Geology topics

Steven Michael Gray

Publications and source records attributed to Steven Michael Gray.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2026

Long-term monitoring and response of Papaipema sciata Bird (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to prescribed fire in Michigan (USA)

The Culver’s root borer moth ( Papaipema sciata ) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a rare Noctuid that requires Culver’s root ( Veronicastrum virginicum ) to complete its lifecycle within remnant native grasslands and open woodlands in the midwest and northeast United States. We report on 26 years of monitoring this species’ colonization of Culver’s root stems at Algonac State Park (ASP) in Michigan, where prairies have been maintained by prescribed fire since 1990. P. sciata is considered fire sensitive because eggs spend the dormant season in the combustible prairie litter and duff near host plants. The objectives were to determine the effect of prescribed burns, burn unit size, and local precipitation on P. sciata population size and abundance of host plant V. virginicum . The moth has one generation per year and exhibits low dispersal capabilities—traits which presumably inhibit recolonization of burned areas, particularly when they are patchy, fragmented, and separated by closed canopy forest or agricultural lands. P. sciata colonization (defined as the proportion of V. virginicum plants hosting larvae) and total V. virginicum stems, though spatially and temporally variable, appear stable. Our results suggest that P. sciata abundance increases when managers lengthen the time interval between fires in a given burn unit, but this effect appears to diminish after three years. We also found precipitation during the adult (egg-laying) phase of P. sciata ’s life-cycle is positively associated with colonization rate, while the inverse was true for annual cumulative precipitation across all life cycle phases. We did not find evidence that colonization rate increased with increasing host plant abundance, indicating that host plant population size is not a suitable proxy to assess population size of the moth. The data also support current temporal guidance regarding prescribed fire and Papaipema at ASP.

Michigan↗

USGS2026

Connecting and coordinating conservation action across landscapes through regional planning processes and syntheses

Modern threats to conservation are often global; however, relevant conservation decisions and actions typically occur within local jurisdictions. The socio-ecological complexity of these problems requires collaboration across large landscapes, diverse community interests, and geopolitical boundaries, yet a lack of interoperability of planning products among decision makers, jurisdictions, and objectives impedes collaboration. Here, we provide a working model for the collaborative, iterative development of a landscape conservation design (LCD) in the Midwest region of the United States, the Midwest Conservation Blueprint, and demonstrate its applicability to the coordination of voluntary conservation actions and investments across jurisdictional boundaries. We used spatial prioritization software to synthesize over 20 datasets to develop a basemap of priority lands and waters for conservation across a diverse set of societal and ecological values (e.g., water quality, biodiversity, recreation). The Midwest Conservation Blueprint is a living plan, updated annually based on improvements in underlying data, understanding of local conditions, and public input. Landscape-scale planning is not designed to replace local knowledge or supersede decision-making authorities. However, by synthesizing existing data that represent diverse socio-ecological values and planning at a broader scale, the Midwest Conservation Blueprint documents where there are shared priorities and opportunities for collaborative landscape conservation.

Midwest↗

USGS2025

Observability of eastern massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) during visual encounter surveys in Michigan, USA

Visual encounter surveys are commonly used to document site occupancy for the eastern massasauga ( Sistrurus catenatus ; EMR). Efficacy of surveys depends on visual and auditory cues, with basking behavior and burrow use strongly affecting detection. Our goal was to predict body exposure and probability of burrow use from telemetered EMR to better inform implementation of visual encounter surveys. We collected body exposure and burrow use from 23 EMR (14 females [12 gravid], 9 males) from April through September (i.e., active season) at 2 sites in south central Michigan, USA, 2020–2022. Average body exposure for observed snakes was 42% (SE = 3%) and ranged from 0–100%. Percent body exposure during the active season was positively influenced by air temperature, where body exposure increased from ~25% at ~15°C to ~50% at ~35°C. We did not find an effect of cloud cover, hour of day, humidity, or sex on EMR body exposure. Of 176 observations of EMR during the active season, we found EMR using burrows 20 times (~11% of observations). Julian date and air temperature affected the probability of EMR burrow use early in the active season. Probability of EMR burrow use was <0.10 from the end of May through the end of October and was almost 0.00 after mid-July. The probability of using a burrow was generally low (i.e., <0.25) across the range of air temperatures measured in our study, but approached 0.00 as temperatures exceeded 30°C. We did not find an effect of cloud cover, time of day, humidity, or sex on probability of EMR burrow use. Our results indicated that EMR observability in southern Michigan was greatest when air temperatures were 30°C to 35°C, corresponding to when EMR were visible and aboveground.

Michigan↗