Geology topics

Doreen C. Mengel

Publications and source records attributed to Doreen C. Mengel.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2023

Wetland management practices and secretive marsh bird habitat in the Mississippi Flyway: A review

Management regimes on publicly owned freshwater wetlands in the Mississippi Flyway of North America (i.e., Flyway) have historically emphasized waterfowl, but there is limited information on how waterfowl-focused wetland management affects other wetland-dependent wildlife. Secretive marsh birds (SMBs) depend on wetlands with emergent vegetation throughout their migratory life cycle and often encounter vegetation and water conditions resulting from waterfowl-focused management regimes. Thus, there is a need for better understanding of how SMBs are affected by wetland management and the extent to which waterfowl-focused management regimes provide habitat for SMBs. In this review, we identify the vegetation and water conditions resulting from typical management objectives on freshwater emergent wetlands in the Flyway, review and qualitatively synthesize results from studies that directly evaluate how wetland management practices affect SMBs or their habitat, and assess how the vegetation and water conditions being produced for target species (mainly waterfowl) align with SMB habitat requirements. We searched online databases and used Google Scholar to locate peer-reviewed literature, technical reports, and graduate theses that pertained to responses of SMBs or their habitat to water-level manipulation, herbicide application, prescribed fire, disking, mowing, and planting crops. There are several management strategies that complement SMBs and waterfowl, such as reducing cover of woody species and providing flooded emergent vegetation. We also highlight management strategies that may not currently align with SMB life-cycle needs and suggest adjustments that might promote habitat for SMBs while still achieving waterfowl population objectives. For example, adjusting the dates and duration of spring water-level drawdowns on a portion of wetlands within a larger complex can provide for spring migrating waterfowl and ensure habitat for migrating and nesting SMBs. Ideally, future studies would address how modifications to management practices affect SMBs and monitor potential effects on waterfowl, resulting in a more holistic approach to wetland management.

The Journal of Wildlife Management↗

USGS2021

Impacts of neonicotinoid seed treatments on the wild bee community in agricultural field margins

Wild bees support global agroecosystems via pollination of agricultural crops and maintaining diverse plant communities. However, with an increased reliance on pesticides to enhance crop production, wild bee communities may inadvertently be affected through exposure to chemical residues. Laboratory and semi-field studies have demonstrated lethal and sublethal effects of neonicotinoids on limited genera (e.g., Apis , Bombus , Megachile ), yet full field studies evaluating impacts to wild bee communities remain limited. Here, we conducted a two-year field study to assess whether neonicotinoid seed treatment and presence in environmental media (e.g., soil, flowers) influenced bee nest and diet guild abundance and richness. In 2017 and 2018, we planted 23 Missouri agricultural fields to soybeans ( Glycine max) using one of three seed treatments: untreated (no insecticide), treated (imidacloprid), or previously-treated (untreated, but neonicotinoid use prior to 2017). During both years, wild bees were collected in study field margins monthly (May to September) in tandem with soil and flowers from fields and field margins that were analyzed for neonicotinoid residues. Insecticide presence in soils and flowers varied over the study with neonicotinoids infrequently detected in both years within margin flowers (0%), soybean flowers (<1%), margin soils (<8%), and field soils (~39%). Wild bee abundance and species richness were not significantly different among field treatments. In contrast, neonicotinoid presence in field soils was associated with significantly lower richness (ground- and aboveground-nesting, diet generalists) of wild bee guilds. Our findings support that soil remains an underexplored route of exposure and long-term persistence of neonicotinoids in field soils may lead to reduced diversity in regional bee communities. Future reduction or elimination of neonicotinoid seed treatment use on areas managed for wildlife may facilitate conservation goals to sustain viable, diverse wild bee populations.

Missouri↗

USGS2019

Evaluating tradeoffs in the response of Sora (Porzana carolina) and waterfowl to the timing of early autumn wetland inundation

Wetland loss has increased the importance of multi-species management in remaining wetlands, which provide habitat for a multitude of wetland-dependent species. Many public wetlands across the mid-latitude United States are managed as moist soil impoundments with emphasis on migratory waterfowl. However, how the timing of these water management decisions affects rails is still uncertain. Wetland managers identified this as an area of uncertainty regarding timing of alternative water management strategies to benefit waterfowl and rails, which was addressed through a 3-year management experiment. Sora ( Porzana carolina ) and waterfowl were surveyed on 10 public wetland properties in Missouri, USA from 2014-2016, and their responses to early autumn inundation of managed palustrine wetlands were compared. A total of 558 Sora surveys detected 5,755 birds (20.6 birds/survey ± 30.8 SD), and 1,304 waterfowl surveys detected 1,411,779 birds (15,686.4 birds/survey ± 23,933.9 SD). Sora responded positively (birds/ha) to inundation of moist soil impoundments earlier in autumn migration (August). The top model for Sora included treatment, year and region of Missouri. There was no difference in waterfowl abundance between early or late inundation. Inundating wetlands earlier in autumn migration can provide habitat for migrating Sora without negative effects on waterfowl use of those wetlands, and wetland managers can incorporate this into their decision-making framework.

Missouri↗

USGS2018

Neonicotinoid insecticides negatively affect performance measures of non‐target terrestrial arthropods: a meta‐analysis

Neonicotinoid insecticides are currently the fastest‐growing and most widely used insecticide class worldwide. Valued for their versatility in application, these insecticides may cause deleterious effects in a range of non‐target (beneficial) arthropods. However, it remains unclear whether strong patterns exist in terms of their major effects, if broad measures of arthropod performance are negatively affected, or whether different functional groups are equally vulnerable. Here, we present a meta‐analysis of 372 observations from 44 field and laboratory studies that describe neonicotinoid effects on 14 arthropod orders across five broad performance measures: abundance, behavior, condition, reproductive success, and survival. Across studies, neonicotinoids negatively affected all performance metrics evaluated; however, magnitude of the effects varied. Arthropod behavior and survival were the most negatively affected and abundance was the least negatively affected. Effects on arthropod functional groups were inconsistent. Pollinator condition, reproductive success, and survival were significantly lower in neonicotinoid treatments compared to untreated controls; whereas, neonicotinoid effects on detritivores were not significant. Although magnitude of arthropod response to neonicotinoids varied among performance measures and functional groups, we documented a consistent negative relationship between exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides in published studies and beneficial arthropod performance.

Ecological Applications↗

USGS2018

A review of Bayesian belief network models as decision-support tools for wetland conservation: Are water birds potential umbrella taxa?

Creative approaches to identifying umbrella species hold promise for devising effective surrogates of ecological communities or ecosystems. However, mechanistic niche models that predict range or habitat overlap among species may yet lack development. We reviewed literature on taxon-centered Bayesian belief network (BBN) models to explore a novel approach to identify umbrella taxa identifying taxonomic groups that share the largest proportion of habitat requirements (i.e., states of important habitat variables) with other wetland-dependent taxa. We reviewed and compiled published literature to provide a comprehensive and reproducible account of the current understanding of habitat requirements for freshwater, wetland-dependent taxa using BBNs. We found that wetland birds had the highest degree of shared habitat requirements with other taxa, and consequently may be suitable umbrella taxa in freshwater wetlands. Comparing habitat requirements using a BBN approach to build species distribution models, this review also identified taxa that may not benefit from conservation actions targeted at umbrella taxa by identifying taxa with unique habitat requirements not shared with umbrellas. Using a standard node set that accurately and comprehensively represents the ecosystem in question, BBNs could be designed to improve identification of umbrella taxa. In wetlands, expert knowledge about hydrology, geomorphology and soils could add important information regarding physical landscape characteristics relevant to species. Thus, a systems-oriented framework may improve overarching inferences from BBNs and subsequent utility to conservation planning and management.

Biological Conservation↗

USGS2017

Timing of autumn migration of Sora (Porzana carolina) in Missouri

Monitoring and conserving waterbirds, including Sora ( Porzana carolina ), in Missouri, is constrained by the lack of information on migration phenology. We performed nocturnal distance sampling surveys by ATV across 11 state and federal managed wetlands in Missouri, USA from 2012–2015 to compare the timing of Sora' autumn migration among years. Migration of Sora in Missouri began in the first week of August, on average it peaked on 25 September, and continued through the last week of October. We detected migration of Sora earlier in autumn than did previous work. We found the start and end of migration did not vary annually in 3 of 4 years. With our results, wetland managers should be able to better time their management for rails in Missouri.

Missouri↗