Recovery of soil characteristics and soil invertebrate communities following wet meadow restoration

The Platte River has experienced severe anthropogenic modifications, with damming and water diversions leading to reduced flows, modified hydroperiods, and reduced sediment transportation. The reduced hydroperiod within floodplain ecosystems of the Platte River has allowed 75–80% of the regional wet meadows to be converted to agriculture and developments or to transition to an altered stable state (e.g. forest). To address this, conservation organizations have restored wet meadow sites using techniques such as soil recontouring, tree removal, and reseeding. While conservation efforts have been implemented in this region for decades, evaluation is necessary to determine progress and inform future management. Therefore, we compared abiotic features (i.e. relative soil ammonium and soil moisture) and soil invertebrate communities between native ( n = 54), rehabilitated ( n = 11), and reconstructed ( n = 14) wet meadows along the Platte River during the summers of 2020–2022. This study demonstrates that rehabilitated and reconstructed sites differ from native sites in key categories such as relative soil ammonium and soil bulk density. In general, restored and reconstructed sites had significantly greater elevations relative to the riverbed than native wet meadows, resulting in reduced hydrologic connectivity. The invertebrate communities of native sites also showed significant differences from those of restored and reconstructed sites, with native sites having greater average richness and containing greater biomass of key invertebrate taxa (Armadillidiidae and Elateridae). These results indicate that restoration practices have aligned some features of native, restored, and reconstructed wet meadow sites, but significant differences between their biotic and abiotic communities remain.