Public lands and private waters: scarce mesic resources structure land tenure and sage‐grouse distributions

Donnelly, John; Naugle, David E.; Hagen, Christian A.; Maestas, Jeremy D.

doi:10.1002/ecs2.1208

Cited by 71 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…A link between mesic resources and sage‐grouse population dynamics was also found by Donnelly et al. (). Despite encompassing only 2.4% of the landscape, mesic sites (wet meadows and riparian areas) influenced sage‐grouse breeding distributions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Fitness landscapes and life‐table response experiments predict the importance of local areas to population dynamics

et al. 2017

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Abstract. Animal resource requirements differ among life-history stages, and thus, habitat is most appropriately thought of as specific to a particular life stage. Accordingly, different habitats may vary in their significance as functions of (1) the sensitivity of population growth to the life stage for which the habitat is most important, (2) spatial association of each habitat to other habitats, and (3) the abundance of the habitat in question. We used an analogy to a life-table response experiment to develop spatial models linking key habitats to rates of population increase in Greater Sage-grouse. We parameterized models linking demographic rates to vegetation and physical attributes of habitats, including spatial association of some habitats to others, using a decade-long study of Greater Sage-grouse in central Nevada. We modeled the contribution of each pixel in the landscape to regional k (finite rate of population increase) using functional relationships between demographic rates and the attributes of that pixel, and the sensitivity of k to each demographic rate. We incorporated the following demographic rates into our model: female nesting success, survival of chicks from hatching to 45 d, and adult female annual survival. We also incorporated the probability a site was used for nesting. Chick survival (62%) and nest site selection (21%) explained most of the variance in lambda. We found that only~8% of all habitat for Greater Sage-grouse contributed to k > 1. Habitat supporting population growth occurred in mid-high elevation areas with moderate slopes, and a high percent cover of sagebrush, and in nesting areas close to late-brood habitat. Our models indicate that a relatively small proportion of habitat available to Greater Sage-grouse in central Nevada is responsible for maintenance of the population in our study system. We suggest that the general approach we describe here can be used to improve understanding of habitats most likely to regulate populations in other systems, providing an important tool in ecology and conservation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Fitness landscapes and life‐table response experiments predict the importance of local areas to population dynamics

et al. 2017

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“…Topography and seasonality of precipitation are primary mechanisms underpinning variation in density and distribution of mesic resources despite regional similarities in average annual precipitation (Lauenroth et al, ). At broad scales, spatial configuration of vegetative productivity is known to structure sage‐grouse distributions, with population abundance positively related to mesic availability (Donnelly et al, ). The causal linkage between rangewide bird densities and patterns of mesic resources we observed underscores the selective pressure of seasonal drought as an important determinant of landscape carrying capacity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sites include wet meadows, riparian corridors, drought resistant rangelands and irrigated alfalfa, hereafter “mesic resources” (Connelly, Rinkes, & Braun, ). Sage‐grouse are representative of spatial patterns in drought‐induced ecological minimums, as productive mesic sites in late summer provide an important, but limiting food resource that structure sage‐grouse abundance and distribution within broader landscapes (Donnelly, Naugle, Hagen, & Maestas, ). Significant temperature increases across western North America in recent decades (Melillo, Richmond, & Yohe, ) now threaten availability of mesic resources that have foreshadowed growing concerns of deepening drought and its effect on sage‐grouse populations (Gibson, Blomberg, Atamian, & Sedinger, ; Guttery et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wide‐ranging species like sage‐grouse may experience regional variability in selective pressures associated with nonlinear landscape response to drought as soil moisture is a primary driver of seasonally important food resources associated with mesic sites (e.g., forbs and macro invertebrates, Wenninger & Inouye, ). Further complicating water scarcity are geographical shifts in proportional public and private land ownership (Donnelly et al, ) linked to regionally pervasive land‐use practices that can inhibit or promote drought effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal drought in North America’s sagebrush biome structures dynamic mesic resources for sage‐grouse

Donnelly

Allred

Perret

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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The North American semi‐arid sagebrush, Artemisia spp., biome exhibits considerable climatic complexity driving dynamic spatiotemporal shifts in primary productivity. Greater and Gunnison sage‐grouse, Centrocercus urophasianus and C. minimus, are adapted to patterns of resource intermittence and rely on stable adult survival supplemented by occasional recruitment pulses when climatic conditions are favorable. Predictions of intensifying water scarcity raise concerns over new demographic bottlenecks impacting sage‐grouse populations in drought‐sensitive landscapes. We estimate biome‐wide mesic resource productivity from 1984 to 2016 using remote sensing to identify patterns of food availability influencing selective pressures on sage‐grouse. We linked productivity to abiotic factors to examine effects of seasonal drought across time, space, and land tenure, with findings partitioned along gradients of ecosystem water balance within Great Basin, Rocky Mountains and Great Plains regions. Precipitation was the driver of mesic resource abundance explaining ≥70% of variance in drought‐limited vegetative productivity. Spatiotemporal shifts in mesic abundance were apparent given biome‐wide climatic trends that reduced precipitation below three‐quarters of normal in 20% of years. Drought sensitivity structured grouse populations wherein landscapes with the greatest uncertainty in mesic abundance and distribution supported the fewest grouse. Privately owned lands encompassed 40% of sage‐grouse range, but contained a disproportional 68% of mesic resources. Regional drought sensitivity identified herein acted as ecological minimums to influence differences in landscape carrying capacity across sage‐grouse range. Our model depictions likely reflect a new normal in water scarcity that could compound impacts of demographic bottlenecks in Great Basin and Great Plains. We conclude that long‐term population maintenance depends on a diversity of drought resistant mesic resources that offset climate driven variability in vegetative productivity. We recommend a holistic public–private lands approach to mesic restoration to offset a deepening risk of water scarcity.

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“…, Donnelly et al. ). Conifer expansion may inhibit, or increase the risk associated with, seasonal movement of sage‐grouse (Beck et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Next‐generation restoration for sage‐grouse: a framework for visualizing local conifer cuts within a landscape context

et al. 2017

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. 2017. Next-generation restoration for sage-grouse: a framework for visualizing local conifer cuts within a landscape context. Ecosphere 8 (7): e01888. 10.1002/ecs2.1888Abstract. The expansion of coniferous trees into sagebrush ecosystems is a major driver of habitat loss and fragmentation, resulting in negative impacts to wildlife. Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) respond directly to conifer expansion through decreased breeding activity, nesting, and overall survival; thus, small amounts of conifer expansion can have significant impacts on sage-grouse habitat and populations. To this end, conservation partners have collaborated across private and public lands to reduce the threat of conifer expansion through targeted removal of conifer trees. Here, we demonstrate the use of the Marxan framework to incorporate important ecosystem attributes in the prioritization of conifer removal within the Oregon range of sage-grouse. We prioritized conifer removal relative to three separate goals: (1) enhancement of existing sage-grouse breeding, nesting, and early brood-rearing habitats; (2) facilitation of sage-grouse movement between breeding and brood-rearing habitats; and (3) improvement of connectivity among sage-grouse priority areas for conservation (PACs). Optimization models successfully identified areas with low conifer canopy cover, high resilience and resistance to wildfire and annual grass invasion, and high bird abundance to enhance sage-grouse habitat. The inclusion of mesic resources resulted in further prioritization of areas that were closer to such resources, but also identified potential pathways that connected breeding habitats to the late brood-rearing habitats associated with mesic areas. Examining areas outside of PACs resulted in the selection of potential corridors to facilitate connectivity; although areas with low conifer cover were selected similarly to the other optimization models, areas with high cover were also chosen to be able to enhance connectivity. Areas identified by optimization models were largely consistent with and overlapped ongoing conifer removal efforts in the Warner Mountains of south-central Oregon. Land ownership of preferential areas selected by models varied with priority goals and followed general ownership patterns of the region, with public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and private lands being selected the most. The increased availability of landscape-level datasets and assessment tools in sagebrush ecosystems can reduce the time and cost of both planning and implementation of habitat projects involving conifer removal. Most importantly, incorporating these new datasets and tools can supplement expert-based knowledge to maximize benefits to sagebrush and sage-grouse conservation.

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Public lands and private waters: scarce mesic resources structure land tenure and sage‐grouse distributions

Cited by 71 publications

References 62 publications

Fitness landscapes and life‐table response experiments predict the importance of local areas to population dynamics

Fitness landscapes and life‐table response experiments predict the importance of local areas to population dynamics

Seasonal drought in North America’s sagebrush biome structures dynamic mesic resources for sage‐grouse

Next‐generation restoration for sage‐grouse: a framework for visualizing local conifer cuts within a landscape context

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