Entomology Commons^™

Analyzing The Effects Of Winter-Patch Grazing And Wildfire On Insect Order Hymenoptera In The Northern Great Plains, Kaitlin Schieuer

Schultz-Werth Award Papers

Pollinators are declining globally, threatening global crop production and the biological integrity of many ecosystems. Hymenoptera (the order containing ants, bees, and wasps) is one of the most important insect orders for pollination of a variety of plants, including many crops, and is important as biocontrol for crop pests, and other herbivorous insects. Land management practices affect plant community composition, which influences vegetation-dependent insects, and consequently affects their ecosystem services. Fire and grazing are common practices on working landscapes in the Great Plains. However, how these management techniques impact insect diversity, particularly Hymenopterans, in a mixed-grass prairie ecosystem, is poorly …