TY - JOUR T1 - Weather effects on winter birds: the response of a Kansas winter bird community to weather, photoperiod, and year JF - Wilson Bulletin Y1 - 1999 A1 - Stapanian, M.A. A1 - Smith, C.C. A1 - Finck, E.J. VL - 111 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Effect of topography on the distribution of small mammals on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, Kansas Y1 - 1995 A1 - Kaufman, G.K. A1 - D.W. Kaufman A1 - Brillhart, D.E. A1 - Finck, E.J. ED - D.C. Hartnett UR - http://images.library.wisc.edu/EcoNatRes/EFacs/NAPC/NAPC14/reference/econatres.napc14.gkaufman.pdf ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Temporal variation in abundance of Peromyscus leucopus in wooded habitats of eastern Kansas JF - The American Midland Naturalist Y1 - 1995 A1 - D.W. Kaufman A1 - Kaufman, G.A. A1 - Finck, E.J. AB - White-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) were sampled during spring, summer and autumn on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, Kansas, from autumn 1981 to spring 1988. Abundance was greater in gallery forest than in wooded outcrop habitat, although temporal patterns of abundance were similar with highs in 1981-1982 and 1985-1986. Standard deviations (SD) of the common logarithm of abundance were ≤ 0.32 for each of four sites in spring, summer and autumn, except for one forest site in spring. Our SD values were similar to those reported for other populations of P. leucopus. Abundance of P. leucopus was related to its abundance in the previous season (spring abundance vs. that in previous autumn, summer abundance vs. that in previous spring and autumn abundance vs. that in previous summer), seed production by woody vegetation and precipitation, but the factors that had a major influence on abundance of P. leucopus varied among spring, summer and autumn populations. Ambient temperature was unrelated to abundance of P. leucopus during each of the 3 seasons studied. VL - 133 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - The interactive effects of fire, bison (Bison bison) grazing and plant community composition in tallgrass prairie JF - American Midland Naturalist Y1 - 1993 A1 - Vinton, M.A. A1 - D.C. Hartnett A1 - Finck, E.J. A1 - J. M. Briggs KW - tallgrass prairie AB - Fire and native large herbivore grazing were two important influences on the structure and function of North American grasslands. In 1988 and 1989 the influence of fire regime on grazing patterns of North American bison (Bison bison) was studied on the Konza Prairie in northeastern Kansas. Bison grazing was spatially and temporally nonrandom and was influenced by fire regime and local plant community composition. During the growing season, bison were observed up to 3 x more frequently than expected on watersheds burned in the spring. Summer grazing was concentrated in large watershed areas (79-119 ha) dominated by warm-season, perennial, C4 grasses. During the autumn and winter, bison grazed both burned and unburned watersheds more uniformly but grazed most intensively in areas with large stands of cool-season, C3 grasses. On a smaller spatial scale (5-10 m2), bison selected patches during the growing season with low forb cover dominated by the perennial C4 grass, Andropogon gerardii. Grazed patches were larger on frequently burned than on infrequently burned watersheds. The importance of fire history in determining patterns of bison grazing over the landscape indicates that interactions between bison grazing and fire regime may be important to the composition and spatial heterogeneity of tallgrass prairie vegetation. VL - 129 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Small mammals of wooded habitats of the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, Kansas JF - The Prairie Naturalist Y1 - 1993 A1 - D.W. Kaufman A1 - Kaufman, G.A. A1 - Finck, E.J. VL - 25 ER - TY - CHAP T1 - Small mammals and grassland fires T2 - Fire in North American Tallgrass Prairies Y1 - 1990 A1 - D.W. Kaufman A1 - Finck, E.J. A1 - Kaufman, G.A. ED - Scott. L. Collins ED - Wallace, L.L. KW - fire AB -

For study of fire effects, the general null hypothesis is that fire will have no impact on the population density of individual animal species. Any species that fails to change numerically due to fire would be classified as a fire-neutral species. Alternatively, a population that could exhibit either a positive or negative numerical response to fire. Such species we classify as fire-positive or fire-negative species, respectively. Most early work on animals and fire was aimed at describing these general population responses. However, understanding the structure and function of grasslands demands that we know patterns of population changes from prefire through a multiyear, post-fire period, rather than simply ascertaining whether species are fire- positve, fire-negative, or fire-neutral over a short postfire period

JF - Fire in North American Tallgrass Prairies PB - University of Okalahoma Press CY - Norman, OK ER - TY - Generic T1 - Is fire a disturbance in grasslands? Y1 - 1989 A1 - Evans, E.W. A1 - Finck, E.J. A1 - J. M. Briggs A1 - D.J. Gibson A1 - James, S.W. A1 - D.W. Kaufman A1 - Seastedt, T.R. ED - Bragg, T.B. ED - Stubbendieck, J. KW - fire AB -

Many grasslands, and in particular the tallgrass prairies of North America, are generally thought to be maintained by periodic fire. Semantic disagreement among researchers, however, threatens to hamper discussion of fire as an ecological force in grassland ecosystems. Some authors emphasize that fires are disturbances (or perturbations) since these fires disrupt or alter ecosystem states, trends and dynamics (e.g., accumulating nitrogen is volatilized, plant and animal communities change in composition). Other researchers point out that, because these fire-induced disruptions and alterations can maintain the status quo of the ecosystem (e.g., prevent it from becoming woodland), it is the lack of fire rather than fire itself that should be considered a disturbance. We argue that, since both points of view are useful, there is little to be gained by labeling loosely either fire or lack thereof as a "disturbance" in grassland ecosystems. Key Words: disturbance, fire, grasslands, perturbation, prairie, Kansas

PB - University of Nebraska Press CY - Lincoln, NE ER - TY - Generic T1 - Rodents and shrews in ungrazed tallgrass prairie manipulated by fire Y1 - 1989 A1 - D.W. Kaufman A1 - Kaufman, G.A. A1 - Finck, E.J. ED - Bragg, T.B. ED - Stubbendieck, J. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

Natural Prairie was a mosaic of patches of depths of plant litter due to topoedaphic conditions and to spatial-temporal variation in fire and grazing. Such variation in litter depth undoubtedly influenced the distribution and abundance of small mammals. To examine this issue, small mammals were censused and plant litter depth was measured during autumn from 1981 to 1984 on the Konza Prairie Natural Research Area near Manhattan, Kansas. Five to 11 sites subjected to fire at different times from 1967 to 1984 were sampled during each of the four years of the study. Relative densities of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) were negatively correlated to litter depth, wheras relative densities of Elliot's short-tailed shrews (Blarina hylophaga) and western harvest mice (Reithrodontomys megalotis) were positively correlated to the depth of plant litter. White-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus), typically found in wooded and brushy habitats, were captured in prairie sites, but no significant association with plant litter was evident. Although prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) were expected to be positively associated with litter, no significant relationship was found for 1982 (the only year with sufficiently high densities to test for a possible pattern). Key words: small mammals, plant litter, tallgrass prairie, fire, rodents, shrews, Kansas

PB - University of Nebraska Press CY - Lincoln, NE ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Small mammals in tallgrass prairie: patterns associated with grazing and burning JF - The Prairie Naturalist Y1 - 1989 A1 - Clark, B.K. A1 - D.W. Kaufman A1 - Finck, E.J. A1 - Kaufman, G.A. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

Impacts of cattle grazing and prescribed spring burning on small mammals were assessed in (1) ungrazed and unburned, (2) ungrazed and burned, and (3) grazed and burned grassland habitats in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas. Twelve species of small mammals were represented by the 287 individuals captured. Deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus; 41% of all individuals), Elliot's short-tailed shrews (Blarina hylophaga; 22%), white-footed mice (P. leucopus; 14%), and prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster; 11%) were the four most common species. Deer mice avoided ungrazed, unburned sites, whereas Elliot's short-tailed shrews and prairie voles were most abundant in ungrazed, unburned habitats. Habitat use by these species was probably influenced by differences in amount of litter and vegetation cover resulting from grazing and burning. White-footed mice were most common in grazed, burned sites, probably due to the numerous shrub patches in this habitat. Assemblage diversity and total numbers of small mammals captured were not significantly influenced by either grazing or burning

VL - 21 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Influence of fire and topography on habitat selection by Peromyscus maniculatus and Reithrodontomys megalotis in ungrazed tallgrass prairie JF - Journal of Mammalogy Y1 - 1988 A1 - Kaufman, G.A. A1 - D.W. Kaufman A1 - Finck, E.J. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

Twelve species of small mammals were captured in 10 treatment areas manipulated by fire on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, Kansas. The four fire classes studied were annual fire, first year after fire with previous fire greater than or equal to 4 years earlier (year 1), 2-4 years since fire (years 2-4), and greater than or equal to five years since fire (year 5+). Of the two common rodents, Peromyscus maniculatus selected year 1 sites in all seasons, whereas Reithrodontomys megalotis selected annual fire sites in spring and years 2-4 site in summer with no differences in autumn. Based on 12 fire- topography categories (fire categories the same as above; topography categories: upland, breaks [area of the limestone outcrop at the edge of the hills] and lowland), habitat selection by P. maniculatus and R. megalotis differed significantly between autumn and summer, but could not be tested for spring. Analysis of structural features demonstrated that habitat use by P. maniculatus was related negatively to amount of litter and positively to amount of exposed soil and grass. These three features were related to time since fire; however, the lack of litter likely was the most important features in the positive response by P. maniculatus to conditions following a fire. In contrast, no significant relationships were found between habitat features and use by R. megalotis

VL - 69 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Long-distance movements by Reithrodontomys megalotis in tallgrass prairie JF - The American Midland Naturalist Y1 - 1988 A1 - Clark, B.K. A1 - D.W. Kaufman A1 - Kaufman, G.A. A1 - Finck, E.J. A1 - Hand, S.S. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

During 6 years of small mammal trapping on Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, Kansas, we documented long-distance movements (defined as movements > 300 m) for 17 western harvest mice (Reithrodontomys megalotis). Linear distance moved ranged from 375 to 3200 m (median=600 m; mean=1049m) for all individuals. Males moved significantly farther, but not more often than females. Sixteen of the 17 animals that moved were adults and included reproductively active individuals. Although < 2% of the more than 1400 R. megalotis we captured moved > 300 m, the actual percentage should be much higher since our trapping efforts were limited in space and time. Since long-distance movements of individuals may have a marked effect on the genetic, social and demographic characteristics of populations, future studies of small mammals should be designed to better assess the influence of these movements on local populations

VL - 120 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Use of tallgrass prairie by Peromyscus leucopus JF - Journal of Mammalogy Y1 - 1987 A1 - Clark, B.K. A1 - D.W. Kaufman A1 - Finck, E.J. A1 - Kaufman, G.A. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

The white-footed mouse (Peromuscus leucopus) is a common resident of forests and woodlands but not grasslands in Kansas. Studies of P. leucopus on Konza Prairie Research Natural Area (KONZA) indicated that wooded microhabitats with a complex verticle structure of trees and shrubs were selected over wooded microhabitats that lacked a shrub layer. Even more striking was the near lack of use of grassland habitat contiguous with the wooded sites. In other regions, Geluso (1971) and Adler et al. (1984) have documented occasional use of grasslands by P. leucopus, especially when high densities were reached in adjacent wooded habitat. The purpose of this paper is to 1) document use of ungrazed tallgrass prairie by P. leucopus, 2) compare relative densities of P. leucopusacross three major habitats on KONZA (ungrazed tallgrass prairie, limestone ledges with shrubs and trees, and gallery forest), and 3)provide information on the distribution of P. leucopus within ungrazed grassland of KONZA

VL - 68 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Birds wintering on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area Y1 - 1986 A1 - Finck, E.J. ED - Clambey, G.K. ED - Pemble, R.H. KW - bird KW - prairie AB -

Wintering birds were censused along 16 permanent transects (13 in prairie and 3 in gallery forest) that were established within the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area (KPRNA) 10 km south of Manahttan, Kansas. Each transect was censused once in the first two weeks of January during 1982-1984. The prairie transects were either burned or unburned the previous spring and ungranzed by large herbivores for at least six years. Significantly more individuals per km and more species were observed in the gallery forest than in the prairie. The red headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) was the most abundant species during 1982 and 1984 in the gallery forest, while black-capped chickadee (Parus atricapillus) was the most abundant in 1983. The abundance of red-headed woodpecker was negatively correlated with the abundance of red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), but not correlated with blue jay (Cyanocitia cristaia) abundance. Red-bellied woodpecker abundance was not correlated with blue jay abundance. American tree sparrow (Spizella arborea) was the most abundant species in the prairie during all three winters

PB - North Dakota State University: Tri-College Center for Environmental Study CY - Fargo, ND, ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Mammals of the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, Kansas JF - The Prairie Naturalist Y1 - 1986 A1 - Finck, E.J. A1 - D.W. Kaufman A1 - Kaufman, G.A. A1 - Gurtz, S.K. A1 - Clark, B.K. A1 - McLellan, L.J. A1 - Clark, B.S. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

An annotated list of the mammals was compiled from trapping records and observation for the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area (KONZA), a tall-grass prairie in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas. Thirty-one species, 1 opossum, 2 shrews, 1 mole, 1 rabbit, 17 rodents, 7 carnivores, and 2 ungulates, were recorded. Habitat use and range for each species were included relative to our experience with the animals on KONZA. Percent composition of small mammals was presented by habitat type for 15 species captured on 26 permanent live traplines from autumn 1981 to spring 1984. The likelihood of occurrence on KONZA was disscused for 15 species (8 bats, 1 hare, 2 rodents, and 4 carnivores) not presently recorded for the site

VL - 18 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Male dickcissel behavior in primary and secondary habitats JF - The Wilson Bulletin Y1 - 1984 A1 - Finck, E.J. KW - behavior KW - habitat AB -

In this paper I document the difference in habitat quality between primary oldfield habitat and secondary prairie habitat and its relationship with arrival times of males and females and female/male sex ratios. Primary habitat is defined as higher quality habitat where individual density is high, while secondary habitats have lower quality habitat and low individual density

VL - 96 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Observations at a northern harrier nest JF - Kansas Ornithological Society Bulletin Y1 - 1984 A1 - Finck, E.J. KW - nest KW - Observation AB -

On 15 May 1982 while I was rope-dragging in search of Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) nests, I discovered a Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) nest with six eggs on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area in a watershed that had not been burned since the spring of 1980. The nest was the first Northern Harrier nesting record for Konza Prairie and for Geary County

VL - 35 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Effects of fire on rodents in tallgrass prairie of the Flint Hills region of eastern Kansas JF - The Prairie Naturalist Y1 - 1983 A1 - D.W. Kaufman A1 - Kaufman, G.A. A1 - Finck, E.J. KW - rodent KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

Fire in tallgrass prairie reduces the amount of litter on the soil surface and enhances primary productivity in the first year following a fire. If the site is left unburned and ungrazed, a gradual increase in litter depth and a decrease in primary productivity occurs during the first few years following a fire. Based on these habitat changes and the habitat selection and food habits of prairie rodents, e.g., Peromyscus maniculatus, Reithrodontomys megalotis and Microtus ochrogaster, major shifts in rodent density should occur the first few years following a fire. We trapped four sites, each representing a different year of a 4-year cycle of burning, to analyze the effect of periodic fires on rodent populations in the tallgrass prairie. We also trapped a study site that is burned annually for comparison of the effect of annual fires to the 4-year cycle. Data are also presented to examine the effects of time since fire and fire frequency on rodent population

VL - 15 ER - TY - THES T1 - Male behavior, territory quality and female choice in the dickcissel (Spiza americana) Y1 - 1983 A1 - Finck, E.J. KW - behavior PB - Kansas State University CY - Manhattan, KS VL - PhD Dissertation ER - TY - Generic T1 - Success in a secondary habitat: the dickcissel in the tallgrass prairie Y1 - 1983 A1 - Zimmerman, J.L. A1 - Finck, E.J. ED - Brewer, R. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

The dickcissel (Spiza americana) is the most abundant species in the breeding-season community of the tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Yet prairie is not the most preferred habitat; nesting density is as much as five times greater in mature oldfield communities. As a result of low nest density, prairie dickcissels suffer a significantly higher frequency as well as intensity of parasitism by the brown -headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) which reduces the production of young because of the removal of host eggs by the female cowbird. Prairie populations with low nest density, on the other hand, have a decreased chance of nests being destroyed by predators. Thus there is an offsetting balance between the two major factors affecting nest success so that the daily survival rate and the production of young in a prairie nest are no different from a nest in the oldfield community

PB - Department of Biology Western Michigan University CY - Kalamazoo, MI ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Hail damage to breeding birds and their nests on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area JF - Kansas Ornithological Society Bulletin Y1 - 1982 A1 - Finck, E.J. KW - bird KW - damage KW - Hail KW - prairie AB -

This report documents damage caused by high winds and hail to breeding birds and their nests on Konza Prairie Research Natural Area about 12 km south of Manhattan, KS in Riley and Geary Counties

VL - 33 ER -