Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Using neutral landscape models to evaluate the umbrella species concept in an ecotone

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Landscape Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Context

Steep declines in North American rangeland biodiversity have prompted researchers and managers to use umbrella species as a tool to manage diverse suites of co-occurring wildlife, but efficacy of this method has been variable. Evaluation of prairie and shrubland grouse as umbrellas is typically restricted to observed overlap between umbrella and background species, but this approach does not distinguish between overlap due to ubiquity or niche overlap.

Objectives

We demonstrate a novel application of neutral landscape models (NLMs) to test the effectiveness of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) as an umbrella species for grassland songbirds at a grassland-sagebrush ecotone in northeastern Wyoming, USA.

Methods

We leveraged existing spatial data representing sage-grouse habitat in two distinct seasons (nesting and late brood-rearing) and density and distribution of eight grassland songbirds. We applied a permutation-based analysis using NLMs to determine whether overlap between background species and greater sage-grouse was greater than expected by chance.

Results

Three species (western meadowlark Sturnella neglecta, loggerhead shrike Lanius ludovicianus, and lark bunting Calamospiza melanocorys) had greater overlap than expected with at least one type of greater sage-grouse habitat, while western kingbirds (Tyrannus verticalis) indicated avoidance of all sage-grouse habitat assessed.

Conclusions

NLMs provided a more nuanced evaluation of the umbrella species concept than previously available and allowed us to differentiate between overlap due to ubiquity (e.g., vesper sparrow; Pooecetes gramineus) rather than overlap in habitat use. All grassland passerine species with greater than expected overlap with sage-grouse habitat either nest in sagebrush (loggerhead shrike) or often select nest locations underneath small shrubs (western meadowlark, lark bunting). These results indicate that nesting substrate is a potential niche axis to consider when evaluating the umbrella species concept, especially within sagebrush-grassland ecotones.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aldridge CL, Hanser SE, Nielsen SE, Leu M, Cade BS, Saher DJ, Knick ST (2011) Detectability adjusted count models of songbird abundance. In: Hanser SE, Leu M, Knick ST, Aldridge CL (eds) Sagebrush ecosystem conservation and management: ecoregional assessment tools and models for the Wyoming basins. Allen Press, Lawrence, KS, pp 141–220

    Google Scholar 

  • Andelman SJ, Fagan WF (2000) Umbrellas and flagships: efficient conservation surrogates or expensive mistakes? Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97:5954–5959

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Babcock K, Baxter C, Brown S, Ford B, Johnson R, Leach J, McCauley J, Myers G, Omernik J, Pashley D, Rosenberg K, Smith D, Steinkamp M, Uihlein B, Yaich S (1998) A proposed framework for delineating ecologically-based planning, implementation, and evaluation units for cooperative bird conservation in the US North American Colonial Waterbird Conservation Plan. Puebla, Mexico, Memphis

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayne EM, Haché S, Hobson KA (2010) Comparing the predictive capability of forest songbird habitat models based on remotely sensed versus ground-based vegetation information. Can J Forest Res 40:65–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Billerman SM, Keeney BK, Rodewald PG, Schulenberg TS (eds) (2020) Birds of the world. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca

    Google Scholar 

  • Blomberg EJ, Poulson SR, Sedinger JS, Gibson D (2013) Prefledging diet is correlated with individual growth in Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). Auk 130:715–724

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brawn JD, Robinson SK, Thompson FR III (2001) The role of disturbance in the ecology and conservation of birds. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 32:251–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burkhalter C, Holloran MJ, Fedy BC, Copeland HE, Crabtree RL, Michel NL, Jay SC, Rutledge BA, Holloran AG (2018) Landscape-scale habitat assessment for an imperiled avian species. Anim Conserv 21:241–251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butchart SHM, Walpole M, Collen B, Van Strien A, Scharlemann JPW, Almond REA, Baillie JEM, Bomhard B, Brown C, Bruno J, Carpenter KE, Carr GM, Chanson J, Chenery AM, Csirke J, Davidson NC, Dentener F, Foster M, Galli A, Galloway JN, Genovesi P, Gregory RD, Hockings M, Kapos V, Lamarque JF, Leverington F, Loh J, McGeoch MA, McRae L, Minasyan A, Hernández Morcillo M, Oldfield TEE, Pauly D, Quader S, Revenga C, Sauer JR, Skolnik B, Spear D, Stanwell-Smith D, Stuart SN, Symes A, Tierney M, Tyrrell TD, Vié J-C, Watson R (2010) Global biodiversity: indicators of recent declines. Science 328:1164–1168

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carignan V, Villard M-A (2002) Selecting indicator species to monitor ecological integrity: a review. Environ Monit Assess 78:45–61

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carlisle JD, Chalfoun AD, Smith KT, Beck JL (2018a) Nontarget effects on songbirds from habitat manipulation for Greater Sage-Grouse: implications for the umbrella species concept. Condor 120:439–455

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carlisle JD, Keinath DA, Albeke SE, Chalfoun AD (2018b) Identifying holes in the greater sage-grouse conservation umbrella. J Wildlife Manage 82:948–957

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caro TM (2003) Umbrella species: critique and lessons from East Africa. Anim Conserv 6:171–181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caro TM, O’Doherty G (1999) On the use of surrogate species in conservation biology. Conserv Biol 13:805–814

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chambers JC, Beck JL, Campbell S, Carlson J, Christiansen TJ, Clause KJ, Dinkins JB, Doherty KE, Griffin KA, Havlina DW, Henke KF, Hennig JD, Kurth LL, Maestas JD, Manning M, Mayer KE, Mealor BA, McCarthy C, Perea MA, Pyke DA (2016) Using resilience and resistance concepts to manage threats to sagebrush ecosystems, Gunnison sage-grouse, and greater sage-grouse in their eastern range: a strategic multi-scale approach. US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-356 Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Chase JM, Leibold MA (2003) Ecological niches: linking classical and contemporary approaches. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Coates PS, Prochazka BG, O’Donnell MS, Aldridge CL, Edmunds DR, Monroe AP, Ricca MA, Wann GT, Hanser SE, Wiechman LA, Chenaille MP (2021) Range-wide greater sage-grouse hierarchical monitoring framework—implications for defining population boundaries, trend estimation, and a targeted annual warning system. US Geological Survey Open-File Report 2020–1154

  • Connelly JW, Knick ST, Schroeder MA, Stiver SJ (2004) Conservation assessment of greater sage-grouse and sagebrush habitats, Unpublished report. Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Cheyenne

    Google Scholar 

  • Connelly JW, Rinkes ET, Braun CE (2011) Characteristics of greater sage-grouse habitats: a landscape species at micro-and macroscales. In: Knick ST, Connelly JW (eds) Greater Sage-Grouse ecology and conservation of a landscape species and its habitats. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp 68–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Connor EF, McCoy ED (1979) The statistics and biology of the species-area relationship. Am Nat 113:791–833

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Copeland HE, Sawyer H, Monteith KL, Naugle DE, Pocewicz A, Graf N, Kauffman MJ (2014) Conserving migratory mule deer through the umbrella of sage-grouse. Ecosphere 5:1–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis SK (2005) Nest-site selection patterns and the influence of vegetation on nest survival of mixed-grass prairie passerines. Condor 107:605–616

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dechant JA, Dinkins MF, Johnson DH, Igl LD, Goldade CM, Euliss BR (2000) Effects of management on grassland birds: Vesper Sparrow. US Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown

    Google Scholar 

  • Dechant JA, Sondreal ML, Johnson DH, Igl LD, Goldade CM, Nenneman MP, Zimmerman AL, Euliss BR (2002a) Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Loggerhead Shrike. US Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown

    Google Scholar 

  • Dechant JA, Sondreal ML, Johnson DH, Igl LD, Goldade CM, Zimmerman AL, Euliss BR (2002b) Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Western Meadowlark. US Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown

    Google Scholar 

  • Diamond JM (1975) The island dilemma: lessons of modern biogeographic studies for the design of natural reserves. Biol Conserv 7:129–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dinkins JB, Beck JL (2019) Comparison of conservation policy benefits for an umbrella and related sagebrush-obligate species. Hum-Wildl Interact 13:447–458

    Google Scholar 

  • Dinkins MF, Igl LD, Shaffer JA, Johnson DH, Zimmerman AL, Parkin BD, Goldade CM, Euliss BR (2019) The effects of management practices on grassland birds—horned lark (Eremophila alpestris). In: Johnson DH, Igl LD, Shaffer JA, DeLong JP (eds) The effects of management practices on grassland birds. US Geological Survey Professional Paper 1842

    Google Scholar 

  • Doherty KE, Evans JS, Coates PS, Juliusson LM, Fedy BC (2016) Importance of regional variation in conservation planning: a rangewide example of the Greater sage-grouse. Ecosphere 7:e01462

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donnelly JP, Tack JD, Doherty KE, Naugle DE, Allred BW, Dreitz VJ (2017) Extending conifer removal and landscape protection strategies from sage-grouse to songbirds, a range-wide assessment. Rangeland Ecol Manag 70:95–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duchardt CJ, Porensky LM, Augustine DJ, Beck JL (2018) Disturbance shapes avian communities on a grassland–sagebrush ecotone. Ecosphere 9:e02483

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duchardt CJ, Monroe AP, Edmunds DR, Holloran MJ, Holloran AG, Aldridge CL (2023) A neutral landscape approach to evaluating the umbrella species concept for greater sage-grouse in northeast Wyoming, USA. US Geological Survey data release. https://doi.org/10.5066/P9MLURH7

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Etherington TR, Holland EP, O’Sullivan D (2015) NLMpy: a PYTHON software package for the creation of neutral landscape models within a general numerical framework. Methods Ecol Evol 6:164–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fedy BC, Doherty KE, Aldridge CL, O’Donnell M, Beck JL, Bedrosian B, Gummer D, Holloran MJ, Johnson GD, Kaczor NW, Kirol CP, Mandich CA, Marshall D, McKee G, Olson C, Pratt AC, Swanson CC, Walker BL (2014) Habitat prioritization across large landscapes, multiple seasons, and novel areas: an example using greater sage-grouse in Wyoming. Wildlife Monogr 190:1–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fleischman E, Murphy DD, Brussard PF (2000) A new method for selecting of umbrella species for conservation planning. Ecol Appl 10:569–579

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fleischman E, Blair RB, Murphy DD (2001) Empirical validation of a method for umbrella species selection. Ecol Appl 11:1489–1501

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fortin M-J, Dale MRT (2005) Spatial analysis: a guide for ecologists. Cambridge University Press, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Fourcade Y, Besnard AG, Secondi J (2017) Evaluating interspecific niche overlaps in environmental and geographic spaces to assess the value of umbrella species. J Avian Biol 48:1563–1574

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fournier A, Fussell D, Carpenter L (1982) Computer rendering of stochastic models. Commun ACM 25:371–384

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuhlendorf SD, Harrell WC, Engle DM, Hamilton RG, Davis CA, Leslie DM Jr (2006) Should heterogeneity be the basis for conservation? Grassland bird response to fire and grazing. Ecol Appl 16:1706–1716

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gamble LR, Bergin TM (2020) Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis), version 1.0. In: Poole AF (ed) Birds of the world. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardner RH, Urban DL (2007) Neutral models for testing landscape hypotheses. Landscape Ecol 22:15–29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gräler B, Pebesma E, Heuvelink G (2016) Spatio-temporal interpolation using gstat. R J 8:204–218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Green AW, Aldridge CL, O’Donnell MS (2017) Investigating impacts of oil and gas development on greater sage-grouse. J Wildlife Manage 81:46–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Green AW, Pavlacky DC Jr, George TL (2019) A dynamic multi-scale occupancy model to estimate temporal dynamics and hierarchical habitat use for nomadic species. Ecol Evol 9:793–803

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gregg MA, Crawford JA (2009) Survival of greater sage-grouse chicks and broods in the Northern Great Basin. J Wildlife Manage 73:904–913

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen EP, Stewart AC, Frey SN (2016) Influence of transmission line construction on winter sage-grouse habitat use in southern Utah. Hum-Wildl Interact 10:169–187

    Google Scholar 

  • Hess JE, Beck JL (2012) Disturbance factors influencing greater sage-grouse lek abandonment in north-central Wyoming. J Wildlife Manage 76:1625–1634

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • HilleRisLambers J, Adler PB, Harpole WS, Levine JM, Mayfield MM (2012) Rethinking community assembly through the lens of coexistence theory. Annu Rev Ecol Evol S 43:227–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holmes AL, Maestas JD, Naugle DE (2017) Bird responses to removal of western juniper in sagebrush-steppe. Rangeland Ecol Manag 70:87–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hooper DU, Adair EC, Cardinale BJ, Byrnes JEK, Hungate BA, Matulich KL, Gonzalez A, Duffy JE, Gamfeldt L, O’Connor MI (2012) A global synthesis reveals biodiversity loss as a major driver of ecosystem change. Nature 486:105–108

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Howard PC, Viskanic P, Davenport TRB, Kigenyi FW, Baltzer M, Dickinson CJ, Lwanga JS, Matthews RA, Balmford A (1998) Complementarity and the use of indicator groups for reserve selection in Uganda. Nature 394:472–475

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hutchinson GE (1957) Concluding remarks: population studies: animal ecology and demography. Cold Spring Harb Sym 22:415–427

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knick ST, Dobkin DS, Rotenberry JT, Schroeder MA, Vander Haegen WM, van Riper IIIC (2003) Teetering on the edge or too late? Conservation and research issues for avifauna of sagebrush habitats. Condor 105:611–634

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knopf FL (1996) Prairie legacies—Birds. In: Samson FB, Knopf FL (eds) Prairie conservation. Island Press, Washington, pp 135–148

    Google Scholar 

  • Lambeck RJ (1997) Focal species: a multi-species umbrella for nature conservation. Conserv Biol 11:849–856

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster J (2006) Using neutral landscapes to identify patterns of aggregation across resource points. Ecography 29:385–395

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacArthur RH, MacArthur JW (1961) On species diversity. Ecology 42:594–598

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magee PA, Coop JD, Ivan JS (2019) Thinning alters avian occupancy in piñon–juniper woodlands. Condor 121:duy008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manier DJ, Bowen ZH, Brooks ML, Casazza ML, Coates PS, Deibert PA, Hanser SE, Johnson DH (2014) Conservation buffer distance estimates for Greater Sage-Grouse—a review. US Geological Survey Open-File Report 2014-1239

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Manly BFJ (1997) Randomization, bootstrap and Monte Carlo methods in biology. Chapman & Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin TE (1987) Food as a limit on breeding birds: a life-history perspective. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 18:453–487

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maslo B, Leu K, Faillace C, Weston MA, Pover T, Schlacher TA (2016) Selecting umbrella species for conservation: a test of habitat models and niche overlap for beach-nesting birds. Biol Conserv 203:233–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meiman S, Civco D, Holsinger K, Elphick CS (2012) Comparing habitat models using ground-based and remote sensing data: saltmarsh sparrow presence versus nesting. Wetlands 32:725–736

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller DAW, Brehme CS, Hines JE, Nichols JD, Fisher RN (2012) Joint estimation of habitat dynamics and species interactions: disturbance reduces co-occurrence of non-native predators with an endangered toad. J Anim Ecol 81:1288–1297

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Monroe AP, Edmunds DR, Aldridge CL, Holloran MJ, Assal TJ, Holloran AG (2021) Prioritizing landscapes for grassland bird conservation with hierarchical community models. Landscape Ecol 36:1023–1038

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mutter M, Pavlacky DC Jr, Van Lanen NJ, Grenyer R (2015) Evaluating the impact of gas extraction infrastructure on the occupancy of sagebrush-obligate songbirds. Ecol Appl 25:1175–1186

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Natural Resources Conservation Service [NRCS] (2015) Sage Grouse initiative: success on the range. US Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Nenninger HR, Koper N (2018) Effects of conventional oil wells on grassland songbird abundance are caused by presence of infrastructure, not noise. Biol Conserv 218:124–133

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Neil ST, Coates PS, Brussee BE, Jackson PJ, Howe KB, Moser AM, Foster LJ, Delehanty DJ (2018) Broad-scale occurrence of a subsidized avian predator: reducing impacts of ravens on sage-grouse and other sensitive prey. J Appl Ecol 55:2641–2652

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pebesma EJ (2004) Multivariable geostatistics in S: the gstat package. Comput Geosci 30:683–691

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pilliod DS, Jeffries MI, Arkle RS, Olson DH (2020) Reptiles under the conservation umbrella of the greater sage-grouse. J Wildlife Manage 84:478–491

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poiani KA, Merrill MD, Chapman KA (2001) Identifying conservation-priority areas in a fragmented Minnesota landscape based on the umbrella species concept and selection of large patches of natural vegetation. Conserv Biol 15:513–522

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Porensky LM, Derner JD, Pellatz DW (2018) Plant community responses to historical wildfire in a shrubland-grassland ecotone reveal hybrid disturbance response. Ecosphere 9:e02363

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prather PR, Messmer TA (2010) Raptor and corvid response to power distribution line perch deterrents in Utah. J Wildlife Manage 74:796–800

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rehm EM, Olivas P, Stroud J, Feeley KJ (2015) Losing your edge: climate change and the conservation value of range-edge populations. Ecol Evol 5:4315–4326

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds TD (1981) Nesting of the sage thrasher, sage sparrow, and Brewer’s sparrow in southeastern Idaho. Condor 83:61–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Risser PG (1995) The status of the science examining ecotones. Bioscience 45:318–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberge J-M, Angelstam P (2004) Usefulness of the umbrella species concept as a conservation tool. Conserv Biol 18:76–85

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rose PK, Brigham RM, Davis SK (2021) Conservation of sage-grouse critical habitat and implications for prairie songbirds. Wildlife Soc B 45:258–266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg KV, Dokter AM, Blancher PJ, Sauer JR, Smith AC, Smith PA, Stanton JC, Panjabi A, Helft L, Parr M, Marra PP (2019) Decline of the North American avifauna. Science 366:120–124

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rowland MM, Wisdom MJ, Suring LH, Meinke CW (2006) Greater sage-grouse as an umbrella species for sagebrush-associated vertebrates. Biol Conserv 129:323–335

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Runge CA, Withey JC, Naugle DE, Fargione JE, Helmstedt KJ, Larsen AE, Martinuzzi S, Tack JD (2019) Single species conservation as an umbrella for management of landscape threats. PLoS ONE 14:e0209619

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Severson JP, Hagen CA, Maestas JD, Naugle DE, Forbes JT, Reese KP (2017) Effects of conifer expansion on greater sage-grouse nesting habitat selection. J Wildlife Manage 81:86–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaffer JA, Igl LD, Johnson DH, Sondreal ML, Goldade CM, Zimmerman AL, Euliss BR (2020) The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys). In: Johnson DH, Igl LD, Shaffer JA, DeLong JP (eds) The effects of management practices on grassland birds. US Geological Survey Professional Paper 1842, Reston

    Google Scholar 

  • Simberloff D (1998) Flagships, umbrellas, and keystones: is single-species management passé in the landscape era? Biol Conserv 83:247–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slater GL (2004) Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum): A technical conservation assessment. US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/projects/scp/assessments/grasshoppersparrow.pdf

  • Smith JT, Flake LD, Higgins KF, Kobriger GD (2004) History of greater sage-grouse in the Dakotas: distribution and population trends. Prairie Naturalist 36:213–230

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith IT, Rachlow JL, Svancara LK, McMahon LA, Knetter SJ (2019) Habitat specialists as conservation umbrellas: do areas managed for greater sage-grouse also protect pygmy rabbits? Ecosphere 10:e02827

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • State of Wyoming (2019) Executive order 2019–3: Greater sage-grouse core area protection. Office of the Governor, Cheyenne

    Google Scholar 

  • Timmer JM, Aldridge CL, Fernández-Giménez ME (2019) Managing for multiple species: greater sage-grouse and sagebrush songbirds. J Wildlife Manage 83:1043–1056

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner MG, Gardner RH (2015) Landscape ecology in theory and practice. Springer-Verlag, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Van Rossum G, Drake FL (2009) Python 3 reference manual. CreateSpace, Scotts Valley

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker BL, Naugle DE, Doherty KE (2007) Greater sage-grouse population response to energy development and habitat loss. J Wildlife Manage 71:2644–2654

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ward EJ, Jannot JE, Lee Y-W, Ono K, Shelton AO, Thorson JT (2015) Using spatiotemporal species distribution models to identify temporally evolving hotspots of species co-occurrence. Ecol Appl 25:2198–2209

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wiens JA (1973) Pattern and process in grassland bird communities. Ecol Monogr 43:237–270

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiens JA (1974) Climatic instability and the “ecological saturation” of bird communities in North American grasslands. Condor 76:385–400

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • With KA, King AW (1997) The use and misuse of neutral landscape models in ecology. Oikos 79:219–229

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank B. Folt and two anonymous reviewers for comments on a previous version of this manuscript. Thanks also to M. Murphy for requiring the lead author to study NLMs prior to their preliminary exams. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Funding

This work was supported by the Department of Interior-Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Geological Survey, as well as Oklahoma State Hatch Fund OKL03231.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Courtney J. Duchardt

    Present address: Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Contractor with the U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Courtney J. Duchardt

  2. U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Adrian P. Monroe, David R. Edmunds, Matthew J. Holloran & Cameron L. Aldridge

  3. Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Adrian P. Monroe, David R. Edmunds & Cameron L. Aldridge

  4. Audubon Rockies, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Alison G. Holloran

Authors
  1. Courtney J. Duchardt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  2. Adrian P. Monroe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  3. David R. Edmunds
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  4. Matthew J. Holloran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  5. Alison G. Holloran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  6. Cameron L. Aldridge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

AP, DE, AH, MH, and CA obtained original funding for the project. CD and AP wrote the main manuscript text and conducted analyses. All authors reviewed and contributed to the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Courtney J. Duchardt.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 332 KB)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Duchardt, C.J., Monroe, A.P., Edmunds, D.R. et al. Using neutral landscape models to evaluate the umbrella species concept in an ecotone. Landsc Ecol 38, 1447–1462 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-022-01586-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-022-01586-7

Keywords