Grassland wildlife, and especially birds, have coevolved under historical disturbance interactions and rely on the heterogeneous habitat structure that these disturbances create. A wealth of research indicates fire, grazing, and the interaction between these two disturbances are key for maintaining grassland biodiversity. However, historically across the Great Plains, a third major biotic disturbance was prevalent – burrowing rodents. This talk will discuss various applications of interacting disturbances and their impacts on grassland wildlife, and also explore key roles of burrowing rodents in influencing biodiversity directly, as well as historical interactions between prairie dogs and fire, with discussion of future research and management applications.
Courtney Duchardt has 15 years research experience studying grassland bird communities, their habitats, and reliance on historical disturbance regimes, and over 10 years experience working with black-tailed prairie dogs. She received her MS from University of Illinois and PhD at University of Wyoming. She has conducted research across various Great Plains ecosystems in Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Wyoming, and is currently serving as an Assistant Professor and Cooperative Extension Specialist with the University of Arizona.