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Application of a Novel Nest Density Estimator: An Example Using Sagebrush-Steppe Songbirds
No full textStudies show nest density is an important demographic rate for shorter-lived species, such as sagebrush-steppe songbirds. A recent analytical approach, temporal nest density estimator (TNDE), was developed to estimate the nest density of waterfowl species using data routinely collected to assess nest success while accounting for detection and availability of nests. To understand the general applicability of TNDE to species in other avian orders, we evaluated the performance of TNDE on a songbird species, Brewer’s sparrow (Spizella breweri). We assessed the TNDE by comparing estimates of nest detection rate and nest density from TNDE to distance sampling methods for 43 Brewer’s sparrow nests monitored in 2015. The TNDE method produced similar but more precise nest detection and density estimates than the distance sampling method. Now that TNDE has been validated, we plan on converting it to a Bayesian framework and using it in conjunction with fine resolution remote sensing data to determine nest-site selection for three sagebrush-steppe songbirds: Brewer’s sparrows, McCown’s longspurs (Rhynchophanes mccownii), and vesper sparrows (Pooecetes gramineus). These three species are representative of sagebrush specialists, grassland specialists, and generalists that use both, respectively. This study will allow us to explore the capability of TNDE and remote sensing data to assist in habitat selection studies. These methods may allow more accurate nest density estimates on broader scales with less effort, which will aid in identifying priority areas for conservation and management
Effects of Flushing on Sharp-Tailed Grouse Nest Survival (Poster)
No full textIntensive demographic studies of prairie grouse provide valuable information to guide management recommendations. However, field techniques are frequently invasive, often necessitating concentrated capture efforts and frequent flushing of females from nests, which could potentially bias estimates of nest survival by altering either bird or predator behavior. Researcher-induced biases in vital rate estimation has serious implications when those estimates are used to inform management. As part of a larger study on the effects of grazing management on sharp-tailed grouse, we monitored 102 radio-marked females in eastern Montana for two years to better understand the effects of flushing on nest survival. A randomly selected subset of radio-marked females were flushed from nests 1-2 times by researchers using standard protocols for game bird nesting studies, while the remainder were never flushed during the nesting season. Daily nest survival was significantly reduced for birds that were flushed from the nest, but the effect was mediated by the amount of precipitation received during the nesting period. A significant negative effect was only observed during periods with little precipitation, with reduced nest survival due almost entirely to predation rather than nest abandonment. Overall, our results suggest that research activities can introduce bias into demographic estimates, but that the effect depends on weather conditions
Habitat and Land-Use Effects on Scavenging Rates and Potential Brucellosis Transmission in Southwest Montana (Poster)
No full textBrucellosis, a bacterial disease caused by Brucella abortus, is a major concern in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem due to potential transmission from elk (Cervus elaphus) to livestock. B. abortus can lead to abortion in infected animals and is primarily transmitted between elk and livestock when individuals contact infected abortion materials. Therefore, the risk of transmission may be a function of how long abortion materials remain on the landscape. Previous studies suggest the rate of fetus removal by scavengers may vary spatially and that scavengers may play a vital role in the persistence of B. abortus on the landscape and the dynamics of brucellosis transmission. To investigate fetus removal in southwest Montana, we placed bovine fetuses and placentas at 266 sites within suitable elk habitat during the brucellosis transmission risk period from February-June 2017 and 2018. We used remote cameras to quantify the scavenging rate of abortion material, as well as the community of scavengers that participate in fetus removal. Preliminary estimates suggest abortion materials were scavenged at an average of 84 hours (± 8.5 SE) across all habitat types. When comparing habitat types, fetuses were removed quicker in grasslands (55 hours ± 8.2 SE) than in sagebrush steppe (102 hours ± 17.0 SE) and forest (102 hours ± 7.4 SE). Abortion materials were consumed by a variety of scavengers including magpies, ravens, red-tailed hawks, eagles, turkey vultures, skunks, foxes, coyotes, wolves, mountain lions, and black bears. This research will help identify management options aimed at decreasing the risk of brucellosis transmission from elk to livestock in Montana
Identification of Alternate Bat Hibernacula Outside of Caves and Mines in Eastern Montana
No full textPseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus responsible for White-nose Syndrome (WNS) and millions of bat deaths in North America, was recently detected in Wyoming and South Dakota near the eastern Montana border. Given the nature of the fungus to thrive in cold and humid environments, bats are most vulnerable to infection in their winter hibernacula. Outside of caves and mines, we have limited knowledge of bat hibernacula in Montana. However, from long-term statewide acoustic monitoring stations we know that some bats are wintering in locations where cave and mine features are limited. In anticipation of WNS and its potential impacts, we were interested in identifying hibernacula and associated characteristics. In October 2018, we attempted to capture and transmitter bats to identify alternate roosts in eastern Montana. We targeted 4 sites, captured 12 bats, placed transmitters on 10, and successfully identified 9 different roost sites. We will characterize microsite (i.e. temperature, humidity, etc.) and macrosite (i.e. roost structure, nearby water, etc.) features of each roost and assess bat use through winter by placing acoustic detectors near roost sites. Although our results are limited, this is the first documentation of alternate winter hibernacula in eastern Montana. Information on specific hibernacula and associated habitats will help inform bat conservation activities. Additionally, findings will assist in site selection for future WNS surveillance efforts and continued efforts will facilitate future exploration of how hibernacula type influences WNS spread and impacts
Invasive and Pest Species Information at the Montana Natural Heritage Program (Poster)
No full textThe Montana Natural Heritage Program (MTNHP) has centralized information on Montana's native species and habitats since its inception in 1985. In October of 2017, MTNHP started managing information on Aquatic Invasive Species, Noxious Weeds, Forest Pests, Agricultural Pests, other non-native species, and biocontrol species that have been introduced to control invasives. The MTNHP now manages information on over 500,000 observations of more than 700 invasive and pest species and over 50,000 structured survey locations for invasive and pest species and makes that information available on its websites. This presentation will provide an overview of how biologists and resource managers can access information on surveys, observations, predicted habitat suitability models, and descriptive field guide information for invasive and pest species and native species on the MTNHP's Montana Field Guide, Species Snapshot, and Map Viewer websites
Recruitment of Gray Wolves in Montana
No full textRecruitment is an important vital rate driving population growth of large mammals. Although large mammals are thought to be regulated by extrinsic factors, cooperative breeding may result in intrinsic factors driving population dynamics, specifically recruitment. The majority of studies evaluating the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on recruitment have not been conducted in a social species that cooperatively breeds, and those that have did not explicitly account for the effects of social structure. We evaluated how intrinsic and extrinsic factors affected variation in recruitment for gray wolves in Montana using an integrated population model. We hypothesized that variation in recruitment was driven by intrinsic factors such as pack size or population size. Alternatively, we hypothesized that extrinsic factors drive variation in recruitment and predicted that winter severity, forest cover, road density, or harvest would explain the most variation in recruitment. We found that the main driver of recruitment in wolves was primarily intrinsic factors, specifically pack size. Mean number of pups recruited per pack appeared to vary little over time despite changes in management practices and decreased survival of yearling and adults following harvest implementation. Although recruitment does not appear to compensate for changes in survival, the population has remained relatively stable, suggesting that current harvest rates are sustainable. Recruitment in a large bodied, cooperatively breeding species appears to be driven primarily by intrinsic factors
The Relationship Between Deuterium Excess and Uranium Groundwater Concentrations in Whitehall, Montana
No full textUranium can become elevated in the environment and pose a human health risk to water resources. Therefore, it is important to understand the origin, transport and concentration of uranium in the environment. With this study we propose that deuterium (δ(_1^2)H) excess may be a viable way to understand uranium groundwater contamination that is mainly derived from the surface. We collected 23 water samples and compiled data from a study done by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) within the area of Whitehall, MT. With a linear regression we show that there is a significant relationship between deuterium excess and uranium water concentrations for our data (t_19= -3.015,p=0.0071,R^2=0.32). We also showed that there is a significant linear relationship between uranium water concentrations and nitrate water concentrations for our data (t_19= 2.573,p=0.0192,R^2=0.27). In addition we showed that there is a significant linear relationship between calcium carbonate and uranium groundwater concentrations for the compiled USGS data (t_66= 6.295,p=2.846e^(-8),R^2=0.38). The results of a Wilcoxon rank sum test showed that wells close to ponds have a significantly higher median uranium concentration for our data added to the USGS data (WRS_8,12,W=111.5,p=0.033778). With this relationship we may infer that an influx of uranium into the aquifer originates at the surface most likely from the Boulder Batholith. These results are also consistent with a model that involves insoluble uranium being transported in suspension and settling out in ponds where an influx of nitrates and/or carbonates react to produce higher concentrations of water-soluble forms of uranium. We suggest that the relationship found between uranium concentration and deuterium excess in water samples may be related to the higher rates of evaporation in ponds. Thus, in this specific hydrologic environment of valley ponds close to the Boulder Batholith source, deuterium excess may serve to help predict levels of uranium concentration
Precipitation and Reproductive Effort Alter Survival of Turkey Hens in the Northern Black Hills, SD
No full textTradeoffs between survival and reproduction are predicted by life history theory. Understanding how reproductive tradeoffs act in concert with abiotic elements to impact survival is crucial for effective management and conservation of wildlife populations, particularly for at-risk or harvested species. During 2016 - 2018, we radio-tracked and collected survival data on 140 Merriam’s wild turkey (M. g. merriami) hens in the northern Black Hills, South Dakota. We evaluated associations between hen survival and nest incubation, brood rearing, and precipitation. Consistent with life-history theory and the moisture-facilitated nest-depredation hypothesis, increased time spent incubating and daily precipitation amount were associated with reduced hen survival, but the magnitude of the precipitation association depended on incubation status. Seasonal survival was lowest during spring and winter, highest during summer, and intermediate during fall. A hen that did not incubate a nest was predicted to have a higher rate of annual survival (0.54, 95% CI = 0.46 - 0.61) than a hen that incubated a single nest (0.44, 95% CI = 0.33- 0.55); this prediction is based on precipitation data collected in 2017 and assumes the hen began incubation on the median date. We estimated that annual survival for both nesting and non-nesting hens was lower in the northern Black Hills compared to previous estimates from the southern Black Hills. Management options to improve hen survival are limited, but we recommend actions that would reduce hunter-induced hen mortality of this important game species in the northern Black Hills
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Proposal to Delist the Canada Lynx
No full textIn 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the contiguous U.S. distinct population segment (DPS) of the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) because of the inadequacy, at that time, of regulatory mechanisms in federal management plans. Since then, federal agencies have formally amended most management plans in the DPS’s range to adopt science based conservation measures for lynx or continued to implement conservation agreements in collaboration with the Service. State and Tribal agencies have also worked to conserve lynx populations and important habitats. Research and monitoring conducted since the DPS was listed suggest that resident lynx are naturally rarer and populations smaller in much of the west than previously thought, but they are more abundant in Minnesota and Maine. The 1999-2006 release of lynx into southwestern Colorado has established a resident population there. The Service recently completed a peer reviewed species status assessment (SSA) for the DPS that evaluated the available scientific information and incorporated the opinions of recognized lynx experts to assess the status and viability of DPS populations. Although the threat for which the DPS was listed has been addressed by improved regulatory mechanisms, the SSA recognized that continued climate warming is likely to reduce lynx populations and distribution in the Lower 48 over the long term. However, the Service concluded that the DPS is not at risk of extirpation in the reasonably foreseeable future and is therefore proposing to delist the DPS
Evolving and Unchanged: How a Series of Workshops at an Academic Library Reflects Its Roles and Values
No full textThe author presents a reflective examination on a workshop series covering a statistical data analysis tool