Posts Tagged ‘Wildlife’
Response of bird community structure to habitat management in pinyon-juniper woodland-sagebrush ecotones
View article. We used structural equation modeling to develop and statistically test our conceptual model that the current bird assembly at a site is structured primarily by the previous bird community with additional drivers from current and surrounding habitat conditions as well as external regional bird dynamics. Treatment reduced woodland cover by >5% at 80…
Read MoreUnusual behavior in parental care by a house wren (Troglodytes aedon): Post fledging use of an old nest during cold nights
View article. I report on the unusual behavior of an adult house wren (Troglodytes aedon) leading recently fledged young back to the nest for two consecutive nights. The ambient temperature reached below 0 °C during both nights. Despite disadvantages associated with remaining in the nest, this observation suggests that adult birds may assess trade-offs between…
Read MoreRestoring and rehabilitating sagebrush habitats
View chapter. Less than half of the original habitat of the Greater Sage-Grouse currently exists. Some has been permanently lost to farms and urban areas, but the remaining varies in condition from high quality to no longer adequate. Restoration of sagebrush grassland ecosystems may be possible for resilient lands. However, Greater SageGrouse require a wide…
Read MoreEpigaeic spider response to sagebrush steppe restoration treatments
View article. Epigaeic (ground-active) spiders are dominant predators of arthropods and are important prey for vertebrates in sagebrush steppe systems. As part of the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP), the response of epigaeic spiders to sagebrush steppe restoration treatments was evaluated. Spiders were pitfall trapped pre-treatment and for up to 7 years post-treatment at 20…
Read MorePocket guide to sagebrush birds
View or order the guide. This guide was written for anyone interested in learning about the most common bird species in sagebrush habitats, and it contains some general information about what people can do to help them survive. We focus on 40 of the most common species and organize them according to their relationships to…
Read MoreRestoration handbook for sagebrush steppe ecosystems with emphasis on greater sage-grouse habitat – Part 2: Landscape level restoration decisions
View guide. We present a landscape restoration decision tool intended to assist decision makers in determining landscape objectives, to identify and prioritize landscape areas where sites for priority restoration projects might be located, and to aid in ultimately selecting restoration sites guided by criteria used to define the landscape objectives. The landscape restoration decision tool…
Read MoreDiffuse migratory connectivity in two species of shrubland birds: Evidence from stable isotopes
View article. Intraspecies population mixing from across the breeding range was strong for both Brewer’s and sagebrush sparrows on winter ranges. Brewer’s sparrows but not sagebrush sparrows were linked to more northerly breeding locations in the eastern part of their winter range. Winter location was not related to breeding population trends estimated from US Geological…
Read MoreUnusual behavior in parental care by a house wren: Post fledging use of an old nest during cold nights
View article. I report on the unusual behavior of an adult house wren (Troglodytes aedon) leading recently fledged young back to the nest for two consecutive nights. The ambient temperature reached below 0°C during both nights. Despite disadvantages associated with remaining in the nest, this observation suggests that adult birds may assess trade-offs between perceived…
Read MoreShort-term butterfly response to sagebrush steppe restoration treatments
View article. Butterfly populations and communities were analyzed in response to treatments (prescribed fire, mechanical, herbicide) designed to restore sagebrush steppe lands encroached by piñon-juniper woodlands and invaded by cheatgrass. Butterflies exhibited distinct regional patterns of species composition, with communities showing marked variability among sites. Some variation was explained by the plant community, with Mantel’s…
Read MoreEcological scale of bird community response to piñon-juniper removal
View article. Our analyses included data from 1 or 2 yr prior to prescribed fire or mechanical treatment and 3 to 5 yr posttreatment. We used detrended correspondence analysis to 1) identify primary patterns of bird communities surveyed from 2006 to 2011 at point transects, 2) estimate ecological scale of change needed to achieve treatment…
Read More