Annotated Bibliography of Scientific Research on Greater Sage-Grouse Published from 2015 to 2019 Open-File Report 2020–1103 Supersedes USGS Open-File Report 2018–1008 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover. A male greater sage-grouse displaying on a lek in Oregon. Photograph by Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington. Annotated Bibliography of Scientific Research on Greater Sage-Grouse Published from 2015 to 2019 By Sarah K. Carter, Robert S. Arkle, Heidi L. Bencin, Benjamin R. Harms , Daniel J. Manier, Aaron N. Johnston, Susan L. Phillips, Steven E. Hanser, and Zachary H. Bowen Open-File Report 2020–1103 Supersedes USGS Open-File Report 2018-1008 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DAVID BERNHARDT, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey James F. Reilly II, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2020 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment—visit https://www.usgs.gov/ or call 1–888–ASK–USGS (1–888–275–8747). For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit https:/store.usgs.gov. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. Suggested citation: Carter, S.K., Arkle, R.S., Bencin, H.L., Harms, B.R., Manier, D.J., Johnston, A.N., Phillips, S.L., Hanser, S.E., and Bowen, Z.H., 2020, Annotated bibliography of scientific research on greater sage-grouse published from 2015 to 2019: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2020–1103, 264 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20201103. ISSN 2331-1258 (online) Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 2 Purpose and Scope ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Methods ......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Results and Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 7 Review Process ............................................................................................................................................. 9 Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................................... 9 References Cited ......................................................................................................................................... 10 Annotated Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 12 Figure Figure 1. The current and historic distribution of greater sage-grouse habitat in the western United States and the seven Greater sage-grouse Management Zones in the western United States ......... 5 Tables Table 1. Information categories in each summary ..................................................................................... 4 Table 2. Management topics assessed for each journal article/report included in the bibliography ........... 6 Table 3. Number of products addressing each management topic ............................................................ 8 iii Conversion Factors U.S. customary units to International System of Units Multiply By To obtain Length mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km) Area acre 4,047 square meter (m2) acre 0.4047 hectare (ha) acre 0.004047 square kilometer (km2) International System of Units to U.S. customary units Multiply By To obtain Length meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft) kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi) meter (m) 1.094 yard (yd) Area hectare (ha) 2.471 acre square kilometer (km2) 247.1 acre hectare (ha) 0.003861 square mile (mi2) square kilometer (km2) 0.3861 square mile (mi2) Abbreviations BLM Bureau of Land Management DNA deoxyribonucleic acid (genetic code) GPS Global Positioning System GRSG greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) MZ Greater sage-grouse Management Zone PAC Priority Area for Conservation USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture USGS U.S. Geological Survey Species Names Plant nomenclature follows usage by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (https://plants.usda.gov). Animal nomenclature follows usage by the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (https://itis.gov). Common name Scientific name American kestrel Falco sparverius Linnaeus American mink Neovison vison Schreber (formerly Mustela vison Schreber) badger Taxidea taxus Schreber beetles Coleoptera [order] big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata Nuttall black grouse Lyrurus tetrix Linnaeus black sagebrush Artemisia nova A. Nelson Brewer’s sparrow Spizella breweri Cassin bobcat Lynx rufus Schreber cat (domestic or feral) Felis catus Linnaeus cattle (domestic) Bos taurus Linnaeus cheatgrass (downy brome) Bromus tectorum Linnaeus chicken Gallus domesticus1 Colorado pinyon Pinus edulis Engelmann iv Columbian sharp-tailed grouse Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus Ord common raven Corvus corax Linnaeus conifer Pinopsida [class] coyote Canis latrans Say deer Odocoileus species Rafinesque deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus Wagner dog Canis species Linnaeus dunes sagebrush lizard Sceloporus arenicolus Degenhardt & Jones eagle Accipitridae [family]—usually golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos Linnaeus), but also bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus Linnaeus) elk Cervus elaphus Linnaeus falcon Falco species Linnaeus flies Diptera [order] golden-cheeked warbler Setophaga chrysoparia Sclater & Salvin (formerly Dendroica chrysoparia Sclater & Salvin) gopher snake Pituophis catenifer Blainville greasewood Sarcobatus vermiculatus (Hooker) Torrey greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus Bonaparte Gunnison sage-grouse Centrocercus minimus Young, Braun, Oyler-McCance, Hupp, & Quinn hawk Accipitridae [family] (Buteo Lacepede species or Accipiter Brisson species) juniper Juniperus species Linnaeus lesser prairie chicken Tympanuchus pallidicinctus Ridgway long-tailed weasel Mustela frenata Linnaeus low sagebrush (little) Artemisia arbuscula Nuttall subspecies arbuscula magpie Pica pica Linneaus mesquite Prosopis species Linnaeus monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus Linnaeus mountain big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata Nuttall subspecies vaseyana (Rydberg) Beetle Nebraska sedge Carex nebrascensis Dewey northern goshawk Accipiter gentilis Linnaeus northern harrier Circus cyaneus Linnaeus owl Strigidae [family] pinyon pine Pinus edulis Engelmann and (or) Pinus monophylla Torrey & Frémont porcupine Erethizon dorsatus Linnaeus rabbitbrush Chrysothamnus species Nuttall and (or) Ericameria species Nuttall raccoon Procyon lotor Linnaeus red grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica Latham red fox Vulpes vulpes Linnaeus sage thrasher Oreoscoptes montanus J.K. Townsend sagebrush Artemisia species Linnaeus sagebrush sparrow Artemisiospiza nevadensis Ridgway sheep (domestic) Ovis aries Linneaus silver sagebrush Artemisia cana Pursh subspecies bolanderi (A. Gray) G.H. Ward single-leaf pinyon Pinus monophylla Torrey & Frémont striped skunk Mephitis mephitis Schreber Utah juniper Juniperus osteosperma (Torrey) Little western juniper Juniperus grandis R.P. Adams western rattlesnake Crotalus oreganus Holbrook Wyoming big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata Nuttall subspecies wyomingensis Beetle & Young 1Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2000, U.S. trade descriptions for poultry: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Marketing and Regulatory Programs, Agricultural Marketing Service, Poultry Programs, AMS 71, accessed January 24, 2018, at https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Chicken_Trade_Descriptions%5B1%5D.pdf. v Annotated Bibliography of Scientific Research on Greater Sage-Grouse Published from 2015 to 2019 By Sarah K. Carter, Robert S. Arkle, Heidi L. Bencin, Benjamin R. Harms, Daniel J. Manier, Aaron N. Johnston, Susan L. Phillips, Steven E. Hanser, and Zachary H. Bowen Abstract The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter GRSG) has been a focus of scientific investigation and management action for the past two decades. The 2015 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listing determination of “not warranted” was in part due to a large-scale collaborative effort to develop strategies to conserve GRSG populations and their habitat and to reduce threats to both. New scientific information augments existing knowledge and can help inform updates or modifications to existing plans for managing GRSG and sagebrush ecosystems. However, the sheer number of scientific publications can be a challenge for managers tasked with evaluating and determining the need for potential updates to existing planning documents. To assist in this process, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has reviewed and summarized the scientific literature published since January 1, 2015. The first