|
|
Article: Influence of grazing and available moisture on breeding densities of grassland birds in the central Platte River Valley, Nebraska.(Report)
- Article from:
- The Wilson Journal of Ornithology
- Article date:
- December 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Wilson Ornithological Society. 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)
|
Grassland birds have experienced greater population declines over the past 40 years than any other avian group in North America (Askins 1993, Sauer et al. 2005). These declines in the Midwest and Great Plains have been attributed to loss of grasslands in breeding areas (Knopf 1994, Herkert 1995). Many recent studies of grassland birds have examined the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on avian occurrence and abundance (e.g., Herkert et al. 2003). Several studies also have examined the impacts of natural ecological drivers, such as burning and grazing, but only a few studies have evaluated the dynamic wet-dry cycles associated with grasslands and their influence on ...