Bird–Habitat Relationships in Interior Columbia Basin Shrubsteppe

Earnst, Susan L.; Holmes, Aaron L.

doi:10.1525/cond.2012.100176

Cited by 28 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In tame pastures, highest abundances were in areas with low herbaceous biomass and uniform herbaceous height. In Washington shrubsteppe dominated by sagebrush, Earnst and Holmes (2012) reported Horned Larks were more common in native bunchgrasses and sagebrush-bunchgrass cover types than in cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) associated cover types.…”

Section: The Effects Of Management Practices On Grassland Birds-horned Lark (Eremophila Alpestris)mentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Horned Larks prefer sparsely vegetated grasslands, deserts, and agricultural lands with little or no woody vegetation (Beason, 1970(Beason, , 1995Wiens, 1973;Creighton, 1974;Skinner, 1974Skinner, , 1975Rotenberry and Wiens, 1980;Dale, 1983;Renken, 1983;Sample, 1989;Camp and Best, 1993;Prescott and Murphy, 1996;Davis and Duncan, 1999;Martin and Forsyth, 2003). The species breeds in a variety of grassland habitats that have been recently burned, hayed, or grazed, including shortgrass, mixed-grass, tallgrass, bunchgrass, and restored prairies and tame grasslands (Strong, 1971;Porter and Ryder, 1974;Ryder, 1980;Kantrud, 1981;Bock and Webb, 1984;Greer, 1988;Lueders and others, 2006;Kennedy and others, 2009;Olechnowski and others, 2009;White, 2009;Earnst and Holmes, 2012;Johnson and others, 2012;Richardson, 2012;Roberts and others, 2012;Sliwinski and Koper, 2012). Horned Larks also nest in shrubsteppe and sagebrush (Artemisia species [spp.])…”

Section: Suitable Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Horned Lark (<i>Eremophila alpestris</i>)

Dinkins¹,

Igl²,

Shaffer³

et al. 2019

Professional Paper

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Section: The Effects Of Management Practices On Grassland Birds-horned Lark (Eremophila Alpestris)mentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Suitable Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Horned Lark (<i>Eremophila alpestris</i>)

Dinkins¹,

Igl²,

Shaffer³

et al. 2019

Professional Paper

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Lark Sparrows breed in a variety of grassland habitats, including shortgrass, mixed-grass, and tallgrass prairies that are idle, burned, hayed, or grazed (Rand, 1948;Kahl and others, 1985;Walley, 1985;Sample, 1989;Bock and Bock, 1992;Kaspari and Joern, 1993;others, 1995, 1999;Faanes and Lingle, 1995;Lusk and others, 2003;Fuhlendorf and others, 2006), as well as semiarid grasslands and shrubsteppe and sagebrush (Artemisia species [spp.]) habitats (Cameron, 1908;Walcheck, 1970;Wiens and Rotenberry, 1981;Earnst and Holmes, 2012;Holcomb and others, 2014;Andersen and Steidl, 2019;Davis and others, 2019). The species inhabits oak (Quercus spp.)…”

Section: Suitable Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Intense and infrequent fires are more detrimental than frequent fires in that the former kill the native sagebrush and shrubs that make grasslands suitable for Lark Sparrows (Renwald, 1977;Martin and Parrish, 2020). In shrubsteppe communities, the maintenance of native bunchgrasses decreases the risk of intense and large fires that can occur when native species are converted to cheatgrass monocultures (Earnst and Holmes, 2012). Within burned grasslands, fires that produce the combination of some woody vegetation and bare ground provide preferred substrates for Lark Sparrows (Bock and Bock, 1987;Earnst and Holmes, 2009).…”

Section: Management Recommendations From the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within shrubsteppe habitats in British Columbia, Lark Sparrow abundance was negatively related to ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) density (Krannitz, 2007), and Lark Sparrows preferred habitats with more bare soil and less grass cover (Krannitz and Rohner, 2000). In southeastern Washington, Lark Sparrow abundance was higher in areas of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) than in areas of threetip sagebrush (Artemisia tripartita), native bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), or invasive cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) (Earnst and others, 2009;Earnst and Holmes 2012). In another study in southeastern Washington, soil type and range condition of shrubsteppe communities did not affect Lark Sparrows (Vander Haegen and others, 2000).…”

mentioning

confidence: 96%

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The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)

Shaffer¹,

Igl²,

Johnson³

et al. 2021

Professional Paper

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Keys to Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) management include providing open grasslands with sparse-tomoderate herbaceous and litter cover and a woody component and allowing occasional burning or moderate grazing. Lark Sparrows have been reported to use habitats with 10-63 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 10-54 percent grass cover, 9-25 percent forb cover, 4-18 percent shrub cover, 16-38 percent bare ground, 12-45 percent litter cover, and less than or equal to (≤) 1 cm litter depth. The descriptions of key vegetation characteristics are provided in table DD1 (after the "References" section). Vernacular and scientific names of plants and animals follow the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (https://www.itis.gov).

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Negative impacts of invasive plants on conservation of sensitive desert wildlife

et al. 2016

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Abstract.Habitat disturbance from development, resource extraction, off-road vehicle use, and energy development ranks highly among threats to desert systems worldwide. In the Mojave Desert, United States, these disturbances have promoted the establishment of nonnative plants, so that native grasses and forbs are now intermixed with, or have been replaced by invasive, nonnative Mediterranean grasses. This shift in plant composition has altered food availability for Mojave Desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii), a federally listed species. We hypothesized that this change in forage would negatively influence the physiological ecology, immune competence, and health of neonatal and yearling tortoises. To test this, we monitored the effects of diet on growth, body condition, immunological responses (measured by gene transcription), and survival for 100 captive Mojave tortoises. Tortoises were assigned to one of five diets: native forbs, native grass, invasive grass, and native forbs combined with either the native or invasive grass. Tortoises eating native forbs had better body condition and immune functions, grew more, and had higher survival rates (>95%) than tortoises consuming any other diet. At the end of the experiment, 32% of individuals fed only native grass and 37% fed only invasive grass were found dead or removed from the experiment due to poor body conditions. In contrast, all tortoises fed either the native forb or combined native forb and native grass diets survived and were in good condition. Health and body condition quickly declined for tortoises fed only the native grass (Festuca octoflora) or invasive grass (Bromus rubens) with notable loss of fat and muscle mass and increased muscular atrophy. Bromus rubens seeds were found embedded in the oral mucosa and tongue in most individuals eating that diet, which led to mucosal inflammation. Genes indicative of physiological, immune, and metabolic functions were transcribed at lower levels for individuals fed B. rubens, indicating potential greater susceptibility to disease or other health-related problems. This study highlights the negative indirect effects of invasive grasses, such as red brome, in desert ecosystems, and provides definitive evidence of a larger negative consequence to health, survival, and ultimately population recruitment for Mojave Desert tortoises than previously understood.

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Bird–Habitat Relationships in Interior Columbia Basin Shrubsteppe

Cited by 28 publications

References 28 publications

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Horned Lark (<i>Eremophila alpestris</i>)

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Horned Lark (<i>Eremophila alpestris</i>)

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)

Negative impacts of invasive plants on conservation of sensitive desert wildlife

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