Effects of cattle grazing on ecology and habitat of Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis)

Thines, Nicole J.; Shipley, Lisa A.; Sayler, Rodney D.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2004.01.014

Cited by 47 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Pygmy rabbit diet differs seasonally with sagebrush constituting up to 99% of their winter diet and up to 51% of their summer diet (Green & Flinders ; Siegel Thines et al . ). The rest of their summer diet consists of grasses and forbs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Panasci et al (2011) and Murphy et al (2003) observed an effect of diet content on reliability of genotyping coyote (Canis latrans) scats and brown bear scats, respectively. Pygmy rabbit diet differs seasonally with sagebrush constituting up to 99% of their winter diet and up to 51% of their summer diet (Green & Flinders 1980;Siegel Thines et al 2004). The rest of their summer diet consists of grasses and forbs.…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating DNA degradation rates in faecal pellets of the endangered pygmy rabbit

DeMay

Becker

Eidson

et al. 2013

Molecular Ecology Resources

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Noninvasive genetic sampling of faecal pellets can be a valuable method for monitoring rare and cryptic wildlife populations, like the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis). To investigate this method's efficiency for pygmy rabbit monitoring, we evaluated the effect of sample age on DNA degradation in faecal pellets under summer field conditions. We placed 275 samples from known individuals in natural field conditions for 1-60 days and assessed DNA quality by amplifying a 294-base-pair (bp) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) locus and five nuclear DNA (nDNA) microsatellite loci (111-221 bp). DNA degradation was influenced by sample age, DNA type, locus length and rabbit sex. Both mtDNA and nDNA exhibited high PCR success rates (94.4%) in samples <1 day old. Success rates for microsatellite loci declined rapidly from 80.0% to 42.7% between days 5 and 7, likely due to increased environmental temperature. Success rates for mtDNA amplification remained higher than nDNA over time, with moderate success (66.7%) at 21 days. Allelic dropout rates were relatively high (17.6% at <1 day) and increased to 100% at 60 days. False allele rates ranged from 0 to 30.0% and increased gradually over time. We recommend collecting samples as fresh as possible for individual identification during summer field conditions. Our study suggests that this method can be useful for future monitoring efforts, including occupancy surveys, individual identification, population estimation, parentage analysis and monitoring of genetic diversity both of a re-introduced population in central Washington and across their range.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating DNA degradation rates in faecal pellets of the endangered pygmy rabbit

DeMay

Becker

Eidson

et al. 2013

Molecular Ecology Resources

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“…Rapid establishment of perennial vegetation is a critical step in restoration of these sites to avoid takeover by invasive annuals such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), and there may be merit in considering a variety of options, including nonnative grasses, when restoring such areas (Asay et al 2001, Brown et al 2008). However, we would argue that the current trend toward planting native grasses and forbs in set-aside programs such as the CRP is a positive step that may provide added benefit to grassland and shrubland birds and is likely of critical importance to some threatened species, such as greater sage-grouse and pygmy rabbit, that consume a diversity of native understory plants (Green and Finders 1980, Connelly et al 2000, Siegel Thines et al 2004. Moreover, a focus on planting native species will help shift the ecological trajectory of the landscape away from the current trend toward more exotic plant species and toward increased ecological resiliency (Knick et al 2003).…”

Section: Reproductive Success In Crp Grasslandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avian abundance and reproductive success in the intermountain west: Local‐scale response to the conservation reserve program

et al. 2015

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Conversion of extensive shrubsteppe communities to cropland has greatly reduced the habitat available to grassland-and sagebrush-obligate birds in the Intermountain West of the United States. In Washington State, approximately 600,000 ha of converted farmland have been planted to perennial grasses, forbs, and shrubs under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), currently the largest-scale effort creating perennial grassland habitat in this region. From 2003 to 2005 we sampled breeding birds and vegetation characteristics on 48 study sites in CRP and in native shrubsteppe. We used generalized linear models to examine characteristics associated with avian abundance and reproductive success. Abundance of shrubland and grassland birds was more closely associated with site vegetation than either management (planting of native vs. exotic grasses) or landscape factors, with cover of shrubs the dominant variable both for shrubland (positive effect) and for grassland (negative effect) birds. Daily survival rate of 1,377 nests in CRP was equal to or greater than that for nests in shrubsteppe and was similar for CRP planted with native versus exotic grasses. Seasonal reproductive success (young/breeding pair) of 2 focal species-Brewer's sparrow (Spizella breweri; n ¼ 81 pairs) and Savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis; n ¼ 58)-also was similar between CRP and native shrubsteppe. The CRP has the potential to significantly increase habitat available to shrubland and grassland birds in the Intermountain West and to increase local populations. Because shrubs take significantly longer than herbaceous plants to achieve a size beneficial to birds, CRP grasslands with a well-developed sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) component should be viewed as a long-term investment. Ó 2015 The Wildlife Society.

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“…The sagebrush steppe covers large portions of the western United States and is a vital economic resource (Davies et al, 2011) as well as habitat that supports more than 80 terrestrial vertebrates (Dobkin & Sauder, 2004;Wisdom, Rowland, & Suring, 2005). Pygmy rabbits are a species of conservation concern in sagebrush steppe ecosystems, having experienced substantial population declines (Dobler & Dixon, 1990;Thines, Shipley, & Sayler, 2004). Pygmy rabbits depend on sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) for both cover and food (Shipley, Davila, Thines, & Elias, 2006;Thines et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pygmy rabbits are a species of conservation concern in sagebrush steppe ecosystems, having experienced substantial population declines (Dobler & Dixon, 1990;Thines, Shipley, & Sayler, 2004). Pygmy rabbits depend on sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) for both cover and food (Shipley, Davila, Thines, & Elias, 2006;Thines et al, 2004). Specifically, pygmy rabbits respond strongly to aerial concealment provided by the shrub canopy (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unmanned aerial systems measure structural habitat features for wildlife across multiple scales

et al. 2017

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Assessing habitat quality is a primary goal of ecologists. However, evaluating habitat features that relate strongly to habitat quality at fine‐scale resolutions across broad‐scale extents is challenging. Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) provide an avenue for bridging the gap between relatively high spatial resolution, low spatial extent field‐based habitat quality measurements and lower spatial resolution, higher spatial extent satellite‐based remote sensing. Our goal in this study was to evaluate the potential for UAS structure from motion (SfM) to estimate several dimensions of habitat quality that provide potential security from predators, and forage for pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis) in a sagebrush steppe environment. At the plant and patch scales, we compared UAS‐derived estimates of vegetation height, volume (estimate of food availability) and canopy cover to estimates from ground‐based terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and field‐based measurements. Then, we mapped habitat features across two sagebrush landscapes in Idaho, USA, using point clouds derived from UAS SfM. At the individual plant scale, the UAS‐derived estimates matched those from TLS for height (R2 = 0.85), volume (R2 = 0.94) and canopy cover (R2 = 0.68). However, there was less agreement with field‐based measurements of height (R2 = 0.67), volume (R2 = 0.31) and canopy cover (R2 = 0.29). At the patch scale, UAS‐derived estimates provided a better fit to field‐based measurements (R2 = 0.51–0.75) than at the plant scale. Landscape‐scale maps created from UAS were able to distinguish structural heterogeneity between key patch types. Our work demonstrates that UAS was able to accurately estimate habitat heterogeneity for a key terrestrial vertebrate at multiple spatial scales. Given that many of the vegetation metrics we focus on are important for a wide variety of species, our work illustrates a general remote sensing approach for mapping and monitoring fine‐resolution habitat quality across broad landscapes for use in studies of animal ecology, conservation and land management.

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Effects of cattle grazing on ecology and habitat of Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis)

Cited by 47 publications

References 22 publications

Evaluating DNA degradation rates in faecal pellets of the endangered pygmy rabbit

Evaluating DNA degradation rates in faecal pellets of the endangered pygmy rabbit

Avian abundance and reproductive success in the intermountain west: Local‐scale response to the conservation reserve program

Unmanned aerial systems measure structural habitat features for wildlife across multiple scales

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