@article {KNZ001357, title = {Soil texture affects soil microbial and structural recovery during grassland restoration}, journal = {Soil Biology \& Biochemistry}, volume = {42}, year = {2011}, pages = {2182 -2191}, abstract = {

Many biotic and abiotic factors influence recovery of soil communities following prolonged disturbance. We investigated the role of soil texture in the recovery of soil microbial community structure and changes in microbial stress, as indexed by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles, using two chronosequences of grasslands restored from 0 to 19 years on silty clay loam and loamy fine sand soils in Nebraska, USA. All restorations were formerly cultivated fields seeded to native warm-season grasses through the USDA\’s Conservation Reserve Program. Increases in many PLFA concentrations occurred across the silty clay loam chronosequence including total PLFA biomass, richness, fungi, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, and actinomycetes. Ratios of saturated:monounsaturated and iso:anteiso PLFAs decreased across the silty clay loam chronosequence indicating reduction in nutrient stress of the microbial community as grassland established. Multivariate analysis of entire PLFA profiles across the silty clay loam chronosequence showed recovery of microbial community structure on the trajectory toward native prairie. Conversely, no microbial groups exhibited a directional change across the loamy fine sand chronosequence. Changes in soil structure were also only observed across the silty clay loam chronosequence. Aggregate mean weighted diameter (MWD) exhibited an exponential rise to maximum resulting from an exponential rise to maximum in the proportion of large macroaggregates (\>2000 μm) and exponential decay in microaggregates (\<250 μm and \>53 μm) and the silt and clay fraction (\<53 μm). Across both chronosequences, MWD was highly correlated with total PLFA biomass and the biomass of many microbial groups. Strong correlations between many PLFA groups and the MWD of aggregates underscore the interdependence between the recovery of soil microbial communities and soil structure that may explain more variation than time for some soils (i.e., loamy fine sand). This study demonstrates that soil microbial responses to grassland restoration are modulated by soil texture with implications for estimating the true capacity of restoration efforts to rehabilitate ecosystem functions.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Aggregates, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Microbial biomass, Phospholipid fatty acids, Soil microbial communities, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {10.1016/j.soilbio.2010.08.014}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038071710003020?via\%3Dihub}, author = {E.M. Bach and S.G. Baer and Meyer, C.K. and Six, J.} } @article {KNZ001356, title = {Contrasting ecosystem recovery on two soil textures: implications for carbon mitigation and grassland conservation}, journal = {Ecosphere}, volume = {1}, year = {2010}, pages = {5 -}, abstract = {

Understanding processes that promote or constrain ecosystem recovery from disturbance is needed to predict the restorative potential of degraded systems. We quantified a suite of ecosystem properties and processes across two chronosequences of restored grasslands on contrasting soil textures to test the hypothesis that restorations on silty clay loam soil would exhibit greater recovery of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools and fluxes than on loamy fine sand because soil with higher clay content possesses a greater capacity to physico-chemically protect organic matter. Warm-season grass aboveground net primary productivity was similar between the two soil textures. Root biomass increased and root quality (as indexed by C:N ratio) decreased across both chronosequences. An asymptote in the accumulation of N in roots in the silty clay loam chronosequence resulted in wider C:N ratios of roots than in the loamy fine sand chronosequence. Total soil C (TC) and microbial biomass C (MBC) increased across the silty clay loam chronosequence at 21.2 and 5.7 g C\·m\−2\·yr\−1, respectively, and contained \>6 times the amount of C in large macroaggregates and nearly 3 times the aggregate mean weighted diameter (MWD) relative to cultivated soil following 15 yrs of restoration. In contrast, there were no changes in TC, MBC, or MWD in the loamy fine sand chronosequence. Total and microbial biomass N increased at 2.0 and 0.27 g N\·m\−2\·yr\−1, respectively, across the silty clay loam chronosequence, and restored soil contained nearly 6 times large macroaggregate N than cultivated soil following 15 yrs of restoration. Potential net N mineralization rates declined with years of grass establishment in both soil textures, but overall rates were lower in the silty clay loam soil relative to the loamy fine sand, which was attributed to lower quality root systems, more improved soil structure, and larger microbial biomass. Thus, the potential for restored agricultural lands to mitigate CO2 emissions over the short term cannot be generalized across all soils. Lastly, the low restorative potential of cultivated loamy fine sand soil through grassland restoration within two decades (relevant to many conservation programs) underscores the need to prioritize preservation of remnant sand prairies.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1890/ES10-00004.1 }, url = {https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1890/ES10-00004.1}, author = {S.G. Baer and Meyer, C.K. and E.M. Bach and Klopf, R.P. and Six, J.} } @article {KNZ00798, title = {Life history, secondary production, and ecosystem significance of acridid grasshoppers in annually burned and unburned tallgrass prairie}, journal = {American Entomologist}, volume = {48}, year = {2002}, pages = {40 -49}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, author = {Meyer, C.K. and M.R. Whiles and Charlton, R.E.} } @article {KNZ00793, title = {Emergence of periodical cicadas (Magicicada cassini ) from a Kansas riparian forest: densities, biomass and nitrogen flux}, journal = {American Midland Naturalist}, volume = {145}, year = {2001}, pages = {176 -187}, abstract = {The 1998 emergence of 17-y periodical cicadas (Magicicada cassini) on Konza Prairie Research Natural Area (KPRNA), Kansas, was quantified using emergence trap transects and counts of emergence holes. Emergence density, biomass (emergence production) and associated nitrogen flux were estimated for the entire 100 ha gallery forest of Kings Creek, the major drainage network on KPRNA. Emergence commenced on 22 May 1998 and lasted for 24 d, with 87\% of the individuals emerging within the first 9 d. Males dominated early during the emergence, and the sex ratio for the entire population was estimated at 54:46 male:female. Average emergence abundance and biomass estimated from trap transects located in low areas where cicadas were most abundant were 152/m2 and 34.9 g ash-free dry mass (AFDM)/m2, respectively. Based on emergence hole counts, average density and biomass for the 59 ha of gallery forest where cicadas emerged were 27.2 individuals/m2 and 6.3 g AFDM/m2, and emergence hole densities >100/m2 were evident in low areas of the drainage. Emergence density generally decreased with increasing elevation in the catchment. Belowground to aboveground N flux associated with M. cassini emergence in high density areas was \~{}3 g N/m2, and the average for the entire emergence area was 0.63 g N/m2. The total number of individuals that emerged from the Kings Creek riparian forest was estimated at 19.6 million, which represents 4.6 metric tons AFDM and \~{}0.5 metric tons N. This linear, fragmented, gallery forest of the Flint Hills supports a high density of M. cassini, and an emergence event constitutes a significant belowground to aboveground flux of energy and nutrients. Thus, the periodical cicada may be an exception to the notion that insects generally do not represent important resource pools at the ecosystem level.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1674/0003-0031(2001)145[0176:EOPCMC]2.0.CO;2}, author = {M.R. Whiles and Callaham, M.A. and Meyer, C.K. and B. Brock and Charlton, R.E.} } @article {KNZ00724, title = {Feeding ecology and emergence production of annual cicadas (Homoptera: Cicadidae) in tallgrass prairie}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {123}, year = {2000}, pages = {535 -542}, abstract = {The emergence phenology and feeding ecology of annual cicadas in tallgrass prairie are poorly documented. However, these large insects are abundant, and their annual emergence represents a potentially important flux of energy and nutrients from belowground to aboveground. We conducted a study at Konza Prairie Research Natural Area in eastern Kansas to characterize and quantify cicada emergence and associated energy and nutrient fluxes. We established emergence trap transects in three habitat types (upland prairie, lowland prairie, and riparian forest), and collected cicadas every 3 days from May to September. A subset of trapped cicadas was used for species- and sex-specific mass, nutrient, and stable isotope analyses. Five species were trapped during the study, of which three were dominant. Cicadetta calliope and Tibicen aurifera exhibited significantly higher emergence production in upland prairie than in lowland prairie, and were not captured in forested sites at all. T. dorsata emerged from all three habitat types, and though not significant, showed a trend of greater abundance in lowland grasslands. Two less abundant species, T. pruinosa and T. lyricen, emerged exclusively from forested habitats. Nitrogen fluxes associated with total cicada emergence were estimated to be \~{}4 kg N ha{\textendash}1 year{\textendash}1 in both grassland habitats, and 1.01 kg N ha{\textendash}1 year{\textendash}1 in forested sites. Results of stable isotope analyses showed clear patterns of resource partitioning among dominant cicada species emerging from grassland sites. T. aurifera and C. calliope had δ13C and δ15N signatures indicative of feeding on shallowly rooted C4 plants such as the warm-season grasses dominant in tallgrass prairie ecosystems, whereas T. dorsata signatures suggested preferential feeding on more deeply rooted C3 plants.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, grassland, Insect emergence, Nutrient flux, resource partitioning, Stable isotopes}, doi = {10.1007/s004420000335}, author = {Callaham, M.A. Jr. and M.R. Whiles and Meyer, C.K. and B. Brock and Charlton, R.E.} } @mastersthesis {KNZ00742, title = {Life history and secondary production of grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in a Kansas tallgrass prairie}, volume = {MS Thesis}, year = {2000}, pages = {1 -90}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {M.S. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan, KS}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, tallgrass prairie}, author = {Meyer, C.K.} }