Society for Range Management An Investigation on Fire Effects within Xeric Sage Grouse Brood Habitat Author(s): Richard A. Fischer, Kerry P. Reese, John W. Connelly Source: Journal of Range Management, Vol. 49, No. 3 (May, 1996), pp. 194-198 Published by: Allen Press and Society for Range Management Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4002877 . Accessed: 28/09/2011 23:30 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. Allen Press and Society for Range Management are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Range Management. http://www.jstor.org

J. Range Manage. 49:194-198 An investigation on fire effects within xeric sage grouse brood habitat RICHARD A. FISCHER, KERRY P. REESE, AND JOHN W. CONNELLY Authors are former research assistant and associate professor, Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, Ida., 83844 and Principal Wildlife Biologist, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, 1345 Barton Rd., Pocatello, Ida., 83205 Abstract We investigated the short-term influence of fire on xeric sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) brood habitat in southeast- ern Idaho from 1990-92. A prescribed fire in 1989 removed Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata wyomingensis Nutt.)/threetip sagebrush (A. tripartita Rydb.) canopy cover from approximately 57% of a 5,800-ha area, potentially influencing brood-rearing habitat. Although the fire created a mosaic of sagebrush areas interspersed with open areas having abundant grasses and forbs, the relative abundance of males, females, and broods on survey routes in burned and unburned habitat were similar. Cover of forbs important in sage grouse summer diets was similar in burned and unburned habitat. However, the abun- dance of Hymenoptera, an insect Order important in sage grouse diets, was significantly lower in burned habitat the second and third years postburn. Our research did not support the con- tention that fire may enhance sage grouse brood-rearing habitat. Key Words: big sagebrush, Centrocercus urophasianus, insects. Knowledge of the relationship between bird species and their food resources is a critical component of avian ecology (Raley and Anderson 1990). Invertebrates, mainly insects, are consumed in large quantities and provide essential protein in the diets of most young birds, such as waterfowl (Swanson et al. 1985), passerines (Lack 1954), and galliformes (Kobriger 1965, Klebenow and Gray 1968, King 1969). Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata wyomingensis Nutt.) communities have a diverse insect fauna (Homing and Barr 1970, Stafford 1983) that provides an important food source for many vertebrates (Gleason 1978, Halford 1981). High protein foods such as forbs and insects in these communities are important in sage grouse chick diets Funding was provided by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) through the University of Idaho. Logistical support was provided by the U.S. Bureau of Land Managment. This is a contribution from Idaho Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Project W-160-R and Contribution 763 of the University of Idaho College of Forestry, Wildlife and Range Experiment Station. We gratefully acknowledge R. Bradish, A.W. Farris, M.B. Fischer, J.F. Kennedy, M.A. Sands, and J.W. Snyder, for their assistance in data collection. W. Newton, R.K. Steinhorst, and C. Williams provided statistical advice. Present address of senior author: U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Attn: CEWES-EN-S, 3909 Halls Ferry Rd., Vicksburg, Miss. 39180. Manuscript accepted 29 July 1995. (Klebenow and Gray 1968, Peterson 1970), especially during the first 3 weeks after hatching (Johnson and Boyce 1990). Sagebrush removal on western rangelands is a common prac- tice for increasing forage availability for livestock. Currently, prescribed fire is a popular and cost-effective method of sage- brush removal (Frandsen 1985, Bunting et al. 1987). However, little is known about how various methods of habitat manipula- tion affect important foods of sage grouse chicks. Sagebrush treatment projects (e.g., herbicide application) that reduce the abundance and diversity of forbs are detrimental to sage grouse brood habitat (Klebenow 1970). Xeric sagebrush habitats ( 25 cm of annual precipitation), usually dominated by Wyoming big sagebrush, typically have relatively low forb abundance com- pared to other sagebrush habitats (Wright et al. 1979, Clifton 1981, Bunting et al. 1987). Thus, insects as a source of protein in sage grouse chick diets may have greater importance in xeric sagebrush habitats than in more mesic habitats. Reduced insect abundance through pesticide application has been implicated in lowered chick survival in several gallinaceous bird species (Godfrey 1975, Warner et al. 1984, Potts 1986). Johnson and Boyce (1990) evaluated the influence of insect reductions on sur- vival of captive sage grouse chicks, and quantity of insects in the diets was positively correlated with growth and survival. Klebenow (1972) and Gates (1983) suggested that fire may benefit sage grouse brood habitat if the burn produces a mosaic of sagebrush cover interspersed with open areas having increased forb production. However, the impacts of fire on sage grouse foods, especially insects, have not been addressed. Objectives of this study were to (1) examine relative use of burned ungrazed habitat and unburned grazed habitat by sage grouse following a prescribed fire, and (2) measure summer forb and insect abun- dance in burned and unburned sage grouse habitat as an index to food abundance. Methods Study Location and Burning Treatments From 1990 to 1992, we conducted research on a 20,000-ha por- tion of the 240,867-ha Big Desert, in Blaine and Butte counties on the Upper Snake River Plain, southeastern Idaho (430 24' N, 1130 07' W). The topography consisted of flat to gently undulat- ing terrain with an interspersion of exposed silicic and basaltic volcanic outcrops and craters. Median precipitation on the Big Desert during the study (16.5 cm 1990-92), measured 25 km 194 JOURNAL OF RANGE MANAGEMENT 49(3), May 1996