scholarly journals Avian conservation in the Prairie Pothole Region, Northern Great Plains-Understanding the links between climate, ecosystem processes, wetland management, and bird communities

Fact Sheet ◽  
2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.K. Skagen ◽  
Cynthia Melcher
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Wetland Management ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Ecosystem Processes ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Avian Conservation

scholarly journals Mercury exposure to red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) and dragonfly (Odonata: Aeshnidae) nymphs in Prairie Pothole wetlands

FACETS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 174-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jared D. Wolfe ◽  
Oksana P. Lane ◽  
R. Mark Brigham ◽  
Britt D. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Breeding Site ◽  
Agelaius Phoeniceus ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Renewal Time ◽  
Diet Shifts ◽  
Whole Water

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) in the northern Great Plains is an area of ecological significance, serving as an important breeding site for avian wildlife. However, organisms feeding within the PPR may be at risk of mercury (Hg) exposure due to deposition of anthropogenic emissions and the high Hg methylation potential of PPR wetlands. We quantified Hg concentrations in red-winged blackbirds’ ( Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766); RWBLs) blood, feathers, and eggs in the spring and summer breeding season and compared our values with those from RWBLs sampled from ecoregions across North America. Hg concentrations in whole water, aeshnid dragonfly nymphs, and RWBL tissues varied by wetland and were below those considered to elicit acute effects in wildlife, and egg total Hg (THg) concentrations were significantly related to spring whole water methylmercury concentrations. Only RWBL blood THg concentrations showed a clear increase in summer compared with spring, resulting in decoupling of summer blood and feather THg concentrations. Moreover, blood THg concentrations varied by ecoregion, with those impacted by an industrial point source exhibiting high Hg levels. Our study emphasizes that tissue renewal time as well as ecological factors such as competition and diet shifts are important considerations when using RWBLs to assess biological Hg exposure.

Preventing Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) Seedling Establishment in the Northern Prairie Pothole Region

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle K. Ohrtman ◽  
Sharon A. Clay ◽  
David E. Clay ◽  
Eric M. Mousel ◽  
Alexander J. Smart
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Seedling Establishment ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Soil Cores ◽  
Prairie Pothole

AbstractControlled burns and grazing are being tested to manage invasive grasses in the Prairie Pothole region of the Northern Great Plains. These practices, however, may inadvertently promote saltcedar infestations from seed by opening the vegetative canopy. Saltcedar seedling establishment was investigated in greenhouse experiments using intact soil cores from one summit and three footslope sites in eastern South Dakota. Establishment tests were conducted in soil cores collected from treatment and control plots immediately after spring fire treatment (postburn) and in cores that contained peak cool- or peak warm-season vegetation, with or without clipping (simulated grazing treatment), to simulate vegetation conditions typical of saltcedar seed-shed in northern regions. Cores were seeded with 100 saltcedar seeds and subirrigated to maintain high soil water conditions, characteristic of the environment near potholes during late spring/early summer. Seedlings were counted during the first 3 wk to estimate establishment and the height of five seedlings core−1 were measured weekly to estimate growth rates. Opening the canopy with fire or clipping increased saltcedar establishment. Cores taken immediately after fire treatment had two times more seedlings establish (38% vs. 19%) and greater average seedling growth rate (1.5 mm d−1 vs. 0.9 mm d−1) when compared with no-fire controls. Fire after seeding reduced seedling establishment to 5%, but did not affect growth rate. Saltcedar establishment in peak cool-season vegetation cores was 6% regardless of earlier fire treatment, whereas in peak warm-season vegetation, establishment ranged from 8% (no spring fire) to 17% (spring fire). If soils remain wet, invasion risk following spring fire may be greatest when warm-season grasses are flowering because this time coincides with northern saltcedar seed production. Areas adjacent to viable saltcedar seed sources should be managed to maximize canopy cover when seeds are released to limit further establishment. Fire after saltcedar seed deposition may control propagules and young seedlings.

scholarly journals Cropland expansion in the United States produces marginal yields at high costs to wildlife

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler J. Lark ◽  
Seth A. Spawn ◽  
Matthew Bougie ◽  
Holly K. Gibbs
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
The United States ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Prairie Pothole

Abstract Recent expansion of croplands in the United States has caused widespread conversion of grasslands and other ecosystems with largely unknown consequences for agricultural production and the environment. Here we assess annual land use change 2008–16 and its impacts on crop yields and wildlife habitat. We find that croplands have expanded at a rate of over one million acres per year, and that 69.5% of new cropland areas produced yields below the national average, with a mean yield deficit of 6.5%. Observed conversion infringed upon high-quality habitat that, relative to unconverted land, had provided over three times higher milkweed stem densities in the Monarch butterfly Midwest summer breeding range and 37% more nesting opportunities per acre for waterfowl in the Prairie Pothole Region of the Northern Great Plains. Our findings demonstrate a pervasive pattern of encroachment into areas that are increasingly marginal for production, but highly significant for wildlife, and suggest that such tradeoffs may be further amplified by future cropland expansion.

scholarly journals Hydroclimate Variability and Change in the Prairie Pothole Region, the “Duck Factory” of North America*

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 1-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristan Ballard ◽  
Richard Seager ◽  
Jason E. Smerdon ◽  
Benjamin I. Cook ◽  
Andrea J. Ray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Prairie Pothole Region ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Natural Variability ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Evaporative Demand ◽  
The Future

Abstract The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the northern Great Plains is a vital ecosystem responsible each year for producing 50%–80% of new recruits to the North American duck population. Climate variability and change can impact the hydrology and ecology of the region with implications for waterfowl populations. The historical relationship between PPR wetlands, duck populations, and seasonal hydroclimate are explored. Model experiments from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project are used to determine whether a recent wetting trend is due to natural variability or changing climate and how PPR hydroclimate will change into the future. Year-to-year variations in May duck populations, pond numbers, and the Palmer drought severity index are well correlated over past decades. Pond and duck numbers tend to increase in spring following La Niña events, but the correlation is not strong. Model simulations suggest that the strengthening of the precipitation gradient across the PPR over the past century is predominantly due to natural variability and therefore could reverse. Model projections of future climate indicate precipitation will increase across the PPR in all seasons except summer, but this gain for surface moisture is largely offset by increased evapotranspiration because of higher temperatures and increased atmospheric evaporative demand. In summer, the combined effects of warming and precipitation changes indicate seasonal surface drying in the future. The presented hydroclimate analyses produce potential inputs to ecological and hydrological simulations of PPR wetlands to inform risk analysis of how this North American waterfowl habitat will evolve in the future, providing guidance to land managers facing conservation decisions.

scholarly journals Pygmy Shrew (Sorex hoyi) in Montana east of the Rocky Mountains with comments on its distribution across the northern Great Plains

2014 ◽  
Vol 128 (2) ◽  
pp. 204
Author(s):  
Paul Hendricks ◽  
Susan Lenard
Keyword(s):  
North Dakota ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Missouri River ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
The North ◽  
Pygmy Shrew ◽  
River Bottom

Range maps for Pygmy Shrew (Sorex hoyi) show a large hiatus over much of the northern Great Plains between the Rocky Mountains and eastern North Dakota. We report a new record of the Pygmy Shrew in northeastern Montana, review previous records for the state and adjacent regions bordering Montana to the north and east, and suggest that the range boundary in the northern Great Plains be redrawn farther south to include all of Montana north of the Missouri River. This is consistent with the known range of the Pygmy Shrew in eastern North Dakota and South Dakota, where the species has been documented only north and east of the Missouri River, although records are still lacking from north of the Missouri River in northwestern North Dakota and adjacent regions of Canada. Pygmy Shrews will probably be found at additional localities in prairie regions of Canada adjacent to Montana, most likely in association with prairie pothole wetlands, river bottom riparian vegetation, and hardwood draws.

Using stable isotopes to understand hydrochemical processes in and around a Prairie Pothole wetland in the Northern Great Plains, USA

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. S97-S100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher T. Mills ◽  
Martin B. Goldhaber ◽  
Craig A. Stricker ◽  
JoAnn M. Holloway ◽  
Jean M. Morrison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Prairie Pothole ◽  
Hydrochemical Processes

scholarly journals Metrics for conservation success: using the ‘Bird-Friendliness Index’ to evaluate grassland and aridland bird community resilience across the Northern Great Plains ecosystem

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole L. Michel ◽  
Curtis Burkhalter ◽  
Chad B. Wilsey ◽  
Matt Holloran ◽  
Alison Holloran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Habitat Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Community Resilience ◽  
Community Response ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Management Plans

AbstractAimEvaluating conservation effectiveness is essential to protect at-risk species and to maximize the limited resources available to land managers. Over 60% of North American grassland and aridlands have been lost since the 1800s. Birds in these habitats are among the most imperiled in North America, yet most remaining habitats are unprotected. Despite the need to measure impact, conservation efforts on private and working lands are rarely evaluated, due in part to limited availability of suitable methods.LocationNorthern Great PlainsMethodsWe developed a novel metric to evaluate grassland and aridland bird community response to habitat management practices, the Bird-Friendliness Index (BFI), consisting of density estimates of grassland and aridland birds weighted by conservation need and a functional diversity metric to incorporate resiliency. We used the BFI to inform three assessments: 1) a spatial prioritization to identify ecologically significant areas for grassland and aridland birds, 2) estimation of temporal trends in grassland and aridland bird community resilience, and 3) evaluation of the effects of land management practices on grassland and aridland bird communities.ResultsThe most resilient bird communities were found in the Prairie Potholes region of Alberta, Saskatchewan, northern Montana, and North Dakota, and the lowest BFI values in the southern and western regions of the Northern Great Plains. BFI values varied little over time on average, but trends varied regionally, largely in response to interannual relative variability in grassland and aridland bird densities.Main conclusionsBFI values increased in response to simulated habitat management, suggesting that practices recommended for use in bird-friendly grassland habitat management plans will increase the abundance and resilience of the grassland and aridland bird community, and will be detected using the BFI. The BFI is a tool by which conservationists and managers can carry out accountable conservation now and into the future.

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