Estimating response distances of lesser prairie‐chickens to anthropogenic features during long‐distance movements

Peterson, Jacob M.; Earl, Julia E.; Fuhlendorf, Samuel D.; Elmore, R. Dwayne; Haukos, David A.; Tanner, Ashley M.; Carleton, Scott A.

doi:10.1002/ecs2.3202

Cited by 7 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 52 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Likewise, the review 10 reported a low effect of displacement from powerlines and outbuildings, yet we found that outbuildings, especially, had among the highest avoidance thresholds at our two study sites. Our results correspond better to those of two subsequent studies focused on the Lesser Prairie-Chicken 29 , 30 , which reported strong avoidance of tall features such as powerlines and wind turbines; e.g., “[d]istance to powerline [was] the single most consistent variable negatively affecting nest placement,” and oil wells had no effect on placement of home ranges or nests 29 . We found that grouse avoided oil wells, as did one study 29 when data were pooled, and both that study and ours found that avoidance of oil wells was of a smaller magnitude (i.e., shorter distance) than avoidance of other features.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…The nature of avoidance exacerbates its study because observed absence of use must be relied upon as an indication of putative avoidance behavior; hence, we analyzed binned data of habitat use to elucidate feature avoidance. In doing so, we add to evidence that the Lesser Prairie-Chicken avoids various man-made features 9 , 28 – 30 , but our analyses go further because they provide estimates of avoidance distances. A quantified animal behavior such as avoidance distance can inform conservation planning, concerns about transferability among sites and species notwithstanding 31 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Forging a Bayesian link between habitat selection and avoidance behavior in a grassland grouse

Patten

Barnard

Curry

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Habitat selection is a basic aspect of the ecology of many species, yet often the term is conflated or confused with both habitat preference and habitat use. We argue that each term fits within a conceptual framework that can be viewed in Bayesian terms and demonstrate, using long-term data on occupancy patterns of a grassland grouse, how prior probability profiles can be estimated. We obtained estimates by specifically focusing on whether and to what extent the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) avoids anthropogenic features such as roads, powerlines, petroleum wells, fences, and buildings, in two study areas, one with denser and one with sparser incidence of features. Grouse strongly avoided large features such as outbuildings and tended to avoid tall features such as powerlines; by contrast, grouse did not or only slightly avoided low, unobtrusive features such as fences. We further examined co-location of pairs of anthropogenic features and found that certain features were avoided so strongly that avoidance distance may be shorter for other features; that is, birds were “pushed toward” some features because they are “pushed away” from others. In each case, our approach points toward a means to incorporate avoidance behavior directly into analytic studies of habitat selection, in that data on use (the posterior, as it were) could be used to infer the selection process provided data on preference (the prior, as it were) could be obtained.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forging a Bayesian link between habitat selection and avoidance behavior in a grassland grouse

Patten

Barnard

Curry

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Cushman et al (2013) reported that roads negatively affected functional connectivity for the species throughout its range. Peterson et al (2020) reported that long‐distance movements of lesser prairie‐chickens were associated with the presence of hay, pasture, and CRP, whereas all anthropogenic features (large powerlines, wind turbines and their associated ancillary structures, oil wells, and roads) were avoided. Our study examined more detailed and localized relationships than did these studies and the presence of wind turbines constrained connectivity, whereas CRP facilitated connectivity; our findings support previous telemetry studies on the species from other ecoregions in Kansas (Plumb et al 2018, Sullins et al 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Natal dispersal for males is generally <3 km from the lek of capture, whereas females disperse 2–25 km (Copelin 1963, Pitman et al 2006). We compiled landscape data identified as important to the habitat relationships (from the Lesser Prairie‐Chicken Interstate Working Group Range‐Wide Management Plan [RWP]; Van Pelt et al 2013) and long‐distance movements of lesser prairie‐chickens (Peterson et al 2020) from numerous sources.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural and functional landscape connectivity for lesser prairie‐chickens in the Sand Shinnery Oak Prairie Ecoregion

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is a species of conservation concern on the Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico, USA. Because fragmentation and isolation have increased since pre-settlement, dispersal through this heterogeneous landscape may be constrained, with serious implications for conservation and management of this species. Our objectives were to quantify landscape connectivity for lesser prairie-chickens within a patch network of potentially isolated leks (breeding display grounds), and examine effects of land use change on modeled lesser prairiechicken movements through the landscape. We used graph theory to quantify structural landscape connectivity and circuit theory to quantify functional landscape connectivity for lesser prairie-chickens in the Sand Shinnery Oak Prairie Ecoregion of the Southern High Plains. There was a high degree of clustering among leks (n = 1,023 leks), with a 41.9-km coalescence distance of the network. We identified 3 leks as cutpoints within the network, meaning if the habitat patches containing these leks were fragmented, the remaining leks would become isolated from each other. We also identified several leks that were important for maintaining overall population connectivity for lesser prairie-chickens on the Southern High Plains. Conservation Reserve Program land was important for maintaining connectivity among leks to the north and west of the main lek

show abstract

“…It is also consistent with studies of how prairie grouse respond to other forms of infrastructure. For example, although roads, powerlines, and oil and gas development may have negative effects on survival and habitat use of prairie grouse (Hagen 2010, Hovick et al 2014, Peterson et al 2020), the magnitude of these effects and distance at which they are detectable is highly variable among species and locations (see also Northrup and Wittemyer 2013, Gregory and Beck 2014, Manier et al 2014). Variation among studies in how prairie grouse respond to infrastructure implies a significant degree of context‐dependency, wherein the effects of any particular disturbance will depend on a host of idiosyncratic biotic and abiotic factors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prairie grouse and wind energy: The state of the science and implications for risk assessment

Lloyd

Aldridge

Allison

et al. 2022

Wildlife Society Bulletin

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

How to shape the anticipated build-out of industrial-scale renewable energy in a way that minimizes risk to wildlife remains contentious. The challenge of balancing wildlife conservation and decarbonization of the electricity sector is well illustrated in the grasslands and shrub-steppe of North America. Here, several endemic species of grouse are the focus of intensive, long-term conservation action by a host of governmental and nongovernmental entities, many of whom are now asking whether anticipated increases in the number of wind-energy facilities will exacerbate declines or prevent recovery of these species. To address this question, we synthesized the potential consequences of wind-energy development on prairie grouse. Published literature on behavior or demography of prairie grouse at wind-energy facilities is sparse, with studies having been conducted at only 5 different facilities in the United States. Only 2 of these studies met the standard for robust impact analysis by collecting preconstruction data and using control sites or gradient designs.Only one species, greater prairie chicken, had published results available for >1 facility. Most (10/12) studies also drew conclusions based on short (<4 years) periods of study, which is potentially problematic when studying highly philopatric species. Given these caveats, we found that, in the short-term, adult survival and nest success appear largely unaffected in

show abstract

Estimating response distances of lesser prairie‐chickens to anthropogenic features during long‐distance movements

Abstract: Estimating response distances of lesser prairie-chickens to anthropogenic features during long-distance movements.

Cited by 7 publications

References 52 publications

Forging a Bayesian link between habitat selection and avoidance behavior in a grassland grouse

Forging a Bayesian link between habitat selection and avoidance behavior in a grassland grouse

Structural and functional landscape connectivity for lesser prairie‐chickens in the Sand Shinnery Oak Prairie Ecoregion

Prairie grouse and wind energy: The state of the science and implications for risk assessment

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About