Publications

Managed and wild pollinators are critical components of agricultural and natural systems. Despite the well-known value of insect pollinators to U.S. agriculture, Apis mellifera (Linnaeus, 1758; honey bees) and wild bees currently face numerous stressors that have resulted in declining health. These declines have engendered support for pollinator conservation efforts across all levels of government

Keys to Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) management are providing extensive grasslands of intermediate height and density with a well-developed litter layer, controlling succession, and protecting nesting habitat from disturbance during the breeding season. Savannah Sparrows have been reported to use habitats with 11–190 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 4–50 cm visual obstru

Energy is an integral part of society. The major US energy sources of fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas); biofuels (ethanol); and wind are concentrated in grassland ecosystems of the Great Plains. As energy demand continues to increase, mounting pressures will be placed on North American grassland systems. In this review, we present the ecological effects of energy development and production on

Keys to LeConte’s Sparrow (Ammospiza leconteii) management include controlling succession and providing uplands and lowlands with tall, thick herbaceous vegetation and thick litter. LeConte’s Sparrows have been reported to use habitats with 30–90 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 19–41 cm visual obstruction reading, 35–43 percent grass cover, 16–27 percent forb cover, less than (<) 18 pe

Keys to Baird’s Sparrow (Centronyx bairdii) management are providing native or tame grasslands with moderately deep litter, controlling excessive grazing, and curtailing shrub encroachment. Baird’s Sparrows have been reported to use habitats with less than or equal to (≤) 101 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 3–46 cm visual obstruction reading (VOR), 15–71 percent grass cover, 5–25 perce

Heterospecific breeding associations may benefit individuals by mitigating predation risk but may also create costs if they increase competition for resources or are more easily detectable by predators. Our understanding of the interactions among hetero‐ and conspecifics is often lacking in mixed species colonies. Here, we test how the presence of hetero‐ and conspecifics influence nest and chick

Keys to Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus) management are providing and maintaining native pastures with fairly short overall vegetation and sparse litter accumulation but with areas of taller and denser vegetation and accumulated litter for nesting, and tailoring grazing intensity to local conditions. Chestnut-collared Longspurs have been reported to use habitats with 10–77 centimeter

Natal dispersal (movement from the site of birth to the site of reproduction) is a pervasive but highly varied characteristic of life forms. Thus, understanding it in any species informs many aspects of biology, but studying it in most species is difficult. In the grey wolf Canis lupus, natal dispersal has been well studied. Maturing members of both sexes generally leave their natal packs, pair wi

The Great Plains of North America encompass approximately 1,300,000 km2 of land from Texas to Saskatchewan. The integrity of these lands is under continual assault by long-established and newly-arrived invasive plant species, which can threaten native species and diminish land values and ecological goods and services by degrading desired grassland resources. The Great Plains are a mixture of priva

Monitoring elusive, relatively low-density, large predators, such as the grey wolf (Canis lupus), has often been accomplished by live-capture and radiocollaring. Increasingly, non-invasive methods are considered best practice whenever it is possible to use them. Recently, environmental DNA (eDNA) deposited in snow tracks was demonstrated as useful for identifying lynx (Lynx canadensis), fisher (Pe

Common assumptions about how vegetation affects wetland methane (CH) flux include acting as conduits for CH release, providing carbon substrates for growth and activity of methanogenic organisms, and supplying oxygen to support CH oxidation. However, these effects may change through time, especially in seasonal wetlands that experience drying and re-wetting, or change across space, dependent on pr

We explored how a geographic information system modeling approach could be used to quantify supporting ecosystem services related to the type, abundance, and distribution of landscape components. Specifically, we use the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs model to quantify habitats that support amphibians and birds, floral resources that support pollinators, native-plant comm