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Predictors of Insect Diversity and Abundance in a Fragmented Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystem

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Predictors of Insect Diversity and Abundance in a Fragmented Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystem University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources Natural Resources, School of 4-2012 Predictors of Insect Diversity and Abundance in a Fragmented Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystem Kody M. Unstad University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/natresdiss Part of the Natural Resources and Conservation Commons Unstad, Kody M., "Predictors of Insect Diversity and Abundance in a Fragmented Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystem" (2012). Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources. 44. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/natresdiss/44 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Natural Resources, School of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. PREDICTORS OF INSECT DIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCE IN A FRAGMENTED TALLGRASS PRAIRIE ECOSYSTEM by Kody Micah Shane Unstad A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science Major: Natural Resource Sciences Under the Supervision of Professor Craig R. Allen Lincoln, Nebraska April, 2012 PREDICTORS OF INSECT DIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCE IN A FRAGMENTED TALLGRASS PRAIRIE ECOSYSTEM Kody Unstad, M.S. University of Nebraska, 2012 Advisor: Craig Allen Despite providing many services, the tallgrass prairie and its ecological community is one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America. Remaining habitat exists as remnants in a highly-fragmented landscape. To make informed conservation decisions we need to better understand the effects of this fragmentation. Using the ecologically important insect groups, ants and ground beetles, this study provides baseline data on the biological diversity of southeast Nebraska prairies and investigates what management, landscape, and habitat characteristics affect them. Pitfall trap sampling was conducted in 23 tallgrass remnants scattered throughout the Southeast Prairies Biologically Unique Landscape in 2010 and 2011. Multi-model inference was used for analysis of the data. Twenty-eight species of ants were collected with the majority being grassland- obligates. With a positive correlation, model selection results indicate that Shannon diversity of grassland ants is best predicted by the average number of grass species per m2 while their abundance is positively associated with the amount of nearby haymeadow. Most ants belonged to the Opportunist and Cold Climate Specialist functional groups. A comparison with prior studies indicates this functional group composition to be most similar to cool-temperate forests. Though different habitats, their cooler climates likely produce this similar composition. Nineteen species of ground beetles were collected, with two species comprising nearly 95% of the collection. These two species are incapable of flight, a physiological factor that may contribute to their high abundances by leaving them hidden from predators. As with grassland ants, the strongest predictor of Shannon diversity for ground beetles was the average number of grass species per m2. Results suggest that ants and ground beetles are non-randomly distributed in relation to landscape, habitat, and management factors. High abundances of grassland- obligate ants are associated with high amounts of haymeadow suggesting these areas may be a priority for ant conservation. Results also suggest that sites with more grass species sustain more diverse communities of ants and ground beetles, information that can be incorporated into relevant conservation decisions. iv DEDICATION To my parents, for letting me play outdoors. To my wife, for letting me continue what my parents started. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank my advisor, Craig Allen, for providing me with guidance, freedom, and humor, all of which have made this an enjoyable experience. I would next like to thank Chris Helzer, for inspiring my interest in the prairie and for always thinking outside the box. I would like to thank my graduate committee members, LaReesa Wolfenbarger and Lance Meinke, as well as the many members of the Southeast Nebraska Flagship Initiative. Your wisdom and experience is greatly appreciated. Thank you to Jim Kalisch, for patiently teaching ant identification, and to Ashley Pella, for spending countless hours in front of a microscope (even with a newborn baby). I would like to thank Jim Schalles whose commitment to working long hours on extremely hot days in July made collection of this data possible. I appreciate the support of all my fellow graduate students in the Cooperative Unit, and Chris Wood at UNO. It is nice to have others who can sympathize with your graduate school challenges. Thank you to Stephen Winter, for being an excellent roommate for three summers and sharing your ecological knowledge, charcoal grill, and fine beers. I also thank the Salem United Church of Christ in Steinauer, NE for providing us with housing and being great landlords and great people. I am especially indebted to the landowners of southeast Nebraska for allowing me access to their haymeadows. I hope my study contributes to the conservation of this beautiful and unique landscape. I am thankful for the funding provided by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the United States Geological Survey that made this research possible. The Nature Conservancy also provided partial support for this work through the Nebraska Chapter’s J.E. Weaver Competitive Grants Program. vi Lastly, I would like to thank my family, especially my parents, for their love and support of all my various endeavors over the years. Climbing trees, building forts, running barefoot through cornfields, making backyard parody nature documentaries…the childhood you gave me has made me who I am today. And most importantly, I would like to thank my wonderful wife, Amanda, for her love and prayers, for allowing me to be away the better part of two summers, for not freaking out when bags of insects appeared in the freezer, and for standing by me through all of life’s challenges. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT………........................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION.................................................................................................................. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................ v TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................. vii LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................... xii LIST OF FIGURES......................................................................................................... xx Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION………................................................................................ 1 THE TALLGRASS PRAIRIE……................................................................................. 1 Historical Background ……................................................................................... 1 The Southeast Prairies Biologically Unique Landscape ....................................... 3 Arthropod Communities …..................................................................................... 5 ANTS (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE)……......................................................... 6 Taxonomy …........................................................................................................... 6 Morphology …........................................................................................................ 7 Life Cycle …........................................................................................................... 8 Colony Life Cycle ….............................................................................................. 9 Eusociality …....................................................................................................... 10 Functional Groups …........................................................................................... 12 Ecology and Ecosystem Services …..................................................................... 13 GROUND BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE)…........................................ 14 Taxonomy …......................................................................................................... 14 Morphology …...................................................................................................... 15 Life Cycle ….......................................................................................................... 16 Ecology and Ecosystem Services …..................................................................... 17 THESIS OVERVIEW…............................................................................................... 19 LITERATURE CITED….............................................................................................. 21 viii Chapter 2: DIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCE OF GRASSLAND, WOODLAND, AND HABITAT-GENERALIST ANTS (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) IN REMNANT TALLGRASS PRAIRIE HAYMEADOWS…......................... 29 Abstract …............................................................................................................ 29 INTRODUCTION…....................................................................................................
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