Reclamation of Native Tallgrass Prairie at the 1xbet online games login Army Ammunition Plant
Investigators:
Tracey N. 1xbet online games login , M.S. Student
Project Supervisor:
Dr. Brett 1xbet online games login
Funding:
U.S. Department of Defense
Cooperators:
U.S. Department of Defense
Location:
1xbet online games login Army Ammunition Plant, Parsons, KS
Completion:
2006
Status:
Completed
Objectives:
Investigate the potential for changes in traditional livestock management to restore 1xbet online games login grassland and riparian habitat.
Results:
Cattle-grazing is a dominant land use in the United States, with more than 300 million hectares of land grazed each year. The habitat changes facilitated by cattle grazing can influence resource availability and habitat selection for associated wildlife. To investigate the potential for changes in traditional livestock management to restore native grassland and riparian habitat, we evaluated biological community responses to winter-grazing and livestock exclusion at the 1xbet online games login Army Ammunition Plant in southeastern 1xbet online games login . In grassland habitats, we combined winter-grazing by domestic cattle and discontinued fertilization in an attempt to restore pastures dominated by tall fescue to native tallgrass prairie and improve habitat for grassland-breeding birds. We observed a decrease in tall fescue and an increase in native, warm-season grasses in winter-grazed pastures compared to fertilized, year-round grazed pastures. Grassland-breeding bird responses to winter-grazing were species-specific. Dickcissels preferred winter-grazed pastures, while Eastern Meadowlarks and Grasshopper Sparrows tended to prefer year-round grazed pastures. Dickcissels were negatively correlated with the presence of cattle during the breeding season and the abundance of tall fescue. Grasshopper Sparrows were negatively correlated with native, warm-season grass abundance and visual obstruction, but were positively correlated with forb abundance. Henslow's Sparrows and Common Yellowthroats were detected breeding in low numbers on pastures that had been winter-grazed for five years. Our results suggest that winter-grazing and discontinued fertilization of agricultural grasslands can direct semi-natural plant communities toward tallgrass prairie and benefit some grassland-breeding birds.
In riparian habitats, livestock 1xbet online games login excluded from 1996 to 2005. We measured bird community responses in grazed and ungrazed sites using baseline data collected in 1996-97 and post-treatment data collected in 2005-05. Riparian bird community data 1xbet online games login analyzed using robust design mark-recapture models that allowed us to evaluate changes in bird species richness while accounting for differences in detectability among species. We detected increases in species richness in both ungrazed and grazed treatments. We observed few differences in community vital rates between treatments; however, we did detect differences in guild responses. The changes observed within both grazed and ungrazed riparian bird communities 1xbet online games login likely influenced by regional fluctuations in species richness and composition.
Products:
Thesis:
Johnson, T. N. (M.S., 2006; advisor Sandercock) Ecological restoration of tallgrass prairie: grazing management benefits plant and bird communities in upland and riparian habitats. Master's Thesis, Division of Biology, 1xbet online games login State University.
Peer-reviewed Publications:
Johnson, T.N., and B.K. Sandercock. 2010. Restoring tallgrass prairie and grassland bird populations in tall fescue 1xbet online games login with winter grazing. Rangeland Ecology and Management 63:679-688.
Johnson, T.N., R.D. Applegate, D.E. Hoover, P.S. Gipson, and B.K. Sandercock. 2009. Evaluating avian community dynamics in restored 1xbet online games login habitats with mark-recapture models. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 121:22-40.
Johnson, T.N., and B.K. Sandercock. 2005. Winter grazing increases native prairie grasses in fescue-dominated pastures (1xbet online games login ). Ecological Restoration 23:115-116.
