|
|
Article: Invertebrate availability for upland game birds in tall fescue and native warm-season grass fields.
- Article from:
- Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science
- Article date:
- October 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Tennessee Academy of Science. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
ABSTRACT--Native warm-season grasses (NWSG) are commonly recommended over introduced cool-season grasses to enhance the structure of available wildlife habitat. Data concerning food availability (macroinvertebrate abundance) for young gallinaceous birds within these field-cover types are lacking. We collected invertebrate samples from 10 NWSG fields and 10 fields of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) during the brooding season across Tennessee using a terrestrial vacuum sampler. Fields of tall fescue did not differ in overall invertebrate density or biomass from NWSG fields. Density and biomass of Hemiptera (true bugs) was greater in tall fescue fields (P = 0.012), while ...