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
Detection probability of least tern and piping plover chicks in a large river system
Monitoring the abundance and stability of populations of conservation concern is often complicated by an inability to perfectly detect all members of the population. Mark-recapture offers a flexible framework in which one may identify factors contributing to imperfect detection, while at the same time estimating demographic parameters such as abundance or survival. We individually color-marked, re
Authors
Erin A. Roche, Terry L. Shaffer, Michael J. Anteau, Mark H. Sherfy, Jennifer H. Stucker, Mark T. Wiltermuth, Colin M. Dovichin
Placing prairie pothole wetlands along spatial and temporal continua to improve integration of wetland function in ecological investigations
We evaluated the efficacy of using chemical characteristics to rank wetland relation to surface and groundwater along a hydrologic continuum ranging from groundwater recharge to groundwater discharge. We used 27 years (1974–2002) of water chemistry data from 15 prairie pothole wetlands and known hydrologic connections of these wetlands to groundwater to evaluate spatial and temporal patterns in ch
Authors
Ned H. Euliss, David M. Mushet, Wesley E. Newton, Clint R.V. Otto, Richard D. Nelson, James W. LaBaugh, Eric J. Scherff, Donald O. Rosenberry
Modeling effects of conservation grassland losses on amphibian habitat
Amphibians provide many ecosystem services valued by society. However, populations have declined globally with most declines linked to habitat change. Wetlands and surrounding terrestrial grasslands form habitat for amphibians in the North American Prairie Pothole Region (PPR). Wetland drainage and grassland conversion have destroyed or degraded much amphibian habitat in the PPR. However, conserva
Authors
David M. Mushet, Jordan L. Neau, Ned H. Euliss
Accuracy of aging ducks in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Waterfowl Parts Collection Survey
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts an annual Waterfowl Parts Collection Survey to estimate composition of harvested waterfowl by species, sex, and age (i.e., juv or ad). The survey relies on interpretation of duck wings by a group of experienced biologists at annual meetings (hereafter, flyway wingbees). Our objectives were to estimate accuracy of age assignment at flyway wingbees and to
Authors
Aaron T. Pearse, Douglas H. Johnson, Kenneth D. Richkus, Frank C. Rohwer, Robert R. Cox, Paul I. Padding
Ecotypic variation in recruitment of reintroduced bighorn sheep: implications for translocation
European settlement led to extirpation of native Audubon's bighorn sheep (formerly Ovis canadensis auduboni) from North Dakota during the early 20th century. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department subsequently introduced California bighorn sheep (formerly O. c. californiana) that were indigenous to the Williams Lake region of British Columbia, Canada, and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (O. c. can
Authors
Brett P. Wiedmann, Glen A. Sargeant
Successes and challenges from formation to implementation of eleven broad-extent conservation programs
Integration of conservation partnerships across geographic, biological, and administrative boundaries is increasingly relevant because drivers of change, such as climate shifts, transcend these boundaries. We explored successes and challenges of established conservation programs that span multiple watersheds and consider both social and ecological concerns. We asked representatives from a diverse
Authors
Erik A. Beever, John B. Bradford, Matthew J. Germino, Brady J. Mattsson, Max Post van der Burg, Mark Brunson
The role of landscape features and density dependence in growth and fledging rates of Piping Plovers in North Dakota, USA
For species with precocial young, survival from hatching to fledging is a key factor influencing recruitment. Furthermore, growth rates of precocial chicks are an indicator of forage quality and habitat suitability of brood-rearing areas. We examined how growth and fledging rates of Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) chicks were influenced by landscape features, such as hatchling density (hatchli
Authors
Michael J. Anteau, Mark T. Wiltermuth, Mark H. Sherfy, Terry L. Shaffer, Aaron T. Pearse
Assessment of sediments in the riverine impoundments of national wildlife refuges in the Souris River Basin, North Dakota
Accelerated sedimentation of reservoirs and riverine impoundments is a major concern throughout the United States. Sediments not only fill impoundments and reduce their effective life span, but they can reduce water quality by increasing turbidity and introducing harmful chemical constituents such as heavy metals, toxic elements, and nutrients. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refu
Authors
Brian A. Tangen, Murray K. Laubhan, Robert A. Gleason
Using natural range of variation to set decision thresholds: a case study for great plains grasslands
Natural range of variation (NRV) may be used to establish decision thresholds or action assessment points when ecological thresholds are either unknown or do not exist for attributes of interest in a managed ecosystem. The process for estimating NRV involves identifying spatial and temporal scales that adequately capture the heterogeneity of the ecosystem; compiling data for the attributes of inte
Authors
Amy J. Symstad, Jayne L. Jonas
Historic and recent nesting records of Turkey Vultures in South Dakota
Present-day vultures are generally classified into two distinct groups: Old World vultures and new World vultures. The two groups share morphological and behavioral characters (e.g. scavenger diet, energy-efficient soaring, mostly featherless head), but historically the two groups were considered phylogenetically distant with long and independent histories (Rich 198., Wink 1995, Zhang et al. 2012)
Authors
Lawrence D. Igl, Brian J. Chepulis, Kyle E. McLean
Production of hybrids between western gray wolves and western coyotes
Using artificial insemination we attempted to produce hybrids between captive, male, western, gray wolves (Canis lupus) and female, western coyotes (Canis latrans) to determine whether their gametes would be compatible and the coyotes could produce and nurture offspring. The results contribute new information to an ongoing controversy over whether the eastern wolf (Canis lycaon) is a valid unique
Authors
L. David Mech, Bruce W. Christensen, Cheryl S. Asa, Margaret Callahan, Julie K. Young
On the role of budget sufficiency, cost efficiency, and uncertainty in species management
Many conservation planning frameworks rely on the assumption that one should prioritize locations for management actions based on the highest predicted conservation value (i.e., abundance, occupancy). This strategy may underperform relative to the expected outcome if one is working with a limited budget or the predicted responses are uncertain. Yet, cost and tolerance to uncertainty rarely become
Authors
Max Post van der Burg, Bartholomew B. Bly, Tammy Vercauteren, J. Barry Grand, Andrew J. Tyre