Read Books Online and Download eBooks, EPub, PDF, Mobi, Kindle, Text Full Free.
Wildfire Effects On Greater Sage Grouse Nest And Adult Survival
Download Wildfire Effects On Greater Sage Grouse Nest And Adult Survival full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online Wildfire Effects On Greater Sage Grouse Nest And Adult Survival ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!
Book Synopsis Wildfire Effects on Greater Sage-grouse Nest and Adult Survival by : Emily A. Tyrrell
Download or read book Wildfire Effects on Greater Sage-grouse Nest and Adult Survival written by Emily A. Tyrrell and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sagebrush ecosystems are increasingly threatened by self-perpetuating, invasive annual grass-wildfire cycles. Wildfire size, rate, and severity are increasing as a function of this positive feedback mechanism, threatening low to moderate resilience and resistance areas of sagebrush ecosystems and increasing the likelihood of permanent state transition. Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) are a species of conservation concern that rely upon large tracts of structurally and functionally diverse sagebrush communities to complete a suite of cyclical life stages. Sage-grouse are also considered bioindicators because of their large geographic distribution and complex habitat requirements, which make them an ideal focal species for quantifying effects of large perturbations. Recent studies have described long-term negative effects of wildfire on population growth rates of sage-grouse within the Great Basin using lek count data. However, studies relating demographic responses of sage-grouse to wildfire have been shorter in duration and often lack controls, which take into account pre-wildfire spatial heterogeneity, an inherent property in most ecological systems. We used a long-term sage-grouse telemetry location dataset (2008-2019) combined with two large wildfire events in 2016 (Virginia Mountains Fire Complex) and 2017 (Long Valley Fire) located in the Virginia Mountains of northwestern Nevada and northeastern California to construct a before-after-control-impact-paired-series (BACIPS) study design and estimate the relative effects of wildfire on nest and adult survival. We found that adult survival decreased by approximately 38% within burned areas relative to unburned areas following wildfire, with strong evidence for a negative relationship between adult survival and wildfire based on 87.8% of the posterior distribution of the BACIPS ratio falling below one. We found that nest survival decreased by approximately 81% within burned areas relative to unburned areas following wildfire, with strong evidence for a negative relationship between nest survival and wildfire based on 87.1% of the posterior distribution of the BACIPS ratio falling below one. Following the BACIPS result we conducted a post hoc analysis investigating the relationship of microhabitat covariates on nest survival. We found varying degrees of evidence among the competing models. Specifically, we found that nest survival increased with an increase of vertical cover within control groups before and after the wildfire. Our results indicate that wildfire has both strong and immediate impacts to a key life stages of a sagebrush indicator species. Management action in the form of wildfire suppression or rapid post-wildfire habitat restoration may lessen recovery time for sage-grouse populations affected by wildfire.
Book Synopsis Resource Selection, and Demographic Rates of Female Greater Sage-Grouse Following Large-Scale Wildfire by : Lee Jacob Foster
Download or read book Resource Selection, and Demographic Rates of Female Greater Sage-Grouse Following Large-Scale Wildfire written by Lee Jacob Foster and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understanding the effects of habitat disturbance on a species' habitat selection patterns, and demographic rates, is essential to projecting the trajectories of populations affected by disturbance, as well as for determining the appropriate conservation actions needed to maintain those populations. Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a species of conservation concern in western North America. The distribution of the species has been reduced by approximately half since European settlement, with concurrent and continuing population declines across its occupied range. The primary threats to the species are habitat alteration and loss, caused by multiple factors. In the western portion of its distribution, increasing wildfire activity is a primary cause of habitat loss and degradation. Single wildfires in this area may now reach extremely large sizes (>100,000 ha), and wildfires have been linked to local population declines. However, no published studies, to date, have examined the immediate effects of large-scale wildfire on sage-grouse habitat selection and demographic rates, using modern telemetry methods. I studied the habitat selection patterns, nest success, and survival of adult, and yearling female sage-grouse, captured within or near the Holloway fire, using state-of-the-art GPS-PTT telemetry methods. The Holloway fire burned ~187,000 ha of highly productive sage-grouse habitat in August, 2012. My study began during the first spring post-fire (March, 2013), and continued through February, 2015. I monitored seasonal habitat use patterns, and site-fidelity of sage-grouse, and modeled third-order seasonal resource selection, using mixed effects resource selection functions, in relation to characteristics of the post-fire habitat mosaic, terrain, mesic habitat availability, and herbaceous vegetation regeneration. I described sage-grouse nesting habitat use, nesting effort, and modeled daily nest survival in relation to temporal patterns, patch scale vegetation, biological factors, and landscape-scale habitat composition. I modeled adult and yearling female sage-grouse survival in relation to temporal patterns, biological factors, and landscape-scale habitat composition. Female sage-grouse primarily exhibited a three range seasonal movement pattern, with differentiation between breeding-nesting-early brood-rearing habitat (mean use dates: 8 Mar - 12 Jun), late brood-rearing-summer habitat (13 Jun - 20 Oct), and winter habitat (21 Oct - 7 Mar). However there was variation in seasonal range behavior among individuals. Sage-grouse exhibited considerable fidelity to all seasonal ranges, for individuals which survived >1 yr, mean distance between seasonal range centroids of the same type were 1.80 km, 1.65 km, and 3.96 km, for breeding ranges, summer ranges, and winter ranges, respectively. Within seasonal ranges, sage-grouse exhibited third-order resource selection patterns similar to those observed for populations in undisturbed habitats. Sage-grouse, at the population level, selected for level terrain throughout the year. During the breeding season sage-grouse selected for areas with increased amounts of intact sagebrush land-cover within a 1-km2 area around used locations, areas of increased NDVI values within a 6.25-km2 area, an amount of mesic habitat within a 6.25-km2 area roughly equal to that available on the landscape, and mid-level elevations. During summer, sage-grouse, at the population level, selected for an areas with an intermediate density of burned-intact habitat edge within a 1 km2 area, areas of increased NDVI values within a 6.25-km2 area, intermediate distances to mesic habitat, and high elevations. During winter, sage-grouse, at the population level, selected for increased amounts of intact sagebrush land-cover within a 0.089-km2 area, areas with decreased variation in NDVI within a 0.089-km2 area, an amount of mesic habitat within a 6.25-km2 area roughly equal to that available on the landscape, and intermediate elevations. There was considerable variation in third-order resource selection patterns among individuals during all seasons. Sage-grouse nest success was consistently low during the study (2013: 19.3%, 2014: 30.1%), and nest initiation rates were average to high (2013: 1st nest initiation = 90.5%, 2nd nest initiation = 23.1%; 2014: 1st nest initiation = 100%, 2nd nest initiation = 57.1%). Daily nest survival rates were influenced by an interaction between year and nesting attempt, and by forb cover within 5 m of the nest. Nest survival over the incubation period was consistently low for 1st and 2nd nests during 2013, and for 1st nests during 2014 (range: 0.131 - 0.212), but increased to 0.744 for 2nd nests during 2014. Forb cover within 5 m of the nest had a positive effect on daily nest survival rates, with a 1% increase in forb cover increasing the probability of a nest surviving a given day by 1.02 times. We did not detect strong direct effects of habitat or biological characteristics on survival of adult and yearling female sage-grouse. Rather, survival varied by month with lowest survival occurring in April and August of each year, and highest survival occurring during the winter. While patterns of monthly survival were similar between years, there was a strong, negative additive effect on survival which extended from the beginning of the study (March, 2013), through the end of the first post fire growing season (July, 2013). Although monthly survival increased following the end of the 1st post-fire growing season, yearly survival over both the 1st and 2nd biological years post-fire was low (March 2013 - February 2014: 24.0%; March 2014 - February 2015: 37.9%). These results indicate that female greater-sage grouse do not respond to wildfire related habitat disturbance through emigration, and rather continue to attempt to exist and reproduce in habitats disturbed by wildfire during the immediate years following a fire. While, due to site-fidelity, sage-grouse are not able to leave wildfire affected seasonal ranges, within those seasonal ranges they still attempt to utilize habitat components which most closely match their life-history requirements. However, this behavior appears to have an acute fitness cost to individuals, with reduced nesting success and survival of individuals utilizing fire-affected habitats during the first two years post-fire. This reduction in demographic rates likely explains observed sage-grouse population declines following wildfire, and indicates that these population declines are not the result of sage-grouse emigration away from fire-affected leks, but rather a true decline in the number of individual sage-grouse on the landscape following large-scale wildfire.
Book Synopsis Greater Sage-grouse Habitat Selection and Use Patterns in Response to Vegetation Management Practices in Northwestern Utah by : Stephanie E Graham
Download or read book Greater Sage-grouse Habitat Selection and Use Patterns in Response to Vegetation Management Practices in Northwestern Utah written by Stephanie E Graham and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) currently occupy an estimated 56% of the potential range-wide pre-European settlement habitat. Population declines have been largely attributed to direct habitat loss and fragmentation related to anthropogenic activities that promote wildfires and the subsequent spread of invasive plants. Vegetation manipulations, including the seeding of plant species, such as forage kochia (Bassia prostrata), have been identified as potential strategies to mitigate the risk of wildfire and enhance sage-grouse habitat in areas at risk to wildfires. I evaluated the composition changes that occurred in a lower elevation sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) plant community within the Grouse Creek Watershed in western Box Elder County, Utah, USA, in response to prescribed vegetation manipulations (green-stripping through chain harrowing, juniper mastication, seeding forage kochia, applying Plateau℗ʼ herbicide) and studied the effect of these changes on sage-grouse habitat-use patterns and vital rates. I monitored 53 radio-collared sage-grouse throughout the Grouse Creek watershed from 2010-2012. Seasonal movements suggested local individual bird adaptations to annual variations in weather and habitat fragmentation. Sage-grouse selected for untreated areas; however, treated areas were used to expand the size of the lek. Untreated areas exhibited a higher percent composition of shrubs compared to areas that were chain harrowed to prepare a seedbed. Sage-grouse nest success and adult male survival rates during this study were relatively low compared to range-wide population estimates. Nest predation was higher for nests located closer to roads. The forage kochia seeded in the firebreaks emerged the season after seeding (2011). Using microhistological techniques, I detected small quantities of forage kochia in sage-grouse fecal pellets. Nutrient analysis confirmed that forage kochia samples collected from the sites exhibited a high protein content and low secondary metabolite content, similar to black sagebrush (Artemisia nova). Although green-stripping with forage kochia in lower elevation sagebrush communities may prove to be a beneficial technique for protecting rangelands from wildfire and provide a dietary source for wildlife, site preparation should be conducted to minimize the impact on existing sagebrush canopy cover habitats. Long-term monitoring should be implemented to determine extended effects of green-stripping treatments on sagebrush habitat and sage-grouse vital rates. Although individual sage-grouse demonstrated local adaptations to fragmentation and seasonal variations in weather, increased fragmentation and climate change in this part of the Great Basin may increase meta-population extirpation risks inhabiting lower elevation sagebrush areas in the Grouse Creek Watershed.
Book Synopsis Long-term Effects of Wildfire on Greater Sage-grouse by : Peter S. Coates
Download or read book Long-term Effects of Wildfire on Greater Sage-grouse written by Peter S. Coates and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Long-term Effects of Wildfire on Greater Sage-grouse by : Peter S. Coates
Download or read book Long-term Effects of Wildfire on Greater Sage-grouse written by Peter S. Coates and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Wildland Fire in Ecosystems written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Greater Sage-Grouse by : Steve Knick
Download or read book Greater Sage-Grouse written by Steve Knick and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2011-05-19 with total page 665 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Admired for its elaborate breeding displays and treasured as a game bird, the Greater Sage-Grouse is a charismatic symbol of the broad open spaces in western North America. Unfortunately these birds have declined across much of their range—which stretches across 11 western states and reaches into Canada—mostly due to loss of critical sagebrush habitat. Today the Greater Sage-Grouse is at the center of a complex conservation challenge. This multifaceted volume, an important foundation for developing conservation strategies and actions, provides a comprehensive synthesis of scientific information on the biology and ecology of the Greater Sage-Grouse. Bringing together the experience of thirty-eight researchers, it describes the bird’s population trends, its sagebrush habitat, and potential limitations to conservation, including the effects of rangeland fire, climate change, invasive plants, disease, and land uses such as energy development, grazing, and agriculture.
Book Synopsis Ecology, Conservation, and Management of Grouse by : Brett K. Sandercock
Download or read book Ecology, Conservation, and Management of Grouse written by Brett K. Sandercock and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2011-09-04 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Summarizing current knowledge of grouse biology, this volume is organized in four sections--spatial ecology, habitat relationships, population biology, and conservation and management--and offers insights into spatial requirements, movements, and demography of grouse. Much of the research employs emerging tools in ecology that span biogeochemistry, molecular genetics, endocrinology, radio-telemetry, and remote sensing".--Adapted from publisher descrip tion on back cover
Book Synopsis Breeding Season Habitat Use and Response to Management Activities by Greater Sage-grouse on Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada by : Dawn M. Davis
Download or read book Breeding Season Habitat Use and Response to Management Activities by Greater Sage-grouse on Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada written by Dawn M. Davis and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have experienced declines throughout their range over the last 50 years. Long-term declines in sage-grouse abundance in Nevada and Oregon have been attributed to reduced productivity. From 1995-1997, sage-grouse production on Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR), Nevada was greater compared to Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge (HMNAR), Oregon. Specific causes for the difference were unknown. Thus, the objectives were to: 1) Determine sage-grouse breeding season habitat use (especially with regard to wildfire) on SNWR; 2) Evaluate reproductive parameters to discern differences between SNWR and HMNAR; 3) Compare habitat components which may relate to differences in sage-grouse reproductive success on SNWR and HMNAR; and 4) Establish hematological and serum chemistry reference ranges for sage-grouse hens to assess physiological condition. Cover type was important in selection of nest sites at SNWR; however, nest cover did not affect nesting success and nest-site selection was not related to experience. Vegetative characteristics at successful nest sites were similar to unsuccessful nests but nest sites had greater amounts of tall residual grass (≥18 cm) and medium height shrub cover (40-80 cm) than at random sites. Broods used areas with greater forb cover than random sites, indicating use was influenced by availability of forbs. Plant communities in wildfire and associated control sites did not differ appreciably in species composition. Although burning had little stimulatory effect on total forb cover 10-12 years post-burn, alteration of the sagebrush community did not limit sage-grouse use for successful nesting and brood-rearing. Fire did not negatively impact arthropod abundance. Differences in habitat use and sage-grouse productivity between SNWR and HMNAR may be related to differences in forb availability. Forb cover was greater at HMNAR than at SNWR for all cover types. Correspondingly, home range size for sage-grouse broods was greater on SNWR than at HMNAR. Nutrient analysis of forbs indicated higher crude protein, potassium, and magnesium levels at HMNAR than at SNWR; however, these nutrients are not likely to be deficient in most sage-grouse diets. Thus sagebrush-steppe communities supporting these forbs likely meet the dietary nutritional requirements of sage-grouse. Although blood calcium and uric acid levels were greater in sage-grouse hens on HMNAR than at SNWR, differences were attributed to capture date. Furthermore, physiological condition did not affect a hen's ability to nest successfully, nor was condition related to a hen's ability to recruit chicks to 1 August. Causes of sage-grouse decline are varied, but ultimately they are habitat based. Comparisons of reproductive parameters and habitat evaluations, combined with sage-grouse physiology data, may provide insight into habitat differences between study areas not previously recognized. Land management practices (e.g., prescribed fire) which recast the balance of native herbaceous species in degraded big sagebrush communities, may be necessary in the restoration of sagebrush-steppe ecosystems, and ultimately, the recovery of sage-grouse populations.
Book Synopsis Wildlife Habitats in Managed Rangelands-- the Great Basin of Southeastern Oregon by : Mayo W. Call
Download or read book Wildlife Habitats in Managed Rangelands-- the Great Basin of Southeastern Oregon written by Mayo W. Call and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Seasonal Habitat Selection and Breeding Ecology of Greater-sage-grouse in Carbon County, Montana by : Erin Leslie Gelling
Download or read book Seasonal Habitat Selection and Breeding Ecology of Greater-sage-grouse in Carbon County, Montana written by Erin Leslie Gelling and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter ‘sage-grouse’) are the focus of much research and conservation efforts owing to their obligate relationship with sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) and dramatic population declines over the last 50 years. Sage-grouse are a partially migratory species with three main seasonal habitats during breeding, summer, and winter. Anthropogenic disturbances can impact habitat and areas used by sage-grouse during all three seasons. Sage-grouse also exhibit low productivity that is limited, in part, by nest and chick survival. As uniparental incubators, nesting can be energetically costly for female sage-grouse because they have limited mobility when their precocial chicks are young. In addition, habitat characteristics have been shown to differ between brood-rearing female sage-grouse and broodless females (i.e., females without broods). Therefore, to sustain sage-grouse populations, focus should be on increasing vital rates for adult females, chicks, and nests—the life stages that most influence population growth. Research is thus critical to better understand the relationships between life stages of sage-grouse and their seasonal habitats, particularly during breeding and summer brood-rearing. The focus of my thesis was to assess the influence of natural and anthropogenic features on sage-grouse seasonal habitat selection, assess factors influencing sage-grouse nest survival and attentiveness, and assess habitat selection and behavior between brood-rearing and broodless female sage-grouse. By focusing on habitat selection across three seasons, during reproductive and non-reproductive states, and across second, third, and fourth-order habitat selection, wildlife managers will have better information to manage sage-grouse habitat to sustain or increase survival for adult females, broods, and nests. More specifically, this information will inform areas to prioritize management, restoration, and conservation to benefit sage-grouse populations and add to the body of knowledge of basic sage-grouse breeding ecology. In Chapter 1, I examined natural and anthropogenic landscape features that influence sage-grouse habitat selection during breeding, summer, and winter seasons. I used data from 85 GPS-tagged female sage-grouse in Carbon County, Montana and Park County, Wyoming spanning April 2018–April 2020. I found natural and anthropogenic features combined best explained sage-grouse habitat selection for all three seasons. Sage-grouse habitat selection differed between each season with sagebrush cover being important for breeding and agricultural fields being important in summer. In general, sage-grouse selected for sagebrush or shrub characteristics and lower slopes and avoided major roads, residential development, and oil and gas. However, anthropogenic disturbances were not always avoided and sometimes sage-grouse selected areas closer to these disturbances, such as agricultural fields during summer or roads during winter. I created predictive maps from resource selection function modeling to depict relative probability of use for each seasonal range to be used in wildlife management and conservation planning. In Chapter 2, I focused on nest survival and attentiveness. Nest success is an important part of the breeding process that has implications for population growth. I described sage-grouse incubation behavior, examined whether sage-grouse incubation behavior influenced nest survival, and evaluated factors that influenced sage-grouse incubation behavior. For this chapter, I used data collected from my study area in Carbon County, Montana and Park County, Wyoming and a separate study area in the Red Desert of Carbon and Sweetwater counties, Wyoming. I used 131 nests to describe sage-grouse incubation behavior and 118 nests to examine nest survival and average recess duration. I found nest survival was higher in Bridger compared to Red Desert. I found incubation constancy was higher and recesses shorter for adults compared to yearlings. I found nest survival was higher with increased minimum temperature and reduced with longer recesses. Recess duration was shorter with greater sagebrush cover within 30 m and recesses were longer with higher minimum temperature and day of incubation. Factors influencing nest survival and incubation patterns will be important for directing management to improve sage-grouse nest success and to clarify to researchers and managers our understanding of the basics of sage-grouse nesting biology. In Chapter 3, I focused on habitat selection, activity patterns, and ranges of both brood-rearing and broodless females during the breeding season. I examined behavior and reproductive state influence on microhabitat selection, daily and seasonal range sizes, and daily activity levels for brood-rearing and broodless females. I sampled microhabitat for 36 females, estimated ranges for 38 females, and measured activity for 43 females. I found females with broods 0–2 weeks selected microhabitat characteristics when night roosting and females with broods 3–5 weeks selected microhabitat characteristics when foraging and night roosting. However, broodless females showed no selection for microhabitat based on behavior. I also found differences in activity levels for both brood-rearing and broodless females throughout the day. Broods 0–2 weeks had the smallest ranges while broods 3–5 weeks and broodless females had larger daily and seasonal ranges. Differences in habitat selection, range size, and behavior warrants management to conserve areas used by both brood-rearing and broodless female sage-grouse in a population, whereas most past efforts focused primarily on habitat used by brood-rearing females. The Wildlife Society Bulletin has accepted this chapter for publication with Drs. Jeffrey Beck and Aaron Pratt as coauthors.
Book Synopsis Landscape-scale Factors Affecting Population Dynamics of Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus Urophasianus) in North-central Montana, 2001-2004 by : Brendan James Moynahan
Download or read book Landscape-scale Factors Affecting Population Dynamics of Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus Urophasianus) in North-central Montana, 2001-2004 written by Brendan James Moynahan and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Habitat Requirements and Management Recommendations for Sage Grouse by : Mayo W. Call
Download or read book Habitat Requirements and Management Recommendations for Sage Grouse written by Mayo W. Call and published by . This book was released on 1974 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Bayesian Population Analysis Using WinBUGS by : Marc Kéry
Download or read book Bayesian Population Analysis Using WinBUGS written by Marc Kéry and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bayesian statistics has exploded into biology and its sub-disciplines, such as ecology, over the past decade. The free software program WinBUGS, and its open-source sister OpenBugs, is currently the only flexible and general-purpose program available with which the average ecologist can conduct standard and non-standard Bayesian statistics. Comprehensive and richly commented examples illustrate a wide range of models that are most relevant to the research of a modern population ecologist All WinBUGS/OpenBUGS analyses are completely integrated in software R Includes complete documentation of all R and WinBUGS code required to conduct analyses and shows all the necessary steps from having the data in a text file out of Excel to interpreting and processing the output from WinBUGS in R
Book Synopsis Ecosystems of California by : Harold Mooney
Download or read book Ecosystems of California written by Harold Mooney and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2016-01-19 with total page 1008 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This long-anticipated reference and sourcebook for CaliforniaÕs remarkable ecological abundance provides an integrated assessment of each major ecosystem typeÑits distribution, structure, function, and management. A comprehensive synthesis of our knowledge about this biologically diverse state, Ecosystems of California covers the state from oceans to mountaintops using multiple lenses: past and present, flora and fauna, aquatic and terrestrial, natural and managed. Each chapter evaluates natural processes for a specific ecosystem, describes drivers of change, and discusses how that ecosystem may be altered in the future. This book also explores the drivers of CaliforniaÕs ecological patterns and the history of the stateÕs various ecosystems, outlining how the challenges of climate change and invasive species and opportunities for regulation and stewardship could potentially affect the stateÕs ecosystems. The text explicitly incorporates both human impacts and conservation and restoration efforts and shows how ecosystems support human well-being. Edited by two esteemed ecosystem ecologists and with overviews by leading experts on each ecosystem, this definitive work will be indispensable for natural resource management and conservation professionals as well as for undergraduate or graduate students of CaliforniaÕs environment and curious naturalists.
Book Synopsis Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus Urophasianus) Habitat Response to Mowing and Prescribed Burning Wyoming Big Sagebrush and Influence of Disturbance Factors on Lek Persistence in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming by : Jennifer E. Hess
Download or read book Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus Urophasianus) Habitat Response to Mowing and Prescribed Burning Wyoming Big Sagebrush and Influence of Disturbance Factors on Lek Persistence in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming written by Jennifer E. Hess and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My thesis work focused on evaluating the relative influence of prescribed burning (1990-1999 and 2000-2006) and mowing (2000-2006) treatments on the quality of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) nesting and early brood-rearing habitats and landscape characteristics that influenced sage-grouse lek persistence from 1980 to 2009 in the Bighorn Basin of north-central Wyoming. Objectives of treatments have focused on land health, watershed improvement, and to enhance habitat conditions for livestock, greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), and other wildlife. I focused on how prescribed burning and mowing may affect sage-grouse nesting and early brood-rearing habitats by evaluating habitat quality through insect, soil, and vegetation parameters at 30 treated sites compared to 30 nearby, untreated reference sites. My sites were classified by treatment type, soil type, season, and decade of treatment (sites burned in the 1990s and sites burned or mowed during 2000-2006). Prescribed burning greatly ( -85.1 to -100%) reduced levels of sagebrush canopy cover at least 19 years postburn, while mowing maintained minimum levels of sagebrush canopy cover recommended for sage-grouse nesting and early brood-rearing habitats. In some cases, prescribed burning showed positive results for sage-grouse nesting and early brood-rearing habitats compared to mowing such as 6.3- to 16.9-times greater ant weights (mg/trap; on aridic burns during 1990s and ustic burns during 2000-2006 respectively), 2.3- to 85.1-times greater beetle weights (mg/trap) on ustic soils, 3.6- to 4.3-times higher perennial grass canopy cover on aridic soils, 2.6-times higher plant species richness on aridic soils during 2000-2006 burns, and 2.0- to 5.0-times higher soil nitrogen on burns during 2000-2006, but all of these characteristics were not found to be enhanced compared to reference sites. Mowing provided 3.6- to 13.2-times higher sagebrush canopy cover on ustic soils, 2.2- to 3.0-times higher sagebrush heights on aridic and ustic soils, and 1.2- to 1.5-times higher insect diversity on ustic and aridic soils than prescribed burning. When comparing mowed sites to reference sites, there was1.2- to 2.5-times higher litter and 3.5- to 9.1-times higher ant weights (mg/trap) at mowed sites. However, mowing did not promote an increase in other sage-grouse early brood-rearing needs such as the abundance of food forbs, abundance or weights of beetles and grasshoppers, or perennial grass canopy cover or height. Forb nutritional content and production were not enhanced (i.e., similar to reference sites) by either treatment. Perennial grass height and canopy cover (5 of 6 cases) were not enhanced through burning or mowing. The main benefit from prescribed burning was an increase in grasshopper abundance (no./trap) compared to reference sites (grasshopper abundance was 2.4- to 3.4-times greater at prescribed burned sites than reference sites). In general, results indicate few positive aspects of treating Wyoming big sagebrush to enhance habitat conditions for nesting and early brood-rearing sage-grouse as much as 19 years after prescribed burning and 9 years after mowing in the Bighorn Basin. Mowing, however, appears to be a better alternative than prescribed burning Wyoming big sagebrush, largely because it leaves intact sagebrush, but comparisons between reference sites typically did not suggest habitat conditions were enhanced through mowing. Consequently, managers contemplating these 2 treatment techniques to enhance sage-grouse habitats should consider other treatment strategies including non-treatment. When evaluating factors that may have influenced the probability of sage-grouse lek persistence in the Bighorn Basin I found support for the synergistic influence of multiple disturbance factors influencing sage-grouse lek persistence. I predicted that increasing roads, energy development, and wildfire will result in loss of more sage-grouse leks in the Bighorn Basin. The Bighorn Basin has lower developed reserves of oil and gas than many other regions of Wyoming; however, my study supports findings from studies in those areas that demonstrate energy development negatively affects lek persistence. I recommend that conservation efforts should focus on minimizing well development and implementing wildfire suppression tactics within 1.6-km of active sage-grouse leks.
Download or read book Fire Effects Guide written by and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
