Effects of prairie restoration on butterfly communities

Effects of prairie restoration on butterfly communities

This study looked at the butterfly communities found in restored prairie sites in the Loess Hills in Iowa. Restoration sites were managed with prescribed fire, grazing, and a combination of fire and grazing.

Implications for managers:

• There is not a single best managementpractice for butterfly communities
• Knowledge of species present on site – and potential positive and negative responses – can help restoration planning
• Using a variety of management practices may be best way to increase species richness and abundance

For a summary of the study's results and implications for management, you can download a PDF version of the research brief "Effects of prairie restoration on butterfly communities."

The original paper is:

Jennifer A. Vogel, Diane M. Debinski, Rolf R. Koford, and James R. Miller. 2007. Butterfly responses to prairie restoration through fire and grazing. Biological Conservation 140:78-90

Can burning benefit insects in isolated prairies?

The lack of long term data looking at how invertebrates respond to prescribed fire led Ron Panzer to conduct a six year study spanning three states. Invertebrates were grouped by their dependence on remnant prairie sites and populations tracked through multiple burns to determine rates of recovery. 

Implications for Management:

• Annual fires may not allow a long enough recovery time for a minority subset of prairie insects
• Burning every 2-3 years may balance concerns over insect recovery with other conservation goals (e.g., plants, birds)
• Remnant dependent insects recover at the same rate as remnant independent insects

For a summary of the study's results and implications for management, you can view or download a PDF version of "Can burning benefit insects in isolated prairies?" 

This research brief for research managers summarizes the following peer-reviewed publication:

Ron Panzer. 2002. Compatibility of prescribed burning with the conservation of insects in small, isolated, prairie reserves. Conservation Biology 16:1296-1307.

Summer fire and agricultural pests

This recent study compared the abundance of larvae of agricultural pests in plant native grasslands in the Conservation Reserve Program. One site was burned in a wildfire in July of 2012 and the other unburned. Larval samples were collected from 1 month post-fire to 4 months post-fire. 

For a summary of the study's results and implications for management, you can download a PDF version of the research brief here.

The original paper is:

Evans, T. R., C.J.M. Musters, E.D. Cashatt, and G.R. de Snoo. 2013. Lepidoptera pest species response to mid-summer fire. Fire Ecology 9:25-32.