@article {KNZ001673, title = {Plains harvest mice in tallgrass prairie: abundance, habitat association and individual attributes}, journal = {Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science}, volume = {117}, year = {2014}, pages = {167 -180}, abstract = {

The plains harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys montanus) inhabits grasslands in the Great Plains, but little is known about its ecology and natural history in native tallgrass prairie. We sampled native tallgrass prairie in spring and autumn by standard traplines on the Konza Prairie Biological Station during autumn 1981-spring 2013 and for shorter time periods in woodlands and brome fields. In addition to our long-term research, we studied small mammals on a large Prairie Grid (\∼13 ha) that was trapped intensively (about every 2 weeks except in winter) during 1984\–1987. Plains harvest mice (n = 39) were captured in native prairie but not in brome fields or wooded habitats. In all prairie sites, they were found to be rare (1.1 individuals/10,000 trap nights [TN]); in 14 Core Sites sampled for 32 years, abundance was higher in autumn (1.95/10,000 TN) than in spring (0.70/10,000 TN). It was not apparent that these low abundances were related to precipitation or another weather feature. On the Prairie Grid, plains harvest mice were associated with uplands and secondarily with slopes, whereas they avoided lowlands. Furthermore, they showed a positive response to conditions that are created during the first growing season following spring prescribed fires. Overall, 44\% of individuals were males and this value did not differ from a 1:1 sex ratio. Non-reproductive females (8.7 g) were slightly larger than males (8.3 g); only females occupied the largest body size class (11.0\–11.5 g). The smallest pregnant female weighed 9.0 g, whereas the smallest female that was lactating as evidenced by conspicuous mammae weighed 7.0 g. Pregnancies were recorded in spring, summer and autumn but not in winter; about one-third of females captured were pregnant. A juvenile (5.5 g) was captured in summer. We conclude that to understand this rare species (ca. 0.1\% of the small mammal community on Konza Prairie) even studies with small sample sizes are important to elucidate the natural history and ecology of the plains harvest mouse.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, abundance, body size, fire effects, Konza Prairie, native tallgrass prairie, Reithrodontomys montanus, reproduction, sex ratio, topography}, doi = {10.1660/062.117.0302}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1660/062.117.0302}, author = {Kaufman, G.A. and D.W. Kaufman} } @article {KNZ001451, title = {Variable effects of dipteran parasitoids and management treatment on grasshopper fecundity in a tallgrass prairie}, journal = {Bulletin of Entomological Research}, volume = {102}, year = {2012}, pages = {123 -130}, abstract = {

Grasshoppers host a number of parasitoids, but little is known about their impact on grasshopper life history attributes or how those impacts may vary with land use. Here, we report on a three-year survey of nine grasshopper species in a tallgrass prairie managed with fire and bison grazing treatments. We measured parasitoid prevalence and the impact of parasitoid infection on grasshopper fecundity to determine if grasshopper-parasitoid interactions varied with management treatment. Adult female grasshoppers were collected every three weeks from eight watersheds managed with different prescribed burning and grazing treatments. Grasshopper fecundity with and without parasitoids was estimated through dissections of reproductive tracts. Dipteran parasitoids from two families (Nemestrinidae and Tachinidae) were observed infecting grasshoppers. We found significant effects of grazing treatment, but not burn interval, on grasshopper-parasitoid interactions. Parasitoids were three times more abundant in watersheds with bison grazing than in ungrazed watersheds, and the relative abundance of nemestrinid and tachinid flies varied with grazing treatment. Parasitoid prevalence varied among grasshopper species from \<0.01\% infected (Mermiria bivittata) to 17\% infected (Hypochlora alba). Parasitoid infection reduced individual grasshopper fecundity, with stronger effects on current reproduction than on past reproduction. Furthermore, current fecundity in parasitized grasshoppers was lower in grazed watersheds compared to ungrazed watersheds. Nemestrinid parasitoids generally had stronger impacts on grasshopper fecundity than tachinid parasitoids, the effects of which were more variable.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, grassland, Grazing, host-parasitoid interactions, Konza Prairie Biological Station, Orthoptera, reproduction}, doi = { http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0007485311000472}, url = {https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bulletin-of-entomological-research/article/variable-effects-of-dipteran-parasitoids-and-management-treatment-on-grasshopper-fecundity-in-a-tallgrass-prairie/EB1AD93DB7D975E1009489797D88DF2E}, author = {Laws, A. and Anthony Joern} } @article {KNZ001447, title = {Abundance and spatiotemporal distribution of the non-native house mouse in native tallgrass prairie}, journal = {Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science}, volume = {114}, year = {2011}, pages = {217 -230}, abstract = {

We have sampled small mammals on the Konza Prairie Biological Station, in eastern Kansas, from autumn 1981 through the present. One part of this effort has involved sampling rodents and shrews on 14 permanent traplines (20 stations, 15-m interstation intervals and 4 consecutive nights) situated in native tallgrass prairie during each of 29 autumns and 29 springs as well as 6 summers. In these permanent sites, house mice (Mus musculus) were extremely uncommon as illustrated by average abundances of 0.023 mice/100 trap nights (TN) in autumn, 0.022 mice/100 TN in summer and 0.000 mice/100 TN in spring. Precipitation in summer influenced autumn use of tallgrass prairie by house mice; captures only occurred in autumn when precipitation was \≥300 mm in the previous summer. House mice were slightly more likely (though not significantly) to be captured in lowland than upland or hill slope prairie. The distribution of occurrence was not influenced by fire (burned or unburned) or grazing history (grazed or ungrazed). Over our total trapping efforts on Konza Prairie (sampling on the permanent traplines plus other traplines and grids), we captured only 36 house mice or about 0.01 individual/100 TN. Overall, more males (64\%) than females were captured; males, on average, were larger (14.0 g) than females (10.5 g) in body size; females typically were non-reproductive (only one of 13 was pregnant) and individuals typically were trapped only once. Captures were distributed broadly in both space and time and lacked predictability (i.e., exhibited an \“anti-nested\” distribution of captures). These and other patterns suggest that most house mice were transients in the tallgrass prairie. Distribution and abundance of house mice also imply that this introduced species is extremely uncommon and likely will never be invasive in native tallgrass prairie.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, abundance, anti-nested distribution, body size, introduced species, Konza Prairie, limestone outcrops, Mus musculus, planted brome fields, reproduction, woodland habitats}, doi = {10.1660/062.114.0303}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1660/062.114.0303}, author = {D.W. Kaufman and Kaufman, D.M. and Kaufman, G.A.} } @article {KNZ001359, title = {Grasshopper fecundity responses to grazing and fire in a tallgrass prairie}, journal = {Environmental Entomology}, volume = {40}, year = {2011}, pages = {979 -988}, abstract = {

Grasshopper abundance and diversity vary with management practices such as fire and grazing. Understanding how grasshopper life history traits such as fecundity respond to management practices is key to predicting grasshopper population dynamics in heterogeneous environments. Landscape-level experimental fire and bison grazing treatments at the Konza Prairie Biological Station (Manhattan, KS) provide an opportunity to examine how management affects grasshopper fecundity. Here we report on grasshopper fecundity for nine common species at Konza Prairie. From 2007 to 2009, adult female grasshoppers were collected every 3 wk from eight watersheds that varied in fire and grazing treatments. Fecundity was measured by examining female reproductive tracts, which contain a record of past and current reproductive activity. Body size was a poor predictor of fecundity for all species. Despite large differences in vegetation structure and composition with management regime (grazing and fire interval), we observed little effect of management on grasshopper fecundity. Habitat characteristics (grasshopper density, vegetation biomass, and vegetation quality; measured in 2008 and 2009) were better predictors of past fecundity than current fecundity, with species-specific responses. Fecundity increased throughout the summer, indicating that grasshoppers were able to acquire sufficient nutritional resources for egg production in the early fall when vegetation quality is generally low. Because fecundity did not vary across management treatments, population stage structure may be more important for determining population level reproduction than management regime at Konza Prairie.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Konza Prairie Biological Station, life-history, management, Orthoptera, reproduction}, doi = {10.1603/EN10146}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/ee/article-abstract/40/5/979/412531?redirectedFrom=fulltext}, author = {Laws, A. and Anthony Joern} } @article {KNZ001390, title = {The least shrew on Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas}, journal = {Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science}, volume = {114}, year = {2011}, pages = {47 -58}, abstract = {

We report specific locations and attributes of least shrews (Cryptotis parva) captured over a 29-year period on the Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas. We used large, nonfolding Sherman live traps to survey small mammals in native tallgrass prairie habitats (by traplines and grids), woodland habitats (by traplines and grids) and planted brome fields (traplines only). Eighty-seven least shrews were captured over the 29 years of surveys (ca. 350,000 trap nights). Almost all captures (98\%) occurred in prairie habitat; 80\% of all captures occurred on a prairie grid during a 5-year period. Least shrews on prairie traplines were captured in a variety of topographic positions (upland, hillside slope and lowland) and in burned and unburned prairie, but not in prairie grazed by bison. We captured individuals that ranged in body size from 2.5\–8.0 g. The mean body mass of all captured least shrews was 4.7 g (excluding pregnant females) and, when only adults were included (excluding pregnant females), it was 5.1g. We noted 13 pregnancies among 12 females; the earliest pregnancy was recorded in mid-April and latest in mid-October. Most pregnancies (ca. 70\%) were recorded in two months, July and September. Lactating females that were not pregnant were larger in size (5.5 g) than non-reproductive females (4.4 g). Response of least shrews to live traps was not neophobic; and, in fact, about 30\% of the shrews were captured on day 1 of a 4-day trapping period on prairie sites. Our data add information about attributes of least shrews living in natural habitats, such as the tallgrass prairie, and support two previous studies, which suggested that least shrews are rare on Konza Prairie.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, abundance, body size, Cryptotis parva, fire, Grazing, planted brome fields, reproduction, tallgrass prairie, trap response, woodland habitat}, doi = {10.1660/062.114.0104}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1660/062.114.0104}, author = {Kaufman, G.A. and D.W. Kaufman} } @article {KNZ001177, title = {Phenotypic correlates and survival consequences of male mating success in lek-mating Greater Prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus cupido)}, journal = {Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology}, volume = {62}, year = {2008}, pages = {1377 -1388}, abstract = {

Female choice and male\–male aggression are two modes of sexual selection that can lead to elaboration of male morphological and behavioral traits. In lek-mating species, male mating success is often strongly skewed, and it is puzzling why variation in male traits is still observed given directional female choice. If male traits correlated with reproductive success are honest signals of male quality, there may be survival costs associated with the expression of those traits. In this study, we examined whether morphological, behavioral, and territorial traits are correlated with male mating success and survival in the lek-mating greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido). We introduce a novel application of multinomial discrete choice models for analysis of female mate choice behavior. We found that behavioral and territorial attributes showed 6.5 times more variability among males than morphological traits. Both display and aggressive behaviors were strong predictors of male mating success, suggesting that both female choice and male\–male aggression were important in determining mating success among male greater prairie-chickens. Moreover, annual survival of male prairie-chickens was independent of mating success and male traits. Females appear to be choosing males based on behavioral traits where large variation exists between males (coefficient of variation \>30\%). Behavioral traits were the most important factor in determining mating success of male prairie-chickens, but the mechanism underlying this relationship is unknown. In the future, experimental manipulations of male hormones or parasite loads could bridge the proximate mechanisms and ultimate consequences of factors mediating male mating success in lek-mating grouse.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Galliformes, Life history trade-off, mate choice, reproduction, Sexual selection}, doi = {10.1007/s00265-008-0566-8}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007\%2Fs00265-008-0566-8}, author = {Nooker, J.K. and Sandercock, B.K.} } @phdthesis {KNZ001040, title = {Factors influencing nightly activity of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) in tallgrass prairie}, volume = {PhD Dissertation}, year = {2005}, pages = {1 -205}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {Ph.D. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan,KS}, abstract = {

Little is known about nightly activity patterns of nocturnal small mammals under natural conditions, and how these activity patterns might be affected by photoperiod, season, and sex, age, and reproductive status of individuals. The main objectives of this research were: 1) to find an appropriate method for marking individual deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) so that their activity could be monitored remotely; 2) to design a portable activity-monitoring system to investigate temporal patterns of shelter use by deer mice under natural conditions; 3) to determine the influence of environmental conditions such as photoperiod and season on nightly activity of deer mice; and 4) to compare effects of demographic or physiological factors such as sex, age, and reproductive status on nightly activity of deer mice at artificial burrows in tallgrass prairie. In general, commencement of activity was correlated positively with timing of sunset, and time of retirement to the burrow was correlated positively with sunrise. Among adults, males first emerged from the burrow earlier and made more trips of shorter duration in a night than did females, although total duration of trips was similar. Return visits and subsequent stays typically were shorter for males than females, but total time spent in the burrow and retirement time relative to sunrise were similar for both sexes. Young deer mice emerged significantly later, made more trips of shorter duration, spent less total time outside, and retired to their burrow earlier than adults. Reproductive females emerged later, made fewer trips of generally longer duration, and spent shorter total amounts of time away from the burrow each night than non-reproductive females. Return visits of reproductive females were of longer duration than non-reproductives, but total time spent inside and time of retirement for the night did not differ relative to reproductive status. From parturition through lactation, activity of females showed a number of directional trends. Results suggest that under natural conditions, activity patterns of deer mice are highly variable but responsive to both the changing physical environment and internal conditions related to sex-specific maximization of fitness.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Activity-monitoring system, kansas, Nocturnal, PIT tag, reproduction, rodent}, url = {http://hdl.handle.net/2097/139}, author = {Rehmeier, R.L.} }