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Nachusa Grasslands

There's a New Top Dog in Town

11/13/2017

4 Comments

 
​­As a native of Utah, I never gave much thought to tall grass prairies. I was always obsessed with the mountains, assuming I would work in that ecosystem. Yet, here I am in Illinois, working in a tall grass prairie for my thesis. Although I never anticipated ending up here, I am so glad that I did.
 
My advisor, Dr. Holly Jones, introduced Nachusa to me as the perfect place to conduct research. It has a chronosequence of sites, a bison unit, a non-bison unit and units with different burn intervals. I understood what she meant by the perfect place, but I couldn’t fully appreciate it until I became immersed in the potential of Nachusa. I am continually finding myself inspired with new research questions and ideas, to the point where I swear I could stay here forever.
Picture
The sun setting over Clear Creek Knolls in mid-June.
My research interests revolve around predators. Predators have fascinated me since I was a kid pretending to be a lion. There is a beauty and grace about predators. They are fierce, powerful, and incredibly influential in an ecosystem. Predators can shape an entire ecosystem through hunting, creating fear that results in behavioral changes in their prey. These effects can ripple down the food web all the way to impact decomposition. 
Picture
A camera-trapped coyote at Stone Barn Savanna.
Nachusa is unique place to study predators. Historically, wolves were the top predators here. Since they were driven to local extinction in the 1800s, coyotes have taken over that role. This change in “top dog” has major implications for the way an ecosystem functions and which prey species are most abundant. That in itself is interesting. However, in addition, Nachusa is a rich and diverse landscape surrounded by agricultural fields. These conditions can be very supportive of coyote and fox predators. Furthermore, I discovered that the coyotes at Nachusa are depredating a state-listed turtle species many of us know and love: ornate box turtles. This makes understanding the role coyotes play at Nachusa even that much more important.
Picture
Illinois-threatened ornate box turtle.
My research focuses on how coyote removal impacts small mammal prey species. Using stable isotope analysis, I investigated the diet of coyotes at Nachusa. The first step in the process was getting tissue samples from consumers (i.e. coyotes) and all the prey sources they ate. I tried countless times to entice coyotes to non-invasively “donate” their fur, but they just wouldn’t cooperate. In the end, the supportive community at Nachusa graciously collected nasty hair samples from road kill for me. (Thank you all so much!)
Picture
Coyote pounces on prey. “Leaping Coyote Seedskadee” by Tom Koerner/USFWS, FLICKR, CC BY 2.0
I’m currently looking at seasonal effects on coyote diet; the coyote hair is cut into segments and examined. Food availability in the prairie shifts over the seasons, so this method could provide some interesting insights as to what coyotes are eating when. Potentially, this could tell us more about when ornate box turtles are at highest risk for coyote depredation!
Picture
A scratch post bated with meat paste at Thelma Carpenter Prairie.
We now know that the Nachusa coyotes are opportunistic, generalist feeders. They hunt and eat small mammals in the greatest proportion collectively, but have a wide variety of dietary items. This is hardly surprising considering the menu of small mammals that are out there!
Picture
Kirstie Savage processes a small mammal.
I have come to love Nachusa and each and all of its ticks. I can’t believe my time as a researcher here is coming to an end. Not only have I fallen in love, but my family has too. We will miss and cherish our time spent at Nachusa.                  
Picture
Kirstie, Danny and Maple in the prairie.
Picture
Maple, the prairie child.
Kirstie Savage is a graduate student in the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Illinois University. To read more about her work, visit the Jones Lab webpage.
​
4 Comments
Suzanne Moran
11/16/2017 07:45:26 am

I am not an Illinois native either, but have come to love this area, especially the Prairie restoration areas. Thank you for your research and care of the Nachusa Grasslands.

Reply
James McGee
11/16/2017 06:07:52 pm

I never remember seeing coyotes when I was a kid in Nebraska and Iowa. However, I do remember seeing foxes. People talked about coyotes, but I don't remember ever seeing one. It is ironic that I now live in a suburb of Chicago and I see coyotes all the time.

Reply
Gavin Feller link
11/16/2017 10:28:45 pm

Great work you're doing, Kirstie! I'm curious if you can answer I question I have. Wolves hunt in packs and are carnivores, right? And coyotes hunt solo and are omnivores, correct? Could maybe tell us more about how these specific differences might impact the Nachusa ecosystem? You mentioned the ornate box turtle population decline, for instance, which I assume wolves didn't eat. What about the impact on the bison population and the subsequent impact bison have on the grasses (how much they eat, their manure as soil fertilizer, etc.)?? Thanks!

Reply
Kirstie Savage
11/17/2017 02:46:27 pm

Hey Gavin,

Great questions! Coyotes and wolves definitely have a lot of differences, including their hunting styles. The differences in coyote vs. wolf diet and behavior can have major impacts on an ecosystem. For example, in a system where coyotes are top predators, foxes will be suppressed and different prey will be selected for (meaning different prey will be eaten in higher quantities), compared to a system where wolves are top predators, coyotes will be suppressed and again different prey are selected for. The top predator present will shape the entire ecosystem. Back to my previous example, lets say your top predator is wolves. They will eat more deer and large ungulates and less mid to small sized herbivores, whereas if coyotes are your top predators they are going to eat more mid/small sized herbivores. These two scenarios will result in very different systems based on the dominant herbivores, which will then impact vegetation, decomposition, etc. So in short, predators influence can ripple down the food web. As far are bison are concerned I don't actually do any work with them. To my knowledge, there have been no bison depredated by coyotes at Nachusa. Although, it is not impossible and I'm sure does happen on rare occasions, I think it is unlikely that coyotes would hunt bison often enough to have any impact on their populations.

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    Blog Coordinator

    Dee Hudson
    I am a nature photographer, a freelance graphic designer, and steward at Nachusa's Thelma Carpenter Prairie. I have taken photos for Nachusa since 2012.

    Editor

    James Higby
    I have been a high school French teacher, registered piano technician, and librarian. In retirement I am a volunteer historian at Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society. 

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    • Friends Annual Meeting 2024
    • Endowments
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      • PrairiE–Update (email)
      • A Prairie Calling (print and digital)
    • Commenting Policy
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