A survey of invertebrate fauna in tall grass prairie restorations in South Dakota: using ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as indicators of restoration success

The diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) specialized in northern tall grass prairies is not fully established. Further, the role of ants in determining success in prairie restoration needs understanding. Our objectives with this project are: 1) establish a record of species occurrence and document ant community structure and composition in tall grass prairies of eastern South Dakota; 2) determine if community composition differs between remnant and reconstructed tall grass prairies; 3) determine if diversity of planting affects community structure and composition; and 4) test and develop a quick survey method using ants as bio-indicators of relative success in the restoration of tall grass prairies. Three sampling methods were used to determine community structure and composition: sweep-nets, pitfall traps, and ramp traps. At least 32 species of ants were historically recorded in the three county area sampled. Data were taken from among remnant prairie and 1, 2, and 3 year-old restorations. Sites were compared for abundance, species richness to provide a comparison of different aged restorations to remnant native prairie reference sites. Our data add information on ant diversity in native grassland prairie remnants, and provide new data on ant diversity in the reconstructed tall grass prairies of the northern Great Plains. Further, we provide a baseline to assess faunal responses to habitat changes due to catastrophic disturbance events and the potential use of ants as indicators in future prairie restoration programs.