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
Lesser scaup Aythya affinis
No abstract available.
Authors
Jane E. Austin, Christine M. Custer, Alan D. Afton
Managing inland wetlands for wildlife
No abstract available.
Authors
M.K. Laubhan, S.L. King, L.H. Fredrickson
Parental nest defense on videotape: More reality than "myth"
Predation is recognized as the primary source of nest mortality in most passerine species (e.g. Ricklefs 1969, Martin 1992a); thus, it is no surprise that parental nest defense has received considerable scientific attention (see below). By nest defense, we refer to any parental behavior that decreases the probability that a predator (or brood parasite) will harm the nest contents and that simultan
Authors
Pamela J. Pietz, Diane A. Granfors
Landscape composition, patch size, and distance to edges: Interactions affecting duck reproductive success
Prairies and other North American grasslands, although highly fragmented, provide breeding habitat for a diverse array of species, including species of tremendous economic and ecological importance. Conservation and management of these species requires some understanding of how reproductive success is affected by edge effects, patch size, and characteristics of the landscape. We examined how diffe
Authors
David Joseph Horn, Michael L. Phillips, Rolf R. Koford, William R. Clark, Marsha A. Sovada, Raymond J. Greenwood
Ecosystem maturity and performance
Arising from: Bai, Y., Han, X., Wu, J., Chen, Z. & Li, L. Nature, 431, 181–184 (2004); see also communication from Wang et al.; Bai, Y., Han, X., Wu, J., Chen, Z. & Li, L. reply.The effect of maturity, or successional stage, on ecosystem performance (measured as productivity or stability, for example) is important for both basic ecology and ecosystem management. On the basis of the results of a lo
Authors
Q. Guo
Time-specific variation in passerine nest survival: New insights for old questions
Nest survival likely varies with nest age and date, but until recently researchers had only limited tools to efficiently address those sources of variability. Beginning with Mayfield (1961), many researchers have averaged survival rates within time-specific categories (e.g. egg and nestling stages; early and late nesting dates). However, Mayfield's estimator assumes constant survival within catego
Authors
T.A. Grant, T.L. Shaffer, E.M. Madden, P.J. Pietz
Markov Chain Monte Carlo estimation of species distributions: A case study of the swift fox in western Kansas
Accurate maps of species distributions are essential tools for wildlife research and conservation. Unfortunately, biologists often are forced to rely on maps derived from observed occurrences recorded opportunistically during observation periods of variable length. Spurious inferences are likely to result because such maps are profoundly affected by the duration and intensity of observation and by
Authors
Glen A. Sargeant, Marsha A. Sovada, Christiane C. Slivinski, Douglas H. Johnson
Causes of wolf depredation increase in Minnesota from 1979-1998
Wolf (Canis lupus) depredations on livestock in Minnesota have been increasing over the last 20 years. A major explanation cited for this increase is wolf range expansion, but no studies have tested this explanation. Additional reasons could include 1) wolf colonization of new areas within long-existing wolf range, 2) learning by wolves in established range, and 3) increased wolf density. We did n
Authors
E. K. Harper, W. J. Paul, L. David Mech
Spatial-temporal population dynamics across species range: From center to margin
Understanding the boundaries of species’ ranges and the variations in population dynamics from the centre to margin of a species’ range is critical. This study simulated spatial-temporal patterns of birth and death rates and migration across a species’ range in different seasons. Our results demonstrated the importance of dispersal and migration in altering birth and death rates, balancing source
Authors
Qinfeng Guo, Mark L. Taper, M. Schoenberger, J. Brandle
Yellowstone elk calf mortality following wolf restorations: Bears remain top summer predators
Based on 151 neonate elk calves radio-tagged in YNP, bears accounted for 55-60% of deaths, coyotes, 10-15%, and wolves 10-15%. More than 70% of this predation occurred within the calves' first 15 days.
Authors
S.M. Barber, L. D. Mech, P.J. White