Dakota skipper (Hesperia dacotae) in Saskatchewan

Hooper, Ronald R.

doi:10.29173/bluejay5697

Cited by 4 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…The study region ( Fig. 1) was an approximately 17,000 km 2 area selected based on historically recorded adult Dakota skipper observations in southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada (Hooper 2003;Webster 2007;Westwood 2010;Seidle 2018).…”

Section: Study Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extent of Dakota skipper, Hesperia dacotae, distribution in Southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada

et al. 2020

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The Dakota skipper, Hesperia dacotae, (Hesperiidae) is an at-risk Lepidoptera species, limited in Canada to native mesic mixed-grass prairie habitat in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Due to declines in the native mesic mixed-grass prairie the Dakota skipper population is threatened by loss of habitat. Currently, there is little knowledge about Dakota skipper and the availability and distribution of suitable habitat within Saskatchewan. Our objective was to map potential Dakota skipper habitat using a Generalized Linear Model (GLM) based species distribution model with climate, soil, and landscape predictor variables. Potential Dakota skipper habitat was found broadly in the mesic mixed-grass prairie region, however there is only ~217 km 2 of potential habitat (probability of occurrence 0.7-1). Locations with high probability of occurrence had soils with a significantly higher soil ammonium (NH + 4) and silt content than low probability locations. While the Dakota skipper is broadly distributed in native mesic mixed-grass prairie of southeastern Saskatchewan, environmental constraints likely restrict this species to a limited proportion of the intact native prairie. Implications for insect conservation: Mapping landscape-level species distributions will assist in the development of conservation and management plans for the Dakota skipper in southeastern Saskatchewan including targeted surveys for unknown populations in areas of high potential, identification of potential reintroduction sites, and selection of lands for conservation.

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Section: Study Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extent of Dakota skipper, Hesperia dacotae, distribution in Southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada

et al. 2020

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“…During the study period the Dakota skipper was observed at nine randomly selected sites throughout the Souris River Valley, adding to the previously known Saskatchewan populations (Hooper 2003; Webster 2007; Westwood 2010). These results indicate that Dakota skipper populations are more prevalent within the Souris River Valley than initially thought.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Currently, a lack of knowledge exists about the environmental associations of the Dakota skipper in southeastern Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Dakota skipper population was confirmed in 2001 and limited survey data are available (Hooper 2003). Saskatchewan presents a unique opportunity for Dakota skipper conservation as it contains the largest portion of remaining mesic mixed-grass prairie within the species distribution (Bailey et al 2010), where the Dakota skipper population inhabits the extreme northwestern extent of its known distribution (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada 2014), and additional unidentified habitat and populations may exist.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental associations ofHesperia dacotae(Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) in southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada

et al. 2018

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The Dakota skipper, Hesperia dacotae (Skinner, 1911) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), is an at-risk butterfly that inhabits mesic mixed-grass prairie. Loss of native prairie is the main factor driving declines in Dakota skipper abundance. Currently, there is little knowledge on the environmental and habitat requirements of Saskatchewan, Canada populations. Our objective was to determine environmental associations of Dakota skipper in Saskatchewan through landscape, vegetation, soil, climate, microclimate, and Hesperiidae butterfly occupancy. Data collection was conducted in 2015 and 2016; a total of 46 sites were surveyed; nine of these were Dakota skipper positive (i.e., present) sites and 37 were negative (i.e., non-detected) sites. Results indicate that plant composition is not a significant predictor of Dakota skipper presence, but three plant species are significantly associated with the species; Pediomelum argophyllum (Pursh) Grimes (Fabaceae), Zizia aptera (Gray) Fernald (Apiaceae), and Schizachyrium scoparium (Michaux) Nash (Poaceae). No soil or climate variables were significant predictors of Dakota skipper presence; however it is significantly associated with steep slopes. Warmer maximum and average ground-level temperatures are also associated with Dakota skipper presence. Findings indicate that additional Dakota skipper populations are likely in Saskatchewan and future targeted surveys will allow for a full evaluation of the distribution of this species and conservation status.

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“…The Dakota skipper, Hesperia dacotae (Skinner 1911) [Hesperiidae, Lepidoptera] is a small prairie obligate butterfly which prefers anthropogenically undisturbed habitat with diverse native flora (Royer and Marrone 1992;Swengel and Swengel 1999). It occurs in Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and is extirpated from Illinois and Ohio.…”

Section: List Of Appendices Chapter 1: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing Two Species Distribution Models Using Satellite Only and Ready-Made Environmental Variables for the Dakota Skipper (Hesperia dacotae), Interlake Region of Manitoba, Canada

Murray

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The Dakota skipper, Hesperia dacotae (Skinner, 1911) [Hesperiidae, Lepidopterida] is a rare prairie obligate butterfly with an affinity for anthropogenically undisturbed, grassland habitat with diverse native flora. Persistent threats include habitat fragmentation, destruction, and degradation. These and other threats have caused precipitous population declines and local extirpation across its range. Consequentially, the Dakota skipper is currently listed as Endangered in Canada and Threatened in the United States, and the province of Manitoba. Species distribution models (SDM) are a well-known technique which attempt to predict a species distribution on a landscape. These predictions can then be used to inform conservation actions such as guiding survey effort, land acquisitions, and reintroductions. The objectives of this project were to: 1) Compare Dakota skipper models using freely available high resolution remotely sensed products to those using more traditional environmental predictors. 2) Field validate both models to identify the most accurate model using efficient and economical methods. 3) Address issues of modelling rare species to produce a robust SDM for the Dakota skipper in Manitoba. I found that SDMs built from environmental variables generated from satellite imagery performed comparably to one produced from readily available geospatial information. I also found that field validation was more accurate for evaluating SDMs than purely statistical methods. I also produced usable SDMs for the Dakota skipper in the Interlake. Implications from this study are that the advantages of satellite imagery can be leveraged to create useable SDMs to guide conservation actions. This study also further supports the need to field validate an SDM over relying on model statistical output which can be misleading.

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Dakota skipper (Hesperia dacotae) in Saskatchewan

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Extent of Dakota skipper, Hesperia dacotae, distribution in Southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada

Extent of Dakota skipper, Hesperia dacotae, distribution in Southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada

Environmental associations ofHesperia dacotae(Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) in southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada

Comparing Two Species Distribution Models Using Satellite Only and Ready-Made Environmental Variables for the Dakota Skipper (Hesperia dacotae), Interlake Region of Manitoba, Canada

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