Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Untangling the effects of fire, grazing, and land-use legacies on grassland butterfly communities

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biodiversity and Conservation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Many grassland ecosystems are disturbance-dependent, having evolved under the pressures of fire and grazing. Restoring these disturbances can be controversial, particularly when valued resources are thought to be disturbance-sensitive. We tested the effects of fire and grazing on butterfly species richness and population density in an economically productive grassland landscape of the central U.S. Three management treatments were applied: (1) patch-burn graze—rotational burning of three spatially distinct patches within a pasture, and moderately-stocked cattle grazing (N = 5); (2) graze-and-burn—burning entire pasture every 3 years, and moderately-stocked cattle grazing (N = 4); and (3) burn-only—burning entire pasture every 3 years, but no cattle grazing (N = 4). Butterfly abundance was sampled using line transect distance sampling in 2008 and 2009, with six 100-m transects per pasture. Butterfly species richness did not respond to management treatment, but was positively associated with pre-treatment proportion of native plant cover. Population density of two prairie specialists (Cercyonis pegala and Speyeria idalia) and one habitat generalist (Danaus plexippus) was highest in the burn-only treatment, whereas density of one habitat generalist (Cupido comyntas) was highest in the patch-burn graze treatment. Treatment application affected habitat structural characteristics including vegetation height and cover of bare ground. Historic land uses have reduced native plant cover and permitted exotic plant invasion; for some butterfly species, these legacies had a greater influence than management treatments on butterfly density. Conservation of native insect communities in altered grasslands might require native plant restoration in addition to restoration of disturbance processes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

AICc:

Akaike information criterion, corrected for finite sample sizes

NMDS:

Nonmetric multidimensional scaling

References

  • Anderson RC (1990) The historic role of fire in the North American grassland. In: Collins SL, Wallace LL (eds) Fire in North American tallgrass prairies. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, pp 8–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson RC (2006) Evolution and origin of the Central Grassland of North America: climate, fire, and mammalian grazers. J Torrey Bot Soc 133:626–647

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Archibald S, Bond WJ, Stock WD, Fairbanks DHK (2005) Shaping the landscape: fire-grazer interactions in an African savanna. Ecol Appl 15:96–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Auckland JN, Debinski DM, Clark WR (2004) Survival, movement, and resource use of the butterfly Parnassius clodius. Ecol Entomol 29:139–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Axelrod DI (1985) Rise of the grassland biome in central North America. Bot Rev 51:163–201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergman KO, Askling J, Ekberg O, Ignell H, Wahlman H, Milberg P (2004) Landscape effects on butterfly assemblages in an agricultural region. Ecography 27:619–628

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bond WJ (2008) What limits trees in C-4 grasslands and savannas? Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 39:641–659

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Branson DH, Joern A, Sword GA (2006) Sustainable management of insect herbivores in grassland ecosystems: new perspectives in grasshopper control. Bioscience 56:743–755

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brower LP, Malcolm SB (1991) Animal migrations: endangered phenomena. Am Zool 31:265–276

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown JA, Boyce MS (1998) Line transect sampling of Karner blue butterflies (Lycaeides melissa samuelis). Environ Ecol Stat 5:81–91

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brudvig LA, Mabry CM, Miller JR, Walker TA (2007) Evaluation of central North American prairie management based on species diversity, life form, and individual species metrics. Conserv Biol 21:864–874

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buckland ST, Anderson DR, Burnham KP, Laake JL, Borchers DL, Thomas L (2001) Introduction to distance sampling: estimating abundance of biological populations. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Bushnell Performance Optics ® (2004) Laser Rangefinder Yardage Pro® Sport 450®: user’s manual. Bushnell® Performance Optics, Overland Park

  • Christensen NL (1997) Managing for heterogeneity and complexity on dynamic landscapes. In: Pickett ST, Ostfeld RS, Shachak M, Likens GE (eds) The ecological basis of conservation. International Thomson Publishing, New York, pp 167–186

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Collins SL, Steinauer EM (1998) Disturbance, diversity, and species interactions in tallgrass prairie. In: Knapp AK, Briggs JM, Hartnett DC, Collins SL (eds) Grassland dynamics: long-term ecological research in tallgrass prairie. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 140–158

    Google Scholar 

  • Cook WM, Holt RD (2006) Fire frequency and mosaic burning effects on a tallgrass prairie ground beetle assemblage. Biodivers Conserv 15:2301–2323

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coppedge BR, Engle DM, Fuhlendorf SD, Masters RE, Gregory MS (2001) Landscape cover type and pattern dynamics in fragmented southern Great Plains grasslands, USA. Landsc Ecol 16:677–690

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crawley MJ (2007) The R book. Wiley, Chichester

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Curtin C, Western D (2008) Grasslands, people, and conservation: over-the-horizon learning exchanges between African and American pastoralists. Conserv Biol 22:870–877

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Daubenmire R (1959) A canopy-coverage method of vegetational analysis. Northwest Sci 33:43–64

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis JD, Debinski DM, Danielson BJ (2007) Local and landscape effects on the butterfly community in fragmented Midwest U.S.A. prairie habitats. Landsc Ecol 22:1341–1354

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis JD, Hendrix SD, Debinski DM, Hemsley CJ (2008) Butterfly, bee and forb community composition and cross-taxon incongruence in tallgrass prairie fragments. J Insect Conserv 12:69–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engle DM, Fuhlendorf SD, Roper A, Leslie DM (2008) Invertebrate community response to a shifting mosaic of habitat. Rangel Ecol Manag 61:55–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erhardt A, Mevi-Schutz J (2009) Adult food resources in butterflies. In: Settele J, Shreeve T, Konvicka M, Van Dyck H (eds) Ecology of butterflies in Europe. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 9–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster D, Swanson F, Aber J, Burke I, Brokaw N, Tilman D, Knapp A (2003) The importance of land-use legacies to ecology and conservation. Bioscience 53:77–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuhlendorf SD, Engle DM (2001) Restoring heterogeneity on rangelands: ecosystem management based on evolutionary grazing patterns. Bioscience 51:625–632

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuhlendorf SD, Engle DM (2004) Application of the fire-grazing interaction to restore a shifting mosaic on tallgrass prairie. J Appl Ecol 41:604–614

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuhlendorf SD, Harrell WC, Engle DM, Hamilton RG, Davis CA, Leslie DM (2006) Should heterogeneity be the basis for conservation? Grassland bird response to fire and grazing. Ecol Appl 16:1706–1716

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fuhlendorf SD, Engle DM, Kerby J, Hamilton R (2009) Pyric herbivory: rewilding landscapes through the recoupling of fire and grazing. Conserv Biol 23:588–598

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Heitzman JR, Heitzman JE (2006) Butterflies and moths of Missouri. Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City

    Google Scholar 

  • Helzer CJ, Steuter AA (2005) Preliminary effects of patch-burn grazing on a high-diversity prairie restoration. Ecol Restor 23:167–171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kopper BJ, Margolies DC, Charlton RE (2001) Life history notes on the regal fritillary, Speyeria idalia (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), in Kansas tallgrass prairie. J Kans Entomol Soc 74:172–177

    Google Scholar 

  • Kruess A, Tscharntke T (2002) Grazing intensity and the diversity of grasshoppers, butterflies, and trap-nesting bees and wasps. Conserv Biol 16:1570–1580

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kubo M, Kobayashi T, Kitahara M, Hayashi A (2009) Seasonal fluctuations in butterflies and nectar resources in a semi-natural grassland near Mt. Fuji, central Japan. Biodivers Conserv 18:229–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGranahan DA (2008) Degradation and restoration in remnant tallgrass prairie: grazing history, soil carbon, and invasive species affect community composition and response to the fire-grazing interaction. Thesis, Iowa State University

  • McGranahan DA (2011) Species richness, fire spread, and structural heterogeneity in tallgrass prairie. Dissertation, Iowa State University, Ames

  • McGranahan DA, Engle DM, Fuhlendorf SD, Winter SJ, Miller JR, Debinski DM (2012) Spatial heterogeneity across five rangelands managed with pyric-herbivory. J Appl Ecol. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02168.x

  • Moranz RA (2010) The effects of ecological management on tallgrass prairie butterflies and their nectar sources. Dissertation, Oklahoma State University

  • Motzkin G, Foster D, Allen A, Harrod J, Boone R (1996) Controlling site to evaluate history: vegetation patterns of a New England sand plain. Ecol Monogr 66:345–365

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Munguira ML, Garcia-Barros E, Cano JM (2009) Butterfly herbivory and larval ecology. In: Settele J, Shreeve T, Konvicka M, Van Dyck H (eds) Ecology of butterflies in Europe. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 43–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Oates MR (1995) Butterfly conservation within the management of grassland habitats. In: Pullin AS (ed) Ecology and conservation of butterflies. Chapman & Hall, New York, pp 98–112

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ockinger E, Smith HG (2006) Landscape composition and habitat area affects butterfly species richness in semi-natural grasslands. Oecologia 149:526–534

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Oksanen L (2009) Multivariate analysis of ecological communities in R: vegan tutorial. http://cc.oulu.fi/~jarioksa/opetus/metodi/vegantutor.pdf. Accessed 24 July 2010

  • Opler PA, Kelly L, Thomas N, Coordinators (2012) Butterflies and moths of North America. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/version18. Accessed Nov 2011

  • Panzer R (2003) Importance of in situ survival, recolonization, and habitat gaps in the postfire recovery of fire-sensitive prairie insect species. Nat Areas J 23:14–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Panzer R, Schwartz M (2000) Effects of management burning on prairie insect species richness within a system of small, highly fragmented reserves. Biol Conserv 96:363–369

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pillsbury FC, Miller JR, Debinski DM, Engle DM (2011) Another tool in the toolbox? Using fire and grazing to promote bird diversity in highly fragmented landscapes. Ecosphere 2:1–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinheiro JC, Bates DM (2000) Mixed-effects models in S and S-PLUS. Springer, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Pocewicz A, Morgan P, Eigenbrode SD (2009) Local and landscape effects on butterfly density in northern Idaho grasslands and forests. J Insect Conserv 13:593–601

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pollard E, Yates TJ (1993) Monitoring butterflies for ecology and conservation. Chapman & Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Powell A, Busby WH, Kindscher K (2007) Status of the regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) and effects of fire management on its abundance in northeastern Kansas, USA. J Insect Conserv 11:299–308

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poyry J, Lindgren S, Salminen J, Kuussaari M (2005) Responses of butterfly and moth species to restored cattle grazing in semi-natural grasslands. Biol Conserv 122:465–478

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poyry J, Luoto M, Paukkunen J, Pykala J, Raatikainen K, Kuussaari M (2006) Different responses of plants and herbivore insects to a gradient of vegetation height: an indicator of the vertebrate grazing intensity and successional age. Oikos 115:401–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team (2010) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R foundation for statistical computing. http://www.R-project.org. Accessed 21 Aug 2010

  • Reed CC (1997) Responses of prairie insects and other arthropods to prescription burns. Nat Areas J 17:380–385

    Google Scholar 

  • Reeder KF, Debinski DM, Danielson BJ (2005) Factors affecting butterfly use of filter strips in Midwestern USA. Agric Ecosyst Environ 109:40–47

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robel RJ, Briggs JN, Dayton AD, Hulbert LC (1970) Relationship between visual obstruction measurements and weight of grassland vegetation. J Range Manag 23:295–298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rudolph DC, Ely CA, Schaefer RR, Williamson JH, Thill RE (2006) The Diana fritillary (Speyeria diana) and great spangled fritillary (S. cybele): dependence on fire in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. J Lepid Soc 60:218–226

    Google Scholar 

  • Samson F, Knopf F (1994) Prairie conservation in North America. Bioscience 44:418–421

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SAS Institute Inc (2008) SAS 9.2 TS Level 2M3. SAS Institute Inc., Cary

  • Schneider C (2003) The influence of spatial scale on quantifying insect dispersal: an analysis of butterfly data. Ecol Entomol 28:252–256

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schultz CB, Dlugosch KM (1999) Nectar and hostplant scarcity limit populations of an endangered Oregon butterfly. Oecologia 119:231–238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott JA (1986) The butterflies of North America: a natural history and field guide. Stanford University Press, Stanford

    Google Scholar 

  • Shepherd S, Debinski DM (2005) Evaluation of isolated and integrated prairie reconstructions as habitat for prairie butterflies. Biol Conserv 126:51–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SPSS (2010) SPSS for Windows, Release 17.0.0. SPSS Inc., Chicago

  • Stohlgren TJ, Falkner MB, Schell LD (1995) A modified-Whittaker nested vegetation sampling method. Vegetatio 117:113–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swengel AB (1996) Effects of fire and hay management on abundance of prairie butterflies. Biol Conserv 76:73–85

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swengel S, Schlicht D, Olsen F, Swengel A (2011) Declines of prairie butterflies in the Midwestern USA. J Insect Conserv 15:327–339

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas L, Buckland ST, Rexstad RB, Laake JL, Strindberg S, Hedley SL, Bishop JRB, Marques TA, Burnham KP (2010) Distance software: design and analysis of distance sampling surveys for estimating population size. J Appl Ecol 47:5–14

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • USDA, NRCS (2012) The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov. Accessed 20 May 2012). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA

  • Vogel JA, Debinski DM, Koford RR, Miller JR (2007) Butterfly responses to prairie restoration through fire and grazing. Biol Conserv 140:78–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vogel JA, Koford RR, Debinski DM (2010) Direct and indirect responses of tallgrass prairie butterflies to prescribed burning. J Insect Conserv 14:663–677

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WallisDeVries MF, Parkinson AE, Dulphy JP, Sayer M, Diana E (2007) Effects of livestock breed and grazing intensity on biodiversity and production in grazing systems. 4. Effects on animal diversity. Grass Forage Sci 62:185–197

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiens JA (1974) Habitat heterogeneity and avian community structure in North American grasslands. Am Midl Nat 91:195–213

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Funding for this project was through the Iowa State Wildlife Grants program grant T-1-R-15 in cooperation with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. Technicians Meghan Kirkwood, Matthew Nielsen, Michael Rausch, Shannon Rusk, and Laura Winkler assisted in collection of data. We thank Karl Pazdernik and Dennis Lock for their assistance with statistical analyses. Special thanks go to research associate Ryan Harr for his efforts in managing almost every aspect of our research project. Finally, we pay our respects to the late Sheri Svehla for initiating our work in the field.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 253 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Raymond A. Moranz & Diane M. Debinski

  2. Environmental Studies, Sewanee: The University of the South, 735 University Avenue, Sewanee, TN, 37375, USA

    Devan A. McGranahan

  3. Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, 008C Agricultural Hall, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA

    David M. Engle

  4. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, N407 Turner Hall, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    James R. Miller

Authors
  1. Raymond A. Moranz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Diane M. Debinski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Devan A. McGranahan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. David M. Engle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. James R. Miller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Raymond A. Moranz.

Appendix

Appendix

See Appendix Tables 3, 4 and 5.

Table 3 Abundance of Lepidoptera species in 2008 at 12 pastures in Ringgold County, Iowa, and 1 pasture in Harrison County, Missouri
Full size table
Table 4 Abundance of Lepidoptera species in 2009 at 12 pastures in Ringgold County, Iowa, and 1 pasture in Harrison County, Missouri
Full size table
Table 5 Nectar sources ranked by the density of flowering ramets across 2008 and 2009 averaged across 13 pastures in the Grand River Grasslands
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Moranz, R.A., Debinski, D.M., McGranahan, D.A. et al. Untangling the effects of fire, grazing, and land-use legacies on grassland butterfly communities. Biodivers Conserv 21, 2719–2746 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-012-0330-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-012-0330-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation