| dc.contributor.author | Toy, Dustin | |
| dc.description.abstract | Wetlands of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) provide many ecosystem services to the region such as floodwater attenuation, maintenance of water quality, carbon sequestration, and wildlife habitat. The biophysical process characteristics of the region that have made it beneficial for wildlife have also made the region conducive to cultivation; consequently, many wetlands (>49%) in the PPR have been drained and converted to cropland. Although wetlands are often noted for their natural ecosystem services, their contributions to agriculture are often overlooked. Understanding aspects of PPR wetlands, such as value for migrating waterbirds, how wetlands fit into farming operations, and how farmers perceive the fit of those wetlands in their operations will help to find mutually beneficial solutions to wetland management for farmers and conservation efforts.
I evaluated occurrence and densities of various species of waterfowl and shorebirds within agricultural wetlands receiving different manipulations. Most manipulations reduced vegetation heights and proportions of vegetation coverage of the inundated areas of wetlands. Manipulation technique was only important for four species and varied in its effect on density and occurrence probabilities. Most species of waterfowl occurred at higher densities in the low to mid ranges of vegetation coverage.
Based on data collected from farmers, I estimated about half of the area of temporary wetlands and nearly one third of the area of seasonal wetlands are planted on average. Soybean yield and profitability from cultivated portions of temporary wetlands were similar to uplands at average precipitation but were significantly lower in seasonal wetlands. Corn profitability was significantly lower for cultivated portions of temporary and seasonal wetlands for average precipitation conditions. The differences were more pronounced under wetter conditions and especially when considering the entirety of wetland area, not just the cultivated portions of wetlands.
I examined farmers’ perceptions through a questionnaire regarding how they view agricultural wetlands and how wetlands fit into the respondents’ farming operations. Despite a low response rate, some informative responses may provide a foundation for further exploration of these data. The results of this dissertation may provide an opportunity for farmers and conservationists to find mutually beneficial management practices for agricultural wetlands. | en_US |
| dc.publisher | North Dakota State University | en_US |
| dc.rights | NDSU policy 190.6.2 | en_US |
| dc.title | Evaluating Financial, Social, and Waterbird Implications of Farming Within Wetlands Imbedded in Agricultural Fields | en_US |
| dc.type | Dissertation | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-01-02T21:57:13Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-01-02T21:57:13Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2022 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10365/33522 | |
| dc.rights.uri | https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf | en_US |
| ndsu.degree | Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) | en_US |
| ndsu.college | Agriculture, Food Systems and Natural Resources | en_US |
| ndsu.department | Natural Resources Management | en_US |
| ndsu.program | Natural Resources Management | en_US |
| ndsu.advisor | DeKeyser, Edward | |
