Fire Ecology of Rangeland Arthropods in the Southern Great Plains by Britt Windsor Smith, M.S. A Dissertation In Wildlife, Aquatic, and Wildland Science and Management Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Texas Tech University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved by Robin Verble, Ph.D. Chair of Committee Brad Dabbert, Ph.D. Richard Stevens, Ph.D. Scott Longing, Ph.D. Mark Sheridan Dean of the Graduate School May, 2018 Copyright 2018, Britt Smith Texas Tech University, Britt Smith, May 2018 Acknowledgments I would first and foremost like to thank my family: my wife Jessica Miesner, my mother Angela Miles, my father Russell Smith, and my brother Connor Smith. I would also like to thank my late uncle and grandfather, Mark Smith and Albert Smith. I am grateful for my in-laws, John and Susan Miesner for their love and support. I would like to particularly thank my advisor Dr. Robin Verble for her support and encouragement through this whole process. I wish to thank my lab mates Neil Estes, Jonathan Knudsen, and Heather Williams for their support and collaborative expressions of displeasure. I wish to thank the Natural Resources Management, and particularly Dr. Mark Wallace, for support through the process. Also, I would like to thank the Texas Tech University Graduate College for financial support. I also thank my office mates through the years for dealing with me. ii Texas Tech University, Britt Smith, May 2018 Table of Contents Acknowledgments ..................................................................... ii Abstract .................................................................................. vii List of Tables.......................................................................... viii List of Figures ........................................................................... x I. Introduction .......................................................................... 1 Literature Cited ........................................................................................ 5 II. Ground-Active and Plant-Dwelling Arthropod Communities Response to Dormant-Season Fire in Mixed-Grass Mesquite Rangelands of Texas, USA ....................................................... 10 Abstract .................................................................................................. 10 Introduction ............................................................................................ 11 Materials and Methods .......................................................................... 13 Study Site.......................................................................................... 13 Environmental Variables ..................................................................15 Analysis ............................................................................................. 17 Results .................................................................................................... 19 Discussion .............................................................................................. 21 iii Texas Tech University, Britt Smith, May 2018 Literature Cited ...................................................................................... 25 Tables and Figures ................................................................................. 29 III. Northern Bobwhite Chick Prey Responses to Rangeland Fire. ............................................................................................... 46 Abstract .................................................................................................. 46 Introduction ........................................................................................... 46 Methods ................................................................................................. 49 Study Area ........................................................................................ 49 Environmental Variables ..................................................................51 Arthropod Sampling ........................................................................ 52 Analysis ............................................................................................ 53 Results .................................................................................................... 54 Discussion .............................................................................................. 56 Management Implications..................................................................... 59 Literature Cited ...................................................................................... 60 Tables and Figures ................................................................................. 66 IV. Plant-dwelling Orthoptera Response to Prescribed Burning in the Texas Rolling Plains. ............................................................... 73 Abstract .................................................................................................. 73 Introduction ........................................................................................... 74 iv Texas Tech University, Britt Smith, May 2018 Materials and Methods .......................................................................... 77 Study Sites ........................................................................................ 77 Grasshopper Sampling ..................................................................... 78 Analysis ............................................................................................ 79 Results .................................................................................................... 80 Discussion .............................................................................................. 81 Literature Cited ...................................................................................... 84 Tables and Figures ................................................................................. 87 V. Prescribed Fire Effects on Rangeland Dung Beetles in the Southern Great Plains (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae, Aphodiinae) ............. 94 Abstract .................................................................................................. 94 Introduction ........................................................................................... 94 Methods ................................................................................................. 98 Study Area ........................................................................................ 98 Trapping Methods ............................................................................ 99 Vegetation Structure Estimation ................................................... 100 Cattle Dung Density Estimation ..................................................... 101 Analysis ........................................................................................... 101 Results .................................................................................................. 102 Discussion ............................................................................................ 103 v Texas Tech University, Britt Smith, May 2018 Implications ......................................................................................... 106 Literature Cited .................................................................................... 106 Tables and Figures ................................................................................ 112 VI. Post-Fire Summer Soil Surface Temperature in the Texas High Plains. .................................................................................... 117 Abstract ................................................................................................. 117 Introduction .......................................................................................... 118 Methods ................................................................................................ 121 Study Area ....................................................................................... 121 Sampling Methods ......................................................................... 122 Analysis .......................................................................................... 123 Results .................................................................................................. 125 Discussion ............................................................................................ 126 Literature Cited .................................................................................... 128 Tables and Figures ................................................................................ 131 vi Texas Tech University, Britt Smith, May 2018 Abstract Fire has been a prominent disturbance in the American Great Plains since the end of the Pleistocene Epoch when humans first settled. Natural and anthropogenic fires maintained expansive grasslands and savannas that supported a diverse suite of fauna. In modern times, the reintroduction of fire onto rangelands of the Great Plains is a management goal that seeks to maintain these ecosystems by reducing the influence of woody plant species. Prescribed rangeland fire influences flora and fauna through direct and indirect effects. Direct effects are typically mortality to living organisms. Indirect effects are changes to abiotic and biotic processes that influence organismal populations. My goal was to evaluate direct and indirect effects