Document Type
Thesis - Open Access
Award Date
2015
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department / School
Natural Resource Management
First Advisor
Lan Xu
Second Advisor
Gary E. Larson
Abstract
Native tallgrass prairie is becoming increasingly rare due to conversion and degradation, putting pressure on endemic prairie species such as the federally threatened Dakota skipper butterfly (Hesperia dacotae). To develop a conservation plan for the butterfly in South Dakota, accurate vegetation classification, mapping, and characterization are critical. The objectives of this study were to 1) rank prairie condition, 2) classify and map upland prairie, 3) characterize and compare vegetation at Dakota skipper inhabited and formerly inhabited sites, and 4) identify potential Dakota skipper habitat within a 225 mi2 (58,275 hectares) study area of the SD Prairie Coteau. Condition metrics were developed following the NatureServe and Minnesota County Biological Survey (MCBS) guidelines. Sixty-seven relevé plots were sampled in upland prairie using the MCBS relevé sampling protocol and classified using multivariate analysis. Characterization of habitat was conducted using 50-m transects subjectively placed at 8 inhabited sites and 4 formerly inhabited sites. Cover by species using modified Daubenmire classes was estimated in six 1-m2 quadrats placed every 10 m on alternate sides of transects. During butterfly flight time, flowering stems were counted along transects in a two-meter belt. Vegetation composition between inhabited and formerly inhabited sites was compared using multivariate analysis and Mann-Whitney U tests. A two-dimensional NMS solution of the phytosociological data found that axis one represented a moisture gradient (r = .55), while management regime influenced axis two (r = .22). Three plant communities, Upland Dry Prairie, Dry-Mesic Prairie and Mesic Prairie, were revealed using flexible beta (β = -.025) and Sørenson distance, and were mapped according to associated USDA ecological sites. The results of the vegetation comparison at inhabited and formerly inhabited sites showed no clear pattern, indicating that other factors like management history and critical minimum size may play a role in population extirpation. Potential habitat was identified by intersecting USDA ecological sites where Dakota skippers have been located with an untilled grassland layer in ArcGIS. The classification and mapping of upland communities and the potential habitat layer will provide a guide to future Dakota skipper surveys and aid in developing a recovery plan at the landscape scale.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Dakota skipper -- Conservation -- South Dakota
Dakota skipper -- Habitat -- South Dakota
Butterflies -- Conservation -- South Dakota
Grasses -- South Dakota -- Classification
Vegetation mapping -- South Dakota
Description
Includes bibliographical references (pages 94-99)
Format
application/pdf
Number of Pages
143
Publisher
South Dakota State University
Recommended Citation
Narem, Diane M., "Classifying and Mapping Native Grasslands of South Dakota's Northern Prairie Coteau and Characterizing Habitat for Dakota Skipper Conservation" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1135.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/1135
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Rights Statement
