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Arthropod Response to Prescribed Seasonal Burns ASHLEY sCHAFER

Arthropod Response to Prescribed Seasonal Burns ASHLEY sCHAFER. Mentor: Scott Collins. Wildfire in Southwest. Suppression Property protection Livestock grazing Wildfire increases biodiversity Southwest semi-arid grasslands Returns nutrients to soil Opens patches of land. Fire Ecology.

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Arthropod Response to Prescribed Seasonal Burns ASHLEY sCHAFER

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  1. Arthropod Response to Prescribed Seasonal BurnsASHLEY sCHAFER Mentor: Scott Collins

  2. Wildfire in Southwest • Suppression • Property protection • Livestock grazing • Wildfire increases biodiversity • Southwest semi-arid grasslands • Returns nutrients to soil • Opens patches of land

  3. Fire Ecology • Utilize prescribed fire to increase replenish biodiversity • Benefits associated with season (Ford 2007) • Growing season – no long-term impact on biodiversity • Dormant season – increase biodiversity • Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge seasonal burn plots Fall Spring Summer growing dormant post-growth dormant pre-growth

  4. Fire Impact on Arthropods • Researchers focusing on fire impact on arthropods (mainly insects) (Swengel 2001) • Why care about invertebrate response? • Arthropods important food source for vertebrates • Pollinators • Pests • Insect diversity increases after fire (Swengel 2001)

  5. Research Questions: • How does fire impact arthropod diversity and abundance? • What is the most beneficial season (dormant pre-growth, dormant post-growth, and growing) to burn in order to increase arthropod diversity? • How does the monsoon season impact arthropod diversity and abundance?

  6. Research Site • Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge • 20 plots (60 m x 40 m) • 5 control • 5 fall (October) • 5 spring (March) • 5 summer (June)

  7. Methods: The Field • 200 pitfall traps • Solitary, terrestrial insects • Open 96 hours every two weeks- 4 total collections

  8. Methods: The Lab • Sort and Identify

  9. Solitary, Terrestrial Taxa Cicindela leminiscata Beetles Grasshoppers Spiders Scorpions Psuedoscorpions Wind scorpions True Bugs Velvet Ants Mites Walking stick Centipedes Spheridae Brochymena sp. Dasymutilla sp Vaejovis sp. Latrodectus Hesperus Eremobates sp. Order Psuedoscorpionides Trombidium Parabacillus coloradus Scolopendra polymorpha

  10. Abundance per Treatment ANOVA P= 0.9943

  11. Burn Treatment Abundance and Richness Comparisons

  12. Ordination Ordination- Burn Treatments Connected • 172 Species • Not all terrestrial and solitary • Flies • Bees • Flying Ants • Termites • Moths • Not all Identified • Sorted and counted based on number system • DAC • Detrended Correspondence Analysis C= Control F= Fall SP= Spring SU= Summer 1= 6/16/08 2= 6/30/08 3= 7/14/08 4= 7/28/08 Ordination- Collection Dates Connected

  13. Total Abundance Total Abundance per Treatment – 6/16 Total Abundance per Treatment – 7/14 C=Control J= June (Summer) M= March (Spring) O= October (Fall) P= 0.0164 P= 0.9142 O O Total Abundance per Treatment- 6/30 Total Abundance per Treatment – 7/28 P from ANOVA P= 0.2220 P= 0.7182 O O

  14. Beetle Abundance Beetle Abundance per Treatment – 6/16 Beetle Abundance per Treatment – 7/14 C=Control J= June (June) M= March (Spring) O= October (Fall) P= 0.1057 P= 0.8555 O O Beetle Abundance per Treatment – 6/16 P from ANOVA Beetle Abundance per Treatment – 7/28 P= 0.1186 P= 0.5696 O O

  15. Total Richness Richness per Treatment – 7/14 Richness per Treatment – 6/16 C=Control J= June (Summer) M= March (Spring) O= October (Fall) P= 0.7551 P= 0.1211 O O Richness per Treatment – 7/28 P from ANOVA Richness per Treatment – 6/30 P= 0.0517 P= 0.7476 O O

  16. Beetle Richness Beetle Richness per Treatment – 6/16 Beetle Richness per Treatment – 7/14 C=Control J= June (Summer) M= March (Spring) O= October (Fall) P= 0.8152 P= 0.0612 O O Beetle Richness per Treatment – 6/30 Beetle Richness per Treatment – 7/28 P from ANOVA P= 0.6111 P= 0.1879 O O

  17. Monsoon Season

  18. Conclusions- Abundance • How do different seasonal prescribed burn treatments impact arthropod abundance? • Terrestrial, solitary arthropod abundance analysis • Specified taxa not significantly impacted by different burn treatments • Total arthropod abundance analysis: • Overall arthropod abundance not significantly impacted by different burn treatments. • Beetle abundance analysis: • Most common insect (beetle) abundance not impacted by different burn treatments. • Collection Date Analysis • Monsoons significantly impact arthropod abundance.

  19. Conclusions- Richness • How do different seasonal prescribed burn treatments impact arthropod richness • Total arthropod richness analysis: • Overall arthropod richness not significantly impacted by different treatments • Beetle richness analysis • Beetle richness not significantly impacted by different treatments • Collection date analysis: • Monsoons significantly increase species richness

  20. Discussion • Arthropod diversity and abundance increased after monsoons • Not impacted by prescribed firetreatments • Short term (within one year of burn) prescribed fire does not impact biodiversity negatively or positively • Burn season did not matter

  21. Discussion • Future: • Continuing to monitor pitfall traps at the burn plots through the fall semester • Extend study to future years

  22. Acknowledgements National Science Foundation Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge and LTER 2008 REU Program University of New Mexico Fish and Wildlife Service Jennifer Johnson Scott Collins Arthropod Museum at UNM Interns + REUS: Scott Johnson Ashley Melendez Christine Waters CJ Jewell

  23. Questions? Bye!

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