Effects of Management Techniques on Grassland Butterfly Species Composition and Community Structure

Smith, Lisa M.; Cherry, Robert P.

doi:10.1674/0003-0031-172.2.227

Cited by 14 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We used a modification of the standardized Pollard Walk for relative abundance (Pollard, 1977;Thomas, 2005; Swengel, 2013;Smith and Cherry, 2014). During each site visit, the observer walked 400 m of transects at a steady pace of 10 m/min and recorded all individuals seen within 2.5 m on both sides, 5 m ahead, and 5 m above.…”

Section: Butterfly Sampling and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Adult Monarch (Danaus plexippus) Abundance Is Higher in Burned Sites Than in Grazed Sites

Leone

Larson

et al. 2019

Front. Ecol. Evol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Much of the remaining suitable habitat for monarchs (Danaus plexippus) in Minnesota is found in tallgrass prairies. We studied the association of adult monarch abundance with use of fire or grazing to manage prairies. Sites (n = 20) ranged in size from 1 to 145 hectares and included land owned and managed by the Minnesota DNR, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, and private landowners. We measured Asclepias spp. (milkweeds, monarch host plants) and forb frequency in 0.5 × 2-m plots located along randomly-placed transects that were stratified to sample wet, mesic, and dry prairie types at each site. Adult butterfly surveys took place three times at each site during the summers of 2016 and 2017, using a standardized Pollard Walk (400 m). Data were analyzed using mixed effects models. Monarchs were more abundant at sites managed with prescribed fire than with grazing. We found no difference in milkweed and forb frequency between burned and grazed prairies. There was no relationship between monarch abundance and the other predictor variables tested: milkweed frequency, site area, forb frequency, and percent prairie in a 1.5 km buffer area surrounding each site. Monarch abundance was lowest at grazed sites with high stocking rates. Our findings suggest that milkweed and forb frequency do not vary between burned and grazed sites, although we only considered land management practices for the 12 years before the study and the most recent burns occurred in 2014, 2 years prior to the start of our study. They also suggest that heavy grazing may have negative impacts on monarchs.

show abstract

Section: Butterfly Sampling and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Adult Monarch (Danaus plexippus) Abundance Is Higher in Burned Sites Than in Grazed Sites

Leone

Larson

et al. 2019

Front. Ecol. Evol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Considering the importance of the pollination service nectar-feeding insects provide to society (Klein et al 2007, Ollerton et al 2011, one might see value in a habitat created by spring-burning. It is worth noting that this is an additional advantage, through compositional changes, to the expected abundance of flowers caused by the absence of disturbance during the growth season (Erhardt 1985, Smith & Cherry 2014.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientific misconduct at an elite medical institute: The role of competing institutional logics and fragmented control

Berggren

Karabag

2019

Research Policy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Species-rich semi-natural grasslands in Europe are a main target for conservation efforts, and alternative methods to the traditional management of mowing or grazing would be welcome due to the difficulties in maintaining these management practices. One such method proposed is burning of grassland vegetation during late winter or spring. To evaluate the effects of annual spring burning vs. annual mowing on semi-natural grassland vegetation, we compared the frequency of species in eleven field experiments in southern Sweden after ca 14 years. Out of the 88 species analysed, five were more frequent in burnt plots compared with mowed plots (Vicia cracca, Cirsium arvense, Urtica dioica, Galium verum, Convallaria majalis). In contrast, 37 species were significantly less frequent in burnt plots compared with mowed ones, those with the largest differences being Ranunculus acris, Briza media, Veronica chamaedrys, Festuca ovina, Plantago lanceolata and Anthoxanthum odoratum. Tall-grown species and those with preferences for N-rich soils increased in frequency under an annual spring-burn regime, compared with annual mowing, as did species producing larger amounts of nectar. Hence, although vegetation composition becomes trivial with annual spring burns, there might be long-term benefits for nectar-feeding insects.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Annual burning of semi‐natural grasslands for conservation: winners and losers among plant species

Milberg

Fogelfors

Westerberg

et al. 2018

Nordic Journal of Botany

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Species‐rich semi‐natural grasslands in Europe are a main target for conservation efforts, and alternative methods to the traditional management of mowing or grazing would be welcome due to the difficulties in maintaining traditional management practices. One such method proposed is burning of grassland vegetation during late winter or spring. To evaluate the effects of annual spring burning vs annual mowing on semi‐natural grassland vegetation, we compared the frequency of species in eleven field experiments in southern Sweden after ca 14 years. Out of the 88 species analyzed, five were more frequent in burnt plots compared with mowed plots (Vicia cracca, Cirsium arvense, Urtica dioica, Galium verum, Convallaria majalis). In contrast, 37 species were significantly less frequent in burnt plots compared with mowed ones, those with the largest differences being Ranunculus acris, Briza media, Veronica chamaedrys, Festuca ovina, Plantago lanceolata and Anthoxanthum odoratum. Tall‐grown species and those with preferences for N‐rich soils increased in frequency under an annual spring‐burn regime, compared with annual mowing, as did species producing larger amounts of nectar. Hence, although vegetation composition becomes more trivial with annual spring burns, there might be long‐term benefits for nectar‐feeding insects.

show abstract

Effects of Management Techniques on Grassland Butterfly Species Composition and Community Structure

Cited by 14 publications

References 28 publications

Adult Monarch (Danaus plexippus) Abundance Is Higher in Burned Sites Than in Grazed Sites

Adult Monarch (Danaus plexippus) Abundance Is Higher in Burned Sites Than in Grazed Sites

Scientific misconduct at an elite medical institute: The role of competing institutional logics and fragmented control

Annual burning of semi‐natural grasslands for conservation: winners and losers among plant species

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About