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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

Temporal species richness-biomass relationships along successional gradients

Diversity-biomass relationships are frequently reported to be hump-shaped over space at a given time. However, it is not yet clear how diversity and biomass change simultaneously and how they are related to each other over time (e.g. in succession) at one locality. This study develops a temporal model based on the projected changes of various community variables in a generalized terrestrial enviro
Authors
Q. Guo

Effects of sediment load on emergence of aquatic invertebrates and plants from wetland soil egg and seed banks

Intensive agricultural activities near prairie wetlands may result in excessive sediment loads, which may bury seed and invertebrate egg banks that are important for maintenance and cycling of biotic communities during wet/dry cycles. Sediment-load experiments indicated that burial depths of 0.5 cm caused a 91.7% reduction in total seedling emergence and a 99.7% reduction in total invertebrate eme
Authors
R.A. Gleason, N.H. Euliss, D.E. Hubbard, W.G. Duffy

New nesting dates for some breeding birds in North Dakota

Abstract has not been submitted
Authors
L.D. Igl, H.A. Kantrud

Effects of prairie fragmentation on the nest success of breeding birds in the midcontinental United States

Grassland fragmentation and habitat loss are hypothesized to be contributing to widespread grassland bird declines in North America due to the adverse effects of fragmentation on breeding bird abundance and reproductive success. To assess the effects of fragmentation on the reproductive success of grassland birds, we measured rates of nest predation and brood parasitism for four species of birds (
Authors
J.R. Herkert, D.L. Reinking, D.A. Wiedenfeld, M. Winter, J.L. Zimmerman, W.E. Jensen, E.J. Finck, Rolf R. Koford, D.H. Wolfe, S. K. Sherrod, M.A. Jenkins, John Faaborg, S.K. Robinson

Incidence of mink, Mustela vison, and river otter, Lutra canadensis, in a highly urbanized area

Mink (Musela vison ) frequently inhabited or traversed a residential, business, and industrial part of the Twin Cities, Minnesota, with little water or natural vegetation. At least one River Otter (Lutra canadensis ) also resided on a small pond on a golf course in the area for several winter months.

Plant abundance: the measurement and relationship with seed size

There are many inconsistencies in early reports describing the relationships between plant abundance and other biotic (e.g., seed size) or abiotic variables (e.g., precipitation). It has been difficult to generalize such relationships when abundance is measured differently (e.g., density, biomass, cover). This article suggests using abundance in two broad categories: numerical abundance (e.g., num
Authors
Q. Guo

Life history, diversity and distribution: A study of Japanese pteridophytes

Many studies address the relationships between diversity or distribution and attributes of the physical environment. However, how these relationships are connected to variation in life history is poorly understood. This is particularly true in the case of pteridophytes. Japanese ferns and their allies comprise one of the best-known pteridophyte floras in the world. We analyzed ca 600 species of Ja
Authors
Q. Guo, Masako Kato, R. E. Ricklefs

Large-scale phytogeographical patterns in eastern Asia in relation to latitudinal and climatic gradients

This paper aims at determining how different floristic elements (e.g. cosmopolitan, tropical, and temperate) change with latitude and major climate factors, and how latitude affects the floristic relationships between East Asia and the other parts of the world. The large-scale patterns of phytogeography in East Asia are strongly related to latitude, which covaries with several climatic variables s
Authors
H. Qian, J.-S. Song, P. Krestov, Q. Guo, Z. Wu, X. Shen, X. Guo

Effects of leafy spurge infestation on grassland birds

Grassland bird populations are declining. Invasive plant species may be contributing to these declines by altering habitat quality. However, the effects of invasive plants on grassland birds are largely unknown. Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) is an exotic, invasive weed in the northern Great Plains. We examined the effects of leafy spurge infestation on densities of breeding birds, nest-site selec
Authors
D.M. Scheiman, E.K. Bollinger, D. H. Johnson

The usefulness of GPS telemetry to study wolf circadian and social activity

This study describes circadian and social movement patterns of 9 wolves and illustrates capabilities and limitations of Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry for analysis of animal activity patterns. Global Positioning System telemetry was useful in determining when pack members were traveling together or apart and how long a breeding female wolf spent near her pups (e.g., 10-month-old pups we
Authors
Samuel B. Merrill, L. David Mech

American avocet nesting on constructed islands in North Dakota

Abstract has not been submitted
Authors
A.L. Dahl, D. H. Johnson, L.D. Igl, K.L. Baer, M. A. Johnson, R. E. Reynolds

Factors affecting gadwall brood and duckling survival in prairie pothole landscapes

Waterfowl biologists need reliable predictors of brood and duckling survival to accurately estimate recruitment rates. We examined 30-day survival rates of gadwall (Anas strepera) broods (1992-1994) and ducklings (1990-1994) in eastern North Dakota, USA, during years when water conditions ranged from extremely dry to extremely wet. We evaluated effects of several variables on brood survival: (1) p
Authors
P.J. Pietz, G.L. Krapu, D.A. Brandt, R. R. Cox