Papers

Fisheries and Wildlife Contributed Papers

Habitat Quality and Productivity of Bell's Vireos (Vireo bellii bellii) in Central Missouri. Cara Joos, University of Missouri Division of Biological Sciences, Tucker Hall, Columbia, MO 65201, Frank R. Thompson, III, 1 Northern Research Station, United States Forest Service, 202 Natural Resources Building, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 and John Faaborg, University of Missouri Division of Biological Sciences, Tucker Hall, Columbia, MO 65201.

A greater understanding of factors influencing fitness of Neotropical migrants is necessary to inform habitat management decisions. The ideal despotic distribution model of habitat selection hypothesizes that individuals select territories in an order reflecting habitat quality. This selection pattern should result in increased fitness of earlier arriving individuals, therefore territory settlement order will predict productivity of occupants. If settlement order and productivity are related to similar habitat features we can also define high quality habitat. In 2009-2011 we recorded territory settlement dates, habitat characteristics and monitored nests of color-banded Bell’s Vireos. We searched territories for singing males starting prior to spring arrival. We located and monitored nests in occupied territories to record date of first egg laid (lay date) and number of fledged young (productivity). Finally, we quantified habitat features related to nest success. Preliminary results show productivity declines with territory settlement date and lay date within a territory. Settlement date appears to predict productivity of Bell’s Vireos in central Missouri but early nest initiation is also important. We will also present results on how habitat features of territories relate to settlement order and productivity. If territory quality is driven by habitat features and predicted by settlement order our results will allow us to better define high quality Bell's Vireo habitat. As Bell’s Vireos are a species of conservation concern, this research provides conservation significance by providing habitat managers with specific habitat characteristic to manage for in efforts to increase areas of high quality habitat for this declining species.

Feral Hogs in Missouri. Arias, Chuelo. Missouri Department of Conservation, 1110 S. College Ave., Columbia, MO 65201, 573-882-9909 x3228, chuelo.arias@mdc.mo.gov.

Feral hogs (Sus scrofa) are known to occur in at least 40 counties in Missouri and can cause damage to natural communities, destroy agricultural crops, compete with native wildlife, and serve as reservoirs of disease.  The feral hog research project began in 2009 to analyze hog movements, cost efficiency of control efforts, and reproductive characteristics of the population.  Preliminary home range analyses on 11 hogs indicate an average home range size of 22 km2.  In addition, we monitored 6 hogs for responses to different control efforts and found that the hogs did not make significant range shifts following trapping efforts and only made moderate, short term shifts after being pursued by the helicopter or with dogs.  Costs of control efforts were lowest for trapping and aerial gunning, with an estimated rate of $264.40 and $296.34/hog, respectively.  Hunting with dogs and snaring were 96% and 128% more expensive, respectively.    Preliminary reproductive data show peak breeding months are March, July, and August, with corresponding peaks in farrowing November – January and June – August.  Average litter size was 5.6 piglets.  These data will enable managers to make informed decisions about how large their hog control focus areas should be, budgetary and manpower needs to manage feral hogs, and how many hogs need to be removed annually to achieve their desired objectives.

Duck Creek Wetland Renovation:  Planning Process and Implementation. Nelson, Frank, Keith Cordell, Matt Bowyer, and Kerry Scott. Missouri Department of Conservation, Big Rivers/Wetlands Field Station, 3815 E Jackson Blvd. Jackson MO 63755, 573-243-2659 ex 1043, frank.nelson@mdc.mo.gov..

Duck Creek Conservation Area was established in 1951 and is one of Missouri Department of Conservation’s oldest wetland areas.  The Golden Anniversary Wetland Initiative was started to help address challenges that have cropped up as these areas have aged within a complex and changing landscape.  This has also given us the opportunity to apply lessons learned from past wetland development and restoration efforts.   Over the last 5 years, MDC staff from multiple divisions have developed the Duck Creek Renovation plans and have started to put them on the ground.    This effort has included multiple partners and utilized North American Wetland Conservation Act funds to benefit natural communities, public use, and the surrounding landscape.  Although this renovation is still in progress, multiple elements of the project have been completed and improvements in management and restoration have already been experienced.

State of Missouri’s  Streams- A Summary of Missouri Stream Team Invertebrate Data: 1993-2010. Neill, Holly D, Thorpe, Tony, and Orbrecht, Dan.  Missouri Stream Team Watershed Coalition and University of Missouri. Ozark, Mo 65721 417.827.4864 hollyneill@mstwc.org.

One aspect of the Missouri Stream Team Program is collection of volunteer water quality data through the volunteer water quality monitoring program that began in 1993.  Volunteer water quality data management occurs within the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.  Early in the program there were plans for summary reports of the volunteer water quality data that would be distributed to volunteer monitors, general public, state agencies, governmental official and community leaders.  This never became a reality because of the unforeseen volume of data, lack of staff time, and inconsistency of the data.

In 2010 the Missouri Stream Team Watershed Coalition (MSTWC) through a strategic planning process determined that showcasing volunteer water quality monitoring data was a priority.  MSTWC is a state-wide non-profit organization that focuses on supporting the Missouri Stream Team Program in various capacities.  MSTWC published the "State of Missouri's Streams-Summary of Missouri Stream Team Invertebrate Data: 1993-2010" in 2011. 

This presentation will discuss the challenges and benefits of analyzing and interpreting state-wide volunteer invertebrate data.  It will also describe methods used to analyze data and communicate outcomes to a broad audience.

Movement and Habitat Selection of Largemouth Bass in Table Rock Lake, Missouri. Jason M. Harris and Craig P. Paukert. Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, 302 Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Building, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, Jmhtnc@mail.missouri.edu, 573-884-8530, Shane C. Bush and Michael J. Allen. Missouri Department of Conservation, 610 Hatchery Road, Branson, MO  65616, Michael J. Siepker. Missouri Department of Conservation, 551 Joe Jones Blvd., West Plains, MO 65775.

Deteriorating reservoir fish habitat is a concern throughout the United States so the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and cooperators placed approximately 1,500 structures (trees, stumps, and rock piles) throughout Table Rock Lake, Missouri. Our objective was to determine movement and habitat selection of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides. Sixty largemouth bass (380-590 mm total length) were sexed and implanted with radio transmitters in April 2011 and were relocated once per month since May 2011 to determine habitat selection. Based on discrete choice analysis, largemouth bass frequently selected for a combination of habitat types (flooded timber/coarse woody debris/rock ledges) at a significantly higher rate (P=0.0003) than other habitats.  Habitat structures placed by MDC were also selected but at a much lower rate than other habitat types, likely due to high water levels submerging the structures in deep water. In addition, up to 20 fish per month were relocated about every 3-4 hours for one, 24-hour period per month to determine movement rates. Largemouth bass movement rates were greatest during summer (mean=55 m/h) and lowest during spring (mean=15 m/h) and fall (mean=10 m/h), perhaps relating to similar patterns in water temperature. Across the 5 months sampled, female movement rates were higher (mean=39 m/h) compared to that of males (mean=28 m/h).  However mean movement rates were higher during the day (mean=44 m/h) than night (mean=24 m/h) for all months and sexes. Tracking will continue through spring 2012 to determine seasonal habitat selection and movement rates of largemouth bass.

Statewide and Local Recruitment of Mourning Doves in Missouri. John H. Schulz, Thomas W. Bonnot, and Joshua J. Millspaugh.  Missouri Department of Conservation, Resource Science Center, 1110 South College Avenue, Columbia, MO 65201, USA, (573-882-9909 x3218), John.H.Schulz@mdc.mo.gov.

Because mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) are a popular game bird, we estimated local and statewide recruitment to improve harvest management.  We used ratio-based methods with preharvest adult sex ratios and harvest age ratios; however, we needed to correct for (1) unknown sex adults from banding data, (2) unknown age wings collected harvested birds, and (2) differential vulnerability (DV) at a local scale.  We captured 5,406 adult (AHY) doves on 7 public areas in Missouri, and collected 47,646 wings.  Data from 356 radio-marked doves showed hatching year (HY) birds were at least 1.8× more likely to be harvested.  Statewide recruitment in any given year ranged 2.2−5.5 offspring/female depending on method for correcting adult sex ratio.  Averaging across all years and areas recruitment was 3.1 offspring/female (± 0.8 SD) assuming unknown sex samples were female biased, and 4.1 offspring/female (± 0.9 SD) assuming male bias in unknown sex samples.  Although statewide recruitment estimates for mourning doves are possible using ratio-based methods, variability in local estimates may reduce their utility when dealing with small scales due to sample sizes.  Because estimates are completely driven by these ratios, care should be taken to collect adequate samples to improve accuracy and reduce variability.  At larger scales, accurate estimates of recruitment can show managers practical uses of data generated from the national banding and wing survey efforts, and provide time series data for tracking populations related to emerging phenomena (e.g., climate change).

Forests and People Contributed Papers

Height growth of shortleaf pine reproduction and the upland oaks that they were competitive with. Blizzard, Elizabeth M. Rustic Vistas Research, LLC, Salem, MO 65560 (573) 729-7989, RusticVistasResearchLLC@gmail.com.

Foresters have had some success regenerating mixtures of shortleaf pine and upland oaks in the same cohort under a variety of overstorey retention levels. A study was established to investigate the height growth of these shortleaf pine and upland oaks. Stands with a shortleaf pine SI50 of 55-65 ft were selected. The saplings exhibited 1-3 growth phases distinguished by a sustained change in height growth rates. Retaining more than 40 sq ft/ac of overstorey increased the duration of slow establishment growth (Growth Phase I) and decreased the height growth in Growth Phase II. Upland oak saplings that were within 5 yrs of the age of the pines grew quickly in Growth Phase I but grew slower in Growth Phase II - a pattern similar to stump sprouts observed in other studies. The growth rates of these oaks were slower than the averages reported in other studies given 0-40 sq ft/ac of overstorey retention. Selecting stands on shortleaf pine SI50 55-65 ft sites with slower-than-average growing stump sprouts will likely permit a portion of the shortleaf pine saplings to be competitive.

Carbon Stories from MOFEP:  Gains, Losses, and Stocks of Alternative Management. Jiquan Chen, University of Toledo, Randy Jensen, Missouri Department of Conservation.

Understanding how alternative management affects the spatial and temporal changes of carbon (C) stocks and fluxes is the fundamental information needed for the effective management of forests.  Here we provide a summary of lessons learned from a 5-year study on the changes of C gains, losses, and stocks at the MOFEP treatments.  In situ measurement of photosynthesis of dominant species, respiratory loses of soil, stem, coarse woody debris (CWD) and snags, as well as amount of C stored in different compartments of uneven-age (NHM), even-age (EAM), and no harvest management (NHM) were quantified using a combination of chamber-based ,biometric, and remote sensing methods, along with other existing database and ancillary measurements (e.g., leaf area index, microclimate).   Total C pools were 182, 170, and 130 Mg C ha-1 for NHM, UAM, and EAM, respectively.  Harvesting reduced the live tree C pool by 31% in the UAM, 93% in EAM stands, and increased the CWD C pool by 50% in UAM and 176% for EAM, compared to NHM stands.  This is partially due to differences in C-loss, with the annual ecosystem respiration of 1641.7, 1690.9, and 1285.6 g C m-2 y-1 in the NHM, UAM, and EAM, respectively.  However, we also found that oak leaves seemed to decompose much slower than leaves in other regions.  Mechanistically, we found that there exists a temperature threshold point for C loss via soil respiration.  Summer precipitation was found to be the primary driver of variability in summer mean soil respiration through its control on soil moisture and the normalized difference vegetation index in the harvested forests.

Forest Harvesting and Soil Nutrients: What have we learned at the Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project (MOFEP) over the past several years?,. Keith Goyne, John Kabrick, Satchel Gaddie, and Meredith Albers. University of Missouri, Department of Soil, Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences, 302 ABNR Bldg., Columbia, MO 65211-7250, goynek@missouri.edu.

Soils in mixed hardwood ecosystems of the Ozark Highlands are greatly weathered and generally nutrient deficient, and concern exists regarding potential nutrient depletion associated with forest harvesting in this region. This presentation will provide a short synopsis of research investigating (1) locales in the landscape potentially vulnerable to calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) depletion, (2) quantification and comparison of soil nutrient differences ten years post-harvest in stands harvested using clearcutting (CC) and single-tree selection (STS), and (3) differences in nutrients within soil solution amongst soils with differing nutrient status, as well as pre- and post-harvest. We have identified depth to bedrock and bedrock lithology as the single most important factor explaining exchangeable Ca and Mg concentrations in MOFEP soils, and this information can be linked with soil and ecological land type maps to identify potential areas where Ca and Mg depletion may occur. Research investigating soil chemical changes 10 years post-harvest show no significant differences between CC or STS when compared to no-harvest control sites. However, results from direct comparison of soil properties in CC to STS sites indicated that Ca, carbon and nitrogen concentrations were greater in CC sites and lower in STS sites, likely due to differences in slash distribution.  Preliminary nutrient analysis indicated some pre-harvest chemical differences in throughfall and in soil solution sampled at 15 and 40 cm depths, particularly for ammonium.  However, soil solution composition at 15 and 40 cm depths is similar, as is composition between low and medium nutrient status soils.

Social Availability of Woody Biomass for Renewable Energy: Missouri Family Forest Landowners Perspective. Marissa ‘Jo’ Daniel, Francisco X. Aguilar and Hank Stelzer. 203 ABNR Building, Department of Forestry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 (660) 425-0653 mndc59@mail.missouri.edu.

Physical estimates of standing wood can be used to assess and project total above-ground woody biomass, but these estimates fail to explore its social availability. Over 85% of Missouri’s forests are privately owned, thus, the future supply of woody biomass to the energy industry lays with the state’s private landowners.   The percentage of woodlands and corresponding biomass deemed socially available to supply woody biomass for energy in Missouri was determined along with an evaluation of the impacts of dominant timber prices and public matching payments (e.g. biomass crop assistance payments).  The assessment relied on the use of conjoint analysis in the form of a survey instrument to determine the joint impact of timber prices and subsidy payments on woody biomass availability.  Data was collected through focus groups and a mail survey following the Tailored Design Method.  A conditional probability model was used to draw conclusions about the social availability of woody biomass. Preliminary findings show that while many landowners are not knowledgeable about woody biomass they are curious and wish to learn more about its uses.  Findings also suggest that greater relative timber prices and public payments for woody biomass can influence woody biomass social availability.  If the timber and biomass price incentives are sufficient landowners will be willing to supply biomass, however, a majority do so with conservation/recreation objectives instead of forest management considerations.

The Economic Feasibility of Woody Biomass Harvests in the Missouri Ozarks: Cost and Break-Even Analysis of an Integrated Harvest. Botard, Shane. Graduate Student, Department of Forestry, University of Missouri, 203 Anheuser-Busch Natural Resource Building, Columbia, MO 65211.

Woody biomass has the potential to be an important source of renewable energy given it can be harvested and transported to market in a cost efficient manner.  In order to supplement the current knowledge base on biomass harvests an integrated harvest, solid hardwood and fuelwood products, was conducted and compared to a conventional solid hardwood product harvest on 30 acres of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Whetstone Conservation Area.  A mechanized system consisting of a feller/buncher, grapple skidder, and loader was used to implement both harvesting types.  A break-even price will be presented for the cost of harvesting and bringing biomass material to the landing.  Also a comparison between the marginal fixed costs and variable costs per ton of material harvested will be made between the conventional and the integrated systems.  In addition, an analysis of the costs and revenues of integrating a chipper into the harvest system to process biomass material at the landing will be presented to examine the value added to the fuelwood.

The effects of oak decline on natural shortleaf pine seedling establishment. Orchard, Steve and Brad Hadley.  Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), HCR 1 Box 177K, Eminence MO 65466 USA, (573) 226 3616, Steve.Orchard@mdc.mo.gov.

Oak decline can lead to a more open canopy density in forests affected by it.  Because shortleaf pine flourishes in unrestricted sunlight, it is possible that oak decline may lead to higher natural recruitment of shortleaf pine.  Shortleaf pine recruitment and its possible relationship to canopy openings created by oak decline was investigated at the Missouri Ozark Forest Ecology Project’s Site #8.  The study site was determined to have 22 live pine trees per acre existing as part of the original stand and 25 live pine trees per acre considered to be ingrowth into the original stand.  A test of correlation detected no significant relationship between pine recruitment and oak decline (r = 0.019; r2 = 0.0004).  The findings of this study suggest that oak decline may not serve as the sole trigger point in expecting the natural recruitment of pine to convert oak stands to shortleaf pine stands.