We Built It; Did They Come? Pollinator Diversity and Community Structure in a Post-Mining Prairie Restoration Project

ABSTRACT

More than 2.5 million hectares have been impacted by coal mining in the Appalachian region of the United States. Revegetation to forested cover is a desirable post-mining land use but is often impractical given the challenges of reforestation on abandoned coal mines. Considering a prospective pollination crisis and the potential value of habitat restoration for pollinators, prairie restoration on mine lands offers a practical restoration option. We tested the effect of native prairie restoration in comparison to traditional reclamation with non-native cool-season grassland on pollinator richness, diversity, and community structure at three mined sites in southeastern Ohio. Rather than treatment level effects, we found correlations between overall floral and pollinator richness and beta diversity, as well as varied pollinator diversity and distinct community composition by month. Therefore, judicious design of prairie restoration seed mixes could increase floral diversity and provide across-season forage for pollinators in post-mining landscapes. Our findings also suggest, by the presence of several specialist/uncommon pollinators, that prairie restorations on coal mines can provide habitat for at-risk pollinators.