Cumulative impacts of roads and energy infrastructure on grassland songbirds

The Condor ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jody Daniel ◽  
Nicola Koper
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Oil Wells ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Gas Wells ◽  
Shallow Gas ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Negative Impacts

Abstract Comparing impacts of co-occurring anthropogenic features is necessary for regional planning and can help identify mechanisms of negative impacts of development on wildlife. Because of the vast abundance of anthropogenic features in the Northern Great Plains, their combined negative impacts on songbird habitat use (e.g., abundance) and productivity (e.g., nesting success and clutch size) could exacerbate the decline of songbird populations. We compared the cumulative effects of energy-related infrastructure (oil wells, shallow gas wells, and roads) on habitat use and productivity of songbirds across a 120 × 180 km region in southern Alberta, Canada. We examined effects on Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus) and Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii), both of which are listed as Threatened in Canada, and Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus), and Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta). Using piecewise regressions and generalized linear models, we estimated effects of distance from infrastructure and shallow gas well density on the habitat use and productivity of each species. We then used these analyses to quantify the availability of habitat suitable for settlement and breeding throughout our study region. Shallow gas wells, which are more abundant, affected a larger geographic area than oil wells, but oil wells were associated with the added impacts of roads. Our analyses suggest that impacts of wells on songbirds are not caused by industrial noise because individual shallow gas wells, which produce no mechanical noise, had similar impacts to noisy oil wells. Our results highlight the importance of regional plans that consider the impacts of multiple co-occurring anthropogenic features in working landscapes.

scholarly journals American White Pelicans and Recreational Boaters on Lakes of the North American Great Plains: Habitat Use Overlap

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn A. Gaudet ◽  
Christopher M. Somers
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
The Other ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Economic Prosperity ◽  
Shoreline Development ◽  
Point Count ◽  
The North ◽  
Pelecanus Erythrorhynchos ◽  
Near Shore

Shoreline development and boating on lakes of the northern Great Plains of North America have increased due to recent economic prosperity. Few studies have examined the general characteristics of habitats used by foraging waterbirds and boats to determine levels of overlap. To address this issue, we conducted point count surveys of American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) and boats on two important recreational lakes in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. The majority of pelicans and boats detected used near-shore areas of the lakes, identifying the importance of shallow water habitats and providing evidence of significant overlap. The location of pelicans relative to the shore did not change in the presence of boats, and there was no significant relationship between boat numbers and pelican numbers. These analyses suggest that pelicans did not make major changes to their habitat use on the lakes as a result of boating activity. When pelicans and boats were present simultaneously at point count locations, pelicans appeared to avoid boats on one lake, but showed no detectable avoidance behavior on the other lake. The importance of interactions between recreational boating and foraging pelicans is currently unclear. Set-back distances to protect foraging pelicans from boating activity do not appear necessary based on our analyses.

Simulated hail damage and yield reduction in lentil

2011 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Bueckert
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Insurance Industry ◽  
Growth Yield ◽  
Crop Damage ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Yield Reduction ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Hail Damage ◽  
Quadratic Models

Bueckert, R. A. 2011. Simulated hail damage and yield reduction in lentil. Can. J. Plant Sci. 91: 117–124. The severity of crop damage by hail is frequently estimated using equations derived from controlled experiments, but this approach has not been extended to the indeterminate pulse crop lentil (Lens culinaris L.). The objective was to simulate hail damage on two lentil cultivars, and estimate yield reduction for use in the Crop Insurance Industry. Hail damage was simulated by controlled canopy crushing on two cultivars, CDC Blaze and CDC Sedley at 4 location-years in Saskatchewan in 2006 and 2007. Plots received simulated damage as the untreated control (0%), 30, 60 or 90% canopy height reduction by crushing at each of four growth stages: vegetative, early flowering, pod-filling, and physiological maturity. As damage intensity increased from 0 to 90%, yield decreased in both cultivars. Most yield reduction (>65%) was seen when damage occurred in reproductive growth. Yield reduction for lentil damaged in vegetative growth was described by linear models, and the reproductive stages by quadratic models. The equations will help improve hail damage assessment in lentil on the Northern Great Plains.

scholarly journals Relationship between Winter/Spring Snowfall and Summer Precipitation in the Northern Great Plains of North America

2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1203-1217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven M. Quiring ◽  
Daria B. Kluver
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Standardized Precipitation Index ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Moisture Conditions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Preceding Winter

Abstract On the basis of snowfall observations from 1929 to 1999, positive (negative) snowfall anomalies are associated with wetter (drier) than normal conditions during the summer [July–August (JJA)] in the northern Great Plains. The five driest summers are associated with negative snowfall anomalies during the preceding winter (−66.7 mm) and spring (−62.4 mm) that cover most of the study region (∼85%). Snowfall anomalies during the late spring (April–May) are more important for determining summer moisture conditions than snowfall anomalies in fall [September–November (SON)] or winter [December–February (DJF)]. The link between snowfall anomalies and summer moisture conditions appears to be, at least partly, through soil moisture since positive (negative) snowfall anomalies are associated with wetter (drier) soils, a later (earlier) date of snowmelt, cooler (warmer) air temperatures, and more (less) evaporation during spring and summer. However, the relationship between spring snowfall and summer moisture conditions is only statistically significant when the moisture anomaly index (Z), which accounts for both temperature and precipitation, is used to characterize summer moisture conditions and the signal is weak when just considering precipitation (e.g., standardized precipitation index). Results also indicate that the strength of the relationship between winter/spring snowfall and summer moisture varies significantly over space and time, which limits its utility for seasonal forecasting.

scholarly journals Drought and vegetation change in the central Rocky Mountains and western Great Plains: potential climatic mechanisms associated with megadrought conditions at 4200 cal yr BP

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 1195-1212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vachel A. Carter ◽  
Jacqueline J. Shinker ◽  
Jonathon Preece
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Specific Humidity ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Normal Heights ◽  
Regional Drought ◽  
Central Rocky Mountains ◽  
Western Great Plains

Abstract. Droughts are a naturally re-occurring phenomena that result in economic and societal losses. Yet, the most historic droughts that occurred in the 1930s and 1950s in the Great Plains and western United States were both shorter in duration and less severe than megadroughts that have plagued the region in the past. Roughly 4200 years ago, a ∼150-year long megadrought occurred in the central Rocky Mountains, as indicated by sedimentary pollen evidence documenting a brief and unique change in vegetation composition from Long Lake, southeastern Wyoming. Neighbouring the central Rocky Mountains, several dune fields reactivated in the western Great Plains around this time period illustrating a severe regional drought. While sedimentary pollen provides evidence of past drought, paleoecological evidence does not provide context for the climate mechanisms that may have caused the drought. Thus, a modern climate analogue technique was applied to the sedimentary pollen and regional dune reactivation evidence identified from the region to provide a conceptual framework for exploring possible mechanisms responsible for the observed ecological changes. The modern climate analogues of 2002/2012 illustrate that warm and dry conditions persisted through the growing season and were associated with anomalously higher-than-normal geopotential heights centred over the Great Plains. In the spring, higher-than-normal heights suppressed moisture transport via the low-level jet from the Gulf of Mexico creating a more southwesterly component of flow. In the summer, higher-than-normal heights persisted over the northern Great Plains resulting in a wind shift with an easterly component of flow, drawing in dry continental air into the study region. In both cases, lower-than-normal moisture in the atmosphere (via 850 mbar specific humidity) inhibited uplift and potential precipitation. Thus, if the present scenario existed during the 4.2 ka drought, the associated climatic responses are consistent with local and regional proxy data suggesting regional drought conditions in the central Rocky Mountains and western Great Plains.

Modeling cetacean habitat use in an urban coastal area in southeastern Brazil

2020 ◽  
Vol 642 ◽  
pp. 227-240
Author(s):  
L Lodi ◽  
R Tardin ◽  
G Maricato
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Buffer Zone ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Cetacean Species ◽  
Few Data

Most studies of cetacean habitat use do not consider the influence of anthropogenic activities. We investigated the influence of environmental and anthropogenic variables on habitat use by humpback Megaptera novaeangliae and Bryde’s whales Balaenoptera brydei off the coast of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. Although there are 2 marine protected areas (MPAs) in this area, few data are available on cetacean habitat use or on the overlap of different cetacean species within these MPAs. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the MPAs and propose a buffer zone to better protect the biodiversity of the study area. We conducted systematic surveys and developed spatial eigenvector generalized linear models to characterize habitat use by the species in the study area. Habitat use by humpback whales was influenced only by depth, whereas for Bryde’s whales there was the additional influence of anthropogenic variables. For Bryde’s whales, which use the area for feeding, sea surface temperature and the distance to anchorages had a major influence on habitat use. We also showed that neither of the MPAs in the study area adequately protects the hotspots of either whale species. Most of the humpback whale grid cells with high sighting predictions were located within 2 km of the MPAs, while areas of high sighting prediction of Bryde’s whales were located up to 5 km from the MPAs, closer to beaches. Our findings provide important insights for the delimitation of protected areas and zoning of the MPAs.

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