| Sage Grouse Flock Characteristics and Habitat Selection in Winter | BECK, TDI | 1977 |
KeywordsNo keywords available AbstractSage
grouse
(Centrocercus
urophasianus)
were
studied
in
North
Park,
Colorado,
during
the
winters
of
1973-74
and
1974-75.
Distribution
was
plotted
from
sightings
of
199
flocks
and
17
single
birds,
totaling
5,080
grouse.
Only
50
percent
of
the
1,252
km'
of
lands
dominated
by
sagebrush
(Artemi-
sia
spp.)
sustained
winter
use
by
grouse
because
of
snow
depth,
steepness
of
slope,
and
sagebrush
dis-
turbance.
Nearly
80
percent
of
the
use
occurred
in
7
areas
comprising
less
than
7
percent
of
the
total
area.
Sexes
segregated;
males
formed
more
unisexual
flocks.
Flocks
were
the
dominant
social
unit
and
con-
tained
less
than
50
individuals
in
88
percent
of
all
observations.
Flocks
containing
more
than
50
percent
females
were
larger
than
male
flocks
and
used
denser
sagebrush
stands
for
feeding
and
loafing.
Roosting
and
feeding
sites
had
similar
vegetal
and
physical
characteristics.
Sixty-six
percent
of
flocks
were
on
slopes
less
than
5
percent,
and
only
13
percent
were
on
slopes
greater
than
10
percent.
Sixty-two
percent
of
2,350
grouse
in
1973-74
and
61
percent
of
1,984
grouse
in
1974-75
were
females AuthorsBECK, TDI Year Published1977 PublicationThe Journal of Wildlife Management LocationsDOI10.2307/3800086 |
| Are There Benefits to Mowing Wyoming Big Sagebrush Plant Communities? An Evaluation in Southeastern Oregon | Davies, Kirk W. | 2011 |
KeywordsAnnual grass Artemisia tridentata Bromus tectorum Brush control Brush management Sage-grouse AbstractWyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young) communities frequently are mowed in an attempt to increase perennial herbaceous vegetation. However, there is limited information as to whether expected benefits of mowing are realized when applied to Wyoming big sagebrush communities with intact understory vegetation. We compared vegetation and soil nutrient concentrations in mowed and undisturbed reference plots in Wyoming big sagebrush plant communities at eight sites for three years post-treatment. Mowing generally did not increase perennial herbaceous vegetation cover, density, or biomass production (P > 0.05). Annual forbs and exotic annual grasses were generally greater in the mowed compared to the reference treatment (P < 0.05). By the third year post-treatment annual forb and annual grass biomass production was more than nine and sevenfold higher in the mowed than reference treatment, respectively. Our results imply that the application of mowing treatments in Wyoming big sagebrush plant communities does not increase perennial herbaceous vegetation, but may increase the risk that exotic annual grasses will dominate the herbaceous vegetation. We suggest that mowing Wyoming big sagebrush communities with intact understories does not produce the expected benefits. However, the applicability of our results to Wyoming big sagebrush communities with greater sagebrush cover and/or degraded understories needs to be evaluated. AuthorsDavies, Kirk W.; Bates, Jon D.; Nafus, Aleta M. Year Published2011 PublicationEnvironmental Management LocationsDOI10.1007/s00267-011-9715-3 |
| Male Sage Grouse Responses to Sagebrush Treatment | WALLESTAD, R | 1975 |
KeywordsNo keywords available AbstractMale
sage
grouse
(Centrocercus
urophasianus)
populations
on
six
central
Montana
strutting
grounds
were
studied
in
relation
to
sagebrush
(Artemisia
tridentata)
treatment.
Populations
on
3
strutting
grounds
within
0.5
km
of
treated
areas
increased
28
percent,
whereas
2
grounds
farther
than
4
km
from
treated
areas
increased
323
percent.
Over
a
2-year
period,
a
31
percent
loss
of
suitable
habi-
tat
within
0.5
km
of
another
strutting
ground
resulted
in
a
63
percent
decrease
in
numbers
of
strutting
males AuthorsWALLESTAD, R Year Published1975 PublicationThe Journal of Wildlife Management LocationsDOI10.2307/3800387 |
| Foods of Adult Sage Grouse in Central Montana | WALLESTAD, R | 1975 |
KeywordsNo keywords available AbstractNo abstract available AuthorsWALLESTAD, R; PETERSON, JG; ENG, RL Year Published1975 PublicationThe Journal of Wildlife Management LocationsDOI10.2307/3800409 |
| Attendance at a Sage Grouse Lek: Implications for Spring Censuses | JENNI, DA | 1978 |
KeywordsNo keywords available AbstractNumbers
of
adult
male
sage
grouse
(Centrocercus
urophasianus)
increased
between
early
March
and
late
April-early
May.
Yearling
cocks
began
attending
in
numbers
when
female
numbers
peaked
in
early
April.
Hens
stayed
for
shorter
daily
and
seasonal
periods
than
cocks
did.
Data
on
seasonal
and
daily
attendance
confirm
the
validity
of
the
Patterson
census
technique,
but
suggest
that
it
is
more
restrictive
than
necessary.
Peak
numbers
of
cocks
can
be
estimated
to
within
90
percent
by
the
highest
of
3
counts
between
1/
hour
before
and
11/2
hours
after
sunrise
during
the
first
3
or
the
second
and
third
weeks
after
the
peak
of
breeding. AuthorsJENNI, DA; HARTZLER, JE Year Published1978 PublicationThe Journal of Wildlife Management LocationsDOI10.2307/3800688 |
| Movements, Survival, and Reproduction of Sage Grouse Translocated into Central Idaho | MUSIL, DD | 1993 |
KeywordsNo keywords available AbstractThe success of translocations to restore sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations remains equivocal. Thus, we translocated 196 sage grouse to the Sawtooth Valley, Idaho, during March-April 1986-87 to determine whether translocated birds would survive and reproduce. Movements of 44 radio-tagged birds were extensive during the first 3-6 weeks post-release, and average distances from the release site for 10 females (5.3 +/- 0.9 km) were greater (P < 0.05) than those for 5 males (3.2 +/- 1.0 km). Four of 17 (24%) radio-tagged birds in 1986 and 11 of 27 (41%) in 1987 survived into the summer. Survival was lower (P < 0.0001) for 36 radio-marked and 8 patagial-tagged birds during the first 3 weeks post-release than during weeks 4-22 for 1986 and 1987. Five new leks were established by translocated birds. Seven nests of translocated hens averaged 3.6 +/- 0.2 km from the release site and 3 produced 14 young. Our data suggest that translocation can be useful in restoring sage grouse populations to suitable habitat. AuthorsMUSIL, DD; CONNELLY, JW; REESE, KP Year Published1993 PublicationThe Journal of Wildlife Management LocationsDOI10.2307/3809004 |
| The Importance of Within-Year Repeated Counts and the Influence of Scale on Long-Term Monitoring of Sage-Grouse | Fedy, Bradley C. | 2011 |
KeywordsCentrocercus urophasianus; generalized additive models; greater sage-grouse; lek; monitoring; population trends; Wyoming AbstractLong-term population monitoring is the cornerstone of animal conservation and management. The accuracy and precision of models developed using monitoring data can be influenced by the protocols guiding data collection. The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a species of concern that has been monitored over decades, primarily, by counting the number of males that attend lek (breeding) sites. These lek count data have been used to assess long-term population trends and for multiple mechanistic studies. However, some studies have questioned the efficacy of lek counts to accurately identify population trends. In response, monitoring protocols were changed to have a goal of counting lek sites multiple times within a season. We assessed the influence of this change in monitoring protocols on model accuracy and precision applying generalized additive models to describe trends over time. We found that at large spatial scales including > 50 leks, the absence of repeated counts within a year did not significantly alter population trend estimates or interpretation. Increasing sample size decreased the model confidence intervals. We developed a population trend model for Wyoming greater sage-grouse from 1965 to 2008, identifying significant changes in the population indices and capturing the cyclic nature of this species. Most sage-grouse declines in Wyoming occurred between 1965 and the 1990s and lek count numbers generally increased from the mid-1990s to 2008. Our results validate the combination of monitoring data collected under different protocols in past and future studies-provided those studies are addressing large-scale questions. We suggest that a larger sample of individual leks is preferable to multiple counts of a smaller sample of leks. (C) 2011 The Wildlife Society. AuthorsFedy, Bradley C.; Aldridge, Cameron L. Year Published2011 PublicationJournal of Wildlife Management LocationsDOI10.1002/jwmg.155 |
| Crucial nesting habitat for gunnison sage-grouse: A spatially explicit hierarchical approach | Aldridge, Cameron L. | 2012 |
KeywordsCentrocercus minimus; Colorado; extrapolation; Gunnison sage-grouse; habitat; hierarchical model; nesting; resource selection; sagebrush AbstractGunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) is a species of special concern and is currently considered a candidate species under Endangered Species Act. Careful management is therefore required to ensure that suitable habitat is maintained, particularly because much of the species' current distribution is faced with exurban development pressures. We assessed hierarchical nest site selection patterns of Gunnison sage-grouse inhabiting the western portion of the Gunnison Basin, Colorado, USA, at multiple spatial scales, using logistic regression-based resource selection functions. Models were selected using Akaike Information Criterion corrected for small sample sizes (AICc) and predictive surfaces were generated using model averaged relative probabilities. Landscape-scale factors that had the most influence on nest site selection included the proportion of sagebrush cover >5%, mean productivity, and density of 2 wheel-drive roads. The landscape-scale predictive surface captured 97% of known Gunnison sage-grouse nests within the top 5 of 10 prediction bins, implicating 57% of the basin as crucial nesting habitat. Crucial habitat identified by the landscape model was used to define the extent for patch-scale modeling efforts. Patch-scale variables that had the greatest influence on nest site selection were the proportion of big sagebrush cover >10%, distance to residential development, distance to high volume paved roads, and mean productivity. This model accurately predicted independent nest locations. The unique hierarchical structure of our models more accurately captures the nested nature of habitat selection, and allowed for increased discrimination within larger landscapes of suitable habitat. We extrapolated the landscape-scale model to the entire Gunnison Basin because of conservation concerns for this species. We believe this predictive surface is a valuable tool which can be incorporated into land use and conservation planning as well the assessment of future land-use scenarios. (C) 2011 The Wildlife Society. AuthorsAldridge, Cameron L.; Saher, D. Joanne; Childers, Theresa M.; Stahlnecker, Kenneth E.; Bowen, Zachary H. Year Published2012 PublicationJournal of Wildlife Management LocationsDOI10.1002/jwmg.268 |
| Using gas chromatography to determine winter diets of greater sage-grouse in Utah | Thacker, Eric T. | 2012 |
KeywordsArtemisia; black sagebrush; Centrocercus urophasianus; gas chromatography; Utah; winter diet; Wyoming sagebrush AbstractSagebrush (Artemisia spp.) constitutes the majority (>99%) of sage-grouse (Centrocercus spp.) winter diets. Thus, identification and protection of important winter habitats is a conservation priority. However, not all sagebrush may be alike. More information is needed regarding sage-grouse sagebrush winter dietary preferences for application to management. The objective of our research was to determine if chemical analysis of fecal pellets could be used to characterize winter sage-grouse diets as a substitute for more invasive methods. We collected and analyzed fecal pellets and sagebrush samples from 29 different sage-grouse flock locations in northwestern and southcentral Utah. Using gas chromatography, we were able to identify crude terpene profiles that were unique to Wyoming sagebrush (A. tridentata wyomingensis) and black sagebrush (A. nova). We subsequently used the profiles to determine sagebrush composition of sage-grouse fecal pellets, thus reflecting sage-grouse winter diets. This technique provides managers with a tool to determine which species or subspecies of sagebrush may be important in the winter diets of sage-grouse populations. (c) 2011 The Wildlife Society. AuthorsThacker, Eric T.; Gardner, Dale R.; Messmer, Terry A.; Guttery, Michael R.; Dahlgren, Dave K. Year Published2012 PublicationJournal of Wildlife Management LocationsDOI10.1002/jwmg.273 |
| Interseasonal Movements of Greater Sage-Grouse, Migratory Behavior, and an Assessment of the Core Regions Concept in Wyoming | Fedy, Bradley C. | 2012 |
KeywordsCentrocercus urophasianuscore regionsgreater sage-grousemigrationmigratoryradio-telemetryseasonal movementsWyoming AbstractAnimals can require different habitat types throughout their annual cycles. When considering habitat prioritization, we need to explicitly consider habitat requirements throughout the annual cycle, particularly for species of conservation concern. Understanding annual habitat requirements begins with quantifying how far individuals move across landscapes between key life stages to access required habitats. We quantified individual interseasonal movements for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) using radio-telemetry spanning the majority of the species distribution in Wyoming. Sage-grouse are currently a candidate for listing under the United States Endangered Species Act and Wyoming is predicted to remain a stronghold for the species. Sage-grouse use distinct seasonal habitats throughout their annual cycle for breeding, brood rearing, and wintering. Average movement distances in Wyoming from nest sites to summer-late brood-rearing locations were 8.1 km (SE = 0.3 km; n = 828 individuals) and the average subsequent distances moved from summer sites to winter locations were 17.3 km (SE = 0.5 km; n = 607 individuals). Average nest-to-winter movements were 14.4 km (SE = 0.6 km; n = 434 individuals). We documented remarkable variation in the extent of movement distances both within and among sites across Wyoming, with some individuals remaining year-round in the same vicinity and others moving over 50 km between life stages. Our results suggest defining any of our populations as migratory or non-migratory is innappropriate as individual strategies vary widely. We compared movement distances of birds marked using Global Positioning System (GPS) and very high frequency (VHF) radio marking techniques and found no evidence that the heavier GPS radios limited movement. Furthermore, we examined the capacity of the sage-grouse core regions concept to capture seasonal locations. As expected, we found the core regions approach, which was developed based on lek data, was generally better at capturing the nesting locations than summer or winter locations. However, across Wyoming the sage-grouse breeding core regions still contained a relatively high percentage of summer and winter locations and seem to be a reasonable surrogate for non-breeding habitat when no other information exists. We suggest that conservation efforts for greater sage-grouse implicitly incorporate seasonal habitat needs because of high variation in the amount of overlap among breeding core regions and non-breeding habitat. (C) 2012 The Wildlife Society. AuthorsFedy, Bradley C.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Doherty, Kevin E.; O'Donnell, Micheal; Beck, Jeffrey L.; Bedrosian, Bryan; Holloran, Matthew J.; Johnson, Gregory D.; Kaczor, Nicholas W.; Kirol, Christopher P.; Mandich, Cheryl A.; Marshall, David; McKee, Gwyn; Olson, Chad; Swanson, Christopher C.; Walker, Brett L. Year Published2012 PublicationJournal of Wildlife Management LocationsDOI10.1002/jwmg.337 |
