Developing spatial models to guide conservation of grassland birds in the U.S. Northern Great Plains

Niemuth, Neal D.; Estey, Michael E.; Fields, Sean; Wangler, Brian; Bishop, Andy; Moore, Phillip A.; Grosse, Roger; Ryba, Adam J.

doi:10.1650/condor-17-14.1

Cited by 27 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Given that abundance estimates are correlated with estimates of probability of occurrence (Table 3 in Niemuth et al. ), the results of the probability of occurrence models in Niemuth et al. () can represent the abundance of grassland birds, and models are available for six of the eight grassland‐obligate species used in our grassland bird and wind infrastructure example (i.e., Upland Sandpiper, Savannah Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Clay‐colored Sparrow, Western Meadowlark, and Bobolink).…”

Section: Methods and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used the models from Niemuth et al. () to develop a prototype decision‐support tool for grassland birds using the results of the avian‐impact offset method. We used 30 × 30 m grid results from the Niemuth et al.…”

Section: Methods and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…) and elevation (Niemuth et al. ). The vegetation composition and configuration of adjacent habitat patches in the surrounding landscape matrix affect the avian occupancy of any particular habitat patch (Niemuth et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The vegetation composition and configuration of adjacent habitat patches in the surrounding landscape matrix affect the avian occupancy of any particular habitat patch (Niemuth et al. ), as well as that patch's ability to maintain evolutionary processes that in turn, contribute to functional landscapes (i.e., ones that provide for population growth; Bruggeman et al. ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Land use determines occupancy; for example, some avian species prefer grasslands that have been grazed, others do not (Kantrud and Kologiski 1982). The location of the impact site relative to a species' breeding range (i.e., at the periphery vs. at the core) may impact avian occurrence and density (Niemuth et al 2012), as may moisture patterns (Niemuth et al 2008) and elevation (Niemuth et al 2017). The vegetation composition and configuration of adjacent habitat patches in the surrounding landscape matrix affect the avian occupancy of any particular habitat patch (Niemuth et al 2017), as well as that patch's ability to maintain evolutionary processes that in turn, contribute to functional landscapes (i.e., ones that provide for population growth; Bruggeman et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Estimating offsets for avian displacement effects of anthropogenic impacts

Shaffer

Loesch

Buhl

2019

Ecological Applications

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Biodiversity offsetting, or compensatory mitigation, is increasingly being used in temperate grassland ecosystems to compensate for unavoidable environmental damage from anthropogenic developments such as transportation infrastructure, urbanization, and energy development. Pursuit of energy independence in the United States will expand domestic energy production. Concurrent with this increased growth is increased disruption to wildlife habitats, including avian displacement from suitable breeding habitat. Recent studies at energy‐extraction and energy‐generation facilities have provided evidence for behavioral avoidance and thus reduced use of habitat by breeding waterfowl and grassland birds in the vicinity of energy infrastructure. To quantify and compensate for this loss in value of avian breeding habitat, it is necessary to determine a biologically based currency so that the sufficiency of offsets in terms of biological equivalent value can be obtained. We describe a method for quantifying the amount of habitat needed to provide equivalent biological value for avifauna displaced by energy and transportation infrastructure, based on the ability to define five metrics: impact distance, impact area, pre‐impact density, percent displacement, and offset density. We calculate percent displacement values for breeding waterfowl and grassland birds and demonstrate the applicability of our avian‐impact offset method using examples for wind and oil infrastructure. We also apply our method to an example in which the biological value of the offset habitat is similar to the impacted habitat, based on similarity in habitat type (e.g., native prairie), geographical location, land use, and landscape composition, as well as to an example in which the biological value of the offset habitat is dissimilar to the impacted habitat. We provide a worksheet that informs potential users how to apply our method to their specific developments and a framework for developing decision‐support tools aimed at achieving landscape‐level conservation goals.

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Section: Methods and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methods and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Estimating offsets for avian displacement effects of anthropogenic impacts

Shaffer

Loesch

Buhl

2019

Ecological Applications

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Landscape‐scale conservation mitigates the biodiversity loss of grassland birds

Pavlacky

Green

George

et al. 2022

Ecological Applications

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The decline of biodiversity from anthropogenic landscape modification is among the most pressing conservation problems worldwide. In North America, long-term population declines have elevated the recovery of the grassland avifauna to among the highest conservationpriorities. Because the vast majority of grasslands of the Great Plains are privately owned, the recovery of these ecosystems and bird populations within them depend on landscape-scale conservation strategies that integrate social, economic, and biodiversity objectives.The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a voluntary program for private agricultural producers administered by the United States Department of Agriculture that provides financial incentives to take cropland out of production and restore perennial grassland. We investigated spatial patterns of grassland availability and restoration to inform landscape-scale conservation for a comprehensive community of grassland birds in the Great Plains. The research objectives were to (1) determine how apparent habitat loss has affected spatial patterns of grassland bird biodiversity, (2) evaluate the effectiveness of CRP for offsetting the biodiversity declines of grassland birds, and (3) develop spatially explicit predictions to estimate the biodiversity benefit of adding CRP to landscapes impacted by habitat loss. We used the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions program to evaluate hypotheses for the effects of habitat loss and restoration on both the occupancy and species richness of grassland specialists within a continuum-modeling framework. We found the odds of community occupancy declined by 37% for every 1 SD decrease in grassland availability [log e (km 2 )] and increased by 20% for every 1 SD increase in CRP land cover [log e (km 2 )]. There was 17% turnover in species composition between intact grasslands and CRP landscapes, suggesting that grasslands restored by CRP retained considerable, but incomplete, representation of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Spatially explicit predictions indicated that absolute conservation outcomes were greatest at high latitudes in regions with high biodiversity, whereas the relative outcomes were greater at low latitudes in highly modified landscapes. By evaluating community-wide responses to landscape modification and CRP restoration at bioregional scales, our study

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An African bat in Europe, Plecotus gaisleri: Biogeographic and ecological insights from molecular taxonomy and Species Distribution Models

Ancillotto

Bosso

Smeraldo

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Because of the high risk of going unnoticed, cryptic species represent a major challenge to biodiversity assessments, and this is particularly true for taxa that include many such species, for example, bats. Long‐eared bats from the genus Plecotus comprise numerous cryptic species occurring in the Mediterranean Region and present complex phylogenetic relationships and often unclear distributions, particularly at the edge of their known ranges and on islands. Here, we combine Species Distribution Models (SDMs), field surveys and molecular analyses to shed light on the presence of a cryptic long‐eared bat species from North Africa, Plecotus gaisleri, on the islands of the Sicily Channel, providing strong evidence that this species also occurs in Europe, at least on the islands of the Western Mediterranean Sea that act as a crossroad between the Old Continent and Africa. Species Distribution Models built using African records of P. gaisleri and projected to the Sicily Channel Islands showed that all these islands are potentially suitable for the species. Molecular identification of Plecotus captured on Pantelleria, and recent data from Malta and Gozo, confirmed the species' presence on two of the islands in question. Besides confirming that P. gaisleri occurs on Pantelleria, haplotype network reconstructions highlighted moderate structuring between insular and continental populations of this species. Our results remark the role of Italy as a bat diversity hotspot in the Mediterranean and also highlight the need to include P. gaisleri in European faunal checklists and conservation directives, confirming the usefulness of combining different approaches to explore the presence of cryptic species outside their known ranges—a fundamental step to informing conservation.

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Developing spatial models to guide conservation of grassland birds in the U.S. Northern Great Plains

Cited by 27 publications

References 53 publications

Estimating offsets for avian displacement effects of anthropogenic impacts

Estimating offsets for avian displacement effects of anthropogenic impacts

Landscape‐scale conservation mitigates the biodiversity loss of grassland birds

An African bat in Europe, Plecotus gaisleri: Biogeographic and ecological insights from molecular taxonomy and Species Distribution Models

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