Search USGS⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search USGS

Results for “The Prairie Naturalist”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
USGS1999

Etologia aplicada al manejo de especies amenazadas: el caso del turon de patas negras (Mustela nigripes)

Los turones de patas negras (Mustela nigripes) son considerados como uno de los mamíferos más amenazados del mundo. La última población silvestre fue descubierta en 1981 en Meeteetse, Wyoming, y en 1985 se extinguió debido a una epidemia de moquillo canino en combinacion con una epidemia de peste bubónica. Antes de su extinción total en la naturaleza, se lograron capturar 18 individuos para comenzar un programa de cría. La cría en cautividad se ha llevado a cabo con éxito y, durante los últimos 11 años han nacido más de 2600 turones en centros de propagación. Desde 1991, aproximadamente 870 turones han sido reintroducidos en 5 áreas de distribución histórica original repartidas entre los estados de Wyoming, Montana, Dakota del Sur, y Arizona. La investigación científica ha sido, y continúa siendo, una herramienta crítica para dirigir el Programa de Recuperación. Los estudios etológicos llevados a cabo tanto con turones cautivos como con turones reintroducidos han demostrado que un entorno cautivo naturalístico, especialmente durante las etapas iniciales del desarrollo de estos carnívoros, ayuda a desarrollar conductas necesarias para la supervivencia en la naturaleza. Dicho entorno ayuda a los turones a refinar sus técnicas de caza, a reconocer las madrigueras de los perritos de la pradera como un refugio donde establecerse y como una vía de escape frente al acoso de depredadores, y a mejorar su forma física. A raíz de estos estudios, se han readaptado las técnicas de manejo de turones cautivos para ayudar a llevar a cabo la recuperación de esta especie de un modo más eficaz y rentable. Black-footed ferrets are considered one of the world's most endangered mammals. The last wild population was discovered in 1981 in Meteetsee, Wyoming, and, in 1985 it collapsed due to an epizootic of canine distemper in combination with sylvatic plague. Prior to the extinction of the last remnant population, 18 wild black-footed ferrets were captured to initiate captive propagation efforts. Captive breeding has been successful and, during the last 11 years, more than 2600 black-footed ferrets have been born in captive breeding centers. Since 1991, approximately 870 ferrets have been reintroduced in 5 areas located within the ferret's original geographic distribution, including sites in Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and Arizona. Scientific research has been, and continues to be, a critical tool to direct recovery efforts. Studies in applied ethology conducted on captive and reintroduced ferret populations have demonstrated that a naturalistic captive environment, particularly during early developmental periods, enhances the expression of behaviors necessary for survival in nature. Ferrets raised in a naturalistic environment develop better predatory skills, are able to recognize prairie dog burrows as a home and shelter from predators, and are more physically fit. Results from these studies have been adapted into management strategies to help implement a more cost-effective road to black-footed ferret recovery.

Etologia↗
USGS2012

Use of multi-opening burrow systems by black-footed ferrets

Multi-opening burrow systems constructed by prairie dogs (Cynomys) ostensibly provide escape routes when prairie dogs are pursued by predators capable of entering the burrows, such as black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes), or by predators that can rapidly dig into the tunnels, such as American badgers (Taxidea taxus). Because badgers also prey on ferrets, ferrets might similarly benefit from multi-opening burrow systems. Using an air blower, white-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys leucurus) burrow openings were tested for connectivity on plots occupied by black-footed ferrets and on randomly selected plots in Wyoming. Significantly more connected openings were found on ferret-occupied plots than on random plots. Connected openings might be due to modifications by ferrets in response to plugging by prairie dogs, due to selection by ferrets for complex systems with multiple openings that are already unobstructed, or simply due to ferrets lingering at kill sites that were multi-opening systems selected by their prairie dog prey.

Wyoming↗
USGS2012

Digging behaviors of radio-tagged black-footed ferrets near Meeteetse, Wyoming, 1981-1984

Intensive radio-tracking during August–December enabled us to collect detailed information on digging behaviors of a small sample of black-footed ferrets ( Mustela nigripes ) occupying colonies of white-tailed prairie dogs ( Cynomys leucurus ). A sample of 33 prairie dogs, also radio-tagged, progressively ceased aboveground activity during late summer and fall, presumably as they descended into burrows to hibernate. Most of the time ferrets spent digging was in November–December when >95% of the radio-tagged prairie dogs were inactive, suggesting that digging was primarily to excavate hibernating prey. Although 43.9% of the burrow openings were estimated to be in large mounds, which are common on colonies of white-tailed prairie dogs, all of a sample of 17 deposits of soil (diggings) made by ferrets were excavated at small mounds or nonmounded openings. The average duration of 23 nocturnal sessions of digging by ferrets was 112.2 minutes. A digging session consisted of multiple bouts of soil movement typically lasting about 5 min, and sessions were separated by pauses above- or belowground lasting several minutes. Bouts of moving soil from a burrow involved round-trips of 12.5–30.3 s to remove an average of 35 cm 3 of soil per trip. These digging bouts are energetically costly for ferrets. One female moved 16.8 kg of soil an estimated 3.3 m during bouts having a cumulative duration of 178 minutes, removing a soil plug estimated to be 178 cm long. Increasing evidence suggests that some behaviors of ferrets and prairie dogs are coevolutionary responses between this highly specialized predator and its prairie dog prey.

Wyoming↗
USGS2020

Looking at the bigger picture: How abundance of nesting and brooding habitat influences lek-site selection by Lesser Prairie-Chickens

Lesser Prairie-Chicken ( Tympanuchus pallidicinctus ) populations have declined throughout most of their distribution since the mid-1980s. These declines are largely attributed to loss of habitat through the conversion and expansion of cropland, construction of oil wells and other anthropogenic features on the landscape, and grazing intensification. Changes in habitat availability and quality are seemingly having a disproportionate effect on the reproductive habitat of Lesser Prairie-Chickens, as some populations continue to decline. Nest and brood survival are crucial to population growth of Lesser Prairie-Chickens, with adequate reproductive habitat vital to population persistence. To better understand the influence of reproductive habitat availability on populations, we quantified the composition of reproductive habitat in lek landscapes across the northern extent of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken range. We measured vegetation at six study sites in Kansas and Colorado from 2013–2016. We sought to quantify available nest and brooding habitat adjacent to leks, investigate the relationship between reproductive habitat availability and lek attendance by males at several spatial scales, and examine vegetation characteristics that influence lek attendance. Within 5 km of a lek, 25% (2546/10,320 points) and 26% (2682/10,320 points) of random locations provided nesting and brooding habitat, respectively. Changes to reproductive habitat at both scales affected male attendance at leks. Visual obstruction of vegetation was the main predictor of male lek attendance at both spatial scales and limited the amount of reproductive habitat in lek landscapes. Accordingly, management should increase visual obstruction throughout the Lesser Prairie-Chicken range to increase reproductive success and improve populations to facilitate achieving the conservation goal set by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies of a 10 y average Lesser Prairie-Chicken population of 67,000 birds.

Colorado, Kansas↗
USGS2019

Grassland bird and butterfly responses to Sericea lespedeza control via late-season grazing pressure

Sericea lespedeza ( Lespedeza cuneata ) is a high-tannin, late-season invasive forb species that reduces biodiversity in tallgrass prairie ecosystems. The largest tallgrass prairie remnant exists in the Flint Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma, where the most common grazing management practice involves prescribed fire in early spring followed by intensive stocking with yearling beef cattle from April to July. Sericea has continued to spread under this management regime. From 2013 to 2016, in Kansas Flint Hills tallgrass prairie, we tested the effects of using spring burning with early-season steer grazing, followed by late-season sheep grazing (Steer+Sheep) compared to spring burning followed by steer grazing only (Steer) on sericea vigor, grassland birds, and pollinators. Density and nest success of Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum ) and Eastern Meadowlarks ( Sturnella magna ) were not negatively affected by Steer+Sheep relative to Steer treatments, whereas there was evidence of a negative effect in these same metrics for Dickcissels ( Spiza americana ). Abundance of butterflies and their nectar sources were similar between treatments but abundance of grassland specialist butterfly species was low, overall. Comprehensively, Steer+Sheep effectively controls the spread of sericea but may not create habitat for all tallgrass prairie wildlife species.

Kansas, Oklahoma↗
USGS2024

Long-term monitoring reveals management effects on Prairie Warbler colonization, local extinction, and detection in a Massachusetts pine barren

Habitat management can directly impact Setophaga discolor (Prairie Warbler) abundance and distribution. Despite regional declines, Prairie Warbler populations at Camp Edwards (Bourne, MA) have increased. To investigate habitat-management effects on Prairie Warbler populations at Camp Edwards, we used a dynamic-occupancy model to analyze a long-term monitoring dataset collected across 84 point-count sites from 2013 to 2022. The model results indicated that Prairie Warbler colonization and extinction probabilities were impacted by management (measured in years since disturbance). Colonization probability was highest initially after disturbance, then subsequently decreased for ∼50 years, and extinction probability also decreased for ∼25 years. Both probabilities remained low before increasing at ∼75 years since disturbance. The increase in colonization probability >75 years since disturbance may have been an artifact of our study design and incomplete disturbance records. We also found that latitude and longitude significantly affected colonization probability, likely a result of how habitat types are distributed across the base. These results inform how Prairie Warblers respond to long-term management, suggesting that habitat management could improve colonization rates and sustain Prairie Warbler populations.

Massachusetts↗
USGS1998

Checklist and "Pollard Walk" butterfly survey methods on public lands

Checklist and “Pollard Walk” butterfly survey methods were contemporaneously applied to seven public sites in North Dakota during the summer of 1995. Results were compared for effect of method and site on total number of butterflies and total number of species detected per hour. Checklist searching produced significantly more butterfly detections per hour than Pollard Walks at all sites. Number of species detected per hour did not differ significantly either among sites or between methods. Many species were detected by only one method, and at most sites generalist and invader species were more likely to be observed during checklist searches than during Pollard Walks. Results indicate that checklist surveys are a more efficient means for initial determination of a species list for a site, whereas for long-term monitoring the Pollard Walk is more practical and statistically manageable. Pollard Walk transects are thus recommended once a prairie butterfly fauna has been defined for a site by checklist surveys.

American Midland Naturalist↗
USGS2016

Restoring sand shinnery oak prairies with herbicide and grazing in New Mexico

Sand shinnery oak ( Quercus havardii ) prairies are increasingly disappearing and increasingly degraded in the Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico. Restoring and managing sand shinnery oak prairie can support biodiversity, specific species of conservation concern, and livestock production. We measured vegetation response to four treatment combinations of herbicide (tebuthiuron applied at 0.60 kg/ha) and moderate-intensity grazing (50% removal of annual herbaceous production) over a 10-year period in a sand shinnery oak prairie of eastern New Mexico. We compared the annual vegetation response to the historical climax plant community (HCPC) as outlined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Ecological Site Description. From 2 to 10 years postapplication, tebuthiuron-treated plots had reduced shrub cover with twice as much forb and grass cover as untreated plots. Tebuthiuron-treated plots, regardless of the presence of grazing, most frequently met HCPC. Tebuthiuron and moderate-intensity grazing increased vegetation heterogeneity and, based on comparison of the HCPC, successfully restored sand shinnery oak prairie to a vegetation composition similar to presettlement.

New Mexico↗
USGS2005

Habitat preferences of migrant and wintering northern harriers in northwestern Texas

We studied habitat preferences of northern harriers ( Circus cyaneus) in four counties of the Southern High Plains of northwestern Texas from October 1989 to May 1995. Harriers generally arrived in late July and departed in April. They hunted over a variety of habitats in the study area but mainly in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands and vegetated playa basins. CRP grasslands, playa basins, and shortgrass prairie were used disproportionately to their availability, whereas winter wheat was used less than its availability. Brown harriers (adult females or subadults of either sex) foraged in CRP about as often as adult males but more frequently in playas and prairies, whereas adult males foraged more in winter wheat. As underground water sources for irrigation continue to be depleted, agricultural practices are likely to change. Depending on how the land is used after irrigation ceases, harriers may benefit if CRP grasslands, vegetated playas, and shortgrass prairies persist. If dominant land use reverts to livestock grazing, however, the harrier population will be negatively affected.

Southwestern Naturalist↗
USGS2021

Breeding season space use by lesser prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus Pallidicinctus) varies among ecoregions and breeding stages

Large-scale declines of grassland ecosystems in the conterminous United States since European settlement have led to substantial loss and fragmentation of lesser prairie-chicken ( Tympanuchus pallidicinctus ) habitat and decreased their occupied range and population numbers by ∼85%. Breeding season space use is an important component of lesser prairie-chicken conservation, because it could affect both local carrying capacity and population dynamics. Previous estimates of breeding season space use are largely limited to one of the four currently occupied ecoregions, but potential extrinsic drivers of breeding space use, such as landscape fragmentation, vegetation structure and composition, and density of anthropogenic structures, can show large spatial variation. Moreover, habitat needs vary greatly among the lekking/prelaying, nesting, brood-rearing, and postbreeding stages of the breeding season, but space use by female lesser prairie-chickens during these stages remain relatively unclear. We tested whether home range area and daily displacement (the net distance between the first and last location of each day) of female lesser prairie-chickens varied among ecoregions and breeding stages at four study sites in Kansas and Colorado, U.S.A., representing three of the four currently occupied ecoregions. We equipped females with very-high-frequency (VHF) or Global Positioning System (GPS) transmitters, and estimated home range area with kernel density estimators or biased random bridge models, respectively. Across all ecoregions, breeding season home range area averaged 190.4 ha (±19.1 ha se ) for birds with VHF and 283.6 ha (±23.1 ha) for birds with GPS transmitters, whereas daily displacement averaged 374.8 m (±14.3 m). Average home range area and daily displacement of bird with GPS transmitters were greater in the Short-Grass Prairie/ Conservation Reserve Program Mosaic and Sand Sagebrush Prairie Ecoregions compared to sites in the Mixed-Grass Prairie Ecoregion. Home range area and daily displacement were greatest during lekking/prelaying and smallest during the brood-rearing stage, when female movements were restricted by mobility of chicks. Ecoregion- and breeding stage-specific estimates of space use by lesser prairie-chickens will help managers determine the spatial configuration of breeding stage-specific habitat on the landscape. Furthermore, ecoregion- and breeding stage-specific estimates are crucial when estimating the amount of breeding habitat needed for lesser prairie-chicken populations to persist.

Colorado↗
USGS2021

Regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) sex ratio in tallgrass prairie: Effects of survey timing and management regime

The regal fritillary, Speyeria idalia (Drury), was once a common inhabitant of North American grassland communities. Regal fritillary populations are commonly reported to have a male biased adult sex ratio (ASR) throughout their range. We assessed the observed ASR of regal fritillary throughout an annual flight period, investigated how the overall density of both sexes changed, and tested effects of prescribed fire, grazing and haying management treatments on male and female density. We found that regal fritillary exhibited an observed 2:1 male biased ASR across the entire emergence period. Our analysis also revealed that male density peaked earlier than female density in the flight period. Point estimates of density indicated sites that received prescribed burning at the moderate fire-return interval supported ≥1.3 times greater density of males and ≥5.6 times greater density of females versus sites burned with short and long fire-return intervals. Additionally, this effect was enhanced when combined with grazing which showed males were ≥1.9 times and females had ≥1.2 times greater point estimates of density in sites that were grazed and burned at a moderate fire-return interval versus other sites. The relatively stable status of regal fritillary within our study region suggests that a 2:1 male to female ASR may be considered the model composition of populations throughout their range. Likewise, the dynamic nature of the ASR throughout the flight period highlights the importance of conducting surveys across the flight period. Finally, these results corroborate an increasing number of research results that reveal common prairie management practices, such as prescribed fire can be applied within sites that contain regal fritillary and continue to support stable populations.

Kansas↗
USGS2012

Resource selection models are useful in predicting fine-scale distributions of black-footed ferrets in prairie dog colonies

Wildlife-habitat relationships are often conceptualized as resource selection functions (RSFs)—models increasingly used to estimate species distributions and prioritize habitat conservation. We evaluated the predictive capabilities of 2 black-footed ferret ( Mustela nigripes ) RSFs developed on a 452-ha colony of black-tailed prairie dogs ( Cynomys ludovicianus ) in the Conata Basin, South Dakota. We used the RSFs to project the relative probability of occurrence of ferrets throughout an adjacent 227-ha colony. We evaluated performance of the RSFs using ferret space use data collected via postbreeding spotlight surveys June–October 2005–2006. In home ranges and core areas, ferrets selected the predicted "very high" and "high" occurrence categories of both RSFs. Count metrics also suggested selection of these categories; for each model in each year, approximately 81% of ferret locations occurred in areas of very high or high predicted occurrence. These results suggest usefulness of the RSFs in estimating the distribution of ferrets throughout a black-tailed prairie dog colony. The RSFs provide a fine-scale habitat assessment for ferrets that can be used to prioritize releases of ferrets and habitat restoration for prairie dogs and ferrets. A method to quickly inventory the distribution of prairie dog burrow openings would greatly facilitate application of the RSFs.

South Dakota↗
USGS2012

Information on black-footed ferret biology collected within the framework of ferret conservation

Once feared to be extinct, black-footed ferrets ( Mustela nigripes ) were rediscovered near Meeteetse, Wyoming, in 1981, resulting in renewed conservation and research efforts for this highly endangered species. A need for information directly useful to recovery has motivated much monitoring of ferrets since that time, but field activities have enabled collection of data relevant to broader biological themes. This special feature is placed in a context of similar books and proceedings devoted to ferret biology and conservation. Articles include general observations on ferrets, modeling of potential impacts of ferrets on prairie dogs ( Cynomys spp.), discussions on relationships of ferrets to prairie dog habitats at several spatial scales (from individual burrows to patches of burrow systems) and a general treatise on the status of black-footed ferret recovery.

Wyoming↗
USGS2016

Use of free water by nesting lesser prairie-chickens

The lesser prairie-chicken ( Tympanuchus pallidicinctus ) is a grassland grouse of semiarid regions. Use of free water has been hypothesized as necessary for egg formation during drought. We assessed the use of hydrogen isotopes (deuterium, δ 2 H) to determine if female lesser prairie-chickens use and incorporate free water during egg formation by testing the relationship between isotope ratios in available free water and eggshells. We collected eggshells from 124 nests and 282 free water samples from three sites in Kansas in 2013 and 2014. Eggshells had δ 2 H values similar to free water in the year of severe drought but were dissimilar the year with lessened drought severity. With an established link between lesser prairie-chicken eggshells and free water during severe drought, we have identified a mechanism behind observations of lesser prairie-chicken water use. We have demonstrated that hydrogen isotopes can be used to test research questions related to use of free water.

Southwestern Naturalist↗