Population connectivity in voles (Microtus sp.) as a gauge for tall grass prairie restoration in midwestern North America

Ecological restoration can promote biodiversity conservation in anthropogenically fragmented habitats, but effectiveness of these management efforts need to be statistically validated to determine ’success.’ One such approach is to gauge the extent of recolonization as a measure of landscape permeability and, in turn, population connectivity. In this context, we estimated dispersal and population connectivity in prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster; N = 231) and meadow vole (M. pennsylvanicus; N = 83) within five tall-grass prairie restoration sites embedded within the agricultural matrix of midwestern North America. We predicted that vole dispersal would be constrained by the extent of agricultural land surrounding restored habitat patches, spatially isolating vole populations and resulting in significant genetic structure. We first employed genetic assignment tests based on 15 microsatellite DNA loci to validate field-derived species-designations, then tested reclassified samples with multivariate and Bayesian clustering to assay for spatial and temporal genetic structure. Population connectivity was further evaluated by calculating pairwise FST, then potential demographic effects explored by computing migration rates, effective population size (Ne), and average relatedness (r). Genetic species assignments reclassified 25% of initial field identifications (N = 11 M. ochrogaster; N = 67 M. pennsylvanicus). In M. ochrogaster population connectivity was high across the study area, reflected in little to no spatial or temporal genetic structure. In M. pennsylvanicus genetic structure was detected, but relatedness estimates identified it as kin-clustering instead, underscoring social behavior among populations rather than spatial isolation as the cause. Estimates of Ne and r were stable across years, reflecting high dispersal and demographic resilience. Combined, these metrics suggest the agricultural matrix is highly permeable for voles and does not impede dispersal. High connectivity observed confirms that the restored landscape is productive and permeable for specific management targets such as voles and also demonstrates population genetic assays as a tool to statistically evaluate effectiveness of conservation initiatives.

Microbiota in the Rhizosphere of Cereal Crops

Today, spelt wheat grain is used to produce high quality food. Intermediate wheatgrass is a promising crop for prairie restoration. One of the elements of biologization is the influence of growing crops on the microbiota of soil rhizosphere. The microbiota of spelt wheat and intermediate wheatgrass soil rhizosphere remains insufficiently studied. Aim. To study the number of individual groups of microbiota in dynamics in the rhizosphere of cereal crops (spelt wheat, intermediate wheatgrass) depending on the weather conditions and the phase of plants development. Methods. Classical microbiological, statistical methods were used in the work. In particular, the study of the number of microorganisms of different ecological and trophic groups (ammonifying, nitrifying, cellulolytic and nitrogen-fixing) was carried out according to generally accepted methods in soil microbiology. The reliability of the influence of factors was determined by the probability value «р» level which was calculated using STATISTICA 8 program. Results. The amount of ammonifying and cellulolytic microorganisms in the soil rhizosphere of spelt wheat is significantly higher compared to soft wheat. The rhizosphere microbiota amount of the intermediate wheatgrass on the 2–3 year of cultivation was more resistant to adverse environmental factors compared to soft wheat. The soil rhizosphere microbiota did not change a lot depending on the phase of plant development during the vegetation period of cereal crops (spelt wheat, intermediate wheatgrass). Conclusions. The formation of rhizosphere microbiota of spelt wheat and intermediate wheatgrass was first analyzed under the conditions of the Right-Bank forest-steppe of Ukraine. The conducted studies indicate the feasibility of growing and use of spelt wheat in breeding programs to create cultivars of soft wheat with higher activity of rhizosphere microbiota. The number of ammonifying, nitrifying and cellulolytic microorganisms of soil rhizosphere of intermediate wheatgrass was significantly higher compared to soft wheat during all growth stages. The conducted studies confirm the practical application of intermediate wheatgrass to preserve and increase soil fertility. Intermediate wheatgrass can be grown for up to three years in one field, as microbiological activity reaches its maximum development.

Effects of Incentives on Survey Response Rates in Two Rural Counties

Surveys of a general population have been a mainstay of leisure and recreation research methods. This study assesses the impact of two different pre-incentives on eliciting a survey response. Two counties with large federal prairie restoration projects and active municipal and county park districts were the study sites. Results show that residents whose pre-incentive was two $1 bills had a significantly higher response rate than residents with a pre-incentive of one $2 bill. With park operations being responsive to needs and preferences of residents, the most accurate representation of the general population of constituents is an important goal in any research effort. Given that pre-incentives have become a standard and sizeable portion of a survey’s budget, maximizing the effectiveness of the pre-incentive investment is a small, yet critical, part of connecting research to practice.

From the Ground Up: Prairies on Reclaimed Mine Land—Impacts on Soil and Vegetation

After strip mining, soils typically suffer from compaction, low nutrient availability, loss of soil organic carbon, and a compromised soil microbial community. Prairie restorations can improve ecosystem services on former agricultural lands, but prairie restorations on mine lands are relatively under-studied. This study investigated the impact of prairie restoration on mine lands, focusing on the plant community and soil properties. In southeast Ohio, 305 ha within a ~2000 ha area of former mine land was converted to native prairie through herbicide and planting between 1999–2016. Soil and vegetation sampling occurred from 2016–2018. Plant community composition shifted with prairie age, with highest native cover in the oldest prairie areas. Prairie plants were more abundant in older prairies. The oldest prairies had significantly more soil fungal biomass and higher soil microbial biomass. However, many soil properties (e.g., soil nutrients, β-glucosoidase activity, and soil organic carbon), as well as plant species diversity and richness trended higher in prairies, but were not significantly different from baseline cool-season grasslands. Overall, restoration with prairie plant communities slowly shifted soil properties, but mining disturbance was still the most significant driver in controlling soil properties. Prairie restoration on reclaimed mine land was effective in establishing a native plant community, with the associated ecosystem benefits.

Metapopulation connectivity in Voles (Microtus sp.) as a gauge for tallgrass prairie restoration in midwestern North America

Applying quantifiable metrics to validate the success of restoration efforts is crucial for ongoing management programs in anthropogenically fragmented habitats. Estimates of dispersal can provide such baseline data because they measure not only the extent to which restored patches are colonized and interconnected, but also their metapopulation source/sink dynamics. In this context, we estimated dispersal and population connectivity among prairie (Microtus ochrogaster; N=231) and meadow vole (M. pennsylvanicus; N=83), sampled from eight restored plots at five tallgrass prairie sites embedded within the agricultural matrix of midwestern North America. Our expectation was that extensive distances separating these restored habitats (i.e., 48–246 km) would spatially isolate vole metapopulations, resulting in significant genetic differentiation. We first used molecular taxonomy to validate the field-identifications of all sampled individuals, then used pairwise FST derived from 15 microsatellite DNA loci to estimate genetic connectivity among the species-delimited study populations. Metapopulation stability was gauged by assessing migration rates and deriving effective population sizes (Ne). We also calculated relatedness values (r) as a potential surrogate for contact in prairie vole, a primary vector for Lyme disease. Molecular species-assignments contravened field-identifications in 25% of samples (11 prairie/67 meadow) and identified two instances of species-hybridization (0.6%). Local effects (i.e., population crash/drought) were manifested at two sites, as documented by significant temporal declines in Ne and r. Overall, high migration rates and non-significant (10/15) pairwise FST values underscored elevated metapopulation connectivity. A single site that recorded five significant FST values also displayed significant r-values indicating the inadvertent sampling of closely related individuals. This highlights the close social groupings among cooperatively-breeding prairie vole that can exacerbate Lyme disease transmission. Thus, while elevated population connectivity aligns with prairie restoration goals, it also reinforces a need in adaptive management to evaluate environmental matrices for their permeability to vector-borne diseases.