Implications of Changes in Historic Disturbance Patterns to Prairie-Chickens
Dwayne Elmore [email protected] Heath Hen Tympanuchus cupido cupido
“Lack of awareness of the region’s historical fire ecology also led to the state legislature to require firebreaks when protecting the heath hen.” General Notes on Prairie Chickens
Grassland obligate prairie grouse
Evolved in grasslands/shrublands with frequent fire and few trees.
Avoid vertical structure
Require large areas of rangeland with limited agriculture (<25%?). Habitat Needs
Lekking Brood-Rearing – Elevated, open areas – Forb/insect-rich areas – Lek complexes – Disturbance necessary?
Nesting Winter – Grasslands and Shrublands – Seeds and green vegetation – Perennial cover – Perennial cover Disturbance
• Bare Ground • Shrubs • Annual Forbs and • Young woodland or Grasses trees • Perennial Forbs and • Mature woodland or Grasses trees Scale of Disturbance
At coarse scales, fire is critical to prevent conversion to woodland.
At fine scales, fire creates diversity for various seasons of use.
Scale of response poorly understood. Cultivation
Conversion to Woody Plant seeded Encroachment monoculture
Recovery Threshold
Herbicide
Grazing Grazing-Fire Interaction
Fire Low Low High Severity of Disturbance
Courtesy S.D. Fuhlendorf Greater Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus cupido
Occurs in tallgrass prairie
Retraction of range due largely to conversion.
Still abundant in KS, NE, SD
Woody plant encroachment is rapidly occurring.
Not enough fire Too much fire South Dakota 180 Nebraska 1 160 140 120 100 0.5 80 60
Birds per square mile square per Birds 40 Average number per lek per number Average Sandhills region 20 Southeast/Southcentral region 0 0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Year Year
6 15 Oklahoma Kansas 5
4 10 3 Robbins et al 2002 5
2 Birds per square mile Birds per square
Population density index density Population 1 0 0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Year Year Brian Obermeyer, TNC Fire, trees, and lek locations explained nest site selection
1.50
1.00
0.50 Maximizing 0.00 Minimizing -0.50
-1.00
-1.50 Time since fire Lek distance Tree cover Hovick et al. in press Nests were 4-8° C cooler than the landscape
Hovick et al. 2014 At fine scales (2 m) nest sites were up to 4° C cooler
Hovick et al. 2014 Successful nests averaged 6° C cooler than failed nests at 36˚ C air temperature
Hovick et al. 2014 Nest site vegetation was taller than surrounding micro-sites
100 nest 90 micro 1 micro 2 80 micro 3 70 * 60 50
40 cover/height (cm) cover/height 30
20 Percent Percent 10 0 grass forbs sericea litter l_depth shrub v_height bare Vegetation class Hovick et al. 2014
Lekking
Lek locations are predictable.
Lek locations are somewhat indicative of habitat suitability of surrounding area.
Require auditory and visual liberty. Life history traits of Greater Prairie-Chickens require a range of cover and composition
Brooding
Nesting
Lekking
0 - 11 12 - 23 24 -35 Months post fire and grazing Hovick et al. unpublished Greater Prairie-Chicken RSF
Hovick et al. unpublished Fire and Edge Relationship with Leks
Hovick et al. unpublished Summary of GPC Fire Research
GPC use all available time since fires (TSF).
GPC strongly avoid tree cover during breeding season.
GPC select greater TSF for nesting.
Nest survival increases with greater TSF.
Nest survival is not just about cover from predators, temp matters.
Leks are dynamic when disturbances are dynamic. Lesser Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus pallidicinctus 90% reduction in range
ESA Threatened
Occurs in mixed-grass prairie, sand sagebrush, and shinnery oak.
Courtesy Ashley Unger
Juniper Encroachment
4.0 3.5 Decline 3.0 Sustained 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0
∆ Tree Cover (%/decade) Cover Tree ∆ -0.5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Scale (X100 ha)
Fuhlendorf et al. 2002 Mean Annual Change (% area) - - - - 0.00 0.10 0.20 0.40 0.30 0.20 0.10 Native Prairie Shrubland Total Tree Pasture Cultivated Woodward, Fuhlendorf et al. 1999 Sustained Decline Other Not Declining
10 yrs
Shrub Mix Cultivated Native Grass Declining Shinnery Pasture
12 yrs
Woodward et al. 2001
Vermeire 2002
96% of burned shrubs survived
Canopy volume 38% and 64% of preburn 1 and 2 yr TSF respectively
Height and area was 80% of preburn 2 yr TSF
Fall burned shrubs initiated growth 1 month prior to nonburned
Little difference in plant community between season of burn
Herbaceous cover 50% of unburned
Forbs increased 60% on burns Winter 2010 Shrub height and volume recovered by 4 yr TSF
Shrub area recovered by 3 yr TSF
No difference in shrub characteristics between once and twice burned plots
Forb and grass cover did not increase with fire
Bare ground was higher for 2 yr TSF
Boyd and Bidwell 2007
Fire decreased shrub cover for 2 years.
Fire decreased grass cover for 1 year.
Fire increased forb cover for 1 year.
Fire increased grasshoppers for 2 years.
Within 2-3 years plant structure and composition returns to preburn conditions.
Minimal differences between season of fire.
Summary: Resprouting Shrubs
Temporary increase in herbaceous dominance Minimal negative effect (if any) on density Management with fire requires high frequency (e.g. 2-5 year return interval). Regrowth 10 years after fire Season has minimal long-term effects in grasslands Howe 1994 Engle et al. 2000 Engle and Bidwell 2001 Brockway et al. 2002 Towne and Kemp 2003 Fuhlendorf and Engle 2004 Fuhlendorf et al. 2006 Ansley et al. 2006
General Recommendations for Prairie-Chickens
Maintain >75% of landscape in native grassland.
Use prescribed fire > 1-3 times per decade to minimize tree encroachment.
Leave >50% of the landscape unburned for >24 months.
Maintain high plant diversity including forbs.
Minimize human activity and structures within areas occupied by prairie-chickens. Summary
Changes in fire frequency are one of the greatest threats to prairie-chickens.
Plant communities in the Southern Great Plains are highly resilient to fire.
Data on direct grouse response to fire is lacking.
Fire should be viewed as a process. Ongoing Work
Unger et al. – LPC and land use
Starns et al. – Fire and grazing/prairie-chicken habitat
Haukos et al. – LPC and juniper
Carleton et al. – LPC and mesquite Further Information • Hovick, T.J., R.D. Elmore, S.D. Fuhlendorf, and D.K. Dahlgren. 2015. Weather constrains the influence of fire and grazing on nesting greater prairie-chickens. Rangeland Ecology and Management in press. • Hovick, T.J., R.D. Elmore, B.W. Allred, S.D. Fuhlendorf, and D.K. Dahlgren. 2014. Landscapes as a Thermal Moderator of Thermal Extremes: a Case Study from an Imperiled Grouse. Ecosphere: 5:35. • Winter, S. L., S.D. Fuhlendorf, C.L. Goad, C.A. Davis, K.R. Hickman, and D.M. Leslie Jr. 2011. Fire tolerance of a resprouting Artemisia (Asteraceae) shrub. Plant Ecology. 212:2085-2094. • Vermeire, L. T., R.B. Mitchell, S.D. Fuhlendorf, and R.L. Gillen. 2004. Patch burning effects on grazing distribution. Rangeland Ecology & Management 57:248-252. • Vermeire, L. T., R.B. Mitchell, S.D. Fuhlendorf, and D.B. Wester. 2004. Selective control of rangeland grasshoppers with prescribed fire. Rangeland Ecology & Management 57:29-33. • Robbins, M. B., A.T. Peterson, and M.A. Ortega-Huerta. 2002. Major negative impacts of early intensive cattle stocking on tallgrass prairies: the case of the greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido). North American Birds. 56:239-244. • Fuhlendorf, S. D., Woodward, A. J., Leslie, D. M., and J.S. Shackford. 2002. Multi-scale effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on lesser prairie-chicken populations of the US Southern Great Plains. Landscape Ecology 17: 617-628. • Woodward, A. J., Fuhlendorf, S. D., Leslie Jr, D. M., and J.S. Shackford. 2001. Influence of landscape composition and change on lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) populations. The American Midland Naturalist 145: 261-274. • Boyd, C. S. and T.G. Bidwell, T. G. 2001. Influence of prescribed fire on lesser prairie-chicken habitat in shinnery oak communities in western Oklahoma. Wildlife Society Bulletin 938-947. • McKee, G., M.R. Ryan, and L.M. Mechlin. 1998. Predicting greater prairie-chicken nest success from vegetation and landscape characteristics. The Journal of Wildlife Management 314-321. • Cannon, R. W., and F. L. Knopf. 1979. Lesser prairie chicken responses to range fires at the booming ground. Wildlife Society Bulletin 44-46.