02804nas a2200325   4500008004100000245013300041210006900174300001300243490000700256520180000263653002502063653000902088653001402097653002202111653001502133653002802148653001802176653002002194653003502214653002202249100002102271700002302292700001602315700001802331700001502349700001502364700001602379700001702395856006602412       2015                        eng d00aEffects of grazing and prescribed fire on resource selection and nest survival of upland sandpipers in an experimental landscape0 aEffects of grazing and prescribed fire on resource selection and  a325 -3370 v303 a<p>Context Conservation of grassland vertebrates requires a mechanistic understanding of the effects of landscape heterogeneity on habitat selection and demographic performance. Objectives Our goal was to investigate the effects of rangeland management on resource selection and nest survival of upland sandpipers (Bartramia longicauda). Methods We conducted our project at Konza Prairie, a Long-Term Ecological Research site. The station has 60 experimental units with replicated grazing and fire treatments that create a heterogeneous landscape of different habitat patches. We radio-tracked sandpipers for two breeding seasons (2003&ndash;2004, n = 37 birds) and monitored sandpiper nests for eight seasons (2001&ndash;2008, n = 246 nests). We used resource utilization functions to examine resource selection with respect to five landscape features. Results Home ranges of sandpipers were large in contiguous prairie (x&macr;=8.4km2x&macr;=8.4km2) and explain area-sensitive occurrence in fragmented prairie. Upland sandpipers selected grazed and burned sites with short vegetation within their home range. In contrast, nest site selection was influenced by fire frequency and birds selected infrequently burned sites with greater vegetative structure. Settlement decisions affected fitness because nest survival was low in burned and grazed sites (0.068), but higher in unburned and ungrazed sites (0.201&ndash;0.247). Conclusions Our results raise concerns for conservation because private rangelands managed for livestock production are often homogeneous landscapes with heavy grazing and frequent fires. Rotational grazing and fire could be used to restore heterogeneity to grasslands but the duration of rotation, patch size, and optimal configuration require further investigation.</p>10aBartramia longicauda10afire10agrassland10aHabitat selection10aHome range10aLandscape heterogeneity10aNest survival10aRadio-telemetry10aResource utilization functions10atallgrass prairie1 aSandercock, B.K.1 aAlfaro-Barrios, M.1 aCasey, A.E.1 aJohnson, T.N.1 aMong, T.W.1 aOdom, K.J.1 aStrum, K.M.1 aWinder, V.L.  uhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10980-014-0133-903188nas 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<p>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&ndash;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 (&gt;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.</p>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-us