Browsing by Author "Hagen, Christian A."

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    Demographic Consequences of Conservation Reserve Program Grasslands for Lesser Prairie-Chickens
    Sullins, Daniel S.; Kraft, John D.; Haukos, David A.; Robinson, Samantha G.; Reitz, Jonathan H.; Plumb, Reid T.; Lautenbach, Joseph M.; Lautenbach, Jonathan D.; Sandercock, Brett K.; Hagen, Christian A. (2018-11)
    Knowledge of landscape and regional circumstances where conservation programs are successful on working lands inagricultural production are needed. Convertingmarginal croplands to grasslands using conservation programs such as the United States Department of Agriculture Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) should be beneficial for many grassland-obligate wildlife species; however, addition of CRP grasslands may result indifferent population effects based on regional climate, characteristics of the surrounding landscape, or species planted or established. Within landscapes occupied by lesser prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus), CRP may provide habitat only for specific life stages and habitat selection for CRP may vary between wet and dry years. Among all study sites, we captured and fitted 280 female lesser prairie-chickens with very high frequency (VHF)- and global positioning system (GPS) transmitters during the spring lekking seasons of 2013-2015 to monitor habitat selection for CRP in regions of varying climate. We also estimated vital rates and habitat selection for 148 individuals, using sites in northwest Kansas, USA. The greatest ecological services of CRP became apparent when examining habitat selection and densities. Nest densities were approximately 3 times greater in CRP grasslands than native working grasslands (i.e., grazed), demonstrating a population-level benefit (CRP = 6.0 nests/10 km(2) +/- 1.29 [ SE], native working grassland = 1.7 nests/10 km(2) +/- 0.62). However, CRP supporting high nest density did not provide brood habitat; 85% of females with broods surviving to 7 days moved their young to other cover types. Regression analyses indicated lesser prairie-chickens were approximately 8 times more likely to use CRP when 5,000-ha landscapes were 70% rather than 20% grassland, indicating variation in the level of ecological services provided by CRP was dependent upon composition of the larger landscape. Further, CRP grasslands were 1.7 times more likely to be used by lesser prairie-chickens in regions receiving 40 cm compared to 70 cm of average annual precipitation and during years of greater drought intensity. Demographic and resource selection analyses revealed that establishing CRP grasslands in northwest Kansas can increase the amount nesting habitat in a region where it may have previously been limited, thereby providing refugia to sustain populations through periods of extreme drought. Nest survival, adult survival during breeding, and nonbreeding season survival did not vary between lesser prairie-chickens that used and did not use CRP grasslands. The finite rate of population growth was also similar for birds using CRP and using only native working grasslands, suggesting that CRP provides habitat similar to that of native working grassland in this region. Overall, lesser prairie-chickens may thrive in landscapes that are a mosaic of native working grassland, CRP grassland, with a minimal amount of cropland, particularly when nesting and brood habitat are in close proximity. (C) 2018 The Wildlife Society
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    Effects of Landscape Characteristics on Annual Survival of Lesser Prairie-Chickens
    Robinson, Samantha G.; Haukos, David A.; Plumb, Reid T.; Kraft, John D.; Sullins, Daniel S.; Lautenbach, Joseph M.; Lautenbach, Jonathan D.; Sandercock, Brett K.; Hagen, Christian A.; Bartuszevige, Anne; Rice, Mindy A. (2018-07)
    Agriculture and development have caused landscape change throughout the southwestern Great Plains in the range of the lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus). Landscape alteration within the lesser prairie-chicken range may contribute to range contraction and population losses through decreases in survival rates. Our objectives were to determine if: (1) landscape configuration (i.e., the spatial arrangement of habitat) or composition (i.e., the amount of habitat), at the study.site scale, affected annual survival of females, (2) relationships exist between landscape context (i.e., landscape configuration and composition) and weekly survival to assess effects of landscape composition and configuration on lesser prairie-chicken populations, and (3) anthropogenic features influenced daily mortality risk. We captured 170 female lesser prairie-chickens and used very-high-frequency and GPS (Global Positioning System) transmitters to track their movement and survival for 2 y. We used known-fate survival models to test if landscape configuration or composition within three sites in Kansas were related to differences in female survival among sites. In addition we tested for relationships between weekly survival and landscape configuration or composition within home ranges. Finally, we used Andersen-Gill models to test the influence of distance to anthropogenic features on daily mortality risk. Differences in survival were evident between sites with differing landscape compositions as annual survival in Northwestern Kansas (S=0.27) was half that of Clark County, Kansas (S=0.56), which corresponded with 41.9% more grassland on the landscape in Clark County; landscape configuration did not measurably differ among sites. Survival was greater for prairie-chickens with home-ranges that had greater patch richness and in areas with 30% crop and 57% grassland. Female lesser prairie-chickens also experienced greater mortality risk closer to fences at patch edges. Further conversion of grassland landscapes occupied by lesser prairie-chickens should be avoided to reduce habitat loss and fragmentation thresholds that could affect survival. We suggest continued encouragement of Conservation Reserve Program enrollment in western areas of the lesser prairie-chicken range to maintain or increase the amount of grassland to increase annual survival.
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    Exploring pathways to participation in an at-risk species conservation program
    Sorice, Michael G.; Donlan, C. Josh; Santo, Anna R.; Luque, Gloria M.; Hagen, Christian A. (Society for Conservation Biology, 2021-07-27)
    The success of conservation efforts for imperiled and endangered wildlife species relies on private landowners, yet a definitive model of landowner cooperation remains elusive. We use a case study to explore the multiple pathways by which demographics, rootedness, resource dependence, environmental attitudes, social influence, and program structure intersect to jointly explain participation in a federally funded cost-share program to help prevent the Lesser Prairie-Chicken from being listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. We conducted structured interviews across three ecoregions with 64 participants and 22 nonparticipants. We analyzed the data using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, an approach that identifies the multiple combinations of conditions related to engagement in the program. We found that two concepts, landowner characteristics and social influence, were most commonly associated with participation while profiles representing typical landowner tropes performed poorly. Finally, the positive effect of encouragement by agency representatives suggests that agency staff play a central role in determining participation. It also suggests landowners' decision processes may not be as deliberative as the literature on private lands conservation suggests. The results of our case study suggest new avenues for research that explicitly consider the role of heuristics in decisions to participate.
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    Factors influencing nesting ecology of lesser prairie-chickens
    Lautenbach, Joseph M.; Haukos, David A.; Sullins, Daniel S.; Hagen, Christian A.; Lautenbach, Jonathan D.; Pitman, James C.; Plumb, Reid T.; Robinson, Samantha G.; Kraft, John D. (2019-01)
    Lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) populations have declined since the 1980s. Understanding factors influencing nest-site selection and nest survival are important for conservation and management of lesser prairie-chicken populations. However, >75% of the extant population is in the northern extent of the range where data on breeding season ecology are lacking. We tested factors influencing fine-scale and regional nest-site selection and nest survival across the northern portion of the lesser prairie-chicken range. We trapped and affixed satellite global positioning system and very high frequency transmitters to female lesser prairie-chickens (n = 307) in south-central and western Kansas and eastern Colorado, USA. We located and monitored 257 lesser prairie-chicken nests from 2013 to 2016. We evaluated nest-site selection and nest survival in comparison to vegetation composition and structure. Overall, nest-site selection in relation to vegetation characteristics was similar across our study area. Lesser prairie-chickens selected nest microsites with 75% visual obstruction 2.0-3.5 dm tall and 95.7% of all nests were in habitat with >= 1 dm and <= 4 dm visual obstruction. Nests were located in areas with 6-8% bare ground, on average, avoiding areas with greater percent cover of bare ground. The type of vegetation present was less important than cover of adequate height. Nest survival was maximized when 75% visual obstruction was 2.0-4.0 dm. Nest survival did not vary spatially or among years and generally increased as intensity of drought decreased throughout the study although not significantly. To provide nesting cover considering yearly variation in drought conditions, it is important to maintain residual cover by managing for structural heterogeneity of vegetation. Managing for structural heterogeneity could be accomplished by maintaining or strategically applying practices of the Conservation Reserve Program, using appropriate fire and grazing disturbances in native working grasslands, and establishing site-specific monitoring of vegetation composition and structure. (c) 2018 The Wildlife Society.
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    Lesser Prairie-Chicken Avoidance of Trees in a Grassland Landscape
    Lautenbach, Joseph M.; Plumb, Reid T.; Robinson, Samantha G.; Hagen, Christian A.; Haukos, David A.; Pitman, James C. (2017-01)
    Grasslands are among the most imperiled ecosystems in North America. Reasons that grasslands are threatened include conversion to row-crop agriculture, fragmentation, and changes in fire regimes. The reduction of fire processes in remaining prairies has resulted in tree encroachment and establishment in grasslands, further reducing grassland quantity and quality. Grassland birds have been experiencing precipitous population declines in recent decades, commensurate with landscape changes to grasslands. The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus Ridgway) is a declining species of prairie grouse of conservation concern. We used second-and third-order habitat selection metrics to test if female lesser prairie-chickens avoid grasslands where trees were present. Our results indicated that female lesser prairie-chickens selected habitats avoiding the nearest trees by 283 m on average, nearly twice as far as would be expected at random. Lesser prairie-chickens were 40 times more likely to use habitats with tree densities of 0 trees.ha(-1) than habitats with 5 trees.ha(-1). Probability of use indicated that lesser prairie-chickens were 19 times more likely to use habitats 1000 m from the nearest tree when compared with using habitats 0 m from the nearest tree. Nest survival was not affected at densities <2 trees.ha(-1); however, we could not test if nest survival was affected at greater tree densities as no nests were detected at densities >2 trees.ha(-1). Avoidance of trees could be due to perceived increased predation risk, reduced habitat quality, or a combination of these potentially confounding factors. Preventing further establishment and expansion of trees in landscapes occupied by lesser prairie-chickens could contribute to the continued persistence of the species. Additionally, restoring grasslands through tree removal may facilitate conservation efforts for grassland species such as the lesser prairie-chicken by improving habitat quality and promoting expansion of occupied range. (C) 2017 The Society for Range Management. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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    Lesser prairie-chicken space use in relation to anthropogenic structures
    Plumb, Reid T.; Lautenbach, Joseph M.; Robinson, Samantha G.; Haukos, David A.; Winder, Virginia L.; Hagen, Christian A.; Sullins, Daniel S.; Pitman, James C.; Dahlgren, David K. (2019-01)
    The Southern Great Plains has been altered by conversion of native grassland to row-crop agriculture, which is considered the primary cause of declining lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) populations. However, recent analyses indicate that direct loss of grassland has slowed while lesser prairie-chicken populations continue to decline, suggesting that remaining grasslands potentially suffer from degradation by various land uses (e.g., increased anthropogenic disturbance). Understanding the spatial ecology of lesser prairie-chickens relative to anthropogenic structures is important for conservation planning, habitat management, and infrastructure mitigation. We investigated effects of proximity to anthropogenic structures on home range and nest placement (second-order selection) and within home range space use (third-order selection) of radio-marked lesser prairie-chickens (n = 285) at 2 scales of selection using resource utilization functions and resource selection functions. We collected data from birds marked in the Mixed-Grass Prairie and Short-Grass Prairie ecoregions of Kansas, USA, from 15 March 2013 to 14 March 2016. Home range placement did not vary by region or season, and lesser prairie-chickens placed home ranges farther from powerlines and roads than would be expected at random. As distance increased from 0 to 3 km away from roads and powerlines, the relative probability of home range placement increased 1.66 and 1.54 times, respectively. Distance to powerline was the single most consistent variable negatively affecting nest placement. As the distance from powerline increased from 0 to 3 km, the relative probability of nest placement increased 2.19 times. Distance to oil well did not influence placement of home ranges or nests. When pooled across regions, lesser prairie-chickens exhibited behavioral avoidance of powerlines, roads, and oil wells within their home range. Lesser prairie-chickens, on average, used space at greater intensities within their home range farther from wells, powerlines, and roads than available. Across breeding season phases, we found no evidence of increased behavioral avoidance of anthropogenic structures during the nesting or brooding phases compared to the lekking or post-breeding phases. Within home range space use during the brooding phase was not related to powerlines, wells, or roads. Our results indicate that avoidance of anthropogenic structures may result in functional habitat loss and continued fragmentation of remaining grassland habitat. Reduction or elimination of anthropogenic development in quality lesser prairie-chicken habitat and concentrating new development in already altered areas that are avoided by lesser prairie-chickens and no longer considered available habitat may reduce continued habitat degradation throughout the species' range and aid in population persistence. (c) 2018 The Wildlife Society.
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    Strategic conservation for lesser prairie-chickens among landscapes of varying anthropogenic influence
    Sullins, Daniel S.; Haukos, David A.; Lautenbach, Joseph M.; Lautenbach, Jonathan D.; Robinson, Samantha G.; Rice, Mindy B.; Sandercock, Brett K.; Kraft, John D.; Plumb, Reid T.; Reitz, Jonathan H.; Hutchinson, J. M. Shawn; Hagen, Christian A. (2019-10)
    For millennia grasslands have provided a myriad of ecosystem services and have been coupled with human resource use. The loss of 46% of grasslands worldwide necessitates the need for conservation that is spatially, temporally, and socioeconomically strategic. In the Southern Great Plains of the United States, conversion of native grasslands to cropland, woody encroachment, and establishment of vertical anthropogenic features have made large intact grasslands rare for lesser prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus). However, it remains unclear how the spatial distribution of grasslands and anthropogenic features constrain populations and influence conservation. We estimated the distribution of lesser prairie-chickens using data from individuals marked with GPS transmitters in Kansas and Colorado, USA, and empirically derived relationships with anthropogenic structure densities and grassland composition. Our model suggested decreased probability of use in 2-km radius (12.6 km(2)) landscapes that had greater than two vertical features, two oil wells, 8 km of county roads, and 0.15 km of major roads or transmission lines. Predicted probability of use was greatest in 5-km radius landscapes that were 77% grassland. Based on our model predictions, similar to 10% of the current expected lesser prairie-chicken distribution was available as habitat. We used our estimated species distribution to provide spatially explicit prescriptions for CRP enrollment and tree removal in locations most likely to benefit lesser prairie-chickens. Spatially incentivized CRP sign up has the potential to provide 4189 km2 of additional habitat and strategic application of tree removal has the potential to restore 1154 km(2). Tree removal and CRP enrollment are conservation tools that can align with landowner goals and are much more likely to be effective on privately owned working lands.
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    Testing a global standard for quantifying species recovery and assessing conservation impact
    Grace, Molly K.; Akcakaya, H. Resit; Bennett, Elizabeth L.; Brooks, Thomas M.; Heath, Anna; Hedges, Simon; Hilton-Taylor, Craig; Hoffmann, Michael; Hochkirch, Axel; Jenkins, Richard; Keith, David A.; Long, Barney; Mallon, David P.; Meijaard, Erik; Milner-Gulland, E. J.; Paul Rodriguez, Jon; Stephenson, P. J.; Stuart, Simon N.; Young, Richard P.; Acebes, Pablo; Alfaro-Shigueto, Joanna; Alvarez-Clare, Silvia; Andriantsimanarilafy, Raphali Rodlis; Arbetman, Marina; Azat, Claudio; Bacchetta, Gianluigi; Badola, Ruchi; Barcelos, Luis MD D.; Barreiros, Joao Pedro; Basak, Sayanti; Berger, Danielle J.; Bhattacharyya, Sabuj; Bino, Gilad; Borges, Paulo A.; Boughton, Raoul K.; Brockmann, H. Jane; Buckley, Hannah L.; Burfield, Ian J.; Burton, James; Camacho-Badani, Teresa; Santiago Cano-Alonso, Luis; Carmichael, Ruth H.; Carrero, Christina; P Carroll, John; Catsadorakis, Giorgos; Chapple, David G.; Chapron, Guillaume; Chowdhury, Gawsia Wahidunnessa; Claassens, Louw; Cogoni, Donatella; Constantine, Rochelle; Craig, Christie Anne; Cunningham, Andrew A.; Dahal, Nishma; Daltry, Jennifer C.; Das, Goura Chandra; Dasgupta, Niladri; Davey, Alexandra; Davies, Katharine; Develey, Pedro; Elangovan, Vanitha; Fairclough, David; Di Febbraro, Mirko; Fenu, Giuseppe; Fernandes, Fernando Moreira; Fernandez, Eduardo Pinheiro; Finucci, Brittany; Foldesi, Rita; Foley, Catherine M.; Ford, Matthew; Forstner, Michael RJ J.; Garcia, Nestor; Garcia-Sandoval, Ricardo; Gardner, Penny C.; Garibay-Orijel, Roberto; Gatan-Balbas, Marites; Gauto, Irene; Ghazi, Mirza Ghazanfar Ullah; Godfrey, Stephanie S.; Gollock, Matthew; Gonzalez, Benito A.; Grant, Tandora D.; Gray, Thomas; Gregory, Andrew J.; van Grunsven, Roy HA A.; Gryzenhout, Marieka; Guernsey, Noelle C.; Gupta, Garima; Hagen, Christian A.; Hagen, Christian A.; Hall, Madison B.; Hallerman, Eric M.; Hare, Kelly; Hart, Tom; Hartdegen, Ruston; Harvey-Brown, Yvette; Hatfield, Richard; Hawke, Tahneal; Hermes, Claudia; Hitchmough, Rod; Hoffmann, Pablo Melo; Howarth, Charlie; Hudson, Michael A.; Hussain, Syed Ainul; Huveneers, Charlie; Jacques, Helene; Jorgensen, Dennis; Katdare, Suyash; Katsis, Lydia KD D.; Kaul, Rahul; Kaunda-Arara, Boaz; Keith-Diagne, Lucy; Kraus, Daniel T.; de Lima, Thales Moreira; Lindeman, Ken; Linsky, Jean; Louis, Edward; Loy, Anna; Lughadha, Eimear Nic; Mangel, Jeffrey C.; Marinari, Paul E.; Martin, Gabriel M.; Martinelli, Gustavo; McGowan, Philip JK K.; McInnes, Alistair; Mendes, Eduardo Teles Barbosa; Millard, Michael J.; Mirande, Claire; Money, Daniel; Monks, Joanne M.; Laura Morales, Carolina; Mumu, Nazia Naoreen; Negrao, Raquel; Anh, Ha Nguyen; Niloy, Md Nazmul Hasan; Norbury, Grant Leslie; Nordmeyer, Cale; Norris, Darren; O'Brien, Mark; Oda, Gabriela Akemi; Orsenigo, Simone; Outerbridge, Mark Evan; Pasachnik, Stesha; Perez-Jimenez, Juan Carlos; Pike, Charlotte; Pilkington, Fred; Plumb, Glenn; Portela, Rita de Cassia Quitete D. C. Q.; Prohaska, Ana; Quintana, Manuel G.; Rakotondrasoa, Eddie Fanantenana; Ranglack, Dustin H.; Rankou, Hassan; Rawat, Ajay Prakash; Reardon, James Thomas; Rheingantz, Marcelo Lopes; Richter, Stephen C.; Rivers, Malin C.; Rogers, Luke Rollie; da Rosa, Patricia; Rose, Paul; Royer, Emily; Ryan, Catherine; de Mitcheson, Yvonne J. Sadovy; Salmon, Lily; Salvador, Carlos Henrique; Samways, Michael J.; Sanjuan, Tatiana; Dos Santos, Amanda Souza; Sasaki, Hiroshi; Schutz, Emmanuel; Scott, Heather Ann; Scott, Robert Michael; Serena, Fabrizio; Sharma, Surya P.; Shuey, John A.; Silva, Carlos Julio Polo; Simaika, John P.; Smith, David R.; Spaet, Julia LY Y.; Sultana, Shanjida; Talukdar, Bibhab Kumar; Tatayah, Vikash; Thomas, Philip; Tringali, Angela; Hoang, Trinh-Dinh; Tuboi, Chongpi; Usmani, Aftab Alam; Vasco-Palacios, Aida M.; Vie, Jean-Christophe; Virens, Jo; Walker, Alan; Wallace, Bryan; Waller, Lauren J.; Wang, Hongfeng; Wearn, Oliver R.; van Weerd, Merlijn; Weigmann, Simon; Willcox, Daniel; Woinarski, John; Yong, Jean WH H.; Young, Stuart (Wiley, 2021-07-21)
    Recognizing the imperative to evaluate species recovery and conservation impact, in 2012 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called for development of a “Green List of Species” (now the IUCN Green Status of Species). A draft Green Status framework for assessing species’ progress toward recovery, published in 2018, proposed 2 separate but interlinked components: a standardized method (i.e., measurement against benchmarks of species’ viability, functionality, and preimpact distribution) to determine current species recovery status (herein species recovery score) and application of that method to estimate past and potential future impacts of conservation based on 4 metrics (conservation legacy, conservation dependence, conservation gain, and recovery potential). We tested the framework with 181 species representing diverse taxa, life histories, biomes, and IUCN Red List categories (extinction risk). Based on the observed distribution of species’ recovery scores, we propose the following species recovery categories: fully recovered, slightly depleted, moderately depleted, largely depleted, critically depleted, extinct in the wild, and indeterminate. Fifty-nine percent of tested species were considered largely or critically depleted. Although there was a negative relationship between extinction risk and species recovery score, variation was considerable. Some species in lower risk categories were assessed as farther from recovery than those at higher risk. This emphasizes that species recovery is conceptually different from extinction risk and reinforces the utility of the IUCN Green Status of Species to more fully understand species conservation status. Although extinction risk did not predict conservation legacy, conservation dependence, or conservation gain, it was positively correlated with recovery potential. Only 1.7% of tested species were categorized as zero across all 4 of these conservation impact metrics, indicating that conservation has, or will, play a role in improving or maintaining species status for the vast majority of these species. Based on our results, we devised an updated assessment framework that introduces the option of using a dynamic baseline to assess future impacts of conservation over the short term to avoid misleading results which were generated in a small number of cases, and redefines short term as 10 years to better align with conservation planning. These changes are reflected in the IUCN Green Status of Species Standard.
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    Using Grazing to Manage Herbaceous Structure for a Heterogeneity-Dependent Bird
    Kraft, John D.; Haukos, David A.; Bain, Matthew R.; Rice, Mindy B.; Robinson, Samantha G.; Sullins, Daniel S.; Hagen, Christian A.; Pitman, James C.; Lautenbach, Joseph M.; Plumb, Reid T.; Lautenbach, Jonathan D. (2021-02)
    Grazing management recommendations often sacrifice the intrinsic heterogeneity of grasslands by prescribing uniform grazing distributions through smaller pastures, increased stocking densities, and reduced grazing periods. The lack of patch-burn grazing in semi-arid landscapes of the western Great Plains in North America requires alternative grazing management strategies to create and maintain heterogeneity of habitat structure (e.g., animal unit distribution, pasture configuration), but knowledge of their effects on grassland fauna is limited. The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus), an imperiled, grassland-obligate, native to the southern Great Plains, is an excellent candidate for investigating effects of heterogeneity-based grazing management strategies because it requires diverse microhabitats among life-history stages in a semi-arid landscape. We evaluated influences of heterogeneity-based grazing management strategies on vegetation structure, habitat selection, and nest and adult survival of lesser prairie-chickens in western Kansas, USA. We captured and monitored 116 female lesser prairie-chickens marked with very high frequency (VHF) or global positioning system (GPS) transmitters and collected landscape-scale vegetation and grazing data during 2013-2015. Vegetation structure heterogeneity increased at stocking densities <= 0.26 animal units/ha, where use by nonbreeding female lesser prairie-chickens also increased. Probability of use for nonbreeding lesser prairie-chickens peaked at values of cattle forage use values near 37% and steadily decreased with use >= 40%. Probability of use was positively affected by increasing pasture area. A quadratic relationship existed between growing season deferment and probability of use. We found that 70% of nests were located in grazing units in which grazing pressure was <0.8 animal unit months/ha. Daily nest survival was negatively correlated with grazing pressure. We found no relationship between adult survival and grazing management strategies. Conservation in grasslands expressing flora community composition appropriate for lesser prairie-chickens can maintain appropriate habitat structure heterogeneity through the use of low to moderate stocking densities (<0.26 animal units/ha), greater pasture areas, and site-appropriate deferment periods. Alternative grazing management strategies (e.g., rest-rotation, season-long rest) may be appropriate in grasslands requiring greater heterogeneity or during intensive drought. Grazing management favoring habitat heterogeneity instead of uniform grazing distributions will likely be more conducive for preserving lesser prairie-chicken populations and grassland biodiversity. (c) 2021 The Wildlife Society.