| Summary: | Investigators surveyed avian and vegetation composition on- and off- black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus; hereafter prairie dog) colonies to gain greater insight into community dynamics of grassland passerines. Few studies have investigated grassland bird community associations with prairie dogs, and of those limited studies aim to quantify nesting passerine habitat selection and nest success. The objective of this study was to identify community associations and factors that shape the community of grassland birds on grazed mixed-grass prairie, both on- and off-prairie dog colonies. Bird and vegetation communities, avian densities, nesting survival, and resource selection was investigated in relativity to a landscape occupied with prairie dogs. Individual species exhibited different selections in regards to different vegetation communities created by prairie dogs. This makes heterogeneity an important landscape component for maintaining diverse, robust bird and plant communities at the landscape scale. === National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) (Grant 2011-68004-30052) === United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) === North Dakota State University (NDSU)
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