A Review Of Grassland Ecology, Management, And Wildlife-Habitat Relationships: Identifying Research Needs In Michigan
Nicole E. Lamp, Michigan State University, 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI 48824; (517) 353-5135; FAX (517) 432-1699; lampnico@msu.edu
Kelly F. Millenbah, Michigan State University, 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI 48824
Henry Campa, III, Michigan State University, 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI 48824
Grasslands provide unique habitats for many plant and animal communities and the decline in quantity and suitability of these areas has significant implications for the communities inhabiting them. Recently, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources identified a need to conduct a review of grassland ecology and management and wildlife-habitat relationships to identify research needs for the state. Our objectives were to: 1) synthesize national, regional, and state information on grassland ecology and management techniques and wildlife-habitat relationships and 2) identify priority grassland research needs in Michigan. We reviewed literature in the following categories: 1) grassland management techniques and effects on vegetation and wildlife, 2) set-aside programs, 3) vegetation types and establishment methods, and 4) issues of scale and landscape composition. Nationally and regionally, most grassland research has focused on effects of management techniques on wildlife, primarily on avian communities. Michigan grassland research has been limited, particularly beyond investigating avian community composition and abundance in crop or set-aside lands. No Michigan studies have addressed the effects of different planting mixtures on wildlife communities or establishment methods for grasses, forbs, or legumes. Only one study evaluated the response of wildlife to landscape composition. Our review indicates that grassland research needs in Michigan are great. Our recommendations for priority research include but are not limited to determining the: 1) impacts of type, timing, and frequency of grassland management practices on vegetation and potential shifts in the composition and structure of grassland wildlife communities, 2) effects of more recently established set-aside programs on vegetation and wildlife, and 3) effects of different planting mixtures on wildlife composition and productivity.