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Current Projects at NDSU Research Stations

Patch-burn Grazing and Grassland Communities

Historically, rangelands in the Northern Great Plains have been managed for production with even utilization of vegetation across pastures using management practices such as season-long grazing and rest-rotation grazing. These practices simplify vegetation structure and composition, which reduces available niche space and thus, leads to a decrease in biodiversity. Alternatively, patch-burn grazing (PBG) is promoted as a method for blending the needs of conservation while still achieving production goals. PBG involves the discrete application of fire to patches within a pasture to manipulate cattle grazing patterns. Each year, the burned patch of a pasture will rotate until the whole pasture has been burned, and the cycle repeats. These rotations typically follow a 3-to-4-year fire-return interval with fire being reapplied to a patch every 3 or 4 years, which more closely mimics pre-settlement disturbance patterns in this region.

Current PBG and Rangeland Management Projects

Impacts of Managing for Heterogeneity on Arthropod Communities and Avian Territory Size and Quality

We are comparing the impacts on arthropod communities and cascading effects on avian territory size and quality from using PBG and a modified twice-over rest-rotation grazing system compared to a traditionally managed, season-long grazing system for restoring heterogeneity in pastures. Arthropods are an important prey base for many grassland birds and influence the types of communities that inhabit these areas. By quantifying the territory quality through measurements of habitat structure, prey availability, and nesting success, we can determine whether these various management techniques create population sources or sinks. This research will help land managers make more informed decisions when applying these conservation methods to working landscapes for promoting wildlife biodiversity.

Rotational grazing and avian nesting success

In the Northern Great Plains, there is a cultural aversion to using fire as a management strategy. This means that a creative solution will need to be developed to achieve the same heterogeneity that is accomplished through patch-burn grazing. We created a modified twice-over rest-rotation grazing system which mimics the vegetation structure that is achieved using fire. The goal of this project is to determine whether the rotation-grazing system we developed can positively impact nesting abundance and nesting success of grassland birds. This project could provide an alternative to fire-based management in a working landscape where land managers are hesitant to use prescribed fire.

Early-season importance of shelterbelts to honey bees (Apis mellifera)

North and South Dakota are regularly the top honey-producing states in the U.S., with beekeepers transporting their hives to the region every year beginning in mid-May as part of their annual cycle. The Dakotas are also known for their shelterbelts: trees and shrubs often planted in rows to reduce wind and soil erosion that also flower at a similar time that beekeepers return to the region. We are investigating the use of shelterbelts as floral resources for honey bees during this time by using hive scales and pollen traps at apiaries in western North and South Dakota. We expect to see that larger shelterbelt sizes within close proximity to hives correlate with higher early-season weight gains. We also expect to find pollen from shelterbelt tree species in early-season pollen samples, signifying their utility to honey bees. Findings from this project will help inform beekeepers on future apiary placement that benefits their honey bee colonies.

Rangeland Management and Monarch Butterflies

North American migratory monarchs are of current interest due to their candidacy of the Endangered Species Act. As such, we have an interest in researching monarch presence and utilization of our working landscapes to both suffice human needs and meet biodiversity goals. We are examining the influence of different rangeland management actions on monarchs (Danaus plexippus) and their resources in North Dakota mixed grass prairie. Our main objectives are to monitor how patch-burn grazing, modified rotational grazing, and continuous grazing affect adult and juvenile monarch, milkweed (Asclepias spp.), and native forb abundances and densities. We have completed one out of two data collection seasons. We expect our results will help monarch conservation and future policy formation via a better understanding of the compatibility between monarch conservation and livestock production on our multi-use landscapes.

Ecology of Ring-necked Pheasants in Agroecosystems

This research is part of the long-term study conducted through the Hettinger Research Extension Center which examines ring-necked pheasant ecology in southwestern North Dakota. Pheasants are a species of great importance to local economies in this region as they are highly prized by upland gamebird hunters, many of whom travel from out-of-state to pursue them. Thus, the maintenance of huntable populations of pheasants has tangible and wide-ranging benefits. This study investigates the effects of changes in land use within a mixed agricultural landscape on pheasant populations with the goal of informing management decisions to improve dwindling pheasant numbers. We are specifically exploring the impacts of landcover, thermal environment, and predators on winter and breeding season survival of pheasant hens and broods.

Current Research Projects in the Region

Statewide Survey for
North Dakota Bees and Butterflies 2017-2020

North Dakota previously lacked current information on critical pollinator groups, such as bees and butterflies in the state. The distribution, relative abundances and diversity of these groups are critical to obtain in order to inform conservation plans and management for these species. To address this data gap for North Dakota, our research group initiated a four year statewide survey for bees, butterflies, and their associated plants from 2017-2020. This project obtained data on over 50 butterfly species and over 300 native bee species in the state. Our surveys also allow us to investigate research topics important to North Dakota grasslands, such as how exotic plant species impact pollinators in the state.

Urban Breeding and Migratory Bird Communities in Green Spaces

Urban areas are rapidly expanding and threatening biodiversity globally. Our research will examine how environmental variables present in an urban landscape affect bird communities during spring migration and the breeding season. We will survey sites in the Urban Woods and Prairies along the Red River in the Fargo, ND-Moorhead, MN metropolitan area for birds during the spring and summer to assess abundance and diversity. Not only do these urban parks provide crucial habitat for birds but they also provide space for humans to connect with nature. Therefore a secondary goal is to understand how people engage with the outdoors in urban parks by surveying park visitors. Our research will inform urban planners and park managers of the importance of birds to humans and provide management strategies to increase the diversity and abundance of bird communities in urban ecosystems.