Rangeland Ecology & Management

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IMPACTS OF ANTHROPOGENIC NOISE AND TRAFFIC FROM EAGLE FORD SHALE EXPLORATION ON QUAIL HABITAT USE.
Author
Davis, Kelsey R.
Grahmann, Eric D.
Hernandez, Fidel
Fulbright, Timothy E.
Currie, Chase
Bryant, Fred C.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2016
Body

The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) have been declining across their ranges for decades due to habitat loss. Since 2008, the Eagle Ford Shale has been rapidly developed in nearly 30 counties in Texas. Currently, there is little knowledge regarding how disturbance from the development of the Eagle Ford Shale might impact bobwhite and scaled quail populations in South Texas - one of the few remaining strongholds for quail populations in the US.The objective of this study is to determine how bobwhites and scaled quail respond to localized oil-and-gas disturbance. Our study is located on 2 private ranches in Dimmit and Maverick counties and consists of 2 areas along an oil-and-gas exploration corridor (treatment) and 2 areas along corridors where no exploration activities have occurred (control). Ambient sound levels and sound levels from point sources of anthropogenic noise were recorded using a sound level meter. We also measured traffic rates using single road tube accumulators. Metrics of quail habitat use were collected using radio-telemetry.We will use these data to compare site fidelity and home range size of bobwhites and scaled quail between treatments. In addition, we will create a spatial map depicting average sound levels in treatment areas. We will calculate direction of quail dispersal from treatment corridors for quail, and we will develop selection functions to determine if quail are avoiding treatment corridors. Through this study, we hope to identify the effects of intense oil-and-gas disturbance on quail within some of their last un-fragmented habitat in the United States.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Corpus Christi, TX