DOI: 10.5061/dryad.4ft7n
title: Data from: Birds and butterflies respond to soil-induced habitat heterogeneity in experimental plantings of tallgrass prairie species managed as agroenergy crops in Iowa, USA

description: 1. The maintenance of habitat heterogeneity in agricultural landscapes has
 been promoted as a key strategy to conserve biodiversity. Animal response
 to grassland heterogeneity resulting from spatiotemporal variation in
 disturbance is well documented; however, the degree to which edaphic
 variation generates heterogeneity detectable by grassland wildlife has
 proven more difficult to study in natural settings. 2. We conducted a
 field experiment to study how soils directly affect vegetation structure
 and composition and indirectly affect bird and butterfly assemblages using
 plantings of tallgrass prairie species managed as agroenergy crops in
 Iowa, USA. The experimental design included four vegetation treatments of
 varying species richness replicated on three soil types. 3. Habitat
 characteristics varied widely among soils. Crops on sandy loam, the
 driest, most acidic soil with the lowest nutrient content, developed
 shorter, less dense vegetation with sparse litter accumulation and more
 bare ground compared to crops on loam and clay loam. 4. Birds and
 butterflies responded similarly to soil-induced variation in habitat
 characteristics. Their abundance and species richness were similar on all
 soils, but their assemblage compositions varied among soils in certain
 vegetation treatments. 5. In low-diversity grass crops, bird assemblages
 using sandy loam were dominated by species preferring open ground and
 sparse vegetation for foraging and nesting, whereas assemblages using loam
 and clay loam were dominated by birds preferring tall, dense vegetation
 with abundant litter. In high-diversity prairie crops, the species
 composition of forbs in bloom varied among soils and strongly influenced
 butterfly assemblages. 6. Synthesis and applications. Prairie agroenergy
 crops established with identical management practices developed variable
 habitat characteristics due to natural edaphic variation, and this
 heterogeneity influenced the spatial distribution of bird and butterfly
 assemblages due to differential habitat use among species. This finding
 suggests that if unfertilized prairie crops were grown for agroenergy by
 land managers large-scale, soil-induced habitat heterogeneity would
 promote wildlife diversity within and among fields, further increasing the
 habitat value of these crops compared to the fertilized, annual
 monocultures that currently dominate the agricultural landscape. Our study
 also highlights the need for managers to consider soil properties when
 selecting sites to restore grassland habitat for species of conservation
 concern.
description: Soil, vegetation, bird,
 and butterfly dataData from Myers, M.C.,
 J.T. Mason, B.J. Hoksch, C.A. Cambardella, J.D. Pfrimmer (2015) Birds and
 butterflies respond to soil-induced habitat heterogeneity in experimental
 plantings of tallgrass prairie species managed as agroenergy crops in
 Iowa, USA. Journal of Applied Ecology. This Excel file includes separate
 sheets containing the soil, vegetation, and bird and butterfly assemblage
 data analyzed in the paper. Four-letter column labels for species
 abundances are derived from the first two letters of the genus and species
 names (e.g. Chondestes grammacus = "chgr"). Species lists are
 available from the online Supporting Information. Please contact Mark
 Myers (mark.myers@uni.edu) with inquiries.JournalAppliedEcology_Myersetal_DryadData.xlsx