Structural and functional landscape connectivity for lesser prairie‐chickens in the Sand Shinnery Oak Prairie Ecoregion

• Published in: The Journal of wildlife management 2022-01, Vol.86 (1), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Schilder, Lucas J., Heintzman, Lucas J., McIntyre, Nancy E., Harryman, Samuel, Hagen, Christian A., Martin, Russell, Boal, Clint W., Grisham, Blake A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chickens; circuit theory; Circuits; Clustering; Coalescence; Coalescing; Conservation; Dispersal; Energy conservation; functional connectivity; Graph theory; High plains; Land conservation; Land use; Landscape; Lek; lesser prairie‐chicken; Poultry; Sand; structural connectivity; Structure-function relationships; Tympanuchus pallidicinctus; Wildlife conservation; Wind power
• ISSN: 0022-541X; 1937-2817
• DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22146

The lesser prairie‐chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is a species of conservation concern on the Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico, USA. Because fragmentation and isolation have increased since pre‐settlement, dispersal through this heterogeneous landscape may be constrained, with serious implications for conservation and management of this species. Our objectives were to quantify landscape connectivity for lesser prairie‐chickens within a patch network of potentially isolated leks (breeding display grounds), and examine effects of land use change on modeled lesser prairie‐chicken movements through the landscape. We used graph theory to quantify structural landscape connectivity and circuit theory to quantify functional landscape connectivity for lesser prairie‐chickens in the Sand Shinnery Oak Prairie Ecoregion of the Southern High Plains. There was a high degree of clustering among leks (n = 1,023 leks), with a 41.9‐km coalescence distance of the network. We identified 3 leks as cutpoints within the network, meaning if the habitat patches containing these leks were fragmented, the remaining leks would become isolated from each other. We also identified several leks that were important for maintaining overall population connectivity for lesser prairie‐chickens on the Southern High Plains. Conservation Reserve Program land was important for maintaining connectivity among leks to the north and west of the main lek core area located in New Mexico, but wind energy development constrained pathways to the north and south of this main lek core area. Our results suggest that landscape connectivity was reduced by row‐crop agriculture and energy production and facilitated by the Conservation Reserve Program within the Sand Shinnery Oak Prairie Ecoregion. We assessed the relative importance of both individual leks and priority areas (lek clusters) within the Sand Shinnery Oak Prairie Ecoregion for population persistence of lesser prairie‐chickens. Landscape fragmentation constrained movements within a patchy habitat network, which has resulted in increased isolation of peripheral leks and overall decreased connectivity of lesser prairie‐chicken populations in this ecoregion.