Abstracts

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P.1-06: Evaluating Brood Selection of Wetlands in Crop Dominated Landscapes within the Prairie Pothole Region

Presented by Catrina V. Terry - Email: cterry8@lsu.edu

Although the Prairie Pothole Region is responsible for producing the majority of North Americas dabbling ducks, more than two-thirds of the wetlands in this landscape are now surrounded by cropland. These wetlands are at high risk of conversion and may be subject to degradation through runoff from adjacent crops. However, they may still represent habitat capable of supporting broods during the summer. Brood surveys, when paired with wetland metrics can help determine characteristics of wetlands that may be valuable for duck productivity in highly altered agricultural systems. In 2019 we will survey wetlands embedded in cropland across eastern North Dakota, eastern South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with a thermal and visual imaging camera because of its proven effectiveness against traditional ground observers. We will investigate wetland metrics through assessment of invertebrate communities, wetland vegetation, and vegetative buffers between wetlands and cropland and determine the concentration of neonicotinoids, a heavily-used insecticide. With the UAV, we will create mosaics of the wetlands that can provide information on emergent vegetation structure, submerged vegetation, and the buffer between the wetland edge and agriculture. Our goal is to provide estimates of brood abundance on these highly altered wetlands and investigate mechanisms that may be driving brood use, which will help managers make better decisions on targeting wetlands embedded in croplands for conservation and restoration.
Session: Poster Session 1 (Tuesday, August 27, 19:00 to 21:00)