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: 1907
Comparison of microscopy and metabarcoding to identify pollen used by the critically endangered rusty patched bumble bee, Bombus affinis
Taxonomic analysis of pollen collected by bees can provide insights into their host plant use, providing information about the plant species selected for targeted conservation strategies. The two main identification approaches used are morphological analysis of pollen samples affixed to microscope slides (i.e., microscopic palynology) and molecular analysis of samples. Both methods are widely used
Authors
Michael P. Simanonok, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Clayton D Raines, Thomas J. Wood, Rufus Isaacs, Robert S. Cornman, Clint R.V. Otto
Wetland occupancy by duck broods in cropland-dominated landscapes of the United States Prairie Pothole Region
The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) is globally important for breeding waterfowl but has been altered via wetland drainage and grassland conversion to accommodate agricultural land use. Thus, understanding the ecology of waterfowl in these highly modified landscapes is essential for their conservation. Brood occurrence is the cumulative outcome of key life-history events including pair formation and
Authors
Blake J Mitchell, Catrina V Terry, Kevin M Ringelman, Kaylan M Kemink, Michael J. Anteau, Adam K. Janke
Divergent responses of butterflies and bees to burning and grazing management in tallgrass prairies
Butterflies and bees contribute significantly to grassland biodiversity and play important roles as pollinators and herbivores. Grassland conservation and management must be seen through the lens of insect conservation and management if these species are to thrive. In North America, grasslands are a product of climate and natural disturbances such as fire and grazing. These natural disturbances ha
Authors
Julia B. Leone, Nora P. Pennarola, Jennifer Larson, Karen Oberhauser, Diane L. Larson
Wetland ecosystem health and biodiversity
• Cropland expansion from 2008 to 2016 was mostly from losses of grassland (88%), with 3% losses from wetlands (a total of nearly 275,000 acres of wetlands, concentrated in the Prairie Pothole Region). Given the lack of national or regional datasets to track changes in RFS acreage, the extent of wetland losses directly attributable to the RFS cannot be more accurately estimated in the RtC3. • Wetl
Authors
Laurie C. Alexander, Whitney S. Beck, James N. Carleton, Christopher M. Clark, Henriette I. Jager, Andrew James, Ken Kriese, Leigh C. Moorhead, David M. Mushet
Supplemental vegetation monitoring plots at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument to accelerate learning of the Annual Brome Adaptive Management (ABAM) model
The Annual Brome Adaptive Management (ABAM) project is a consortium of seven parks in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) working together to better understand how to control invasive annual grasses (including Bromus species) through an adaptive management approach. This approach is supported by a quantitative model that uses current data from standardized vegetation monitoring plots in all seven park
Authors
Amy Symstad, Steven Bekedam
Fort Laramie National Historic Site 2022 ABAM Investigator Annual Report
The Annual Brome Adaptive Management (ABAM) project is a consortium of seven parks in the Northern Great Plains working together to better understand how to control invasive annual grasses (including Bromus species) through an adaptive management approach. This approach is supported by a quantitative model that uses current data from standardized vegetation monitoring plots in all seven parks to a
Authors
Amy Symstad
Supplemental vegetation monitoring plots at Wind Cave National Park to accelerate learning of the Annual Brome Adaptive Management (ABAM) model
The Annual Brome Adaptive Management (ABAM) project is a consortium of seven parks in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) working together to better understand how to control invasive annual grasses (including Bromus species) through an adaptive management approach. This approach is supported by a quantitative model that uses current data from standardized vegetation monitoring plots in all seven park
Authors
Amy Symstad, Timm Richardson
Supplemental vegetation monitoring plots at Badlands National Park to accelerate learning of the Annual Brome Adaptive Management (ABAM) model
The annual Brome Adaptive Management (ABAM) project is a consortium of seven parks in the Northern Great Plains working together to better understand how to control invasive annual grasses (including Bromus species) through an adaptive management approach. This approach is supported by a quantitative model that uses current data from standardized vegetation monitoring plots in all seven parks to a
Authors
Amy Symstad
Development of an online reporting format to facilitate the inclusion of ecosystem services into Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program reports
The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program is a program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. The Secretary of Agriculture is required to submit an annual report to Congress on Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program agreements that, among other things, reports on the progress made towards fulfilling commitments outlined in the agreements. The U.S. Geological
Authors
David M. Mushet, Owen P. McKenna
Addressing detection uncertainty in Bombus affinis (Hymenoptera: Apidae) surveys can improve inferences made from monitoring
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed national guidelines to track species recovery of the endangered rusty patched bumble bee [Bombus affinis Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae)] and to investigate changes in species occupancy across space and time. As with other native bee monitoring efforts, managers have specifically acknowledged the need to address species detection uncertainty and determine
Authors
Clint R.V. Otto, Alma Schrage, Larissa L. Bailey, John Michael Mola, Tamara A. Smith, Ian Pearse, Stacy C. Simanonok, Ralph Grundel
Automatic recorders monitor wolves at rendezvous sites: do wolves adjust howling to live near humans?
We used automatic sound recorders to study spontaneous vocalizations of wild wolves during the pup-rearing season around rendezvous sites from 24 wolf packs in six study areas across North America, Asia, and Europe. Between 2018 and 2021, for a total of 1225 pack-days, we recorded 605 spontaneous wolf chorus howls and 224 solo-howl series. Howling occurrence varied across areas, from 12.50 to 94.1
Authors
Vicente Palacios, Bárbara Martí-Domken, Shannon Barber-Meyer, Bilal Habib, José Vicente López-Bao, Douglas W. Smith, Daniel R. Stahler, Emilio José García, Víctor Sazatornil, L. David Mech
Conclusion to the special issue on Pollinators of the Great Plains
No abstract available.
Authors
Clint R.V. Otto