Dusky grouse seasonal resource selection in the Great Basin isolated mountain ranges of Nevada, USA

Dusky grouse Dendragapus obscurus are a montane forest grouse species with a paucity of information regarding their temporal and spatial resource use during critical times of high mortality and reproductive output. This lack of vital data may leave dusky grouse at risk of sub-optimal management in many areas of their distribution, especially in the isolated ‘sky island' mountain ranges of the Great Basin, where high elevation habitats are surrounded by sagebrush and salt desert shrubland flats. Many of these high elevation habitats are being altered and lost rapidly from increasing disturbance events and effects of climate change. Our objective was to evaluate dusky grouse resource selection in the Schell Creek, Duck Creek, and Egan ranges of White Pine County, Nevada, USA, during breeding, nesting, brood-rearing, and over winter to identify habitats of importance for concentrating conservation actions. We found that breeding male dusky grouse selected for aspen stands, nearness to water, and nearness to forest edges, while breeding female dusky grouse selected for mountain mahogany, aspen, and mountain shrub communities (i.e. sagebrush), and areas with high predicted probability of males. Nesting female dusky grouse selected for mountain shrub communities, intermediate elevation, low ruggedness, and high percent shrub cover. Brooding female dusky grouse selected for aspen and mountain shrub communities, nearness to water, high percent shrub cover, and intermediate elevation and ruggedness. Finally, wintering female dusky grouse selected for spruce–fir and pine conifer types, high elevation and ruggedness, and farther distances from forest edges, while selecting against high percent tree canopy cover. Our results suggest that dusky grouse presence may indicate aspen and conifer community health in the Great Basin mountain ranges. Conservation priority could be placed on these limited vegetation communities, especially given the slow regeneration and growth in the region due to the arid climate and xeric soils.