Proposal: Evaluating biodiversity of sagebrush-dependent species within sage-grouse habitat: an example from the Wyoming Basins
Summary
Concern for declining greater sage-grouse populations (Centrocercus urophasianus) and their potential listing under the Endangered Species Act has prompted an unprecedented effort by federal, state, and private stakeholders to implement best management practices and identify priority areas for conservation. Given the dependency of this species on sagebrush-dominated habitat, it is likely that sage-grouse could function as an umbrella species where their conservation benefits other obligate sagebrush species and the ecosystems on which they depend (Rowland et al. 2006). While some comparisons of overlap in occurrence have been conducted for songbirds in some areas of the sagebrush biome (see Hanser and Knick 2011), we have yet to fully [...]
Summary
Concern for declining greater sage-grouse populations (Centrocercus urophasianus) and
their potential listing under the Endangered Species Act has prompted an unprecedented effort
by federal, state, and private stakeholders to implement best management practices and identify
priority areas for conservation. Given the dependency of this species on sagebrush-dominated
habitat, it is likely that sage-grouse could function as an umbrella species where their
conservation benefits other obligate sagebrush species and the ecosystems on which they depend
(Rowland et al. 2006). While some comparisons of overlap in occurrence have been conducted for songbirds in some areas of the sagebrush biome (see Hanser and Knick 2011), we have yet to
fully evaluate the benefit of sage-grouse priority conservation areas for other species that depend
on sagebrush ecosystems, such as herpetiles and mammals. Identifying areas important to a
broader complement of sagebrush-dependent species, and evaluating where abundance is
greatest for each species, and in combination with where biodiversity hotspots may occur, could
provide a greater foundation for current and future conservation efforts and ensure the
persistence of functioning sagebrush ecosystems that support vertebrate species of conservation
concern.