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Chapter 4 Changes and Trends in Ecosystems and Landscape Features Chapter 4 Changes and Trends in Ecosystems and Landscape Features Superior Coastal Plain Northwest Lowlands Northern Northwest Highland Sands North Central Forest Northeast Sands Western Northern Prairie Lake Forest Transition Michigan Coastal Western Coulees Central Lake and Ridges Central Michigan Coastal Sand Plains Central Sand Hills Southern Southeast Glacial Plains Lake Michigan Coastal Southwest Savanna Where to Find the Publication The Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin publication is available online, in CD format, and in limited quantities as a hard copy. Individual chapters are available for download in PDF format through the Wisconsin DNR website (http://dnr.wi.gov/, keyword “landscapes”). The introductory chapters (Part 1) and supporting materials (Part 3) should be downloaded along with individual ecological landscape chapters in Part 2 to aid in understanding and using the ecological landscape chapters. In addition to containing the full chapter of each ecological landscape, the website highlights key information such as the ecological landscape at a glance, Species of Greatest Conservation Need, natural community management opportunities, general management opportunities, and ecological landscape and Landtype Association maps (Appendix K of each ecological landscape chapter). These web pages are meant to be dynamic and were designed to work in close association with materials from the Wisconsin Wildlife Action Plan as well as with information on Wisconsin’s natural communities from the Wisconsin Natural Heritage Inventory Program. If you have a need for a CD or paper copy of this book, you may request one from Dreux Watermolen, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707. Photos (L to R): White-tailed doe, photo by Vicki Sokolowski; spring blue-eyed-Mary, photo by Kitty Kohout; Kirtland’s Warbler, photo by Dean DiTomasso; West Virginia white butterfly, photo by Mike Reese; gray wolf pup, photo by Brian Collins. Suggested Citation Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. 2015. The ecological landscapes of Wisconsin: An assessment of ecological resources and a guide to planning sustainable management. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, PUB-SS-1131 2015, Madison. Suggested Citation for This Chapter Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. 2015. Changes and trends in ecosystems and land- scape features. Chapter 4 in The ecological landscapes of Wisconsin: An assessment of ecological resources and a guide to planning sustainable management. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, PUB-SS-1131E 2015, Madison. Contents Kitty Kohout Changes During the Holocene ........................................................................... 1 Mid-Holocene Climate Shift in Southern Wisconsin ....................................................... 3 Mid-Holocene Climate Shift in Northern Wisconsin ....................................................... 4 Late Holocene .......................................................................................... 4 Vegetation Change During the Holocene ................................................................ 6 Fire Interactions ........................................................................................ 6 Implications for Future Climate Change .................................................................. 7 Land Use Changes ........................................................................................ 8 Pleistocene to Euro-American Settlement ............................................................... 8 Euro-American Settlement to the Present ............................................................... 8 Contemporary Land Use Issues and Anticipated Trends ................................................... 9 Changes to Aquatic Resources .......................................................................... 11 Great Lakes ............................................................................................. 11 Inland Lakes and Ponds ................................................................................. 12 Rivers and Streams ..................................................................................... 13 Groundwater ........................................................................................... 14 Changes to Flora ......................................................................................... 14 Sources of Information from Which “Changes in Flora” May Be Inferred ................................... 15 Plant Habitat Trends Since Euro-American Settlement ................................................... 15 Herbaceous Communities ............................................................................... 16 Shrublands ........................................................................................... 16 Savannas ............................................................................................. 16 Forests ............................................................................................... 16 Miscellaneous Habitats ................................................................................. 17 Aquatic Habitats ....................................................................................... 17 Reasons for Change to Wisconsin’s Flora ................................................................. 17 Conservation Needs for Native Flora ..................................................................... 18 Changes to Fauna ........................................................................................ 19 Changes in Animal Communities ........................................................................ 20 Mammals ............................................................................................ 21 Birds ................................................................................................. 22 Amphibians and Reptiles ............................................................................... 24 Fish .................................................................................................. 25 Invertebrates ......................................................................................... 26 Individual Species Changes ............................................................................. 28 E-iii Extinct Species ........................................................................................ 29 Extirpated Species ..................................................................................... 29 Extirpated Species Again Present in the State .............................................................. 31 Species That Remained in the State ...................................................................... 37 Introduced Species ..................................................................................... 49 Appendix 4.A. Scientific Names of Species Mentioned in the Text .................................... 50 Literature Cited .......................................................................................... 53 Additional References ................................................................................... 57 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4.1. Long-term records of climate and greenhouse gases for the past 420,000 years from the Vostok ice core, Antarctica ............................................................................... 2 Figure 4.2. Figure shows a pollen diagram of the Holocene for sites at Devils Lake (Sauk County) and Kellners Lake (Manitowoc County), providing comparisons of vegetation in south-central Wisconsin and eastern Wisconsin ...... 3 Figure 4.3. Annual temperature fluctuations in Europe over the past 12,000 years, reconstructed from fossil pollen samples ............................................................................... 4 Figure 4.4. Temperature variations for the past 1,800 years and for the past 1,000 years ........................... 5 Figure 4.5. Population trends of grassland bird species of management concern in Wisconsin ....................... 24 Figure 4.6. Location and extent of Wisconsin Passenger Pigeon nesting in 1871 ................................... 29 Figure 4.7. Probable range of the bison in Wisconsin prior to Euro-American settlement ........................... 30 Figure 4.8. Historical records of elk in Wisconsin .............................................................. 32 Figure 4.9. Historical records of moose in Wisconsin ........................................................... 32 Figure 4.10. Gray wolf territories in Wisconsin and probable gray wolf distribution ............................... 33 Figure 4.11. Number of gray wolves in Wisconsin, 1980–2010 ................................................. 33 Figure 4.12. Range of the American marten, 2011 ............................................................ 34 Figure 4.13. Historical Wild Turkey range in Wisconsin ......................................................... 35 Figure 4.14. Statewide white-tailed deer harvest from 1932 through 2010 ...................................... 38 Figure 4.15. Deer management regions to manage the white-tailed deer herd in Wisconsin ........................ 39 Figure 4.16. White-tailed deer population size in relation to deer population goals in deer management regions, 1981–2010 ........................................................................................... 40 Figure 4.17. Cumulative locations of CWD-positive deer, 2002–2011, in Wisconsin
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