected elk. We used hunter harvest reports for 1,688 adult male elk harvested in southwestern Washington, USA, during 2016-2018...
Authors
Glen A. Sargeant, Margaret A. Wild, Kyle Garrison, Dylan Conradson
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