Tympanuchus Cupido Research Articles

HELMINTHS OF THE ATTWATER'S PRAIRIE-CHICKEN TYMPANUCHUS CUPIDO ATTWATERI IN TEXAS

The Attwater's prairie-chicken (ATPC) Tympanuchus cupido attwateri is facing rapid extinction. Given their long-standing protected status, little information pertaining to the parasites and diseases of this species is available. In an effort to aid in management strategies, we conducted a helminth survey on ATPC that had been released from captivity between 1999 and 2010 in the Texas City Prairie Preserve, Galveston County, Texas. Birds examined were in various stages of decomposition, ranging from little signs of decomposition to advanced stages. Two hundred fifty nematodes representing three species were identified from 16 ATPC. Dispharynx nasuta was the most prevalent helminth species and occurred in 38% of hosts examined. Heterakis gallinarum occurred in 19% of hosts examined and Capillaria contorta infected 31% of hosts examined. Juvenile ATPC are typically treated with anthelmintics (Ivermectin and Panacur) before release in the wild. Although they spent variable (but limited) time in the environment postrelease, nematode prevalence was high.

Landscape genetic evaluation of a tallgrass prairie corridor using the Greater Prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido)

We studied current functional connectivity along a developing grassland corridor in the Midwestern U.S. and focused on connectivity for Greater Prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus cupido). Greater Prairie-chickens are an area-sensitive species that rely on grasslands and are an indicator species for the tallgrass prairie ecosystem in North America. The coordinated multi-agency Prairie Landscape Conservation Plan is one of the largest planned and implemented conservation corridors in the U.S., making this system ideal to examine factors associated with corridor functionality. We examined landscape functional connectivity and factors that impact genetic structure and gene flow of Greater Prairie-chickens to identify gaps in a planned prairie corridor that is currently being implemented. We collected feathers from 81 leks and obtained 31 hunter-harvested wings. We used a landscape genetic approach to evaluate eight hypotheses to explain functional connectivity and examine impacts of land cover and land use on isolation and genetic structure. Two populations were most supported based on 294 unique genotypes. Functional connectivity was influenced by land use, land cover, and anthropogenic development. Good connectivity exists within the Greater Prairie-chicken range, but improvements along the corridor in the northern portion of the extant range would be beneficial. We produced geographically specific recommendations as to where land management can potentially achieve the greatest impact. Our results help prioritize areas for ongoing conservation efforts, like prairie acquisition, restoration, and enhancement. Furthermore, identification of factors influencing connectivity in our study can be applied to improve conservation planning elsewhere in the tallgrass prairie ecosystem.

Effects of wind turbine noise on the surrounding soundscape in the context of greater-prairie chicken courtship vocalizations

The development of wind energy facilities in grasslands has increased in recent years. We assessed sound levels near a 36-turbine wind energy facility in a contiguous grassland in Brown County, Nebraska, USA, using a grid sampling design. Greater prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus), a bird species of special conservation concern, occupy the landscape near the wind facility. We evaluated the variation in wind turbine noise in the landscape at 296 Hz, the average peak frequency of the critically important courtship (‘boom’) vocalization of male prairie-chickens. The levels of ambient sounds were affected by ordinal day (β = −0.0752, SE = 0.0073) and wind speed (β = 1.1679, SE = 0.0419). Sound levels (dB) at the wind facility were affected by distance to the nearest turbine (β = 0.6917, SE = 0.0111). Sound levels increased during the breeding season (ordinal day: β = 0.0166, SE = 0.0028), during the day (time of day: β = 0.0035, SE = 0.0015), and at higher wind speeds (β = 1.1929, SE = 0.0261). Sound levels were higher downwind from the facility (wind direction: β = 0.9914, SE = 0.1691) and at sites that were within the viewshed of turbines (topography: β = 0.3819, SE = 0.0824). At 100 m from the turbines, under average temporal, landscape, and wind conditions, wind turbine noise at 296 Hz was 25 dB above the ambient sound level. At 500 m from the turbines, wind turbine noise at 296 Hz was 16 dB above the ambient sound level. Our results demonstrate the variation of wind turbine noise in the soundscape and suggest a protocol for evaluating effects of wind turbine sound on sound-sensitive wildlife.

Temperature, wind, vegetation, and roads influence incubation patterns of Greater Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) in the Nebraska Sandhills, USA

Avian incubation involves behavioral decisions that must balance trade-offs between the incubating bird’s survival and current and future reproductive success. We evaluated variation in incubation off-bout duration and frequency among Greater Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus (Brewster, 1885)) in the Nebraska Sandhills, USA. Greater Prairie-Chicken life history favors incubation behaviors that prioritize success of the current breeding attempt over adult survival. Previous observations suggest incubating females make these behavioral decisions based on ambient temperature conditions, their own body condition, and predation risk. We monitored nest attendance by females at 30 Greater Prairie-Chicken nests to identify proximate cues used to make behavioral decisions regarding incubation. We recorded 930 incubation off-bouts. Females took 1.9 ± 0.7 off-bouts/day (mean ± SD), each with a mean (±SD) duration of 43.3 ± 24.1 min. Off-bouts were shorter in duration at higher wind speeds, at lower ambient temperatures, at nests with less cover, and at nests closer to roads. Females were most likely to leave the nest during mid-morning and evening, as are most gallinaceous birds, and incubation off-bouts became less frequent later in the season. We did not observe differences in incubation behavior between nests that failed and those that successfully hatched one or more chicks.

Nutrient Profiles of Wild and Captive Attwater's and Greater Prairie-Chicken Eggs

Abstract We determined reference levels of minerals, fatty acids, and fat-soluble micronutrients in eggs from wild Attwater's Tympanuchus cupido attwateri and two (Minnesota, Nebraska) greater prairie-chicken T. c. pinnatus populations for comparison with eggs produced by captive Attwater's prairie-chickens to help guide formulation and evaluation of captive diets. Levels of all minerals found in wild Attwater's prairie-chicken eggs were similar to those in at least one of the two greater prairie-chicken populations, but these levels frequently differed between the two greater prairie-chicken populations. Ratios for n-6:n-3 fatty acids were >3 times higher for Minnesota greater prairie-chickens, which had more access to waste grain than Attwater's or Nebraska greater prairie-chickens. Captive eggs had n-6:n-3 ratios 6.7 times the pooled wild samples, while wild eggs had higher levels of anhydrolutein, zeaxanthin, β-carotene, and total carotenoids. More magnesium, zinc, and manganese were observed in wild eggs compared with those produced in captivity. Flaxseed was added to the captive breeder diet in an attempt to lower egg n-6:n-3 ratios, along with additional carotenoids found in marigold extract. These dietary modifications successfully lowered the n-6:n-3 ratio by 46%, but this ratio was still 3.6 times higher in captive eggs, consistent with the grain-based formulation of the breeder diet. Carotenoid additions successfully raised total carotenoids, but increases were primarily for lutein and not zeaxanthin or β-carotene as intended. Variability in egg nutrient composition among the three wild populations suggests that some tolerance exists in maternal diets, but impacts to offspring fitness are unknown. Given the purported importance of maternal nutrition to fitness of embryos and neonate chicks, we suggest additional research is needed to quantify the influence of key nutrient levels on offspring fitness for both captive and wild populations.

A landscape perspective on rates of multiple paternity and brood parasitism among Greater Prairie-Chickens across Kansas, USA

ABSTRACT Fragmentation and degraded habitat conditions can result in increased competition for critical resources, altered mating systems, and can eventually result in population declines or extinction. We investigated the degree to which habitat degradation and habitat loss impacted the breeding ecology of Greater Prairie-Chickens at 3 study sites across relatively intact grasslands in Kansas, USA. Across all 3 study systems, we found similar rates of multiple mating by females at 14–20% of broods. In addition, we found evidence for facultative nest parasitism of conspecific females. Prairie-chicken females inhabiting more intact and less fragmented landscapes with a higher probability of survival did not engage in parasitic egg laying, whereas ∼17% of females inhabiting a more fragmented and isolated landscape engaged in parasitic egg laying. Parasitic egg layers tended to be older females that parasitized nests of yearling females. Parasitic egg layers only laid parasitically after an initial nesting a...

The importance of core habitat for a threatened species in changing landscapes

Abstract Habitat loss, fragmentation, and alteration of the landscape matrix are interdependent processes, collectively responsible for most recent species extinctions. Thus, determining the extent to which these landscape processes affect animals is critical for conservation. However, researchers have often assumed that interdependent effects are independently related to animals’ responses, underestimating the importance of one or several landscape processes in driving species declines. We demonstrate how to disentangle the interdependent effects of habitat amount, fragmentation, and edge context on population size by assessing abundance of a rapidly declining grassland songbird species (grasshopper sparrow Ammodramus savannarum) in eastern Kansas (USA). We conducted >7,000 point count surveys at >2,000 sites over two breeding seasons, then modelled the direct, interactive, and indirect effects of landscape factors on abundance within spatial scales (200‐, 400‐, 800‐, and 1,600‐m radii) relevant to our focal species’ dispersal behaviour. Sparrow abundance correlated most strongly with landscape structure within 400‐m radii, increasing nonlinearly with grassland area and decreasing with the proportion of grassland near cropland or woody edges. Sparrows’ negative response to cropland edges was mostly an added, indirect consequence of reduced grassland area, whereas sparrows’ stronger negative response to woody edges was not attributable to variation in grassland area. Fragmentation and edge context mattered most in landscapes comprising c. 50%–80% grassland. Synthesis and applications. In our research, abundance of a threatened grassland songbird was influenced more by core grassland area (a function of total grassland area, fragmentation, and edge context) than total grassland area per se. Moreover, a local extinction threshold of c. 50% grassland indicated that small amounts of habitat were unsuitable for our focal species regardless of habitat configuration or matrix type. Local extinction thresholds in response to habitat area provide clear baseline targets for land managers; above those thresholds, configuration and the matrix can be modified to increase abundance of edge‐sensitive animals. Conflicting evidence in the literature regarding the importance of fragmentation and matrix features could be partially explained by species‐level traits, or methodological issues such as defining landscapes at ecologically arbitrary spatial scales, assessing landscape quality using species richness, and ignoring interactive and indirect effects.

Effects of rangeland management on survival of female greater prairie‐chickens

ABSTRACTIdentifying relationships between habitat selection and population processes is important for habitat management and wildlife conservation. For prairie‐obligate species, space use and demography in extant grasslands are influenced by habitat conditions caused by rangeland management practices associated with livestock production. Greater prairie‐chickens (Tympanuchus cupido) are an indicator species for native tallgrass prairie ecosystems, but populations have declined in the Flint Hills ecoregion of eastern Kansas, USA because of intensification of rangeland management practices, including annual prescribed fire and high stocking densities. Patch‐burn grazing is a rotational system that provides heterogeneous habitats and can improve productivity of grassland birds, but the effects of grazing systems on habitat use or survival of greater prairie‐chickens are unknown. We used 3 types of survival analyses to investigate impacts of rangeland management on female greater prairie‐chickens in the central Flint Hills during 2011–2013: Kaplan–Meier models and Cox proportional hazards to examine factors affecting annual survival rates, hazard functions to assess seasonal patterns of mortality, and Andersen–Gill models to explore the links between habitat selection and cause‐specific mortality risk. Females captured at properties managed with patch‐burn grazing had annual survival rates (0.61 ± 0.07 SE) that were 35% higher than females on properties managed with annual burning and intensive early cattle stocking (0.45 ± 0.06). Moreover, females that selected habitats associated with intensive management had increased mortality risk and were particularly vulnerable to avian predators, whereas females that selected habitats created by patch‐burn grazing experienced lower overall mortality risk but were more vulnerable to mammalian predators. Overall mortality risk was significantly reduced under patch‐burn grazing management, and widespread implementation of annual spring burning and intensive early stocking is likely depressing survival of greater prairie‐chickens in the Flint Hills ecoregion. Our results join a growing body of evidence that patch‐burn grazing can provide higher quality grassland habitats for native wildlife species than current rangeland management associated with intensive cattle production. © 2017 The Wildlife Society

Genetic rescue, the greater prairie chicken and the problem of conservation reliance in the Anthropocene.

A central question in conservation is how best to manage biodiversity, despite human domination of global processes (= Anthropocene). Common responses (i.e. translocations, genetic rescue) forestall potential extirpations, yet have an uncertain duration. A textbook example is the greater prairie chicken (GRPC: Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus), where translocations (1992–1998) seemingly rescued genetically depauperate Illinois populations. We re-evaluated this situation after two decades by genotyping 21 microsatellite loci from 1831 shed feathers across six leks in two counties over 4 years (2010–2013). Low migration rates (less than 1%) established each county as demographically independent, but with declining-population estimates (4 year average N = 79). Leks were genetically similar and significantly bottlenecked, with low effective population sizes (average Ne = 13.1; 4 year Ne/N = 0.166). Genetic structure was defined by 12 significantly different family groups, with relatedness r = 0.31 > half-sib r = 0.25. Average heterozygosity, indicating short-term survival, did not differ among contemporary, pre- and post-translocated populations, whereas allelic diversity did. Our results, the natural history of GRPC (i.e. few leks, male dominance hierarchies) and its controlled immigration suggest demographic expansion rather than genetic rescue. Legal protection under the endangered species act (ESA) may enhance recovery, but could exacerbate political–economic concerns on how best to manage ‘conservation-reliant’ species, for which GRPC is now an exemplar.

Some matchmaking advice when translocated immigrants are a population's last hope

Some matchmaking advice when translocated immigrants are a population's last hope

Booming from the Mists of Nowhere: The Story of the Greater Prairie-Chicken

Review of: Booming from the Mists of Nowhere: The Story of the Greater Prairie-Chicken, by Greg Hoch.

Space Use of Female Greater Prairie-Chickens in Response to Fire and Grazing Interactions

Ecological interactions between fire and grazing have shaped the evolutionary history of grassland ecosystems. Currently, grassland birds have experienced ongoing population declines, following widespread implementation of intensive rangeland management practices that reduce habitat heterogeneity. Patch-burn grazing is an alternative rangeland management strategy that promotes habitat heterogeneity and biodiversity. We conducted a 3-yr. field study in the central Flint Hills of Kansas to compare the spatial ecology of female Greater Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus cupido) in rangelands managed with intensive rangeland management versus patch-burn grazing. This is the first study on the effects of patch-burn grazing on the space use decisions of Greater Prairie-Chickens at the home range scale. We used seasonal estimates of home range for 6-mo breeding and nonbreeding periods, as well as resource utilization functions to investigate the response of female prairie chickens to landscape metrics describing fire, grazing, and proximity to anthropogenic structures or lek sites. In our analysis of all radio-marked females, distance to lek was consistently the strongest predictor of space use during both breeding and nonbreeding seasons. Females captured at properties managed with patch-burn grazing selected areas with low stocking rates and high fire frequencies, and they avoided recently burned areas. Our study provides new evidence that patch-burn grazing can improve grassland habitat for Greater Prairie-Chickens, an umbrella species in the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Patch-burn grazing created preferred habitats for female Greater Prairie-Chickens, with a relatively frequent fire return interval, a mosaic of burned and unburned patches, and a reduced stocking rate in unburned areas avoided by grazers. Widespread implementation of patch-burn grazing could result in significant improvements in habitat quality for wildlife in the tallgrass prairie ecosystem.

Fine-scale distribution modeling of avian malaria vectors in north-central Kansas.

Infectious diseases increasingly play a role in the decline of wildlife populations. Vector-borne diseases, in particular, have been implicated in mass mortality events and localized population declines are threatening some species with extinction. Transmission patterns for vector-borne diseases are influenced by the spatial distribution of vectors and are therefore not uniform across the landscape. Avian malaria is a globally distributed vector-borne disease that has been shown to affect endemic bird populations of North America. We evaluated shared habitat use between avian malaria vectors, mosquitoes in the genus Culex and a native grassland bird, the Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido), by (1) modeling the distribution of Culex spp. occurrence across the Smoky Hills of north-central Kansas using detection data and habitat variables, (2) assessing the occurrence of these vectors at nests of female Greater Prairie-Chickens, and (3) evaluating if shared habitat use between vectors and hosts is correlated with malarial infection status of the Greater Prairie-Chicken. Our results indicate that Culex occurrence increased at nest locations compared to other available but unoccupied grassland habitats; however the shared habitat use between vectors and hosts did not result in an increased prevalence of malarial parasites in Greater Prairie-Chickens that occupied habitats with high vector occurrence. We developed a predictive map to illustrate the associations between Culex occurrence and infection status with malarial parasites in an obligate grassland bird that may be used to guide management decisions to limit the spread of vector-borne diseases.

Patterns of nest attendance by female Greater Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus cupido) in northcentral Kansas

Nest attendance behavior is a critical component of avian ecology that influences nest survival and population productivity. Birds that provide uniparental care during incubation and brood-rearing must balance the benefit of reproductive success with the costs of physiological needs and predation risk. We used miniature nest cameras to record 5904 h of video footage at 33 nests of Greater Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus cupido) during 2010 and 2011 in northcentral Kansas. We quantified the timing and duration of incubation bouts to address alternative hypotheses about physiological requirements and predation risk as drivers of incubation behavior. We also identified nest predators and determined timing of predation events, and tested for effects of nest attendance and monitoring technique on nest survival (video vs. telemetry). Female prairie chickens exhibited high incubation constancy per day (~95 %) and typically took two ~40-min recesses per day: one after sunrise and one before sunset. Mesocarnivores were responsible for 75 % (18 of 24) of nest losses, and most nest predation events occurred during crepuscular or overnight hours. Controlled comparisons provided no evidence that video surveillance attracted predators to nests. Variation in nest attendance had a minimal effect on nest survival compared to height of vegetative cover at the nest site. Timing of recesses did not indicate avoidance of predator activity in our study system. The bimodal pattern of incubation breaks observed in most grouse species is likely driven by physiological requirements of the female rather than predation pressure. Female Greater Prairie-Chickens appear to prioritize their metabolic needs and future reproductive potential over current nest survival.

Rangewide genetic analysis of Lesser Prairie-Chicken reveals population structure, range expansion, and possible introgression

The distribution of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) has been markedly reduced due to loss and fragmentation of habitat. Portions of the historical range, however, have been recolonized and even expanded due to planting of conservation reserve program (CRP) fields that provide favorable vegetation structure for Lesser Prairie-Chickens. The source population(s) feeding the range expansion is unknown, yet has resulted in overlap between Lesser and Greater Prairie-Chickens (T. cupido) increasing the potential for hybridization. Our objectives were to characterize connectivity and genetic diversity among populations, identify source population(s) of recent range expansion, and examine hybridization with the Greater Prairie-Chicken. We analyzed 640 samples from across the range using 13 microsatellites. We identified three to four populations corresponding largely to ecoregions. The Shinnery Oak Prairie and Sand Sagebrush Prairie represented genetically distinct populations (F ST > 0.034 and F ST > 0.023 respectively). The Shortgrass/CRP Mosaic and Mixed Grass ecoregions appeared admixed (F ST = 0.009). Genetic diversity was similar among ecoregions and N e ranged from 142 (95 % CI 99–236) for the Shortgrass/CRP Mosaic to 296 (95 % CI 233–396) in the Mixed Grass Prairie. No recent migration was detected among ecoregions, except asymmetric dispersal from both the Mixed Grass Prairie and to a lesser extent the Sand Sagebrush Prairie north into adjacent Shortgrass/CRP Mosaic (m = 0.207, 95 % CI 0.116–0.298, m = 0.097, 95 % CI 0.010–0.183, respectively). Indices investigating potential hybridization in the Shortgrass/CRP Mosaic revealed that six of the 13 individuals with hybrid phenotypes were significantly admixed suggesting hybridization. Continued monitoring of diversity within and among ecoregions is warranted as are actions promoting genetic connectivity and range expansion.

IButton® Temperature Loggers Effectively Determine Prairie Grouse Nest Absences

Recent technological innovations allow the monitoring of avian nest attendance in ways that reduce disturbance and expense without altering nesting activities. Yet the efficacy of these techniques to assess nest absences has not been determined for ground-nesting prairie grouse. We sought to determine the timing of nest absences by means of accurate detection without intrusive human visitations technology. During the nesting season (May and June), we inserted iButton® Thermochrons (Maxim/Dallas Semiconductor Corp., Sunnyvale, CA) into active greater prairie-chicken ( Tympanuchus cupido ) nests in the Sandhills of Nebraska, USA. We simultaneously monitored the nests with solar-powered video cameras to determine if the lower-cost iButtons would record noticeable changes in nest bowl temperature when video indicated a hen absence. Our data showed that iButtons detected 88% of nest absences in 49 off-bouts (instances of nest absence) and accurately portrayed the length of absence from the nest. In total, average lag time, departure lag time, and arrival lag times were detected by iButtons less than 2 minutes after the actual time recorded by the camera. We also obtained valuable information regarding the timing of hen absence, predation events, and optimal iButton recording intervals. Our study suggests that iButtons could be effectively used to monitor absences at greater prairie-chicken and likely other species of prairie grouse nests in future studies.

A pedigree gone bad: increased offspring survival after using DNA‐based relatedness to minimize inbreeding in a captive population

AbstractCaptive breeding programs often use a pedigree to identify breeding pairs that maintain genetic diversity and limit inbreeding. However, unintentional breeding of closely related individuals can occur when errors exist in the pedigree and may subsequently result in inbreeding depression. In this study, a DNA‐based approach was used to identify parentage assignment errors in the captive pedigree of the critically endangered Attwater's prairie‐chicken Tympanuchus cupido attwateri, and tested whether clutch survival increased using DNA‐relatedness values for assigning breeding pairs instead of the pedigree and mean kinship. Parentage assignment error was observed in each year surveyed ranging from 2.4 to 7.3%. After correcting identified errors prior to the 2013 breeding season, 11 of 38 assigned pedigree‐based breeding pairs still possessed DNA‐based relatedness coefficients (rDNA) ≥0.125 suggesting that additional errors remained in the pedigree. Two approaches were used to prevent breeding among close relatives in 2013 and 2014. Assigned pedigree‐based breeding pairs in 2013 that possessed rDNA ≥0.125 were reassigned unrelated breeding partners, while all individuals in 2014 were used to identify the minimum overall rDNA for the breeding population without reference to the pedigree other than to verify founder representation. Both years resulted in a significant reduction in mean parental relatedness among chicks (P < 0.001) and a significant increase in the proportion of the clutch surviving to 5 weeks post‐hatch (P ≤ 0.006) compared to 2012 when breeding pairs were assigned using only the pedigree. No significant difference in the proportion of the clutch surviving was observed between 2013 and 2014 (P > 0.300). These results have important implications for the captive management of endangered species, and highlight the importance of periodically evaluating for pedigree errors. To what degree pedigree errors limit fitness in other endangered species captive populations deserves further attention.

Contrasting patterns of selection and drift between two categories of immune genes in prairie-chickens.

Immune-receptor genes of the adaptive immune system, such as the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), are involved in recognizing specific pathogens and are known to have high rates of adaptive evolution, presumably as a consequence of rapid co-evolution between hosts and pathogens. In contrast, many 'mediating' genes of the immune system do not interact directly with specific pathogens and are involved in signalling (e.g. cytokines) or controlling immune cell growth. As a consequence, we might expect stronger selection at immune-receptor than mediating genes, but these two types of genes have not been compared directly in wild populations. Here, we tested the hypothesis that selection differs between MHC (class I and II) and mediating genes by comparing levels of population differentiation across the range of greater prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus cupido). As predicted, there was stronger population differentiation and isolation by distance at immune receptor (MHC) than at either mediating genes or neutral microsatellites, suggesting a stronger role of local adaptation at the MHC. In contrast, mediating genes displayed weaker differentiation between populations than neutral microsatellites, consistent with selection favouring similar alleles across populations for mediating genes. In addition to selection, drift also had a stronger effect on immune receptor (MHC) than mediating genes as indicated by the stronger decline of MHC variation in relation to population size. This is the first study in the wild to show that the effects of selection and drift on immune genes vary across populations depending on their functional role.

An Unexpected Journey: Greater Prairie-chicken Travels Nearly 4000 km after Translocation to Iowa

Abstract After translocation a female greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) traveled over 3988 km between 5 April 2013 and 20 June 2014. The bird traveled a mean distance of 21.5 km per day during the spring (median distance per day 22.2 km; range 0–115 km per day) moving through portions of four states. Nine other marked birds traveled a mean distance of 336 km and a mean distance per day of 7.5 km during the spring (median distance per day 4.6 km; range 0–92 km per day). This is the first record of movements of this magnitude by a greater prairie-chicken. This report highlights the use of recent advances in satellite/GPS telemetry methods for advancing our knowledge of wildlife movements.

Dynamic Disturbance Processes Create Dynamic Lek Site Selection in a Prairie Grouse.

It is well understood that landscape processes can affect habitat selection patterns, movements, and species persistence. These selection patterns may be altered or even eliminated as a result of changes in disturbance regimes and a concomitant management focus on uniform, moderate disturbance across landscapes. To assess how restored landscape heterogeneity influences habitat selection patterns, we examined 21 years (1991, 1993–2012) of Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) lek location data in tallgrass prairie with restored fire and grazing processes. Our study took place at The Nature Conservancy’s Tallgrass Prairie Preserve located at the southern extent of Flint Hills in northeastern Oklahoma. We specifically addressed stability of lek locations in the context of the fire-grazing interaction, and the environmental factors influencing lek locations. We found that lek locations were dynamic in a landscape with interacting fire and grazing. While previous conservation efforts have treated leks as stable with high site fidelity in static landscapes, a majority of lek locations in our study (i.e., 65%) moved by nearly one kilometer on an annual basis in this dynamic setting. Lek sites were in elevated areas with low tree cover and low road density. Additionally, lek site selection was influenced by an interaction of fire and patch edge, indicating that in recently burned patches, leks were located near patch edges. These results suggest that dynamic and interactive processes such as fire and grazing that restore heterogeneity to grasslands do influence habitat selection patterns in prairie grouse, a phenomenon that is likely to apply throughout the Greater Prairie-Chicken’s distribution when dynamic processes are restored. As conservation moves toward restoring dynamic historic disturbance patterns, it will be important that siting and planning of anthropogenic structures (e.g., wind energy, oil and gas) and management plans not view lek locations as static points, but rather as sites that shift around the landscape in response to shifting vegetation structure. Acknowledging shifting lek locations in these landscapes will help ensure conservation efforts are successful by targeting the appropriate areas for protection and management.