PLANT and BREEDING BIRD COMMUNITIES of BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG COLONIES and NON- COLONIZED AREAS in SOUTHWEST KANSAS and SOUTHEAST COLORADO Stephen L
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources Natural Resources, School of 1999 PLANT AND BREEDING BIRD COMMUNITIES OF BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG COLONIES AND NON- COLONIZED AREAS IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO Stephen L. Winter Kansas State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/natresdiss Part of the Desert Ecology Commons, Ornithology Commons, and the Plant Sciences Commons Winter, Stephen L., "PLANT AND BREEDING BIRD COMMUNITIES OF BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG COLONIES AND NON-COLONIZED AREAS IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO" (1999). Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources. 95. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/natresdiss/95 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Natural Resources, School of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. PLANT AND BREEDING BIRD COMMUNITIES OF BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG COLONIES AND NON-COLONIZED AREAS IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO by STEPHEN LOUIS WINTER B.S., University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1994 A THESIS submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF SCIENCE Division of Biology College of Arts and Sciences KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY Manhattan, Kansas 1999 Approved by: Major Professor Jack F. Cully, Jr. ABSTRACT This research was initiated to determine if plant and bird communities on black tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus Ord) colonies in southwest Kansas and southeast Colorado differed from those found on associated non-colonized areas. Vegetation height and density, and the cover and frequency of numerous plant species differed between prairie dog colonies and non-colonized areas that were co-dominated by mid-height grasses and shortgrasses. A comparison of prairie dog colonies with non colonized areas that were dominated solely by shortgrasses did not reveal a difference in vegetation height and density. The number of species that differed in cover or frequency between prairie dog colonies and non-colonized shortgrass areas was less than when the comparison of prairie dog colonies was made with areas eo-dominated by mid and shortgrasses. Plant species richness and diversity measures did not differ between prairie dog colonies and the non-colonized areas. Bird communities in 1996, following twelve months of drought conditions, were species poor relative to 1997. Fewer bird species were detected on prairie dog colonies than on non-colonized areas during both years. Burrowing owls were highly dependent on prairie dog colonies in region of this study, but there were several species for which prairie dog colonies were sub-optimal habitat. Homed lark habitat preference alternated between prairie dog colonies and non-colonized sites, probably in response to the influence of climatic variation on vegetation conditions. Fundamental differences in characteristic vegetation between semiarid shortgrass steppe and less arid regions of the Great Plains appear to contribute to regional differences in the influence of prairie dogs on plant and bird communities. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES III LIST OF FIGURES VI ACKNOWLEDGMENTS VII CHAPTER ONE - Prairie Dogs, Herbivory, and Soil Disturbance in Shortgrass Steppe Precipitaion Effects in the Western Great Plains 3 Classification of Semiarid Grasslands in the Great Plains 7 Herbivory by Prairie Dogs 9 Herbivores Associated With Prairie Dog Colonies 15 Large Mammal Herbivory and Vegetation in Shortgrass Steppe 20 Localized, Intense Soil Disturbance by Prairie Dogs 28 Localized, Intense Soil Disturbance by Other Animals 31 Disturbance Ecology at Large Scales in Shortgrass Steppe 39 Disturbance Ecology at Small Scales in Shortgrass Steppe 43 Conclusion: Prairie Dogs in Shortgrass Steppe Ecosystems 49 Literature Cited 51 CHAPTER TWO - Plant Communities of Black-tailed Prairie Dog Colonies and Non colonized Areas in Southwest Kansas and Southeast Colorado Abstract 72 Introduction 73 Study Area and Methods 74 Results 79 Discussion 85 Literature Cited 92 CHAPTER THREE - Breeding Bird Communities of Black-tailed Prairie Dog Colonies and Non-colonized Areas in Southwest Kansas and Southeast Colorado Abstract 157 Introduction 158 Study Area and Methods 159 Results 164 Discussion 167 Literature Cited 181 APPENDIX 196 II LIST OF TABLES Chapter 2. Table 1. Cover oflive grass, dead grass, live forbs, dead forbs, percent bare ground and cover of each species detected within 0.10 m' plots for prairie dog colonies, non-colonized random sites and non-colonized shortgrass sites in 1996. Table 2. Frequency of all species detected within 0.10 m' plots for prairie dog colonies, non-colonized random sites and non-colonized shortgrass sites in 1996. Table 3. Frequency of all species detected within 10.0 m' plots for prairie dog colonies, non-colonized random sites and non-colonized shortgrass sites in 1996. Table 4. Species richness and diversity indices for prairie dog colonies, non colonized random sites and non-colonized shortgrass sites in 1996. Table 5. Cover oflive grass, dead grass, live forbs, dead forbs, percent bare ground and cover of each species detected within 0.10 m' plots for prairie dog colonies, non-colonized random sites and non-colonized shortgrass sites in 1997. Table 6. Frequency of all species detected within 0.10 m' plots for prairie dog colonies, non-colonized random sites and non-colonized shortgrass sites in 1997. III Table 7. Frequency of all species detected within 10.0 m2 piots for prairie dog colonies, non-colonized random sites and non-colonized shortgrass sites in 1997. Table 8. Species richness and diversity indices for prairie dog colonies, non colonized random sites and non-colonized shortgrass sites in 1997. Table 9. Number of species on prairie dog colonies and non-colonized random sites where frequencies are statistically significant, approach statistical significance, or may be of biological significance. Table 10. Number of species on prairie dog colonies and non-colonized shortgrass sites where frequencies are statistically significant, approach statistical significance, or may be of biological significance. Table II. Nnmber of species on non-colonized random sites and non-colonized shortgrass sites where frequencies are statistically significant, approach statistical significance, or may be of biological significance. Chapter 3. Table I. Relative abundance and total number of all birds combined and each bird species detected on prairie dog colonies and non-colonized shortgrass sitcs in 1996 Table 2. Relative abundance and total number of all birds combined, each bird species, and vegetation height and vegetation density for prairie dog colonies, non-colonized shortgrass sites and non-colonized random sites in 1997 iv Appendix. Table I. List of plant specimens collected in Morton County, Kansas, and Baca County, Colorado, in 1996 and 1997. v LIST OF FIGURES Chapter 1. Figure 1. Annual precipitation amounts and 1901 - 1996 mean recorded at Elkhart weather station in Morton County, Kansas. Chapter 3. Figure I. Cumulative species richness plotted on cumulative transect length for prairie dog colonies and non-colonized shortgrass sites in 1996 Figure 2. Cumulative species richness plotted on cumulative transect length for prairie dog colonies, non-colonized random sites and non-colonized shortgrass sites in 1997 vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Funding for this project was provided by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U. S. Forest Service. I would especially like to acknowledge the help and support I received from the following people: Bill Gill and Dan Mulhern, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Joe Hartman, Jerry Cline, Nancy Brewer, Dorothy Simmons and Kirie Willimon, Cimarron National Grassland, U. S. Forest Service; Joyce Brite, Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Access to private lands in Morton and Baca Counties was provided by the Addington, Cogburn, Eskew, Frownfelter, Jackson, Jones and Morrise families. Field assistance was provided by Justin Kretzer, Jeremy Wertz, Lisa Bleczinski, Mayee Wong, Patrick Lemons, Dwayne Winslow, Elizabeth Agner and Alyssa Storey. Assistance with herbarium specimen preparation and data entry was provided by Alisha Peckham, Alisha Coulson, Aaron Wertenberger, Megan LaRue, Constance Briggs, Daniel Martin, Sally Schrank, Celine Perchellet, Heatber Nippert and Christine Wooley. I am very grateful to Dr. Theodore Barkley for allo\V;ng me the use of the herbarium at Kansas State University, assistance with identifying plant specimens, and for his friendship and advice. Assistance with the identification of plant specimens was also provided by lralee Barnard, Dr. Craig Frecman, Jean-Marie Wheeler, and Dr. Clenton Owensby. I would like to thank my major advisor, Dr. Jack Cully, Jr., for the opportunity to work on this project, for his guidance and assistance in completing this project, and for his patience and tolerance in allowing me to make decisions that weren't always the best ones. I am also appreciative of the guidance and assistance I have received from the members of my graduate committee: Dr. Jeff Pontius and Dr. Dave Hartnett. Dr. Clenton vii Owensby and Dr. John Zimmerman, who reviewed portions of this manuscript, provided valuable suggestions for which I am grateful. I also benefitted