Warning:
You are advised not to use Internet Explorer
when accessing this site. Supported browsers include
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge.
The Michigan Unit studies a number of different topics including wildlife response to forest management, the impacts of human development on wildlife communities, and the effects of wetlands management on reptile and mammal populations.
Renewable energy production is exponentially increasing worldwide to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Solar energy has rapidly expanded across the US landscape to meet the population’s growing energy needs, with a projected increase of solar energy contribution from 3% of total electricity generation in 2020 to 20% in 2050. Solar production in the US is estimated to have increased by 33.2% just in the last year. Production of small-scale residential and commercial solar arrays has increased, but the largest contribution of solar energy growth now comes from utility-scale solar arrays. These arrays are frequently built in agricultural fields or croplands, because the flat open landscape maximizes efficiency of solar power generation and minimizes site preparation activities. There has been a recent movement to plant low-growing native plant communities under solar arrays to reduce the costs associated with turf grass mowing. We are evaluating how the bird, amphibian, pollinator, bat, and mammal communities use solar arrays with an understory of native grasses and forbs compared to sites with turf grass as well as reference sites.
Renewable energy production is exponentially increasing worldwide to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Solar energy has rapidly expanded across the US landscape to meet the population’s growing energy needs, with a projected increase of solar energy contribution from 3% of total electricity generation in 2020 to 20% in 2050. Solar production in the US is estimated to have increased by 33.2% just in the last year. Production of small-scale residential and commercial solar arrays has increased, but the largest contribution of solar energy growth now comes from utility-scale solar arrays. These arrays are frequently built in agricultural fields or croplands, because the flat open landscape maximizes efficiency of solar power generation and minimizes site preparation activities. There has been a recent movement to plant low-growing native plant communities under solar arrays to reduce the costs associated with turf grass mowing. We are evaluating how the bird, amphibian, pollinator, bat, and mammal communities use solar arrays with an understory of native grasses and forbs compared to sites with turf grass as well as reference sites.
As the country undergoes rapid development and alteration to accommodate our growing human population, it becomes ever more important to have baseline data regarding wildlife populations and distribution so we can identify how our actions affect wildlife. Snapshot USA's goal is to facilitate the collaboration of cooperators to contribute to a national database of public wildlife data. This nationwide data will be used to examine nationwide trends in mammal community assembly rules associated with natural environmental and anthropogenic filters. Collaborators for all 50 states will contribute camera trap data from a standardized camera trap array at the same time from each site and the Smithsonian Institute will compile and lead efforts to analyze data. The Arkansas Cooperative Research Unit is contributing data from Arkansas collected at Woolsey Wet Prairie Reserve. To date, we have collected and contributed over 80,000 photos from this urban reserve. Data provided should provide information regarding the occupancy of mesopredators, activity patterns of animals across the country and between habitats, and relatively density of several common species of mammals. This effort will expand in coming years to include additional habitats and countries. This database will be one of the largest camera trap image repositories in existence and will provide the raw material for numerous large-scale ecological examinations of mammal populations.
As the country undergoes rapid development and alteration to accommodate our growing human population, it becomes ever more important to have baseline data regarding wildlife populations and distribution so we can identify how our actions affect wildlife. Snapshot USA's goal is to facilitate the collaboration of cooperators to contribute to a national database of public wildlife data. This nationwide data will be used to examine nationwide trends in mammal community assembly rules associated with natural environmental and anthropogenic filters. Collaborators from all 50 states will contribute camera trap data from a standardized camera trap array at the same time from each site and the Smithsonian Institute will compile and lead efforts to analyze data. The Arkansas Cooperative Research Unit is contributing data from Arkansas collected at Woolsey Wet Prairie Reserve. To date, we have collected and contributed over 80,000 photos from this urban reserve. Data provided should provide information regarding the occupancy of mesopredators, activity patterns of animals across the country and between habitats, and relatively density of several common species of mammals. This effort will expand in coming years to include additional habitats and countries. This database will be one of the largest camera trap image repositories in existence and will provide the raw material for numerous large-scale ecological examinations of mammal populations.
Presentations
Presentation Date
Wilson, K., C. Roberts, and B.A. DeGregorio. Effects of relative hog abundance on the occupancy and community composition of breeding birds. The Wildlife Society Annual Conference.
November 2023
Feral hogs are an economic and ecologically destructive invasive species. Because they alter the vegetation community via their foraging behavior and through consumption of acorns to suppress oak regeneration, they almost certainly affect the bird community although this is has not yet been assessed.
Shaw, M., B.A. DeGregorio, and C.R. Roberts. Plains Spotted Skunk Distribution and Habitat Associations in the Great Plains. Oral Presentation.
November 2023
The plains spotted skunk is declining and is a candidate for federal protection. Little is known about its distribution or habitat associations outside of several mountainous areas.
L.E. McTigue and B.A. DeGregorio. Does daily activity overlap of three mesocarnivores vary based on human development? Animal Behavioral Society Annual Conference.
July 2023
Examination of behavioral patterns of 3 co-occurring mesopredators that often live near people. Understanding these patterns can allow us to better understand how these species can persist in human-dominated landscapes, the fitness consequences of their adaptations, and potentially human-wildlife conflict.
Donahue, E.R., A.J. Worm, B.A. DeGregorio, L.A. Neuman-Lee, and T.J. Boves. Investigating the prevalence and effects of agricultural toxins in Loggerhead Shrikes in Arkansas, USA. American Ornithological Society Annual Conference.
August 2023
The loggerhead shrike is declining rapidly across its range and we do not know the causes. Here, we investigate the potential role of agricultural chemicals in reducing the fitness of the enigmatic species.
www.usgs.gov says
This link will direct you to a non-government website that may have different privacy
policies from those of the U.S. Geological Survey.
