American Bison - Buffalo Field Campaign

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Table 6.1 Diets of plains bison at select locations within North American ecoregions. Ecoregion Location Season Northern Mixed Grasslands Central Shortgrass Prairie Tall Grasslands Prairie and Southern Shortgrass Prairie Northern Fescue Grasslands Rocky Mountain Forests Northern Forests Wind Cave NP, SD Pawnee Site, CO Lightly grazed Heavily grazed Wichita Mountains NWR, OK Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, OK National Bison Range, MT Yellowstone Northern Range,WY Yellowstone Central Range, WY Elk Island NP, AB Prince Albert NP, SK Grasses (%) Sedges (%) 44 American Bison: Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010 Plant Type Forbs (%) Woody Plants (%) Others (%) Reference Spring 81 7 9 3 Marlow et al. 1984 Summer 79 9 10 2 Autumn 77 12 6 5 Winter 79 12 2 7 Winter 59 37 4 Spring 98 2 Summer 94 5 Autumn 99 Winter 94 4 Spring 95 4 Summer 96 4 Autumn 87 2 12 Winter 81 6 11 Spring & Summer Westfall et al. 1993 Wydevan and Dahlgren 1985 Peden et al. 1974 Peden et al. 1974 99 Buechner 1950 Spring 60 39 1 Summer 88 11 1 Autumn 84 16 1 Winter 79 21 1 Coppedge et al. 1998 Annual 90 1 2 1 McCullough 1980 Winter 53 44 1 1 1 Summer 55 37
6.2.1.2.1 Northern mixed grasslands In the absence of fire, bison have been observed making extensive use of prairie dog colonies in the northern mixed grasslands ecoregion, where colonies may have covered 2- 15% of the short grasslands (Knowles et al. 2002; Virchow and Hygnstrom 2002). Bison utilise the forb-dominated centres of prairie dog colonies for resting and wallowing, but feed at the graminoid-dominated periphery of colonies rather than at the colony centre (Coppock and Detling 1986; Krueger 1986). Bison use of prairie dog towns peaks during the summer and declines in the autumn (Krueger 1986) when the available forage biomass is low or the vegetation is senescent (Coppock et al. 1983a; 1983b). Bison use of colony sites also declines when recently burned grasslands are available (Coppock and Detling 1986). Grasses and sedges were almost 90% of the year-round bison diet, and sedges formed 7 to 37% of the seasonal diet in the northern mixed grassland ecoregion (Table 6.1). Bison selected foraging sites containing more than 75% warm season (C4) grasses during the summer growing season (Steuter et al. 1995). C4 grasses were approximately 33% of the diet in June, and a maximum of 40% of the bison diet in late summer, but C4 grasses were less in the bison diet in autumn, winter, and spring (Plumb and Dodd 1993). Conversely, cool season grasses formed approximately 50% of the summer diet, but increased to 80% of the diet in September (Plumb and Dodd 1993). 6.2.1.2.2 Central shortgrass prairie In a lightly grazed site, bison almost exclusively consumed grasses, but consumed more than 10% woody plants in the autumn and winter at a heavily grazed central shortgrass prairie site shared with cattle and sheep (Table 6.1). Three C4 grasses accounted for 65 to 75% of the bison diet (Peden et al. 1974; Schwartz and Nagy 1976). 6.2.1.2.3 Tall grasslands prairie and southern shortgrass prairie Bison in the tall grasslands prairie and southern shortgrass prairie ecoregions utilised only recently burned areas in spring, but selected areas burned annually throughout the year (Shaw and Carter 1990; Vinton et al. 1993). Bison grazing and regrazing can maintain areas with a low vegetative cover and standing crop (Coppedge and Shaw 1998; Vinton et al. 1993). Areas grazed by bison were characterised by a lower abundance of C4 grasses, a higher abundance of C3 grasses, and greater overall plant species diversity (Hartnett et al. 1996). These characteristics were more pronounced in areas burned annually (Hartnett et al. 1996), which is consistent with greater bison use of annually burned sites (Shaw and Carter 1990; Vinton et al. 1993). Bison grazed little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) more frequently post-burning, probably in response to removal of standing dead tillers by fire (Pfieffer and Hartnett 1995). The greater overall plant species diversity in burned areas was linked to increased nitrogen cycling and availability (Bakker et al. 2003; Johnson and Matchett 2001). C3 grasses were the most common dietary item in winter (Coppedge et al. 1998). Dietary quality, as measured by faecal nitrogen, peaked in May and June, coincident with a peak in C3 grasses productivity (Post et al. 2001). Up to 39% of the spring diet was sedges (Coppedge et al. 1998). 6.2.1.2.4 Northern fescue grasslands Understanding contemporary trophic ecology of bison in this ecoregion is confounded somewhat by a management-imposed rotational grazing, by which bison are moved throughout the National Bison Range (NBR) National Wildlife Refuge, Montana (McCullough 1980). When occupying lower elevation areas of the NBR, bison utilised level to undulating open grasslands. Once herded to higher elevation portions of the range, bison continued to utilise the more level open areas available (McCullough 1980). The year-round distribution of bison was away from higher elevation steep-slope areas. Bison showed no selection for aspect, as they tended to use the more level areas available throughout the year. Bison fed almost exclusively on grasses (Table 6.1; McCullough 1980). 6.2.1.2.5 Rocky Mountain forest In the high topographical relief of the Rocky Mountains the heterogeneity of herbaceous productivity and standing crop is caused by the spatial distribution of moisture on the landscape. Herbaceous above ground net primary productivity (ANPP) is influenced by site-specific topographic position relative to moisture distribution and aspect (Burroughs et al. 2001). Herbaceous ANPP is lower at low elevations with less precipitation and at the highest elevations due to a shorter growing season attributable to lower temperatures than at mid- elevations (Coughenour 2005). In general, herbaceous ANPP occurs as a pulse of nitrogen rich vegetation that sequentially follows an elevational gradient from the lower elevation winter ranges to the higher elevation summer ranges. This pattern of ANPP makes young nutritious and concentrated forage available to bison for up to six months of each year (Frank and McNaughton 1992). Summer movements of bison to higher elevation areas reduces vegetation utilisation at lower elevations and thereby enhances the availability of vegetation at lower elevations during the non-growing season (Frank and McNaughton 1992). Bison on Yellowstone’s northern range forage on sedges within more mesic sites in winter (Meagher 1973) to the extent that the winter diet is more than 95% grasses, sedges, and rushes (Table 6.1; Singer and Norland 1994). Similarly, bison utilising the Yellowstone central range during winter primarily feed on sedges along the edges of thermally influenced drainages and American Bison: Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010 45
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American Bison Status Survey and Co
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American Bison Status Survey and Co
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Table of Contents Acknowledgements
Page 7 and 8:
6.3 Demographics ..................
Page 9 and 10:
9.6 Active Management: Handling, He
Page 11 and 12: This manuscript is the product of m
Page 13 and 14: ABS American Bison Society ABSG Ame
Page 15 and 16: The publication of this IUCN Americ
Page 17 and 18: and foothills. Bison have a profoun
Page 19 and 20: Chapter 1 Introduction: The Context
Page 21 and 22: composition and function, as well a
Page 23 and 24: Chapter 2 History of Bison in North
Page 25 and 26: Figure 2.1 Original ranges of plain
Page 27 and 28: Charles Alloway (Manitoba), Charles
Page 29 and 30: nomadic “Plains Indian Culture”
Page 31 and 32: Chapter 3 Taxonomy and Nomenclature
Page 33 and 34: demonstrate that Bison and Bos were
Page 35 and 36: from their original habitat near th
Page 37 and 38: Chapter 4 Genetics As a science, po
Page 39 and 40: Selection for diversity in one syst
Page 41 and 42: cross, however, the latter is more
Page 43 and 44: the conservation of the wild specie
Page 45 and 46: Chapter 5 Reportable or Notifiable
Page 47 and 48: one) followed by its widespread dis
Page 49 and 50: cattle at similar levels to S19 (Ch
Page 51 and 52: long as 156 days post-infection. So
Page 53 and 54: and elk herds migrate across severa
Page 55 and 56: These concepts are being developed
Page 57 and 58: Chapter 6 General Biology, Ecology
Page 59 and 60: leave the herd prior to calving or
Page 61: historically dependent on a combina
Page 65 and 66: woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus
Page 67 and 68: season: Wolfe and Kimball (1989) re
Page 69 and 70: Table 6.4 Age-specific reproductive
Page 71 and 72: 6.3.4 Population growth rates The r
Page 73 and 74: Chapter 7 Numerical and Geographic
Page 75 and 76: Sixty-two plains bison and 11 wood
Page 77 and 78: Figure 7.4 Representation of plains
Page 79 and 80: Plate 7.3 Male plains bison sparrin
Page 81 and 82: Chapter 8 Legal Status, Policy Issu
Page 83 and 84: administrations, and the increasing
Page 85 and 86: Table 8.1 Current legal status of p
Page 87 and 88: Table 8.1 (continued) Country/ Stat
Page 93 and 94: 8.4 Legal and Policy Obstacles Hind
Page 95 and 96: 8.5 Overcoming Obstacles to the Eco
Page 97 and 98: indigenous peoples’ land (Dudley
Page 99 and 100: 3) Develop outreach to state and fe
Page 101 and 102: 8.5.5.3 Mexico Since the original r
Page 103 and 104: Chapter 9 Conservation Guidelines f
Page 105 and 106: animals are proportionately removed
Page 107 and 108: 6. Maintenance number and growth ra
Page 109 and 110: 4. Health and disease All attempts
Page 111 and 112: Table 9.4 Important considerations
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northern bison herds, managers shou
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may not have been validated. Testin
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2) A tendency to flee if approached
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2. Determine the required scope of
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Chapter 10 Guidelines for Ecologica
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• Creating education, awareness a
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10.3 The “Ecosystem Approach” f
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anywhere without engaging stakehold
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Interventions (e.g., supplemental f
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Agabriel, J. and Petit, M. 1996. Qu
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Byerly, R.M., Cooper, J.R., Meltzer
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Dragon D.C. and Rennie, R.P. 1995.
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Gilpin, M.E. and Soulé, M.E. 1986.
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Joern, A. 2005. Disturbance by fire
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Matthews, S.B. 1991. An assessment
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Possingham, H.P., Davies, I., Noble
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Shaw, J.H. 1995. How many bison ori
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van Zyll de Jong, C.G. 1986. A Syst
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Appendix A North American conservat
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Plains bison (continued) State/Prov
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INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATIO
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