Do megafires drive prairie grouse into sub-optimal habitats?
Wiley
Grasslands and associated wildlife in the Great Plains of North America have declined precipitously and are now experiencing an increase in large wildfire activity. In a Journal of Wildlife Management study that evaluated habitat use by lesser prairie-chickens—a prairie-grouse of conservation concern—before and immediately after a 2017 megafire, investigators found that the birds were forced out of formerly high-quality habitat in large, contiguous grasslands and into sub-optimal habitat and smaller grassland patches near cropland.
The researchers noted that megafires can pose a threat to grassland-dependent wildlife by removing large areas of high-quality habitat in the short-term, but conserving key habitat patches in sub-optimal areas may aid persistence.
“When most people think of megafires in the US, they think of big forest fires. But after another record fire year for the Great Plains in 2026, it’s increasingly important to understand how these fires affect already fragmented grasslands and wildlife that depend on them,” said corresponding author Nicholas Parker, who is a PhD candidate currently at Colorado State University but conducted this work while at Kansas State University.
URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jwmg.70205
Additional Information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com.
About the Journal
The Journal of Wildlife Management publishes original research contributing to fundamental wildlife science. Topics encompass biology and ecology of wildlife and their habitats with implications for conservation or management. Published research covers habitat use, genetics, demographics, behavior, population ecology, human dimensions, and contemporary conservation issues. Our aim is to support wildlife practitioners. Our journal welcomes theoretical advancements, quantitative analyses, modeling, and reviews offering a new synthesis. The Journal of Wildlife Management is a journal by The Wildlife Society.
About Wiley
Wiley is a global leader in authoritative content and research intelligence for the advancement of scientific discovery, innovation, and learning. With more than 200 years at the center of the scholarly ecosystem, Wiley combines trusted publishing heritage with AI-powered platforms to transform how knowledge is discovered, accessed, and applied. From individual researchers and students to Fortune 500 R&D teams, Wiley enables the transformation of scientific breakthroughs into real-world impact. From knowledge to impact—Wiley is redefining what's possible in science and learning. Visit us at Wiley.com and Investors.Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Journal
The Journal of Wildlife Management
Article Title
Megafire forces a declining prairie grouse into more marginal landscapes providing fine-scale habitat
Article Publication Date
6-May-2026
No comments:
Post a Comment