Prairie Conservation in North America

Samson, Fred B.; Knopf, Fritz L.

doi:10.2307/1312365

Cited by 1,153 publications

(812 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…In North America, grassland bird populations have declined precipitously following agricultural expansion (Samson and Knopf, 1994), and prairie grouse species such as the Greater Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) are considered umbrella species for the conservation of grassland ecosystems (e.g., Poiani et al, 2001) because their life histories require a breadth of habitat-i.e., a high degree of contrast in the landscape in each of the variables considered here. Alternatives to umbrella species include the keystone structure concept, in which managers seek to identify and promote spatial structure that provides resources necessary for other species (Tews et al, 2004).…”

Section: Evaluation Of Rangeland Management Must Match Policy Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inconsistent outcomes of heterogeneity-based management underscore importance of matching evaluation to conservation objectives

McGranahan

Engle

Fuhlendorf

et al. 2013

Environmental Science & Policy

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Winter, Stephen L.; Miller, James R.; and Debinski, Diane M., "Inconsistent outcomes of heterogeneity-based management underscore importance of matching evaluation to conservation objectives" (2013 AbstractConservation policy often incentivizes managers of human-impacted areas to create landscape heterogeneity to maximize biodiversity. In rangeland, patchy disturbance regimes create landscape heterogeneity (patch contrast), but outcomes of heterogeneity-based management are rarely tested for a universal response. We analyzed four habitat variables-vegetation structure, plant functional group composition, litter cover, and bare ground-from five experimental rangelands in Oklahoma and Iowa, USA. We tested for response consistency to heterogeneity-based management across and within locations. We calculated effect sizes for each variable to compare patch contrast on pastures managed for heterogeneity (patch burn-grazing) and pastures managed for homogeneity (grazing with homogeneous fire regimes). Effects varied considerably across and within locations. Effects of heterogeneity-based management were positive for all variables at only three of five experimental rangeland locations. No location showed a consistent pattern of positive effect across all four variables, although one location showed no effect for any variable. At another location, we found a positive effect of heterogeneity-based management on litter cover and bare ground, but no effect on vegetation structure and plant functional group composition. We discuss effect variability and how the fire-grazing interaction applies to rangeland management and conservation. Although it is accepted practice to use heterogeneity-based management to increase rangeland habitat diversity, managers should also confirm that evaluation metrics match desired conservation outcomes.

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Section: Evaluation Of Rangeland Management Must Match Policy Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inconsistent outcomes of heterogeneity-based management underscore importance of matching evaluation to conservation objectives

McGranahan

Engle

Fuhlendorf

et al. 2013

Environmental Science & Policy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The loss of grasslands has been pervasive in North America, exceeding that of any other major ecosystem (Samson andKnopf 1994, Noss andothers 1995), and this has been a major factor causing grassland birds to experience greater declines than any other behavioral or ecological group of North American birds during the latter half of the 20 th century (Knopf 1994, Peterjohn andSauer 1999). Twenty seven species of grassland birds breed in the Midwestern region and migrate to the southern United States or neotropics in winter, and nearly half of these species are listed as threatened or endangered in at least one state (Herkert and others 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat Acquisition Strategies for Grassland Birds in an Urbanizing Landscape

Miller

Skibbe

Haight

2007

Environmental Management

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Habitat protection for grassland birds is an important component of open space land acquisition in suburban Chicago. We use optimization decision models to develop recommendations for land protection and analyze tradeoffs between alternative goals. One goal is to acquire (and restore if necessary) as much grassland habitat as possible for a given budget. Because a viable habitat for grassland birds consists of a relatively large core area with additional parcels of grassland habitat nearby, the second goal is to minimize total pairwise distance between newly protected parcels and large existing reserves. We also use the concept of an effective grassland habitat area, which considers influences that neighboring land covers have on grassland habitat suitability. We analyze how the parcels selected for protection change as total protected effective area is traded off against total distance. As area is weighted more heavily, the selected parcels are scattered and unconnected. As total distance is weighted more heavily, the selected parcels coalesce around core reserves but protect less area. The differences in selected parcels as we change the objective function weights are caused by the differences in price per unit of effective habitat area across parcels. Parcels located in close proximity to the existing cores have relatively high prices per hectare of effective grassland area as a consequence of high restoration costs and adverse influences from roads, urban areas and/or forestland. As a result, these parcels have lower priority for selection when the area objective is weighted more heavily for a given budget.

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“…The extent of land surface modification increases from west to east. Between 82 and 99% of the tallgrass prairie, predominately found in the eastern section of the Great Plains, has been converted [Samson and Knopf, 1994]. Using advanced very high resolution radiospectrometry (AVHRR) 1 km satellite data, Loveland and Hutcheson [1995] estimate that 25 and 90% of historical short-grass and tallgrass prairie, respectively, were under cultivation by 1990.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of agricultural practice on regional climate in a coupled land surface mesoscale model

et al. 2005

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[1] The land surface has been shown to form strong feedbacks with climate due to linkages between atmospheric conditions and terrestrial ecosystem exchanges of energy, momentum, water, and trace gases. Although often ignored in modeling studies, land management itself may form significant feedbacks. Because crops are harvested earlier under drier conditions, regional air temperature, precipitation, and soil moisture, for example, affect harvest timing, particularly of rain-fed crops. This removal of vegetation alters the land surface characteristics and may, in turn, affect regional climate. We applied a coupled climate model (MM5) and land surface model (LSM1) to examine the effects of early and late winter wheat harvest on regional climate in the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility in the Southern Great Plains, where winter wheat accounts for 20% of the land area. Within the harvested, winter wheat region, simulated 2 m air temperature was 1.3°C warmer in the early harvest scenario at midday averaged over the 2 weeks following harvest. Soils in the harvested area were drier and warmer in the top 10 cm and wetter in the 10-20 cm layer compared to those in the late harvest. Midday soils were 2.5°C warmer in the harvested area at midday averaged over the 2 weeks following harvest. Harvest also dramatically altered latent and sensible heat fluxes. Although differences between scenarios diminished once both scenarios were harvested, the short-term impacts of land management on climate were comparable to those from land cover change demonstrated in other studies.

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Prairie Conservation in North America

Cited by 1,153 publications

References 8 publications

Inconsistent outcomes of heterogeneity-based management underscore importance of matching evaluation to conservation objectives

Inconsistent outcomes of heterogeneity-based management underscore importance of matching evaluation to conservation objectives

Habitat Acquisition Strategies for Grassland Birds in an Urbanizing Landscape

Impact of agricultural practice on regional climate in a coupled land surface mesoscale model

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