BREEDING ECOLOGY OF GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS (TYMPANUCHUS-CUPIDO) IN RELATION TO PRAIRIE LANDSCAPE CONFIGURATION

To better understand the role of prairie landscape configuration on th e pop ulation dynamics and conservation of greater prairie-chickens, w e compared population trends and breeding ecology of prairie-chickens in prairie mosaic and contiguous prairie landscapes in southwestern Mi ssouri. Over 27 yr, the contiguous prairie landscape supported a stabl e population, whereas the prairie-chicken population in the prairie mo saic landscape declined. In 1986 and 1987, less than one-third of grea ter prairie-chicken nests occurred in native prairie habitats in the p rairie mosaic landscape, but 90% of nests in the contiguous prairie ar ea were in native prairie. Greater prairie-chicken nests established i n agricultural habitats had substantially lower nest success than nest s in native prairie or mixed native-exotic grass pastures. Nest succes s was higher in the contiguous prairie landscape than in the prairie m osaic area in 1 of 2 pr. Habitat use by broods differed between the ar eas: in the contiguous prairie landscape we detected females with broo ds most often in native prairie, but brood females in the prairie mosa ic were most often detected in agricultural habitats. Females with bro ods exhibited greater daily movement and had larger home ranges in the prairie mosaic than in the contiguous prairie landscape. In Missouri landscapes with less than or equal to 15% prairie composition, contigu ous tracts of prairie, at least 65 ha, offer greater potential for gre ater prairie-chicken conservation, than smaller, scattered prairie tra cts.