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Factors influencing nesting ecology of lesser prairie-chickens

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dc.contributor.authorLautenbach, Joseph M.en
dc.contributor.authorHaukos, David A.en
dc.contributor.authorSullins, Daniel S.en
dc.contributor.authorHagen, Christian A.en
dc.contributor.authorLautenbach, Jonathan D.en
dc.contributor.authorPitman, James C.en
dc.contributor.authorPlumb, Reid T.en
dc.contributor.authorRobinson, Samantha G.en
dc.contributor.authorKraft, John D.en
dc.contributor.departmentFish and Wildlife Conservationen
dc.date.accessioned2020-06-30T13:16:09Zen
dc.date.available2020-06-30T13:16:09Zen
dc.date.issued2019-01en
dc.description.abstractLesser 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.en
dc.description.adminPublic domain – authored by a U.S. government employeeen
dc.description.notesAny use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the United States Government. We thank the private landowners for allowing us to access their land to conduct this research and all of the technicians who assisted with this research. We thank J. L. Kramer, M. W. Mitchener, J. A. Prendergast, P. G. Kramos, A. A. Flanders, J. H. Reitz, D. K. Dahlgren, and B. S. T. Hyberg for their assistance with the project. B. K. Sandercock, W. A. Boyle, C. Nichols, B. A. Grisham, the Associate Editor, and an anonymous reviewer provided helpful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. We appreciate the assistance from M. R. Bain and Smoky Valley Ranch of The Nature Conservancy. Funding for the project was provided by Kansas Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism (Federal Assistance Grant KS W-73-R-3); United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Services CRP Monitoring, Assessment, and Evaluation (12-IA-MRE CRP TA#7, KSCFWRU RWO 62); and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative.en
dc.description.sponsorshipKansas Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism [KS W-73-R-3]; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Services CRP Monitoring, Assessment, and Evaluation [7, KSCFWRU RWO 62]; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiativeen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21582en
dc.identifier.eissn1937-2817en
dc.identifier.issn0022-541Xen
dc.identifier.issue1en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/99173en
dc.identifier.volume83en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rightsCreative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedicationen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/en
dc.subjecthabitat selectionen
dc.subjectKansasen
dc.subjectlesser prairie-chickenen
dc.subjectnest-site selectionen
dc.subjectnest survivalen
dc.subjectTympanuchus pallidicinctusen
dc.titleFactors influencing nesting ecology of lesser prairie-chickensen
dc.title.serialJournal of Wildlife Managementen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
dc.type.dcmitypeStillImageen

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