Field Sparrow nest survival and density by influencing the abundance of nest predators, ; (3) habitat structure affects Field Sparrows via alterative prey such as small mammals or arthropods; (4) our ecological null hypothesis: the effects of habitat structure on Field Sparrows are primarily direct. We expected nest survival and nest density to be differentially influenced by grassland habitat and community characteristics, as factors affecting nest survival and nest density or adult abundance are frequently decoupled (Chalfoun and Schmidt, 2012). 2. Materials and methods.
Study area Our study took place at Burning Star State Fish and Wildlife Area (37°52’N, 89°12’W, hereafter “Burning Star”), a former surface coal mine composed of 1,824 hectares (ha) of both reclaimed and undisturbed land in northeast Jackson County, Illinois (Figure 1). Landcover types present at Burning Star Spain phone number list include early- to late-successional forest (936 ha), agriculture (456 ha), wetland (66 ha), and restored tallgrass prairie (110 ha), as well as several freshwater lakes (223 ha). Fieldwork occurred on 10 restored prairie patches (hereafter “sites”) within Burning Star, which ranged in size.
We conducted fieldwork in 2019, 2020, and 2021, from early May to late July of each year. Common grasses on prairie sites included warm-season natives such as big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), as well as non-native grasses such as smooth brome (Bromus inermis), Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), and foxtail (Setaria spp.). Common forbs included Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), annual ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), and non-natives such as sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) and sweet clover Management actions such as prescribed fire have been minimal at these sites.