2020 Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

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Presentation Type

Presentation (UNI Access Only)

Document Type

powerpoint slides

Keywords

Prairie animals--Iowa--Cedar Falls--Habitat; Biodiversity--Iowa--Cedar Falls;

Abstract

Many beneficial insect species are known pollinators, while other species serve as a natural pest control. Both of these functions are vital to agricultural success. Most agricultural fields contain a monoculture of crops with few areas of natural prairies for native insect species. We are exploring how prairie age and floral content impact the diversity of insects, in order to encourage the growth of habitat for insects around agricultural lands. In 2020, we surveyed three prairies of different ages: 16-years-old, 13-years-old, and the youngest one being 10-years-old. In each prairie habitat, we netted for bees and other insects in two plots. We hypothesized that the older, more established prairie with high floral diversity, would have a more diverse insect and bee community as well. Our initial results indicated that the youngest and oldest prairies had no significant differences in insect family richness. The results indicated that the youngest plot did have significantly higher family richness than the middle-aged plot. Our results suggest that the age of a prairie is not the biggest factor to determine insect diversity. Rather, the density of floral species in a prairie seems to play a bigger role in cultivating more diverse insect populations.

Start Date

31-7-2020 1:00 PM

End Date

31-7-2020 3:30 PM

Event Host

Summer Undergraduate Research Program, University of Northern Iowa

Faculty Advisor

Ai Wen

Department

Department of Biology

Department

Tallgrass Prairie Center

File Format

application/pdf

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Jul 31st, 1:00 PM Jul 31st, 3:30 PM

Insect Community Diversity On Campus Prairies With Different Ages

Many beneficial insect species are known pollinators, while other species serve as a natural pest control. Both of these functions are vital to agricultural success. Most agricultural fields contain a monoculture of crops with few areas of natural prairies for native insect species. We are exploring how prairie age and floral content impact the diversity of insects, in order to encourage the growth of habitat for insects around agricultural lands. In 2020, we surveyed three prairies of different ages: 16-years-old, 13-years-old, and the youngest one being 10-years-old. In each prairie habitat, we netted for bees and other insects in two plots. We hypothesized that the older, more established prairie with high floral diversity, would have a more diverse insect and bee community as well. Our initial results indicated that the youngest and oldest prairies had no significant differences in insect family richness. The results indicated that the youngest plot did have significantly higher family richness than the middle-aged plot. Our results suggest that the age of a prairie is not the biggest factor to determine insect diversity. Rather, the density of floral species in a prairie seems to play a bigger role in cultivating more diverse insect populations.