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
Relationships of habitat patch size to predator community and survival of duck nests Relationships of habitat patch size to predator community and survival of duck nests
We studied duck nest success and predator community composition in relation to size of discrete patches of nesting cover in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the United States in 1993-95. We focused on nests in uplands that were seeded to perennial grasses and forbs and enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. We estimated daily...
Authors
M.A. Sovada, M.C. Zicus, R. J. Greenwood, D.P. Rave, W.E. Newton, R.O. Woodward, J.A. Beiser
Behaviour patterns of Mallard Anas Platyrhynchos pairs and broods in Minnesota and North Dakota Behaviour patterns of Mallard Anas Platyrhynchos pairs and broods in Minnesota and North Dakota
Few studies have quantitatively examined Mallard behaviour in North America during the breeding season. We estimated diurnal time budgets of unmarked Mallard males, females, and broods from over 1,200 hours of observations at two study areas in western Minnesota and south-central North Dakota during 1988-91. Paired males spent less time feeding and more time alert than did females. Both...
Authors
P.J. Pietz, D. A. Buhl
Uncommon breeding birds in North Dakota: Population estimates and frequencies of occurrence Uncommon breeding birds in North Dakota: Population estimates and frequencies of occurrence
Breeding bird populations were surveyed on 128 randomly selected quarter-sections throughout North Dakota in 1967, 1992, and 1993. Population estimates and frequencies of occurrence are reported for 92 uncommon breeding bird species with statewide frequencies of less than 10%.
Authors
L.D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, H.A. Kantrud
Estimated costs of maintaining a recovered wolf population in agricultural regions of Minnesota Estimated costs of maintaining a recovered wolf population in agricultural regions of Minnesota
The annual costs of maintaining Minnesota gray wolves (Canis lupus), now numbering about 2,500, under 2 plans are compared: (1) maintaining a population of about 1,400 primarily in the wilderness and semi-wilderness as recommended by the Eastern Timber Wolf Recovery Plan, and (2) allowing wolves to continue colonizing agricultural areas for 5 years after removal from the endangered...
Authors
L.D. Mech
The mathematics of movement The mathematics of movement
Review of: Quantitative Analysis of Movement: Measuring and Modeling Population Redistribution in Animals and Plants. Peter Turchin. 1998. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA. 306 pages. $38.95 (paper).
Authors
Douglas H. Johnson
Killing of a muskox, Ovibos moschatus, by two wolves, Canis lupis, and subsequent caching Killing of a muskox, Ovibos moschatus, by two wolves, Canis lupis, and subsequent caching
The killing of a cow Muskox (Ovibos moschatus) by two Wolves (Canis lupus) in 5 minutes during summer on Ellesmere Island is described. After two of the four feedings observed, one Wolf cached a leg and regurgitated food as far as 2.3 km away and probably farther. The implications of this behavior for deriving food-consumption estimates are discussed.
Authors
L. David Mech, Layne G. Adams
Effects of fire retardant chemical and fire suppressant foam on shrub steppe vegetation in northern Nevada Effects of fire retardant chemical and fire suppressant foam on shrub steppe vegetation in northern Nevada
The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of fire retardantchemical (Phos-Chek G75-F*) and fire suppressant foam (Silv-Ex) application,alone and in combination with fire, on Great Basin shrub steppe vegetation. Wemeasured growth, resprouting, flowering, and incidence of galling insects onChrysothamnus viscidiflorusandArtemisia tridentata. These characteristics were...
Authors
Diane L. Larson, Wesley E. Newton, Patrick J. Anderson, Steven J. Stein
Mate loss in winter and mallard reproduction Mate loss in winter and mallard reproduction
Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) frequently pair during winter, and duck hunting seasons have been extended until the end of January in several southern states in the Mississippi Flyway. Therefore, we simulated dissolution of pair bonds from natural or hunting mortality by removing mates of wild-strain, captive, yearling female mallards in late January 1996 and early February 1997 to test...
Authors
Barbara A. Lercel, Richard M. Kaminski, Robert R. Cox
Satellite telemetry--a promising tool for addressing information needs on sandhill cranes Satellite telemetry--a promising tool for addressing information needs on sandhill cranes
Abstract has not been submitted
Authors
Gary L. Krapu, D.A. Brandt
Foods and foraging of prairie striped skunks during the avian nesting season Foods and foraging of prairie striped skunks during the avian nesting season
Food habits of prairie skunks are not well understood, yet such knowledge might provide insight into factors influencing nest depredation. We studied food habits of radiocollared adult striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) during 1976-78 in North Dakota, where skunks are regarded as important predators of ground-nesting birds. Plant foods, primarily grain and sunflower seeds, occurred in a...
Authors
R. J. Greenwood, A.B. Sargeant, J.L. Piehl, D. A. Buhl, B.A. Hanson
Prescribed fire effects on biological control of leafy spurge Prescribed fire effects on biological control of leafy spurge
The flea beetle, Aphthona nigriscutis Foudras, is a potentially useful agent for biological control of leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) in grasslands devoted to wildlife conservation. However, effects of other grassland management practices on the persistence and dynamics of flea beetle populations are not well understood. We conducted small plot tests to evaluate 1) the effect of...
Authors
D.P. Fellows, W.E. Newton