Factors Affecting Wetland Use by Spring Migrating Ducks in the Southern Prairie Pothole Region

Responses of Dabbling Ducks to Wetland Conditions in the Prairie Pothole Region

—The relationships between wetland water conditions and breeding numbers of Mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos ), Northern Pintail ( A. acuta ), Blue-winged Teal ( A. discors ), and Northern Shoveler ( A. clypeata ) during May of 1992-1995, were examined on twelve study areas in the eastern Prairie Pothole Region. Data were collected on water levels (by wetland class [temporary, seasonal, semipermane...

Factors Associated With Occurrence and Density of Wetland Birds in the Prairie Pothole Region of Iowa

Evidence for 20th century climate warming and wetland drying in the North American Prairie Pothole Region

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America is a globally important resource that provides abundant and valuable ecosystem goods and services in the form of biodiversity, groundwater recharge, water purification, flood attenuation, and water and forage for agriculture. Numerous studies have found these wetlands, which number in the millions, to be highly sensitive to climate variability. ...

Feeding Ecology of Arctic-Nesting Sandpipers During Spring Migration Through the Prairie Pothole Region

We evaluated food habits of 4 species of spring-migrant calidrid sandpipers in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North Dakota. Sandpipers foraged in several wetland classes and fed primarily on aquatic dipterans, mostly larvae, and the midge family Chironomidae was the primary food eaten. Larger sandpiper species foraged in deeper water and took larger larvae than did smaller sandpipers. The ...

Mercury methylation in high and low-sulphate impacted wetland ponds within the prairie pothole region of North America.

Using enriched stable (201)Hg injections into intact sediment cores, we provide the first reported Hg methylation potential rate constants (km) in prairie wetland ponds (0.016-0.17 d(-1)). Our km values were similar to other freshwater wetlands and did not differ in ponds categorized with high compared to low surface water concentrations of sulphate. Sites with high sulphate had higher proporti...