03188nas a2200301 4500008004100000245007800041210006900119300001100188490000600199520232000205100001702525700001902542700001802561700001602579700002202595700001702617700001802634700001902652700001602671700001702687700001702704700001702721700001602738700001702754700001602771700002102787856007802808 2015 eng d00aFactors affecting female space use in ten populations of prairie chickens0 aFactors affecting female space use in ten populations of prairie aart1660 v63 a

Conservation of wildlife depends on an understanding of the interactions between animal movements and key landscape factors. Habitat requirements of wide-ranging species often vary spatially, but quantitative assessment of variation among replicated studies at multiple sites is rare. We investigated patterns of space use for 10 populations of two closely related species of prairie grouse: Greater Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus cupido) and Lesser Prairie-Chickens (T. pallidicinctus). Prairie chickens require large, intact tracts of native grasslands, and are umbrella species for conservation of prairie ecosystems in North America. We used resource utilization functions to investigate space use by female prairie chickens during the 6-month breeding season from March through August in relation to lek sites, habitat conditions, and anthropogenic development. Our analysis included data from 382 radio-marked individuals across a major portion of the extant range. Our project is a unique opportunity to study comparative space use of prairie chickens, and we employed standardized methods that facilitated direct comparisons across an ecological gradient of study sites. Median home range size of females varied ~10-fold across 10 sites (3.6–36.7 km2), and home ranges tended to be larger at sites with higher annual precipitation. Proximity to lek sites was a strong and consistent predictor of space use for female prairie chickens at all 10 sites. The relative importance of other predictors of space use varied among sites, indicating that generalized habitat management guidelines may not be appropriate for these two species. Prairie chickens actively selected for prairie habitats, even at sites where ~90% of the land cover within the study area was prairie. A majority of the females monitored in our study (>95%) had activity centers within 5 km of leks, suggesting that conservation efforts can be effectively concentrated near active lek sites. Our data on female space use suggest that lek surveys of male prairie chickens can indirectly assess habitat suitability for females during the breeding season. Lek monitoring and surveys for new leks provide information on population trends, but can also guide management actions aimed at improving nesting and brood-rearing habitats.

1 aWinder, V.L.1 aCarrlson, K.M.1 aGregory, A.J.1 aHagen, C.A.1 aHaukos, David, A.1 aKesler, D.C.1 aLarsson, L.C.1 aMatthews, T.W.1 aMcNew, L.B.1 aPatten, M.A.1 aPitman, J.C.1 aPowell, L.A.1 aSmith, J.A.1 aThompson, T.1 aWolfe, D.H.1 aSandercock, B.K. uhttps://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1890/ES14-00536.100684nas a2200145 4500008004100000245019800041210006900239100002100308700001700329700001600346700001800362700001700380700001500397856012600412 2013 eng d00aEnvironmental impacts of wind power development on the population biology of Greater Prairie-Chickens. U.S. Department of Energy, Final Project Report for Award DOE/EE0000526 (technical report)0 aEnvironmental impacts of wind power development on the populatio1 aSandercock, B.K.1 aWisely, S.M.1 aMcNew, L.B.1 aGregory, A.J.1 aWinder, V.L.1 aHunt, L.M. uhttp://129.130.186.12/content/environmental-impacts-wind-power-development-population-biology-greater-prairie-chickens-us02441nas a2200217 4500008004100000245009600041210006900137300001300206490000700219520169200226653004501918653002801963653002201991653002402013653003802037653002302075100001602098700001802114700002102132856007002153 2013 eng d00aSpatial heterogeneity in habitat selection: nest site selection by Greater Prairie-Chickens0 aSpatial heterogeneity in habitat selection nest site selection b a791 -8010 v773 a

Ecological relationships of animals and their environments are known to vary spatially and temporally across scales. However, common approaches for evaluating resource selection by animals assume that the processes of habitat selection are stationary across space. The assumption that habitat selection is spatially homogeneous may lead to biased inference and ineffective management. We present the first application of geographically weighted logistic regression to habitat selection by a wildlife species. As a case study, we examined nest site selection by greater prairie-chickens at 3 sites with different ecological conditions in Kansas to assess whether the relative importance of habitat features varied across space. We found that 1) nest sites were associated with habitat conditions at multiple spatial scales, 2) habitat associations across spatial scales were correlated, and 3) the influence of habitat conditions on nest site selection was spatially explicit. Post hoc analyses revealed that much of the spatial variability in habitat selection processes was explained at a regional scale. Moreover, habitat features at local spatial scales were more strongly associated with nest site selection in unfragmented grasslands managed intensively for cattle production than they were in fragmented grasslands within a matrix of farmland. Female prairie-chickens exhibited spatial variability in nest site selection at multiple spatial scales, suggesting plasticity in habitat selection behavior. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for spatial heterogeneity when evaluating the ecological effects of habitat components. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.

10ageographically weighted regression (GWR)10agreater prairie-chicken10aHabitat selection10anest site selection10aresource selection function (RSF)10aTympanuchus cupido1 aMcNew, L.B.1 aGregory, A.J.1 aSandercock, B.K. uhttps://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jwmg.49303021nas a2200253 4500008004100000245012300041210006900164300001400233490000700247520215100254653001802405653001502423653004302438653001802481653004202499653002502541653002502566653003402591100001602625700001802641700001702659700002102676856007002697 2012 eng d00aDemography of Greater Prairie-Chickens: regional variation in vital rates, sensitivity values, and population dynamics0 aDemography of Greater PrairieChickens regional variation in vita a987 -10000 v763 a

Intensification of rangeland management has coincided with population declines among obligate grassland species in the largest remaining tallgrass prairie in North America, although causes of declines remain unknown. We modeled population dynamics and conducted sensitivity analyses from demographic data collected for an obligate grassland bird that is an indicator species for tallgrass prairie, the greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido), during a 4-year study in east-central Kansas, USA. We examined components of reproductive effort and success, juvenile survival, and annual adult female survival for 3 populations of prairie-chickens across an ecological gradient of human landscape alteration and land use. We observed regional differences in reproductive performance, survivorship, and population dynamics. All 3 populations of prairie-chickens were projected to decline steeply given observed vital rates, but rates of decline differed across a gradient of landscape alteration, with the greatest declines in fragmented landscapes. Elasticity values, variance-scaled sensitivities, and contribution values from a random-effects life-table response experiment all showed that the finite rate of population change was more sensitive to changes in adult survival than other demographic parameters in our declining populations. The rate of population change was also sensitive to nest survival at the most fragmented and least intensively grazed study site; suggesting that patterns of landscape fragmentation and land use may be affecting the relative influences of underlying vital rates on rates of population growth. Our model results indicate that 1) populations of prairie-chickens in eastern Kansas are unlikely to be viable without gains from immigration, 2) rates of population decline vary among areas under different land management practices, 3) human land-use patterns may affect the relative influences of vital rates on population trajectories, and 4) anthropogenic effects on population demography may influence the regional life-history strategies of a short-lived game bird. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.

10acontributions10aelasticity10aland use and land cover change (LULCC)10aLeslie matrix10alife-table response experiment (LTRE)10apopulation viability10aprospective analysis10avariance-scaled sensitivities1 aMcNew, L.B.1 aGregory, A.J.1 aWisely, S.M.1 aSandercock, B.K. uhttps://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jwmg.36900538nas a2200157 4500008004100000245007000041210006900111300001100180490000700191100001800198700001600216700001700232700002100249700001700270856009300287 2011 eng d00aHierarchical modeling of lek habitats of Greater Prairie-Chickens0 aHierarchical modeling of lek habitats of Greater PrairieChickens a21 -320 v391 aGregory, A.J.1 aMcNew, L.B.1 aPrebyl, T.J.1 aSandercock, B.K.1 aWisely, S.M. uhttps://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/documents/R2ES/LitCited/LPC_2012/Gregory_et_al_2011.pdf00512nas a2200145 4500008004100000245008000041210006900121300001300190490000700203100001600210700001800226700001700244700002100261856008400282 2011 eng d00aHuman-mediated selection on life-history traits of Greater Prairie-Chickens0 aHumanmediated selection on lifehistory traits of Greater Prairie a255 -2660 v391 aMcNew, L.B.1 aGregory, A.J.1 aWisely, S.M.1 aSandercock, B.K. uhttps://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/landbirds/pdfs/McNew_etal_2011_sab2.pdf00573nas a2200145 4500008004100000245013400041210006900175260004300244300001100287490002100298100001800319700002100337700001700358856005200375 2011 eng d00aThe influence of behavioral and landscape ecology on Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) genetic structure and evolution0 ainfluence of behavioral and landscape ecology on Greater Prairie aManhattan, KSbKansas State University a1 -1290 vPhD Dissertation1 aGregory, A.J.1 aSandercock, B.K.1 aWisely, S.M. uhttp://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/handle/2097/853000510nas a2200145 4500008004100000245007800041210006900119300001300188490000700201100001600208700001800224700001700242700002100259856008400280 2011 eng d00aReproductive biology of a southern population of Greater Prairie-Chickens0 aReproductive biology of a southern population of Greater Prairie a209 -2210 v391 aMcNew, L.B.1 aGregory, A.J.1 aWisely, S.M.1 aSandercock, B.K. uhttps://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/landbirds/pdfs/McNew_etal_2011_sab1.pdf03341nas a2200157 4500008004100000245012500041210006900166300001100235490000700246520268300253100001602936700001802952700001702970700002102987856017503008 2009 eng d00aEstimating the stage of incubation for nests of Greater Prairie-chickens using egg flotation: a float curve for grousers0 aEstimating the stage of incubation for nests of Greater Prairiec a12 -140 v383 aIntroduction Researchers often require accurate estimates of incubation stage for back-calculating the timing of nest initiation or predicting the date of hatching to capture young, to determine the durations of egg-laying, incubation and the construction of breeding phenologies, and to calculate nest productivity. Estimates of nest age are also critical for assessment of the influence of temporal variation in nest survival, and to model daily nest survival as a function of individual-or time-specific covariates (Dinsmore et al. 2002). For example, the timing of nest losses is often related to nest success and the probability of renesting (Schroeder 1997, Pitman et al. 2006, McNew et al. in press). Egg flotation is one of the most common methods employed for estimating stage of embryo development with egg flotation-development relationships documented for many species of birds (Hays & LeCroy 1971, Dunn et al. 1979, Fisher and Sengel 1991, Custer et al. 1992, Brua & Machin 2000, Liebezeit et al. 2007). To our knowledge, there are no published techniques to estimate stage of incubation for nests of grouse. Field biologists estimating stage of incubation for eggs of grouse nests have often used a modified version of an egg flotation technique developed for captive ring-neck pheasants Phasianus colchicus and gray partridges Perdix perdix (Westerskov 1950, Martin & Cooke 1987). It is unknown whether egg flotation can be used to accurately assess age of grouse nests under field conditions. As part of a larger study on the breeding ecology of greater prairie-chickens Tympanuchus cupido; (hereafter "prairie-chickens"), McNew et al. (in press) developed a regression model to accurately predict the stage of incubation for nests from egg flotation angles and egg buoyancy. Methods Prairie-chickens were captured with walk-in traps and drop-nets at leks during March–May of 2006–2008 at three study sites in eastern Kansas, USA (Schroeder & Braun 1991, Silvy et al. 1990). Females were fitted with radio transmitters and located via triangulation >4 times/week during the nesting period (April–July), and daily once it was determined from movement patterns that a female was nesting. Once a female had localized in an area for 3 successive days, we located and flushed the bird so that the eggs could be counted and the nest location recorded with a GPS unit. Females with nests were monitored daily from a distance of >100 m. Nest sites were revisited during incubation to assess clutch size and incubation stage. Figure 1. Estimating the float angle or height of a greater prairie-chicken egg. This egg is floating at ~90° and is not yet buoyant. 1 aMcNew, L.B.1 aGregory, A.J.1 aWisely, S.M.1 aSandercock, B.K. uhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/228517269_Estimating_the_stage_of_incubation_for_nests_of_Greater_Prairie-Chickens_using_egg_flotation_a_float_curve_for_grousers