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xv The main objectives of this volume are to evaluate the present diversity and health of the state’s wildlife and habitats and to summarize 2 centuries of ecological change. Our goal is to contribute to an understanding of Indiana’s habitats and biodiversity and to help guide conservation planning for a broad array of wildlife, including nongame species. To achieve this, we have organized the book by habitats and historical periods. Using a GIS-based classification of habitats and land uses, we map, quantify (in terms of acreage), and describe 8 distinct habitats, along with their vascular plants, vertebrate fauna, and (for subterranean systems) cave invertebrates. To convey historical change, we describe (as best we can using the literature and current information on the distribution and habitat of organisms) the conditions prevailing at the century intervals of 1800, 1900, and 2000. The data for 2000 should serve as baseline information for future studies, as they reflect an evaluation of habitat and wildlife conditions in Indiana at the beginning of the new millennium. Various specialists treated the 5 vertebrate classes (amphibians, birds, fish, mammals , reptiles), vascular plants, cave invertebrates, soils, and other topics. Each author or pair of authors wrote a section for each relevant habitat and sub-habitat . Although this gives chapters a “written-by-committee ” feel, the format allows one to readily see (a) how particular habitats vary in their importance for different taxonomic groups, and (b) how changes in habitat structure have affected them differently. In addition, this book was written for two practical purposes: to help Indiana qualify for new federal wildlife conservation funds and to guide the state’s use of such money. Prior to the year 2000, federal funding to states for wildlife management was mainly for game animals and federally listed endangered species. Then, through the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program (2000) and the subsequent State Wildlife Grant Program, matching funds for nongame animals of conservation concern became available through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Congress required states to first complete a Comprehensive Wildlife Strategy. Although flexibility was permitted in designing such documents, two requirements were (1) to summarize information on the distribution and abundance of animal species in a way that portrayed the diversity and health of the state’s wildlife, including species with low and declining populations; and (2) to describe the location and condition of key habitats and community types essential to the conservation of wildlife. This national planning effort is a major conservation milestone. Introduction The Indiana Department of Natural Resources commissioned a quantitative analysis of wildlife habitats, including a historical overview of changes in habitats and the fauna associated with them, especially vertebrates. This work was to take the form of a “useful reference book,” in the words of the Comprehensive Wildlife Strategy (see below). Ecologists and geographers at Indiana State University were chosen to lead the effort, and this volume is the result. The focus on vertebrates was justified by the fact that vertebrate animals have been well studied since settlement days, so a synopsis of changes in their distribution and abundance was possible. In contrast, invertebrate species remain much less well known. However, in subterranean karst habitats of southern Indiana, the species are overwhelmingly invertebrates, to a much greater degree than in surface habitats. They are fairly well known, thanks to diligent cave biologists, and include many endemic species. For this habitat, therefore, invertebrates are featured. In addition, for all habitats, we will review the characteristic vascular plant species that, except for caves and aquatic systems , define the habitats more than anything else. Although this work was commissioned by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the information presented represents the opinions and analyses of the authors and not the IDNR. The habitat classification used here was devised by biologists from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources working with D. J. Case and Associates (2005). It was influenced by the habitat-classification ability of spectral imaging procedures, such as LANDSAT, and specifically by the work of geographers at Indiana State University. A classification linked to spectral imaging and GIS databases means that habitat changes can be monitored using data from satellites. Eight habitats were defined in the Indiana Comprehensive Wildlife Strategy, which is available online at the IDNR website (www.wildlifeactionplans.org/ indiana.html). The strategy document presents them alphabetically: (1) agricultural habitats, (2) aquatic systems, (3) barren lands, (4) developed lands, (5) forest lands, (6) grasslands/prairie, (7) subterranean systems, and (8) wetlands. In...

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