Effects of fire and hay management on abundance of prairie butterflies

Swengel, Ann B.

doi:10.1016/0006-3207(95)00085-2

Cited by 140 publications

(164 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…However, recent decades have seen an ongoing controversy concerning the effects of disturbance on grassland insects (Swengel 1996, Panzer and Schwartz 2000, Cook and Holt 2006, including ants (Hymenptera: Formicidae) (Underwood and Christian 2009). Ants play essential roles in nutrient cycling, soil aeration, and seed dispersal in grasslands (McClaran and Van Devender 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of grassland management practices on ant functional groups in central North America

et al. 2013

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Tallgrass prairies of central North America have experienced disturbances including fire and grazing for millennia. Little is known about the effects of these disturbances on prairie ants, even though ants are thought to play major roles in ecosystem maintenance. We implemented three management treatments on remnant and restored grassland tracts in the central U.S., and compared the effects of treatment on abundance of ant functional groups. Management treatments were: (1) patch-burn graze-rotational burning of three spatially distinct patches within a fenced tract, and growing-season cattle grazing; (2) graze-and-burn-burning entire tract every 3 years, and growing-season cattle grazing, and (3) burn-only-burning entire tract every 3 years, but no cattle grazing. Ant species were classified into one of four functional groups. Opportunist ants and the dominant ant species, Formica montana, were more abundant in burn-only tracts than tracts managed with either of the grazing treatments. Generalists were more abundant in graze-and-burn tracts than in burn-only tracts. Abundance of F. montana was negatively associated with pre-treatment time since fire, whereas generalist ant abundance was positively associated. F. montanawere more abundant in restored tracts than remnants, whereas the opposite was true for subdominants and opportunists. In summary, abundance of the dominant F. montana increased in response to intense disturbances that were followed by quick recovery of plant biomass. Generalist ant abundance decreased in response to those disturbances, which we attribute to the effects of competitive dominance of F. montana upon the generalists. Abstract. Tallgrass prairies of central North America have experienced disturbances including fire and grazing for millennia. Little is known about the effects of these disturbances on prairie ants, even though ants are thought to play major roles in ecosystem maintenance. We implemented three management treatments on remnant and restored grassland tracts in the central U.S, and compared the effects of treatment on abundance of ant functional groups. Management treatments were: 1) patch-burn grazerotational burning of three spatially distinct patches within a fenced tract, and growing-season cattle grazing; 2) graze-and-burn -burning entire tract every 3 yrs, and growing-season cattle grazing, and 3) burn-only -burning entire tract every 3 yrs, but no cattle grazing. Ant species were classified into one of four functional groups. Opportunist ants and the dominant ant species, Formica montana, were moreThe final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10841-013-9554-z.2 abundant in burn-only tracts than tracts managed with either of the grazing treatments. Generalists were more abundant in graze-and-burn tracts than in burn-only tracts. Abundance of F. montana was negatively associated with pre-treatment time since fire, whereas generalist ant abundance was positively associated. Formica montana were more abundant in restored tracts than ...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of grassland management practices on ant functional groups in central North America

et al. 2013

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“…Following a period of suppression, fire has increasingly been used as a management tool for restoring native habitats (Panzer and Schwartz, 2000;Huntzinger, 2003;Hobbs and Atkins, 1990). However, some researchers have expressed concern about the response of insect species to prescribed fire in small, isolated remnants (Dana, 1991;Swengel, 1996;Panzer, 2002;Samways, 2007). Local populations of insects on fragmented preserves may not survive repeated prescribed burns (Panzer, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Butterfly responses to prairie restoration through fire and grazing

Vogel

Debinski

Koford

et al. 2007

Biological Conservation

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“…Indeed, fire can also threaten the preservation of rare species (McCabe 1981;Orwig 1992;Schlicht & Orwig 1992;Swengel & Swengel 2001). Following the fire in our study area, although these were not significant changes, Melanargia arge (median before 4.5, after 0.0), a rare endemism of southern Italy included in the Annex II of Habitat Directive 92/43/EEC, was not observed, as happened in some burned grassland of the United States for the regal fritillary, Speyeria idalia (Drury, 1773) (Swengel 1996;Swengel & Swengel 2001), which is considered vulnerable (Selby 2007). Furthermore, Cacyreus marshalli (median before 0.0, after 4.0), an invasive species in many parts of Europe and the Mediterranean area, appeared after the fire.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…fire tends to increase plant diversity and preserves early vegetation successional stages; Kaynaş & Gürkan 2008;Verdasca et al 2012). Following fire, butterfly populations return to nearly pre-disturbance levels in approximately 3-20 years, depending on the environment (Swengel 1996;Vogel et al 2007Vogel et al , 2010Verdasca et al 2012). A study in central Nevada found no differences in butterfly species richness between burned and unburned prairies (Fleishman 2000); however, the author hypothesised that the sample size was too small to detect an effect.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Analyses of butterfly communities in diverse environments show that butterflies can react in different ways to fire: they may benefit (Swengel 1996;Huntzinger 2003;Kaynaş & Gürkan 2008;Verdasca et al 2012), be unresponsive (Fleishman 2000;Moranz et al 2012), or, as is often the case for specialist species, disappear (Swengel 1996(Swengel , 1998Taron 1997;Cleary & Genner 2004;Moranz et al 2012). However, when the fire is very frequent, it always reduces abundance and species richness and leads to local extinctions of Lepidoptera species, as showed in American temperate grass-seed fields (Crawford & Harwood 1964), Borneo forests (Cleary & Mooers 2004) and prairies (Schlicht & Orwig 1998;Swengel 1998Swengel , 2001Swengel et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Short-term effects of fire on Papilionoidea (Lepidoptera) communities: a pilot study in Mediterranean maquis shrubland

Scandurra

Magliozzi

Aria

et al. 2014

Italian Journal of Zoology

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In the Mediterranean landscape fires are common, sometimes arising due to human activity. Fire influences the amount of sunlight that reaches the ground, thus affecting the diversity and distribution of animal and plant species. In this study, we analysed the effect of fire on butterfly diversity at the Site of Community Importance (SCI) "Monti di Lauro" (IT8040013) in southern Italy (Campania). The area covers 7040 ha and is mainly characterised by Mediterranean maquis and woody vegetation. We compared the flight activity of butterflies before and after a fire Our results show that after fire in the Mediterranean maquis, a rapid change in butterfly community structure occurred, increasing both species and individual abundance. Nevertheless, a lower evenness indicates a less balanced butterfly community after fire. Notably, Melanargia arge, a protected species by the Habitats Directive, was not observed following the fire.

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Effects of fire and hay management on abundance of prairie butterflies

Cited by 140 publications

References 27 publications

Effects of grassland management practices on ant functional groups in central North America

Effects of grassland management practices on ant functional groups in central North America

Butterfly responses to prairie restoration through fire and grazing

Short-term effects of fire on Papilionoidea (Lepidoptera) communities: a pilot study in Mediterranean maquis shrubland

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