Abstract Background Disturbance is a natural part of all ecosystems and often creates a balance of resistance-resilience among taxa. Grassland ecosystems, and in particular tallgrass prairie, are model systems for studying the outcomes of disturbance regime shifts because they are disturbance-dependent (i.e., maintained by fire, grazing, or climate). The effects of changing disturbance regimes, such as fire frequency in mesic grasslands, are often assessed based on one or a few taxa. However, to support diverse management goals, land managers must consider the effects of their choices on many taxa. In this study, we addressed this gap using a meta-analysis of 37 studies from tallgrass prairie to assess the effects of different fire frequencies on arthropods, birds, plants, small mammals, and soil properties (referred to here as ecological factors) and the interactive effects of fire frequency and grazing, another important disturbance. Results As expected, the abundance and diversity of taxa were affected by different fire frequencies. However, the directionality of the change varied among taxonomic groups, indicating that there is no “one-size-fits-all” fire-management strategy in tallgrass prairie. Annual fires promoted small mammal abundance but decreased plant abundance and diversity. Meanwhile, intermediate fire frequencies promoted plant abundance but at the cost of plant diversity, arthropod abundance, and soil total carbon and nitrogen. Grazing promoted plant abundance while reducing arthropod and obligate grassland-bird abundance. Conclusions Our study revealed research gaps, with critical data missing from small mammals, birds, soil properties, and eastern tallgrass prairie. However, quantifying the differential responses of ecological factors to fire frequency, as we did here, can inform tallgrass prairie management strategies, providing an example of the potential for land managers to manipulate disturbance frequencies to meet diverse management goals. We outline the important tradeoffs associated with management strategies using fire frequency and highlight the potential for fire to be used in unison with grazing to create a more heterogeneous landscape conducive to tallgrass prairie. Multi-taxonomic syntheses like this one are needed for land managers and ecologists to harness the power of prescribed fire in order to increase grassland sustainability and health worldwide.
Bloodworth et al. (Sat,) studied this question.