Effects of grazing intensity and temporal application of grazing treatments on nongame birds in North Dakota mixed-grass prairie.

摘要

Grazing occurred naturally in the northern Great Plains and influenced many natural processes in grassland ecosystems, including the habitat selection of breeding birds. Grazing, mainly for livestock production, is still an important land use practice and is one that impacts millions of hectares on both public and private land in the United States. In North Dakota alone, various grazing practices affect over 4 million hectares (10 million acres), making it one of the most important land uses, second only to cereal and oil crop production. To better understand how grazing affects nongame breeding birds, a study was conducted at Central Grasslands Research Extension Center (CGREC) to determine the effects of four levels of grazing intensity on nongame bird populations and grassland habitat. In addition, two earlier studies, conducted at CGREC were repeated, one in native prairie and the other in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands, to determine the temporal effects of grazing systems on nongame bird populations and habitat. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)