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Wild Ruminants Variably Possess a Rumen Microbial Metabolism that Degrades the Toxic Alkaloid Methyllycaconitine
No full textTall Larkspur (Delphinium spp.) grows abundantly in the North-western United States, where it presents a serious toxicity danger to rangeland cattle. Consumption of the toxic alkaloid, methyllycaconitine (MLA) found in Tall Larkspur causes an estimated loss of 5-15% of rangeland cattle annually. While detrimental to the agriculture community, cattle mortality due to larkspur poisoning is also of concern for wildlife and land managers, as livestock carcasses attract predatory animals to public lands creating unsafe conditions for recreationists. Due to the wide distribution of Larkspur, wild ruminants in the western US must also be exposed to larkspur while foraging, however, there is no evidence to suggest these species are affected by their toxic alkaloids suggesting they may be less sensitive to MLA. We hypothesized that wild ruminants possess a gut microbial metabolism capable of degrading MLA. Foregut samples were collected from each of Montana’s wild ruminant species by volunteer hunters and assayed for total alkaloid- and MLA-degradation activities over 48 hours in in vitro incubations. Separate incubations were performed to assess the relative influence of gut bacterial, fungal, and abiotic activities. Prior to and following incubations total alkaloid was extracted and measured spectrophotometrically and MLA was measured by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (HPLC), respectively. Preliminary analysis has demonstrated alkaloid degradation occurs in the majority of wild ruminant species at varying levels. Based on these findings, we believe wild ruminant species may provide novel microbial metabolisms that may be developed to benefit both the livestock industry and minimize human:carnivore conflicts on overlapping public lands
The Bitterroot Valley Winter Eagle Project (Poster)
No full textGolden and Bald Eagles commonly scavenge on carrion while overwintering in Montana. This behavior may expose them to conflict with other scavengers, including other eagles. The availability of carrion is generally ephemeral, suggesting overwintering eagles must possess behavioral adaptations to successfully find food and potentially compete with other scavengers. We documented the occurrence and behavior of marked eagles at camera traps set on roadkill deer on private lands in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana. Our re-sightings included over 25 eagles individually identifiable by wing tag, colored and numbered leg band, or satellite transmitter. We also had re-sightings of at least 10 eagles with metal USGS leg bands, allowing us to look at visitation length and behavior without individual identification. With few exceptions, most eagles visited a carcass just one day and over half of these eagles fed on the carcass once that day. The length of time a Bald Eagle feeds at the carcass increases with the number of other Bald Eagles present and reduces when Golden Eagles are present. Golden Eagles have more consistent feeding lengths regardless of the other eagles present. We also compared eagle re-sightings to movement data from eagles with transmitters to investigate whether or not persistent food availability influences the movements or behavior of Bald or Golden Eagles. Our results suggest that even with a consistent food resource, eagles generally feed then move on. This behavior may result from an adaptation to ephemeral winter food resources
Using Ecological Site Condition to Evaluate Habitat Selection by Sharp- Tailed Grouse Broods
No full textBrood survival, an important vital rate affecting population viability of sharp-tailed grouse, is largely determined by the selection of brood-rearing habitats by females. The abundance and quality of brood-rearing habitat is often influenced by land management decisions. Thus, improper rangeland management may lead to habitat degradation and impair sharp-tailed grouse populations. Many rangeland management decisions affecting brood habitats (e.g., livestock grazing, prescribed burning) are based on the type and condition of ecological sites in rangelands. However, associations between brood habitat use and ecological site condition have not been evaluated. We examined habitat selection of brood-rearing females in eastern Montana using radio-marked hens. We stratified our field sampling based on pre-existing ecological site maps prepared by the USDA-NRCS. We assessed the condition of each ecological site polygon by comparing the current plant community composition to the historic climax plant community composition (i.e., similarity index) across our study area. We then evaluated selection ratios of radio-marked brood hens in relation to ecological sites and their similarity index. We found that when selecting a home range, the interaction between ecological site type and similarity index was important. When selecting habitat within their home ranges, females selected for sites with a lower similarity index. We found little evidence that ecological site type was a driver of habitat selection once females had selected a home range. Our results provide useful information on brood habitat selection relative to habitat assessment frameworks used by rangeland managers and have implications for the management of sharp-tailed grouse brood habitats
Bird Community Responses to Habitat Manipulations
No full textHabitat treatments such as prescribed burning and mechanical thinning are commonly conducted across the United States for many reasons including reducing fuel loads, increasing habitat quality for wildlife, and modifying forest structural diversity. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has implemented numerous habitat treatments in the Western US to increase habitat quality for elk and other species. Understanding how habitat treatments impact bird communities is important in conserving their habitat and preserving ecosystem services and recreational opportunities that they provide. The objectives of this study are to 1) determine how prescribed burning and mechanical thinning impact occupancy and species richness of birds and 2) determine how these impacts change over time since treatment and in different landscape contexts. To determine these impacts, we sampled the bird community at paired treated-control sites across eastern Oregon, northern Idaho, and western Montana. We sampled sites 1-30 years post treatment. We visited sites three times between May and August, 2018-2019. We conducted point counts and sampled forest and vegetation characteristics along randomly located points within all site pairs. We measured treatment effects on bird communities using changes in occupancy of our focal species (Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana), Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis), Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli), and Woodpeckers), and species richness. Our results indicate that there is no significant treatment effect on species richness or occupancy of our focal species
Drivers of Elk Aggregation on The National Elk Refuge, Wy
No full textIn North America, diseases in ungulates have elicited increased attention due to direct impact on populations and indirect effects on outdoor recreational industries. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been found in 21 US states and 2 Canadian provinces over the last 40 years and is rapidly spreading in Montana. Degree of sociality and aggregation can drive disease spread and transmission. In Wyoming, supplemental feeding of elk during winter occurs on 22 feedgrounds, including the National Elk Refuge (NER), and concern that feeding increases elk aggregation and thus disease spread has been rising. However, the comparison of feeding to other factors, including abiotic drivers of aggregation, such as snow levels has been underexplored. The winter of 2017-2018 had relatively high forage and little snow, which led to a rare non-feeding year on the NER, providing a unique opportunity to evaluate the role of feeding in aggregation relative to other conditions. We examined data from 2016 to 2019 for 68 elk fitted with GPS collars resulting in 223,526 elk relocations. We used a proximity index to assess daily joint space use of elk and modeled proximity using beta regression as a function of 13 variables including abiotic weather-related effects, biotic effects such as supplemental feeding and hunting pressure, and aggregation from the prior day. This approach may be useful for assessing management implemented with the intent of reducing aggregation. Mean daily elk aggregation was 1.7 times larger during winters with feeding but was also strongly regulated by snow cover and hunting pressure
Help Wanted:Volunteer Observers Needed for Mountain Grouse Population Study (Poster)
No full textMontana State University in conjunction with Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks is developing a population monitoring program for mountain grouse. Species of interest include dusky and ruffed grouse, which are found in montane conifer forests throughout western Montana. Males of both species engage in courtship displays during spring that increase the probability of detecting an individual. Dusky grouse produce a hooting noise that can be heard within 50-100 meters and ruffed grouse produce a drumming noise that is audible up to 200 meters. We are looking for volunteers interested in assisting with surveys during the sampling period. Surveys will occur between 25 April-25 May during early morning hours. Survey methods may include point counts and walking transect routes that occur along forest service roads or trails. Point counts will consist of going to multiple locations (5) along a survey route and recording all grouse detections within a 4 minute time period. If interested in spending a few mornings this spring hiking and looking or listening for mountain grouse, please let us know
Microbiome Analysis Enables Future Non-Invasive Wildlife Monitoring of Rocky Mountain Elk Populations
No full textRocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis) seasonal migration, body-condition and sex ratios are important parameters for characterizing populations at high risk of disease or population decline but, so far, have been outside the scope of currently available non-invasive methods. Fecal microbiomes can be surveyed non-invasively and model systems indicate that microbiome compositional differences are associated with changes in diet, stress, disease and physical condition of the host. With this in mind, we set out to examine the host-microbiome connection in scat samples from 4 populations of elk in western Montana. The elk sampled, varied geographically (i.e. by population/herd), by body condition and by sex. We built a supervised-machine learning classifier on bacterial taxa with cross validation (CV) to predict each fecal microbiome’s affiliation to known host categories. The microbiome classifier predicted host population, sex, and body-condition measurements with promising CV results for each classifier. The fecal microbiome classifier developed here may be useful for detecting the sex and relative body condition of elk from other populations or tracking variations within the sampled populations across years. Monitoring wildlife fecal microbiomes would represent a breakthrough for non-invasive conservation biology, and we provide proof of concept for obtaining low cost, fine scale, management-relevant information from scat samples that can be expanded to non-invasive applications and other animal species in the future. Future efforts may also explore training new classifiers to detect wildlife diseases such as Brucella, Anthrax, Tuberculosis or Chronic Wasting Disease that may also be associated with microbiome composition
The Flathead River to Lake Initiative - Diverse Partners Effectively Collaborating to Save a River Corridor
No full textTwenty years ago, agencies, NGOs, tribes, and landowners came together to protect the natural heritage of Flathead River and Lake: excellent water quality, abundant fish and wildlife and their habitat, outstanding scenic and recreation values, and prime farmland. In the early 2000s, the Flathead Valley was experiencing rapid growth and development. Farms throughout the valley, but especially along the river and lake, were being sold and subdivided threatening this important natural heritage. Using the power of partnerships and leveraging multiple funding sources, the River to Lake Initiative has successfully knitted together a patchwork of relatively small private ownerships into an ecologically functional unit. Landscape-scale habitat protection is often the focus of conservation efforts, but small-scale, focused conservation can also play a critical role preventing wildlife conflicts and providing for movement corridors. This presentation highlights how long-term, collaborative partnerships can achieve meaningful conservation and are essential to weathering the ups and downs inherent in any conservation effort
Caragana Establishment, Survival and Regeneration in the Black Hills, South Dakota
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to determine the adaptability and potential wildlife value of Caragana also known as Siberian peashrub for establishment, survival, growth, regeneration, and nutritional qualities. This study was initiated in 1968 in the Black Hills, South Dakota on the McVey Burn (1939), within an open stand of a ponderosa pine forest. Bare rootstock was planted in 1968, and after 35 years survival was 74 percent. Average height was 3 m (10 feet) and plants did regenerate by seed bt did not expand into adjacent habitat. Ideal growing condition evaluated at 35 years, was in a closed tree canopy with 35 percent overstory and basal area 17.7 m2/ha (77 ft2/ acre). Open growing conditions was had exposed areas, canopy cover 17 percent and basal area 5.4 m2/ha (24 ft2/acre). Tree overstory cover on North facing slopes was approximately 2 times greater than on more open south facing slopes. Caragana has not shown signs of spreading from original planting sites. A model developed for habitat assignment defining Closed and Open tree overstory cover for growth, regeneration, and establishment for future sites was 90 percent accurate. Utilization of Caragana by deer based on volume (length x width x height) was 77 percent, 12 years after establishment, with greatest use on south facing slopes. Nutritional qualities of Caragana are generally greater than native shrubs for winter use, with only phosphorous being marginal. The adaptability of Caragana and its qualities makes this browse species suitable for white-tailed deer use for winters. Plantations of Caragana in key wintering areas for white-tailed deer on south facing slopes with Open tree overstory cover and low basal area is recommended for restoration on over browsed ranges
CRP and FWP - The Past, Present and Future of FWP Collaboration with the Conservation Reserve Program
No full textThe Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is the largest private farmland conservation program in the US, with over 22 million acres currently enrolled nationwide and about $1.8 billion spent in annual rental payments. Since the program’s inception in 1985 the positive impacts of CRP on many wildlife species have been documented in Montana and across the country. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has partnered with CRP since 1990 by providing additional cost-share and lease programs specifically for private landowners enrolled in CRP, with the goal of increasing landowner participation and the resulting wildlife benefits of the program. However, over the last 30 years changing rules and implementation of both CRP and FWP programs have led to varying landowner enrollment and fewer benefits to wildlife over time. Discussion of the challenges and successes of both CRP and FWP programs in Montana may provide insight into improving future FWP programs to help keep CRP providing strong positive impacts on Montana’s wildlife and private landowners