Grassland songbird populations have experienced declines due to habitat loss. In Canada, gas well development continues to fragment and disturb prairie habitat. From 2010-2012, I monitored a total of 374 nests in mixed-grass prairie located in southeastern Alberta. I estimated the probabilities of nesting success relative to gas well infrastructure to test for effects on reproductive success. There was very little effect of well pads on nesting success, while roads had a greater impact. Savannah sparrow and chestnut-collared longspur clutch sizes and fledgling numbers per nest were lower near gas well pads and cattle water sources, suggesting lower quality habitat in these areas. Large-sized predators occurred less in areas with older well pads. Concentrations of new well pads may have greater effects on chestnut-collared longspur reproductive success. Minimizing habitat disturbance surrounding gas well pads, and reducing abundance of roads, should minimize impacts on reproductive success for most grassland songbirds.

Once abundant across the Great Plains of North America, prairie-parkland elk (Cervus canadensis manitobensis) underwent a catastrophic population collapse and dramatic contraction of their overall range through the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s due to habitat loss (primarily from agricultural expansion) and unregulated hunting. Populations were able to recover in some areas following new hunting regulations and the establishment of protected areas. Prior to this study, the current distribution of prairie parkland elk was poorly understood, though it was established that they were largely relegated to large protected areas and made use of adjacent agriculture dominated landscapes. In order to effectively manage prairie-parkland elk so populations remain resilient to ongoing habitat loss, population reduction and disease risks, detailed mapping of their range and an understanding of the environmental factors most important to elk is essential. The purpose of my thesis is to characterize elk distribution and resource selection patterns in the prairie-parkland of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada, at a landscape scale and assess the implications of distribution for species persistence, by using both local ecological knowledge (LEK) and biological research techniques in tandem. Integrating LEK with more conventional biological research can provide complementary data at contrasting time and spatial scales and facilitates comparison of multiple independent datasets. Furthermore, LEK research creates important opportunities to engage stakeholders in contributing knowledge and may facilitate relationships and contribute toward more effective resource management. I used three sets of biotelemetry-collar data from across Saskatchewan and Manitoba (n = 328 collared elk; 1998–2012), in conjunction with LEK from hunters, biologists and enforcement officers (n = 71 participants) to create a series of resource selection functions (RSFs) characterizing elk distribution across Saskatchewan and Manitoba. I gathered LEK in workshops where participatory mapping was conducted with local experts across the study area. The RSF analysis determined that prairie-parkland elk selected locations close to protected areas and far from high road density. Elk also selected areas with moderate amounts of mixed-wood and deciduous forests and herbaceous vegetation. Models developed with LEK only, biotelemetry collar data only and a combined dataset were all validated against an independent dataset of elk crop damage locations. All models predicted elk presence well. The RSF scores of the LEK only and radio-collar only models were not significantly different. Successful conservation management requires identifying which areas are most important to a species, and assessing if these areas are vulnerable to threats, as well as balancing human resource needs. Using the RSF-based maps of prairie-parkland elk distribution, I identified locations of high quality habitat (top 10% of RSF values) and determined which of those areas were vulnerable to agricultural expansion, forestry, disease, and hunting. I identified 81 high quality habitat areas with a combined total area of 30 753 km2. One or more vulnerability factor impacted 87% of the identified core area. High quality areas were clearly clustered around the boreal-prairie transition zone and large protected areas. The majority (88%) of high quality core areas were located within protected areas. A connectivity analysis using least cost path analysis determined that core habitat areas endemic with chronic wasting disease (CWD) in wild elk are highly connected to other high quality habitat areas. CWD thus has the potential to reduce cervid populations within the study area. My thesis results highlight that prairie-parkland elk populations in Saskatchewan and Manitoba remain threatened by habitat loss and disease, and emphasize the need for habitat conservation to prevent further population reduction. While elk populations have regained a small fraction of the range lost at the turn of the last century, they have not been able to re-establish with much success in the prairie portion of their range. I also determined that LEK can be as effective as conventional biological research approaches to develop RSFs. I also confirmed that stakeholders within the study are knowledgeable about elk behaviour. The distribution maps and identified areas of priority concern created in this thesis can provide important insights to support the management and maintenance of abundant elk populations.

This thesis questions the connection between Indigenous and immigrant Prairie literature, taking six contemporary texts as a case study. Aboriginal texts include Maria Campbell’s Halfbreed, Beatrice Mosionier’s In Search of April Raintree and Marilyn Dumont’s A Really Good Brown Girl. Immigrant narratives discussed are Hiromi Goto’s Chorus of Mushrooms, Esi Edugyan’s The Second Life of Samuel Tyne, and Madeline Coopsammy’s Prairie Journey. Read alongside one another, these texts demonstrate that Indigenous and immigrant populations do express similar concerns through literature, generally having to do with Canadian multiculturalism. Specifically, this project will discuss bodily and linguistic differences from a white, English-speaking ‘norm,’ home making on the prairies, and story-telling as an alternative indicator of home. This thesis asserts the importance of studying cross-racial literary engagements as they nuance existing discussions of race and space on the prairies and in Canada.

The mixed-grass prairie region of southwestern Manitoba is a hotspot for many endangered grassland birds. This region has been degraded to less than a quarter of its historical amount of mixed-grass prairie. Remaining prairie is primarily used for livestock grazing. The objective of this study was to evaluate the contribution of sustainable land management practices, such as rotational grazing, in the conservation of this region. In 2008 and 2009, I compared the abundances of grassland birds on two grazing regimes, twice-over rotation and season-long, to ungrazed fields. Bird surveys were done during the breeding season and were conducted using 100-m fixed-radius point-count plots. I determined the effects of treatment, landscape and vegetation characteristics on songbird abundances using generalized linear mixed models. Grassland birds selected grazed pastures over ungrazed fields in both years, and species richness of obligate grassland birds was significantly greater (α = 0.10) on season-long than twice-over pastures (β = 0.419, p = 0.032, in 2008 and β = 0.502, p = 0.043 in 2009). Season-long grazing may actually benefit grassland bird communities by creating somewhat temporally stable areas of high use and low use within the pasture. However, nesting success studies and long-term monitoring are necessary to further understand how twice-over rotation grazing systems contribute to the conservation of grassland birds in southwestern Manitoba.

The Glenlea long-term study, located in Manitoba was established in 1992 to compare organic, conventional, no-input and restored prairie grass land management practices. Microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial metabolic quotient (qCO2), microbial biomass phosphorus, and microbial nitrous oxide quotient (qN2O) were measured to evaluate soil health. MBC and activity were higher in the forage-grain (MBC= 1613 µg-MBC/g-dry soil; qCO2= 0.75 mg CO2-C/g-dry soil/hr) rotation compared to the annual (MBC= 1124 µg-MBC/g-dry soil; qCO2= 0.60 mg CO2-C/g-dry soil/hr). The forage-grain organic system (1718 µg-MBC/g-dry soil) had the highest MBC compared to its conventional (1476 µg-MBC/g-dry soil) counterpart and behaved similarly to the restored grassland prairie (MBC= 1668 µg-MBC/g-dry soil; qCO2= 1.46 mg CO2-C/g-dry soil/hr). Rotation was significant (P<0.0001) for most variables, suggesting rotation has a strong influence on soil microbial characteristics. Agricultural management practices like perennial organic systems, mimic natural prairies and have the greatest capacity to sustain soil microbial life.

I investigated how orchid biology, floral morphology, and diversity of surrounding floral and pollinator communities affected reproductive success and hybridization of Cypripedium candidum and C. parviflorum. Floral dimensions, including pollinator exit routes were smallest in C. candidum, largest in C. parviflorum, with hybrids intermediate and overlapping with both. This pattern was mirrored in the number of insect visitors, fruit set, and seed set. Exit route size seemed to restrict potential pollinators to a subset of visiting insects, which is consistent with reports from other rewardless orchids. Overlap among orchid taxa in morphology, pollinators, flowering phenology, and spatial distribution, may affect the frequency and direction of pollen transfer and hybridization. The composition and abundance of co-flowering rewarding plants seems to be important for maintaining pollinators in orchid populations. Comparisons with orchid fruit set indicated that individual co-flowering species may be facilitators or competitors for pollinator attention, affecting orchid reproductive success.

Lime kiln use in Saskatchewan from the earliest days of European settlement was researched and documented. Remaining features were relocated and oral or documentary history was gathered. This information was put in context on the prairies in regard to early cooperative industries and employment, architectural traditions, commodities in demand, the generation of supporting industries and spatial patterning. These resulting data were then used to explore several research questions. Lime kilns were associated with early trail systems upon which the earliest European settlements were established due to projected railway routes and areas suitable for wheat agriculture. Most of the earliest architectural traditions in Saskatchewan required the use of lime because homesteaders - predominantly those from northern Europe and specifically the British Isles - were building with log, stone and gravel or rammed earth and needed and to have access to a lime kiln in the area. The skill and knowledge to build and burn successful kilns was transmitted either through those bringing the technological know-how with them from their country of origin or was adopted by new settlers arriving from the east or the south. These skills were also taught by Indian Agents to native people on reserves as a way to generate income. The construction and use of lime kilns is indicative of one of the earliest settlement industries in Saskatchewan and was usually a necessity for the establishment of built heritage.

This creative thesis is a work of fiction exploring the family dynamics of the Van Der Weerd family, told from the point of view of three main characters: Katie (age 30) and her parents, Donna and Harold. Donna and Harold are about to divorce and their son, Brett is estranged from the entire family, including the young daughter he’s never known. The novel spans a year’s time, with the final chapter moving forward another year. Estrangement, addiction, death, and the custody of a four-year old niece and granddaughter are part of this story. (Preliminary pages only)

The effects of global climate change on seed germination and plant regeneration have been reported in many species. However, there are no consistent trends in how seed quality and germination are affected by these conditions. Seeds of four native, one invasive, and two pairs of native/invasive species were collected from the USDA-ARS Prairie Heating and CO2 Enrichment Experimental plots in 2007 to 2009, located in the Mixed-grass Prairie near Cheyenne, WY. Field treatments include ambient (385 ppm, c) and elevated (600 ppm, C) CO2 concentrations, control temperature (t) and heating (1.5/3.0°C warmer day/night, T), and deep (ct-d) and shallow (ct-s) irrigation. Seed quality was evaluated and germination tests were conducted under alternating temperatures (10/0, 12.5/2.5, 15/5, 20/10, 25/15, 30/20, 35/25°C). Thermal time requirements (θ50) and base temperatures (Tb) for germination were determined using thermal time models. Elevated CO2 concentrations reduced seed fill and viability, germination and germination rate in Grindelia squarrosa. Heating increased seed viability in Koeleria macrantha from 56% to 79%. Heating, when combined with elevated CO2 concentrations, increased germination while CO2 alone decreased germination by about 14% in Bouteloua gracilis. Heating tended to enhance Tb and to reduce θ50 in Bouteloua gracilis, which may slow the initiation of germination but seeds germinate faster in spring. Elevated CO2 concentrations tended to increase but CT tended to decrease Tb in Centaurea diffusa, but not θ50. Heating tended to increase but all the other treatments tended to reduce Tb in Lanaria dalmatica, leading to a possible earlier start of germination. Irrigation treatments tended to show similar trend of effects on seed quality and germination as that in elevated CO2 concentrations. Species specific changes in seed quality and germination were observed, which may exert substantial cumulative effects on community composition in the long run. Invasive species may be more competitive under future climatic conditions compared with native species. However, the distribution and abundance of some native species, specifically Bouteloua gracilis, may be favored by climate change.

Thesis (M.S.)--Missouri State University, 2008. / "May 2008." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 39-42). Also available online.