Invertebrate Communities Associated with Three Early Phases of a Prairie Restoration Project

While specific invertebrate groups have been studied in prairie restorations, there are few studies that look at terrestrial invertebrate assemblages. We surveyed invertebrates in three phases of plant restoration that were part of a larger restoration project. This cross-sectional study of invertebrate recovery at two, four and five years post-restoration shows there was no overall difference in invertebrate taxa richness and diversity between restoration phases. Overall abundance was greatest in the most recently restored area. Richness, diversity and abundance of six functional groups did not differ. The conclusion is that all phases are still characterized by pioneer invertebrate assemblages, and development to more diverse and richer assemblages might take more than five years in prairie restoration projects. The new and unexpected finding was that the reestablishment of invertebrate assemblages was not closely tied to vegetation restoration. The