The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 38, Number 4, December 2006

Full issue of The Prairie Naturalist (December 2006), volume 38, number 4. Amphibians and Reptiles in a MixedGrass Prairie in Northwestern North Dakota by Robert K. Murphy, Robert F. Danley, and Patricia K. Moore, pages 207-212 Morphometrics of Six Turtle Species from South Dakota by Sarah J. Bandas and Kenneth F. Higgins, pages 213-222 Evaluation of Habitat Enhancement Structure Use by Spotted Bass by Stanley L. Proboszcz and Christopher S. Guy, pages 223-238 Evaluating Diet Composition of Pronghorn in Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota by Christopher N. Jacques , Jaret D. Sievers, Jonathan A. Jenks, Chad L. Sexton, and Daniel E. Roddy, pages 239-250 Spatial and Seasonal Variation in Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions by Jonathan M. Conard and Philip S. Gipson, pages 251-260 Volume 38 reviewers, page 261 Volume 38 author index, pages 262-267 Volume 38 subject index, pages 268-270 The cover and its artist, inside back cover Table of contents, back cove

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 38, Number 2, June 2006

The Prairie Naturalist (June 2006) Volume 38, Issue 2, full issue. Feeding Habitats of Spring-Migrating Blackbirds in East-central South Dakota, by Richard S. Sawin, George M. Linz, William J. Bleier, and H. Jeffrey Homan, pages 73-84. Brood Break-up and Juvenile Dispersal of Lesser Prairie-chicken in Kansas, by James C. Pitman , Brent E. Jamison, Christian A. Hagen, Robert J. Robel, and Roger D. Applegate, pages 74-99. Population Biology of Pumpkinseed in Enemy Swim Lake, South Dakota, by Eric J. Weimer and Michael L. Brown, pages 101-111. Reproductive Development in the Sicklefin Chub in the Missouri and Lower Yellowstone Rivers, by Douglas J. Dieterman , Eric Roberts, Patrick J. Braaten, and David L. Galat, pages 113-130. Christmas Bird Counts for North Dakota 2005, by Robert N. Randall, pages 131-136. First Record of Hairy Woodruch from South Dakota [Notes], by Katherine A. Zacharkevics, pages 137-138 Raptors in Your Pocket: A Guide to Great Plains Birds of Prey. Dana Gardner, 2006, University of Iowa Press, 16 pages (laminated), book review by Paul M. Konrad, pages 139-140. Dakota Flora: A Seasonal Sampler, David J. Ode, 2006, South Dakota State Historical Society Press, Pierre, South Dakota, 260 pages, book review by Bonnie Heidel, pages 141-142. The National Grasslands, Francis Moul, 2006, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 153 pages, book review by F. L. Knopf, pages 143-144. The cover and its artist, inside back cover. Table of contents, back cover

A Northward Range Extension of the Hispid Cotton Rat (\u3ci\u3eSigmodon hispidus\u3c/i\u3e) in Missouri

The hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) is a widely distributed rodent with a geographic range extending from north-central Mexico to southern Nebraska and central Virginia and from southeastern Arizona east to Florida (Carleton et al. 1999, Peppers and Bradley 2000, Wilson and Reeder 2005) with isolated populations in Arizona (Bradley et al. 2012) and California (Clark 1972). Range expansions for the species have been well documented (Clark 1972, Farney 1975, Benedict et al. 2000, Wright et al. 2010, Wills et al. 2011). The majority of these range expansions have occurred across the Central Plains during the 20th century and have been attributed to climate change (e.g., Benedict et al. 2000, Hoffman 2008). Bailey (1902) was the first to document movement of S. hispidus into the Central Plains by documenting individuals for the first time in Kansas that most likely moved northward from Oklahoma. By 1947, the species had reached the Kansas/Nebraska border (Cockrum 1948). Just over 10 years later, Jones (1960) reported 12 individuals near the Nemaha River in southeastern Nebraska, and by the late 1960s (Choate and Genoways 1967, Genoways and Schlitter 1967) and mid-1970s (Farney 1975), the species had been documented in several parts of the state

A Northward Range Extension of the Hispid Cotton Rat (\u3ci\u3eSigmodon hispidus\u3c/i\u3e) in Missouri

The hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) is a widely distributed rodent with a geographic range extending from north-central Mexico to southern Nebraska and central Virginia and from southeastern Arizona east to Florida (Carleton et al. 1999, Peppers and Bradley 2000, Wilson and Reeder 2005) with isolated populations in Arizona (Bradley et al. 2012) and California (Clark 1972). Range expansions for the species have been well documented (Clark 1972, Farney 1975, Benedict et al. 2000, Wright et al. 2010, Wills et al. 2011). The majority of these range expansions have occurred across the Central Plains during the 20th century and have been attributed to climate change (e.g., Benedict et al. 2000, Hoffman 2008). Bailey (1902) was the first to document movement of S. hispidus into the Central Plains by documenting individuals for the first time in Kansas that most likely moved northward from Oklahoma. By 1947, the species had reached the Kansas/Nebraska border (Cockrum 1948). Just over 10 years later, Jones (1960) reported 12 individuals near the Nemaha River in southeastern Nebraska, and by the late 1960s (Choate and Genoways 1967, Genoways and Schlitter 1967) and mid-1970s (Farney 1975), the species had been documented in several parts of the state

Rodents and Shrews in Un-Grazed Tallgrass Prairie Manipulated by Fire

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 Research Natural 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, whereas relative densities of Elliot\u27s 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)

Greater Prairie-Chicken Harvest in Kansas: Early vs. Regular Seasons

Populations of the greater prairie chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) in Kansas are managed to maintain population size while providing recreational hunting potential. Our aim in this study was to evaluate the effect of adding an early hunting season (late September-October) to the regular season (November-late January). We compared the hunting methods used and the harvest of greater prairie-chickens during early and regular hunting seasons for 1990-91 and 1991-92. The use of dogs and walkup hunting techniques were emphasized in early season, whereas pass shooting in feeding fields was emphasized in the regular season. During early season, the reported harvest was composed predominantly of males (55-66%) and juveniles (60-67%). During regular season, the harvest was also composed of more males than females both years combined, but it had a similar proportion of juveniles to adults (50-58%). The ratio of males:fema1es varied between each season for the two years analyzed. However, the ratio of juveni1es:adults was similar between years and larger during early seasons than during regular seasons. Juvenile survival is generally lower than adult survival; so, harvesting a larger proportion of juveniles during the early season may mitigate some of the effect of an extended hunting season

\u3ci\u3eBlarina hylophaga\u3c/i\u3e (Sorciomorpha: Soricidae)

Blarina hylophaga (Elliot, 1899) is a soricid commonly called Elliot’s short-tailed shrew. A short-legged, robust shrew with a long, pointed snout and a short tail; it is 1 of 4 species in the genus Blarina. It occurs throughout most of the Great Plains of the United States, where it inhabits moist, well-drained grassland and riparian areas with deep leaf litter. It is listed as a species of greatest conservation need in Iowa and at possible risk in Texas, which might be due to the limited knowledge of the species throughout its geographic range

Obituary: Jerry Ronald Choate, 1943-2009

Jerry Ronald Choate (1943–2009) had just retired as Director of the Sternberg Museum of Natural History and Professor of Biological Sciences, Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas, at the time of his death. Jerry served the American Society of Mammalogists in numerous capacities, including Recording Secretary, First Vice President, and most notably as a member and chair of the Board of Trustees. The hallmark of Jerry’s life was to turn the ordinary into something magnificent. Whether it was his photography that changed an ordinary landscape into a magnificent masterpiece, or his convincing a reluctant graduate student that they could do good science, assistant professors that they could be good mentors, colleagues that they could do good science, it was always the same. He exuded quiet confidence that it could be done with hard work and perseverance. In many ways Jerry Choate was both one of a kind and an exemplar of his generation of field mammalogists. His personality was both complex and multilayered on the one hand, while straightforward eyes on the road on the other hand. Jerry Choate’s huge and lasting successes in education, science, and university and community development probably exceeded his expectations for himself but were inevitable, given his dogged determination and work ethic. Jerry was a finisher

Identification and Characterization of the Contact Zone between Short-Tailed Shrews (\u3ci\u3eBlarina\u3c/i\u3e) in Iowa and Missouri

Short-tailed shrews (genus Blarina Gray, 1838) are characterized by divergent karyotypes and are genetically distinct. Blarina species are similar morphologically but, in most cases, can be distinguished morphometrically. Blarina distributions tend to be parapatric along well-defined contact zones; however, it has been suggested that the northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda (Say, 1823)) and Elliot’s short-tailed shrew (Blarina hylophaga Elliot, 1899) occur sympatrically in Iowa and Missouri. To evaluate this possibility, 179 specimens were collected in southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri. Karyotypes and total length were used for field identification, and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis was used to verify field identifications and to investigate the extent of hybridization. One hundred seventy-eight of 179 specimens were identified to species. The one exception had a karyotype of B. brevicauda (2n = 50, FN = 48); however, AFLP analysis indicated that this individual was likely an F1 hybrid. No backcrosses were detected, so it appears that introgression is minimal. The putative hybrid was trapped at a locality with B. brevicauda just north of a locality having only B. hylophaga. No locality contained both species. Therefore, these species are not broadly sympatric as has been suggested, but rather exhibit a distribution similar to the pattern of parapatry seen in most of the contact zones of Blarina. Les musaraignes à queue courte (du genre Blarina Gray, 1838) se caractérisent par des caryotypes divergents et sont génétiquement distinctes. Les espèces de Blarina sont semblables morphologiquement, mais dans la plupart des cas, la morphométrie permet de les distinguer. Les répartitions des Blarina ont tendance à être parapatriques le long de zones de contact bien définies; on croit néanmoins que la grande musaraigne à queue courte (Blarina brevicauda (Say, 1823)) et la musaraigne à queue courte d’Elliot (Blarina hylophaga Elliot, 1899) se retrouvent en sympatrie en Iowa et au Missouri. Afin de vérifier cette possibilité, nous avons récolté 179 spécimens dans le sud-ouest de l’Iowa et le nord-ouest du Missouri. Les caryotypes et la longueur totale nous ont servi pour les identifications de terrain et une analyse du polymorphisme des longueurs des segments amplifiés (AFLP) a permis de confirmer les identifications de terrain et de déterminer l’importance de l’hybridation. Des 179 spécimens, 178 ont été identifiés à l’espèce. La seule exception avait un caryotype de B. brevicauda (2n = 50, FN = 48); cependant l’analyse de ALFP indique que cet individu est vraisemblablement un hybride de F1. Comme il n’y a aucune indication de rétrocroisement, l’introgression semble minimale. L’hybride putatif a été piégé dans une localité contenant B. brevicauda située juste au nord d’une localité où vit seulement B. hylophaga. Aucune localité ne contient les deux espèces. Les deux espèces ne possèdent donc pas une importante zone de sympatrie, comme on le croyait; ils ont plutôt une répartition parapatrique du type observé dans la plupart des zones de contact de Blarina