Wildlife habitat management on the northern prairie landscape

Johnson, Douglas H.; Haseltine, Susan D.; Cowardin, Lewis M.

doi:10.1016/0169-2046(94)90039-6

Cited by 19 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Rivers, streams, and pothole wetlands augment the biological diversity of the prairie ecosystem Knopf 1996, Knopf andSamson 1997). Despite having undergone tremen-dous habitat losses due to drainage and conversion to agriculture, the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the Northern Great Plains remains one of the most important regions of North America for migratory birds, mammals, and wetland invertebrates (McCrady et al 1986, Johnson et al 1994, Batt 1996, Samson and Knopf 1996, Guntenspergen et al 2002. The PPR is an especially important area for waterfowl recruitment, producing ϳ50-80% of the continent's duck populations (Cowardin et al 1983, Batt et al 1989, and providing breeding habitat for more than half of the total number of grassland bird species breeding in North America (Knopf 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape Composition, Patch Size, and Distance to Edges: Interactions Affecting Duck Reproductive Success

Horn

Phillips

Koford

et al. 2005

Ecological Applications

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Prairies and other North American grasslands, although highly fragmented, provide breeding habitat for a diverse array of species, including species of tremendous economic and ecological importance. Conservation and management of these species requires some understanding of how reproductive success is affected by edge effects, patch size, and characteristics of the landscape. We examined how differences in the percentage of grassland in the landscape influenced the relationships between the success of nests of upland-nesting ducks and (1) field size and (2) distance to nearest field and wetland edges. We collected data on study areas composed of 15-20% grassland and areas composed of 45-55% grassland in central North Dakota, USA during the 1996 and 1997 nesting seasons. Daily survival rates (DSRs) of duck nests were greater in study areas with 45-55% grassland than with 15-20% grassland. Within study areas, we detected a curvilinear relationship between DSR and field size: DSRs were highest in small and large fields and lowest in moderately sized fields. In study areas with 15-20% grassland, there was no relationship between probability of hatching and distance to nearest field edge, whereas in study areas with 45-55% grassland, there was a positive relationship between these two variables. Results of this study support the conclusion that both landscape composition and configuration affect reproductive success of ground-nesting birds. We are prompted to question conservation strategies that favor clustering moderately sized patches of nesting habitat within agricultural landscapes because our results show that such patches would have low nest success, most likely caused by predation. Understanding the pattern of nest success, and the predator-prey mechanisms that produce the pattern, will enable design of patch configurations that are most conducive to meeting conservation goals.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape Composition, Patch Size, and Distance to Edges: Interactions Affecting Duck Reproductive Success

Horn

Phillips

Koford

et al. 2005

Ecological Applications

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“…According to Johnson et al (1994), understanding these two characteristics of the region-spatial heterogeneity and temporal instability-is essential to sound habitat management. Habitat suitability for some species is related to local vegetation conditions within wetlands, while suitability for others is related to landscape structure at larger scales.…”

Section: Faunamentioning

confidence: 99%

A Regional Guidebook for Applying the Hydrogeomorphic Approach to Assessing Wetland Functions of Prairie Potholes

Gilbert¹,

Whited²,

Clairain³

et al. 2006

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ABSTRACT:The Hydrogeomorphic (HGM) Approach is a method for developing functional indices and the protocols used to apply these indices to the assessment of wetland functions at a site-specific scale. The HGM Approach was initially designed to be used in the context of the Clean Water Act, Section 404 Regulatory Program, permit review to analyze project alternatives, minimize impacts, assess unavoidable impacts, determine mitigation requirements, and monitor the success of compensatory mitigation. However, a variety of other potential uses have been identified, including the determination of minimal effects under the Food Security Act, design of wetland restoration projects, and management of wetlands.This report uses the HGM Approach to develop a Regional Guidebook to (a) characterize ponded, herbaceous marshes of the glaciated Prairie Pothole Region, (b) provide the rationale used to select functions of the ponded, herbaceous depressional marsh subclass, (c) provide the rationale used to select model variables and metrics, (d) provide the rationale used to develop assessment models, (e) provide data from reference wetlands and document its use in calibrating model variables and assessment models, and (f) outline the necessary protocols for applying the functional indices to the assessment of wetland functions. DISCLAIMER:The contents of this report are not to be used for advertising, publication, or promotional purposes. Citation of trade names does not constitute an official endorsement or approval of the use of such commercial products. All product names and trademarks cited are the property of their respective owners. The findings of this report are not to be construed as an official Department of the Army position unless so designated by other authorized documents.

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“…Grassland in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the North American Great Plains is being converted to crops at an increasing rate (Stephens et al 2008). The PPR is a highly productive region for small grains, legumes, and livestock (Johnson et al 1994); hence, 90% of private land in the PPR is agricultural land (Natural Resources Conservation Service 2000 a ). In addition the grasslands and wetlands of the PPR provide breeding habitat for large populations of migratory birds (Pardieck & Sauer 2007) and habitat for resident birds and mammals (Johnson et al 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The PPR is a highly productive region for small grains, legumes, and livestock (Johnson et al 1994); hence, 90% of private land in the PPR is agricultural land (Natural Resources Conservation Service 2000 a ). In addition the grasslands and wetlands of the PPR provide breeding habitat for large populations of migratory birds (Pardieck & Sauer 2007) and habitat for resident birds and mammals (Johnson et al 1994). Extensive conversion from native grasslands to cultivated cropland in the PPR has coincided with declines of bird populations (Cowardin et al 1983; Brennan & Kuvlesky 2005), and conversion is ongoing (Stubbs 2007; Stephens et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economics of Grassland Conversion to Cropland in the Prairie Pothole Region

Rashford

Walker

Bastian

2010

Conservation Biology

102

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Much of the remaining grassland, particularly in North America, is privately owned, and its conversion to cultivated cropland is largely driven by economics. An understanding of why landowners convert grassland to cropland could facilitate more effective design of grassland-conservation programs. We built an empirical model of land-use change in the Prairie Pothole Region (north-central United States) to estimate the probability of grassland conversion to alternative agricultural land uses, including cultivated crops. Conversion was largely driven by landscape characteristics and the economic returns of alternative uses. Our estimate of the probability of grassland conversion to cultivated crops (1.33% on average from 1979 to 1997) was higher than past estimates (0.4%). Our model also predicted that grassland-conversion probabilities will increase if agricultural commodity prices continue to follow the trends observed from 2001 to 2006 (0.93% probability of grassland conversion to cultivated crops in 2006 to 1.5% in 2011). Thus, nearly 121,000 ha (300,000 acres) of grassland could be converted to cropland annually from 2006 to [corrected] 2011. Conversion probabilities, however, are spatially heterogeneous (range 0.2% to 3%), depending on characteristics of a parcel (e.g., soil quality and economic returns). Grassland parcels with relatively high-quality land for agricultural production are more likely to be converted to cultivated crops than lower-quality parcels and are more responsive to changes in the economic returns on alternative agricultural land uses (i.e., conversion probability increases by a larger magnitude for high-quality parcels when economics returns to alternative uses increase). Our results suggest that grassland conservation programs could be proactively targeted toward high-risk parcels by anticipating changes in economic returns, such as could occur if a new biofuel processing plant were to be built in an area.

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Wildlife habitat management on the northern prairie landscape

Cited by 19 publications

References 4 publications

Landscape Composition, Patch Size, and Distance to Edges: Interactions Affecting Duck Reproductive Success

Landscape Composition, Patch Size, and Distance to Edges: Interactions Affecting Duck Reproductive Success

A Regional Guidebook for Applying the Hydrogeomorphic Approach to Assessing Wetland Functions of Prairie Potholes

Economics of Grassland Conversion to Cropland in the Prairie Pothole Region

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