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
Scaup migration patterns in North Dakota relative to temperatures and water conditions
Greater (Aythya marila) and lesser scaup (A. affinis) have protracted spring migrations. Migrants may still be present on southern breeding areas when the annual Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Surveys (WBPHS) are being conducted. Understanding factors affecting the chronology and rate of spring migration is important for the interpretation of data from annual population surveys. We desc
Authors
J. E. Austin, D. A. Granfors, M. A. Johnson, S. C. Kohn
Records of northern mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, occurrences in North Dakota during the Twentieth Century
The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a common bird in the southern United States that has been expanding its breeding range into the northern United States and southern Canada. During the twentieth century, there were 128 reports of Northern Mockingbird occurrences in North Dakota, including 106 reports during the breeding season (15 April to 31 August) and 22 during the nonbreeding sea
Authors
L.D. Igl, R.E. Martin
Differential use of a wolf, Canis lupus, pack territory edge and core
Based on 418 radio-locations of a Minnesota wolf pack, wolves were found at significantly fewer locations per area in the outer 2 km of the territory than in the core. This finding supports an hypothesis that buffer zones exist between pack territories and may explain why prey survive longer there.
Authors
L. D. Mech, E. K. Harper
Floristic quality assessment of one natural and three restored wetland complexes in North Dakota, USA
Floristic quality assessment is potentially an important tool for conservation efforts in the northern Great Plains of North America, but it has received little rigorous evaluation. Floristic quality assessments rely on coefficients assigned to each plant species of a region’s flora based on the conservatism of each species relative to others in the region. These “coefficients of conservatism” (C
Authors
David M. Mushet, Ned H. Euliss, Terry L. Shaffer
The importance of replication in wildlife research
Wildlife ecology and management studies have been widely criticized for deficiencies in design or analysis. Manipulative experiments--with controls, randomization, and replication in space and time--provide powerful ways of learning about natural systems and establishing causal relationships, but such studies are rare in our field. Observational studies and sample surveys are more common; they als
Authors
D. H. Johnson
Breeding season of wolves, Canis lupus, in relation to latitude
A significant relationship was found between Wolf (Canis lupus) breeding dates and latitudes between 12 deg. and 80 deg. N, with Wolves breeding earlier at lower latitudes, probably because of differences in seasonality.
Authors
L. David Mech
Computer simulation of wolf-removal strategies for animal-damage control
Because of the sustained growth of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) population in the western Great Lakes region of the United States, management agencies are anticipating gray wolf removal from the federal endangered species list and are proposing strategies for wolf management. Strategies are needed that would balance public demand for wolf conservation with demand for protection against wolf depreda
Authors
R.G. Haight, L.E. Travis, K. Nimerfro, L. D. Mech
Observation of a great-tailed grackle in Bennett County, South Dakota
Abstract has not been submitted
Authors
S. Finkbeiner
Assemblages of breeding birds as indicators of grassland condition
We developed a measure of biological integrity for grasslands (GI) based on the most influential habitat types in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota. GI is based on proportions of habitat types and the relationships of these habitat types to breeding birds. Habitat types were identified by digital aerial photography, verified on the ground, and quantified using GIS. We then developed an in
Authors
S.F. Browder, D. H. Johnson, I. J. Ball
Animal lifespan and human influence
Lifespan differs radically among organisms ever lived on earth, even among those roughly similar in size, shape, form, and physiology; Yet, in general, there exists a strong positive relationship between lifespan and body size. Although lifespans of humans and human-related (domestic) animals are becoming increasingly longer than that of other animals of similar sizes, the slope of the regression
Authors
Q. Guo, S. Yang
Long-term dynamics of winter and summer annual communities in the Chihuahuan Desert
Using 15 years of census data from permanent quadrats, this paper compared the characteristics and temporal dynamics of these two distinct, spatially coexistent but temporally segregated communities. Although the total number of summer annual species recorded during our 15 years observation was higher than winter annuals, the average number of species observed each year was higher in the winter co
Authors
Q. Guo, J.H. Brown, T.J. Valone
Discussion comments on 'Evaluation of some random effects methodology applicable to bird ringing data' by Burnham and White
No abstract available.
Authors
Douglas H. Johnson