Reports of declining insect populations suggest that more research focusing on this phenomenon is needed, especially in pollinator insects. Climate change, habitat destruction, and usage of certain pesticides have all been implicated in insect decline. Neonicotinoid pesticides are highly toxic to bees, can have drastic sub-lethal effects on behavior, and are persistent in the environment; likewise, they have been implicated as a major factor affecting bee populations. However, there are limited studies on native bees regarding their interactions with neonicotinoids, even regarding simple questions such as exposure levels. In this study, we aimed to assess concentrations of common neonicotinoids in native bees and soils from a threatened habitat in our region, the Black Belt Prairie, by using a modified QuEChERS LC/MS-MS protocol. Our results showed that specific taxa of native bees- Bombus spp., Xylocopa spp., and Mellissodes spp. (Family: Apidae)- were exposed to neonicotinoids. In contrast, no concentration of neonicotinoids was detected in our soil samples.

The relationship of ant community composition to various habitat characteristics is compared across four habitat types and 12 environmental variables in Mississippi. The four habitat types include pasture, prairie, and oak-hickory forests in the Black Belt and forests in the Flatwoods physiographic region. Ants were sampled using pitfall traps, litter sampling, baiting and hand collecting. A total of 20,916 ants representing 68 species were collected. NMS and ANCOVA both revealed three distinct ant communities (pasture, prairie, and ?forests?) based on species composition and mean ant abundance per habitat type between the four habitat types. Principal component analysis (PCA) partitioned the 12 environmental variation into four axes with eigenvalues >1. Axis 1 differentiated open grass-dominated habitats from woodlands. In contrast axis two mainly separated pastures from prairie remnants. Multiple regression models using the four significant PCA axes revealed that total species richness was significantly affected by variation in the first two PCA axes. Forested sites supported approximately nine more species of ants than prairies and 21 more than pastures. Comparisons of the abundance of ant functional groups were also made between the four habitat types with multiple regression models to investigate how the environmental variables affected certain groups of ants. Annotated notes are included for each ant species encountered during this study.

Prairie bromegrass is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass with potential as a valuable forage crop in the southeastern USA. The objective of this study was to compare dry matter production, persistence, nutritive value, and beef cattle grazing preference of two experimental lines and a commercial species (cv. Matua) of prairie bromegrass. Plots were established in a randomized complete block design with four replications. When each plot accumulated at least 20 cm of growth, plots were grazed with Hereford x Angus steers at a stocking rate of 8400 kg/ha until the first plot was grazed down to 7 cm in height. Pre- and post-grazing quadrats were taken for DM and animal preference estimation and nutrient analyses. No differences in nutritive value or grazing preference were seen among species. Treatment interactions were observed for DM production and persistence. The results suggest that there are differences in growth traits among the bromegrass species observed.

One knowledge gap hindering prairie restoration is uncertainty about when a restored prairie communities sufficiently resemble remnant prairie. I surveyed plant communities in remnant prairies, prairies > 5 years post-restoration, and prairies ≤ 5 years post-restoration in Mississippi. Remnants had the greater species richness. Restored prairies had less cover of woody plants and forbs but greatest non-natives. Restored prairies were not similar to remnant prairies (similarity index = 28.9 - 25.9%), primarily because restored prairies had fewer prairie forbs. Thus, restoration may take decades. Transplanting locallyapted prairie forbs into restored prairies may accelerate restoration, but this has not been evaluated adequately. I transplanted a prairie forb (Liatris pycnostachya) into prepared beds, oldields, and restored prairies. Prepared beds had greater growth and seed production, but survival and flowering was high in oldields and restored prairies. Augmenting restored prairies with locallyapted forbs has promise for accelerating prairie restoration.

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