Assessment of Lesser Prairie-chicken Translocation Through Survival, Space Use, and Resource Selection

Assessment of Lesser Prairie-chicken Translocation Through Survival, Space Use, and Resource Selection
Author: Elisabeth Caroline Teige
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2021
Genre:
ISBN:

Translocation is defined as the deliberate movement of organisms from one site to another where the main objective is a conservation benefit. Translocations are used frequently as a management tool to restore or augment wildlife populations but generally have varying degrees of success. The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is found in the southwestern Great Plains of the United States and currently occurs in four distinct ecoregions (Short-Grass Prairie/CRP Mosaic, Mixed-Grass Prairie, Sand Sagebrush Prairie, and Sand Shinnery Oak Prairie) across five states (Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico, USA). Recent estimates suggest the lesser prairie-chicken currently occupies only 15% of their estimated historical range. Within the current occupied range, lesser prairie-chicken populations have been experiencing moderate to severe population declines. Since a contemporary peak of an estimated 150,000 birds in the mid-1980s, lesser prairie-chicken populations have declined to an estimated abundance of 34,408 in 2020. The largest contemporary decline in population abundance and occupied range is occurring in the Sand Sagebrush Prairie Ecoregion. Historically, the Sand Sagebrush Prairie Ecoregion was the epicenter of the lesser prairie-chicken population despite a large area of vegetation in the ecoregion being decimated during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. In 2020, only 171 birds were estimated for the ecoregion. In response to the extreme population decline and elevated extinction risk for the lesser prairie-chicken population in the Sand Sagebrush Prairie Ecoregion, myself, along with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and U.S. Forest Service translocated lesser prairie-chickens from the Short-Grass Prairie/CRP Mosaic Ecoregion in northwest Kansas, where lesser prairie-chickens are currently most abundant, to release sites in sand sagebrush prairie landscapes on the U.S. Forest Service, Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands in southwestern Kansas and southeastern Colorado, respectively. I captured, marked, translocated, and monitored 411 lesser prairie chickens during spring 2016-2019 to understand how translocation affects demographic rates, space use, and habitat selection for assessing translocation as a conservation tool for this declining prairie-grouse. My objectives were to estimate lek counts, nest success, reproductive success, adult survival, home range establishment and land cover composition, and selection of habitat vegetation characteristics at local and broad scales to assess lesser prairie-chickens response to translocation in a novel landscape. Within two weeks of release, 22.8% of birds either died or were never located. I used known-fate and nest survival models in Program MARK to determine adult survival and nest success of lesser prairie-chickens. I estimated breeding season survival for both males and females to be 0.44 ± 0.02 (SE) and nest success as 0.37 ± 0.04 (SE) but with a declining trend for the entire study period (2017-2020). Overall, vital rates were average to low and male high counts on established lek started to decline in 2021, two years following active translocation. Habitat availability in a novel environment may become an increasing concern as translocated lesser prairie-chickens have consistently larger home ranges than their native counterparts. Home ranges of translocated birds was comprised of greater area of Conservation Reserve Program land than any other cover type on the landscape. Lastly, on a local scale (300 m), I found little selection for vegetation at used locations, but lesser prairie-chickens used thicker and taller cover for nest sites. This vegetation use was expected and conveys the importance of the vegetation structure needed at a translocation release site. My results highlight the importance of land management conservation and its role in the conservation of lesser prairie-chicken populations. The translocation may have some short-term success but current vital rates of lesser prairie chickens may not be enough to overcome inherent limiting factors of the ecoregion for the population to become self-sustaining and the translocation to be deemed a long-term success.

The North American Grouse: Their Biology and Behavior

The North American Grouse: Their Biology and Behavior
Author: Paul Johnsgard
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2016
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1609620879

The ten currently recognized species of grouse in North America have played an important role in America's history, from the famous but ill-fated heath hen, a primary source of meat for the earliest New England immigrants, to the ruffed grouse, currently one of the most abundant and soughtafter upland game birds in more than 40 states and provinces. This book summarizes the ecology, reproductive biology, and social behavior of all ten of the extant North American grouse species. It also describes the current status of grouse populations, some of which are perilously close to extinction. The social behavior of grouse is of special biological interest because among these ten species there is a complete mating system spectrum, from seasonally monogamous pair-bonding to highly promiscuous mating patterns. The latter group illustrates the strong structural and behavioral effects of sexual selection resulting from nonmonogamous mating. These influences reach a peak in the development by some grouse species of engaging in mating "leks," arena-like competitions performed by males while attempting to attract fertile females, and also provide opportunities for females to select optimum mating partners. These sexual competitions also promote strong differences evolving in sexual signaling behaviors ("displays") among closely related species. Nevertheless, a relatively high incidence of mating errors and resulting hybridization often occurs in spite of these marked behavioral differences. In addition to a text of 101,000 words, the book includes 16 range maps, 37 line drawings, and 38 photographs by the author, as well as nearly 1,400 literature citations.

Ecology and Conservation of Lesser Prairie-Chickens

Ecology and Conservation of Lesser Prairie-Chickens
Author: David A. Haukos
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 376
Release: 2016-02-22
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1482240238

Shortlisted for the 2018 TWS Wildlife Publication Awards in the edited book categoryLesser Prairie-Chickens have experienced substantial declines in terms of population and the extent of area that they occupy. While they are an elusive species, making it difficult at times to monitor them, current evidence indicates that they have been persistently

Survival, Resource Selection, and Seasonal Space Use of Conservation Reserve Program and Shinnery Oak Habitat by Lesser Prairie-chickens in Eastern New Mexico

Survival, Resource Selection, and Seasonal Space Use of Conservation Reserve Program and Shinnery Oak Habitat by Lesser Prairie-chickens in Eastern New Mexico
Author: Andrew Meyers
Publisher:
Total Pages: 126
Release: 2016
Genre: Lesser prairie chicken
ISBN:

The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) has seen significant declines in its range and population since the early 1900s. Research in Kansas has shown that Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands are used by lesser prairie-chickens for breeding, nesting, and brood rearing. Lesser prairie-chicken use of CRP grasslands in New Mexico has not been well documented and there is disagreement as to its importance in their life history. In light of this, I set out with the following objectives: 1) estimate breeding season survival and determine cause specific mortality of lesser prairie-chickens, 2) characterize lesser prairie-chicken seasonal space use relative to the distribution of CRP and native shinnery oak habitat, and 3) determine resource selection of vegetation characteristics by lesser prairie-chickens in eastern New Mexico. I captured and radio collared lesser prairie-chickens in the springs of 2014 and 2015 and monitored their movements throughout the breeding and non-breeding seasons. Breeding season male survival was almost double that of females in both years. Lesser prairie-chickens selected shinnery oak habitat in much higher proportion was available for both broad scale and resource selection analyses. My results indicate that in New Mexico: 1) lesser prairie-chicken survival is consistent with other stable populations and 2) shinnery oak habitat is being selected for more than CRP/grassland habitat by lesser prairie-chickens. Further habitat improvement efforts for this species in eastern New Mexico should consider switching focus from CRP and concentrate on conservation of native shinnery oak prairie.

Dispersal, Reproductive Success, and Habitat Use by Translocated Lesser Prairie-chickens

Dispersal, Reproductive Success, and Habitat Use by Translocated Lesser Prairie-chickens
Author: Liam Akerlof Berigan
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2019
Genre:
ISBN:

Lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) populations in the Sand Sagebrush Prairie Ecoregion have reached historic lows in the last decade. Former core areas of the ecoregion, such as the U.S. Forest Service Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands in southwestern Kansas and southeastern Colorado, have reached population densities so low that populations will not be able to recover without a new source of birds. In an attempt to recolonize previously occupied areas in the region, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism translocated 411 lesser prairie-chickens to the National Grasslands between fall 2016 and spring 2019. For a translocation project to be successful, translocated birds need to stay near the release site, find habitat that meets their survival requirements, and successfully reproduce. I assessed the success of the translocation project to determine which of these requirements were met following release to meet the goal of increasing lesser prairie-chicken density on the National Grasslands and define potential obstacles for future translocation projects. I estimated nest success of lesser prairie-chickens translocated to the National Grasslands using Program MARK and determined those factors important in predicting nest success. I found that the number of years that had elapsed since the bird's release was the best predictor of its nesting success in any given year. This fits with existing literature on grouse translocations, which state that translocation effects dissipate in years following release. Unfortunately, only 10.3% of translocated birds survived into the second year to take advantage of the increased nest success rate. My analysis of lesser prairie-chicken movement after release showed extensive dispersal away from the release site, with 99% of birds undergoing a dispersal movement >5 km from the release site. I conducted a behavioral change point analysis on translocated birds as they dispersed to determine where they settled down and how long their dispersal lasted. Birds moved an average of 144 km during their 1-2 month dispersal movement following release. Despite the presence of leks and habitat at the release sites, 69% of released birds settled >5 km from their release site after their movements. These results indicate that dispersal is an innate response to translocation, and release site placement will not be sufficient to minimize the dispersal movement.

Assessing the Ability of Conservation Reserve Program Lands to Provide Habitat for Lesser Prairie-chickens (tympanuchus Pallidicinctus)

Assessing the Ability of Conservation Reserve Program Lands to Provide Habitat for Lesser Prairie-chickens (tympanuchus Pallidicinctus)
Author: Tyrel Shane Woodward
Publisher:
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2014
Genre: Lesser prairie chicken
ISBN:

Habitat loss is the single greatest factor leading to the continued decline of lesser prairie-chicken populations. The overall rage of lesser prairie-chickens has decreased by more than 92% since the 1800's, leading to a 98% overall population loss. The species was recently listed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Much of the habitat degradation can be attributed to habitat loss and fragmentation by anthropogenic activities. Our study utilized rangeland sampling techniques to measure the benefits of habitat provisions within Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands. We employed modified daubenmire method, line intercept method, and Robel pole sampling techniques on 124 transects over 31 fields in southeast Colorado and southwest Kansas. Our data indicated CRP fields within both states fell far short of meeting recommended guidelines for lesser prairie-chicken nesting and brood rearing habitat. When comparing the two states it became apparent that fields within Kansas contained significantly greater communities of bunch grasses, and had greater diversity than those in Colorado. Both states met the minimum percent cover of grass for nesting habitat (>20%). However, only grasses within Kansas (75%) were within the minimum suggested percent of bunch grasses (>65%). When comparing data between counties once again we found that Morton County within Kansas had greater potential than any county sampled within Colorado. Both Mordon (22.31 % ± 1.41, 20,2777 ± 3,578.91 plants/ha) county and Baca (29.76% ± 2.16, 33,750 ± 9815.71 plants/ha) county had increased cover and density of bunch grasses. Morton county boasted the greatest species diversity. In conclusion we found that both forbs and shrubs are greatly under-represented on CRP fields. The differences measured are largely reflective of species composition. We do believe there is still a potential for privately owned lands to offset habitat degradation through CRP. We would encourage that future CRP implementation consider a greater forb presence in seed mixes as well as a thorough investigation into the effectiveness of mid-contract management. Both of these practices may be valuable in increased species diversity, and encouraging the growth of beneficial species which will be of value to local lesser prairie-chicken populations.