Search Results (6)

Butterflies are charismatic insects that are critical pollinators for plants that humans and wildlife depend on; however, butterflies have some of the largest measured declines. Two iconic butterflies in the USA, the Regal Fritillary (Argynnis idalia) and the Monarch (Danaus plexippus), are proposed for protection due to decreasing numbers from overexploitation, agricultural activities, disease and development. We surveyed 145 sites and walked 557 km from mid-June to August in 2019 and 2021 to create baseline information for butterflies and fill in knowledge gaps for these species. We observed 16,986 individuals and identified 52 species of butterflies. Generally, butterflies were more abundant at lower wind speeds and in areas with higher forb cover and less bare ground. We identified more species in locations with taller grass, higher bloom densities, higher cover of forbs, and less bare ground. We observed 11 Regal Fritillaries and 31 Monarchs extending from northeastern to southeastern Wyoming in a variety of habitats. The predicted suitable habitat of Regal Fritillaries and Monarchs was highly influenced by sagebrush cover and mean temperature of the wettest quarter according to species distribution models. Our results provide information to managers about the status, distribution, and habitat use of butterflies in a previously un-surveyed area. Historical butterfly surveys were limited to mountain ecosystems, and we provide baseline information on the habitat characteristics that support the highest abundances and most species in prairie ecosystems that can be compared to future efforts. Full article

Natural gas extraction is a critical driver of the economy in western North America. Ecological reclamation is important to ensure surface disturbance impacts associated with natural gas development are not permanent and to assist native biota. Previous studies in semi-arid natural gas fields within Sublette County, Wyoming, USA have shown insects respond favorably to 1–3-year-old well pads undergoing reclamation compared to older successional reference vegetation communities dominated by Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata spp. Wyomingensis). Here, we examined well pads which were initially seed 5, 8, 10, 11, and 12 years prior to our study. We used a free, image-based software called SamplePointv. 1.60 to quantify vegetation on these well pads and adjacent reference areas from cell phone camera photographs. Insects were collected with a sweep net and identified to the family and morphospecies level. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare both vegetation and insect communities between reclamation sites and their paired reference area. We found little statistical difference between vegetation communities across our study but found significantly more insect abundance on reclaimed well pads than reference areas in 3 of 5 years and significantly higher family and morphospecies richness on reclaimed well pads in 4 of 5 years. A total of 2036 individual insects representing 270 species from 71 families across 11 orders were identified across this study. A total of 1557 individuals (76.5%) were found on reclamation sites, whereas 479 (23.5%) were found in reference areas across the entire study. A total of 233 species (86.3% of total) were found on reclamation sites, whereas 121 species (44.8% of total) were found in reference areas across the entire study. A total of 67 families (94.4% of total) were found on reclamation sites, whereas 45 families (63.4% of total) were found in reference areas across the entire study. All 11 orders found in the study were found on reclamation sites, whereas 9 orders were found in reference areas across the entire study. Our results suggest reclamation of natural gas well pads within an old successional stand of sagebrush continues to support higher levels of insect biodiversity and abundance for at least 12 years. As insects are the most diverse group of animals on Earth and because they provide a wide array of ecosystem services, our findings suggest ecological reclamation plays an important role in returning biodiversity and ecosystem functionality to a semi-arid and old successional sagebrush–steppe ecosystem. Full article

Biodiversity is threatened due to land-use change, overexploitation, pollution, and anthropogenic climate change, altering ecosystem functioning around the globe. Protecting areas rich in biodiversity is often difficult without fully understanding and mapping species’ ecological niche requirements. As a result, the umbrella species concept is often applied, whereby conservation of a surrogate species is used to indirectly protect species that occupy similar ecological communities. One such species is the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), which has been used as an umbrella to conserve other species within the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem. Sagebrush-steppe ecosystems within the United States have experienced drastic loss, fragmentation, and degradation of remaining habitat, threatening sagebrush-dependent fauna, resulting in west-wide conservation efforts to protect sage-grouse habitats, and presumably other sagebrush wildlife. We evaluated the effectiveness of the greater sage-grouse umbrella to conserve biodiversity using data-driven spatial occupancy and abundance models for seven sagebrush-dependent (obligate or associated) species across the greater Wyoming Basins Ecoregional Assessment (WBEA) area (345,300 km²) and assessed overlap with predicted sage-grouse occurrence. Predicted sage-grouse habitat from empirical models only partially (39–58%) captured habitats identified by predicted occurrence models for three sagebrush-obligate songbirds and 60% of biodiversity hotspots (richness of 4–6 species). Sage-grouse priority areas for conservation only captured 59% of model-predicted sage-grouse habitat, and only slightly fewer (56%) biodiversity hotspots. We suggest that the greater sage-grouse habitats may be partially effective as an umbrella for the conservation of sagebrush-dependent species within the sagebrush biome, and management actions aiming to conserve biodiversity should directly consider the explicit mapping of resource requirements for other taxonomic groups. Full article

Natural resource extraction has been linked to habitat loss and declines in biodiversity. Insects, the most diverse and abundant animals on Earth, provide a wide array of critical ecosystem services, but are typically understudied in terrestrial restoration projects. Here, we examine how insects and other arthropods respond to reclamation efforts in the Pinedale Anticline natural gas field in semi-arid Wyoming, USA. Vegetation on two-year-old well pads seeded with native grass or one-year-old well pads seeded with a native annual forb, Rocky Mountain bee plant (Cleomeserrulata), was measured and compared to reference areas adjacent to the well pads with a free software program called SamplePoint. Reference areas in the Pinedale Anticline natural gas field consist primarily of decadent sagebrush stands with low floral diversity. Insect and arthropod communities were also collected and assessed for family richness and abundance on these well pads and reference areas over two years. Based on the mass flowering hypothesis, we expected higher insect abundance and diversity on well pads seeded with the Rocky Mountain bee plant compared to adjacent reference areas. Based on the plant vigor hypothesis, we expected higher insect abundance and diversity on well pads seeded with native grass than reference communities. In year one, 893 insects from 30 insect families with an additional 12 arthropods from 4 families were captured. In year two, 685 insects from 17 families were collected. Reclaimed well pads had significantly higher abundance in both years and vegetation types. In year one, we did not detect a significant difference in richness on native-grass-treated well pads vs. the reference site. We found a significant difference in richness on bee-plant-treated well pads vs. the reference in both years, as well as native-grass-treated well pads vs. the reference in year two. Implications of these findings are discussed in the manuscript. Full article

Wildfire size and frequency have increased in the western United States since the 1950s, but it is unclear how seeding treatments have altered fire regimes in arid steppe systems. We analyzed how the number of fires since 1955 and the fire return interval and frequency between 1995 and 2015 responded to seeding treatments, anthropogenic features, and abiotic landscape variables in Wyoming big sagebrush ecosystems. Arid sites had more fires than mesic sites and fire return intervals were shortest on locations first treated between 1975 and 2000. Sites drill seeded before the most recent fire had fewer, less frequent fires with longer fire return intervals (15–20 years) than aerially seeded sites (intervals of 5–8 years). The response of fire regime variables at unseeded sites fell between those of aerial and drill seeding. Increased moisture availability resulted in decreased fire frequency between 1994 and 2014 and the total number of fires since 1955 on sites with unseeded and aerially pre-fire seeding, but fire regimes did not change when drill seeded. Greater annual grass biomass likely contributed to frequent fires in the arid region. In Wyoming big sagebrush steppe, drill seeding treatments reduced wildfire risk relative to aerial seeded or unseeded sites. Full article

The planning of fuel treatments for ecological or societal purposes requires an in-depth understanding of the conditions associated with the occurrence of free-burning fire behavior for the area of concern. Detailed fire-environment analysis for Army Garrison Camp Williams (AGCW) in north-central Utah was completed as a prerequisite for fuel treatment planning, using a procedure that could be generally applied. Vegetation and fuels data, topographic and terrain features, and weather and climate data, were assessed and integrated into predictive fuel models to aid planning. A fire behavior fuel model map was developed from biophysical variables, vegetation type, and plot survey data using random forests, and resulted in an overall classification rate of 72%. The predominate vegetation type-fuel complex was grass, followed by lesser amounts of Gambel oak, Wyoming big sagebrush and Utah juniper. The majority of AGCW is mountainous in nature, characterized by slopes less than 40% in steepness with slightly more northerly and easterly aspects than south and west, and elevations that ranged from 1650 to 1950 m above mean sea level. Local fire weather data compiled from the three nearest remote automated weather stations indicated that average temperature maxima (32 °C) and relative humidity minima (12%) usually occurred between 1400 to 1500 h daily, and from July to August, seasonally. The semi-arid climate at AGCW, coupled with the corresponding preponderance of flashy fuel types and sloping terrain, constitutes a formidable fire environment in which to plan for mitigating against adverse fire behavior. Full article