Entries in research briefs (2)

Thursday
Aug282014

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.

More briefs are available on our Research Briefs Blog.

Wednesday
May142014

New Research Briefs!

Three new briefs provide updates on: patch burn grazing (IA/MO); fire frequency in remnant prairies (WI); and restoration techniques in oak-pine barrens (WI).

Click to read more ...