Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lawrence D. Igl, Deborah A. Buhl, Max Post van der Burg, Douglas H. Johnson
Summary: Recent declines in grassland bird populations in North America are attributed to habitat loss and fragmentation caused by agricultural practices. The expiration of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts could further impact these bird populations negatively. A study comparing idled CRP grasslands to fields with expired CRP contracts found that most bird species had higher abundance in idled CRP grasslands. The post-CRP land use, such as grazing or hayland, also influenced bird abundances, with lower abundance in grazed grasslands and haylands compared to idled CRP, but higher abundance than cropland. The responses of grassland specialists varied depending on post-CRP land use. These results have implications for wildlife managers and support the idea of maintaining a mosaic of undisturbed CRP grasslands and post-CRP grasslands with varied land uses to benefit different bird species.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Fraser J. Combe, Levi Jaster, Andrew Ricketts, David Haukos, Andrew G. Hope
Summary: Hybridization is a natural process that occurs at species boundaries, which can either promote speciation or break down species barriers, with minimal impact on management outcomes of distinct populations. White-tailed deer and mule deer in North America have overlapping distributions and capacity for interspecific hybridization. Recent environmental changes have led to mule deer contracting westward and white-tailed deer expanding westward, increasing gene flow and raising conservation implications.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Brandon Burda, Christopher M. Somers, Katherine Conkin, Ryan J. Fisher
Summary: The study emphasizes the importance of large patches of grassland to support the occurrence of sharp-tailed grouse leks, and highlights the need for a diverse set of habitat features for sharp-tailed grouse management.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gerald A. Meehl, Haiyan Teng, Nan Rosenbloom, Aixue Hu, Claudia Tebaldi, Guy Walton
Summary: Unprecedented heat extremes occurred in the 1930s in areas far from the US, and a climate model experiment reveals a new mechanism involving a warm season atmospheric pattern that spread heat extremes across the Northern Hemisphere. Only in the 21st century have populations in these regions experienced similar heat extremes, indicating human influence on regional temperature and the possibility of future droughts affecting heat extremes on a hemispheric scale.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Samdanjigmed Tulganyam, Craig A. Carr
Summary: A bulldozed fire line is a fire-suppression technique that alters fuel continuity to limit fire movement. This study examines the ecological impacts of bulldozed fire lines in grassland systems and finds that they can have lasting effects on vegetation properties. The loss of perennial grasses and invasion of annual grasses are observed, suggesting the need to limit the use of bulldozed fire lines as a suppression activity.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vanessa L. Hale, Patricia M. Dennis, Dillon S. McBride, Jacqueline M. Nolting, Christopher Madden, Devra Huey, Margot Ehrlich, Jennifer Grieser, Jenessa Winston, Dusty Lombardi, Stormy Gibson, Linda Saif, Mary L. Killian, Kristina Lantz, Rachel M. Tell, Mia Torchetti, Suelee Robbe-Austerman, Martha Nelson, Seth A. Faith, Andrew S. Bowman
Summary: Research shows that free-ranging white-tailed deer in northeast Ohio, USA are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, potentially enabling the virus to be transmitted in wildlife, opening up new pathways for evolution.
Article
Ecology
Neal D. Niemuth, Kevin W. Barnes, Jason D. Tack, Rich Iovanna
Summary: Grasslands of the North American Great Plains are at risk of conversion, and this study developed simple models that can predict grassland loss in the region. The amount of grass in local landscapes was found to be a strong predictor of state-level grassland loss.
Article
Forestry
Beatrice Capolla, Olivier Villemaire-Cote, Jean-Claude Ruel, Jean-Pierre Tremblay
Summary: By selectively feeding on new vegetation from forest regeneration, cervids can negatively affect the abundance and recruitment of understory species. This impact is often studied at fine scales, making it difficult to generalize the distribution of co-occurring cervid and tree species. In this study, the effect of spatio-temporal variations in white-tailed deer abundance on northern white cedar recruitment was examined. The results showed a negative effect of deer abundance and deeryard proximity on cedar sapling recruitment, highlighting the importance of considering browsing indicators in forest surveys to manage regeneration failures caused by browsing.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Matthew J. Rinella, Lauren M. Porensky, Susan E. Bellows, Jeanne M. Knox, Emily P. Metier
Summary: Pollinator insects are declining due to the conversion of grasslands to cropland, which is prevalent in the Great Plains. Seeding efforts to benefit pollinators in the Great Plains have had unclear success. Factors such as high grass seed rates and weed densities have been found to reduce forb cover, while certain post-emergence herbicides may benefit seeded forbs. Managers have also wasted money on low seed rates and non-establishing species. It is recommended to seed certain high establishment probability species at high rates and implement effective weed control measures.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jessie Edson, Justin Brown, William L. Miller, W. David Walter
Summary: This study found that biological samples stored on Whatman FTA Elute cards are a reasonable alternative to traditional DNA sample collection, storage, and extraction, improving extraction time and storage of samples. Nose swabs and ocular fluid containing pigmented fluid were determined to be reasonable alternatives to traditional tissue DNA extractions.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jeffrey C. Chandler, Sarah N. Bevins, Jeremy W. Ellis, Timothy J. Linder, Rachel M. Tell, Melinda Jenkins-Moore, J. Jeffrey Root, Julianna B. Lenoch, Suelee Robbe-Austerman, Thomas J. DeLiberto, Thomas Gidlewski, Mia Kim Torchetti, Susan A. Shriner
Summary: Research indicates that white-tailed deer in the United States have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, with 40% of samples testing positive for antibodies. This suggests that human infections of the novel coronavirus may have an impact on wildlife.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Emily K. Latch, Kenneth L. Gee, Stephen L. Webb, Rodney L. Honeycutt, Randy W. DeYoung, Robert A. Gonzales, Stephen Demarais, Ryan Toby
Summary: The study found that genetic diversity of white-tailed deer remained sustained over the first 12 years of confinement, comparable to unconfined populations. Observations suggest that the fence is not completely impermeable, allowing for a low level of gene flow to mitigate genetic drift.
Article
Geography
John Patrick Connors, Anne Short Gianotti
Summary: This paper examines the implementation of a white-tailed deer management program in the Blue Hills Reservation outside of Boston, Massachusetts, focusing on the changes and controversies surrounding the presence and management of deer in the park. The study explores how concerns about human health, urban green spaces, and global biodiversity influence the decision-making process of lethal deer management in suburban areas.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Eoin O'Hara, Allen Herbst, Arun Kommadath, Judd M. Aiken, Debbie McKenzie, Negin Goodarzi, Pamela Skinner, Paul Stothard
Summary: This study utilized RNA sequencing to compare the brain transcriptome of white-tailed deer affected by chronic wasting disease (CWD) to unaffected deer. The results identified significant gene expression changes related to immune activation, providing important insights into the pathogenesis of CWD and potential targets for therapeutic interventions. The study also ruled out an association between CWD and spiroplasma infection.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
James T. Johnson, Richard B. Chandler, L. Mike Conner, Michael J. Cherry, Charlie H. Killmaster, Kristina L. Johannsen, Karl Miller
Summary: Bait is often used to attract wildlife for various purposes, but it can alter animal behavior and distribution. Short-term baiting was found to affect white-tailed deer's space use within home ranges, potentially enhancing disease transmission and changing harvest susceptibility. This study highlights the importance of understanding how baiting impacts wildlife behavior and distribution for effective management and research.
