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prairie insects and fire

Prairie diversity enthusiasts:

There has been a lively discussion about prairie insects and fire going on
at the Iowa native plants list. I hope to widen the circle to this list.

The discussion concerns the benefits and possible damage to  invertebrates
through burning. People seem to pretty much agree that soil-nesting kinds
have a good degree of protection from fire, and that they may even be
favored by burning. Some questions that have come up are: 

How do different burning regimes, especially seasonality and intensity
factors, conserve invertebrates while still benefitting the overal
community?

Do effective management alternatives to burning exist which can be used
alone or in alternation with burning to conserve insects?

Are effects different in different parts of the prairie ecoregion?

Are there conservative invertebrates in prairie plantings (reconstructed
prairie vegetation) worth worrying about, or does this concern deal only
with remnants?

Just because a prairie looks good to us after burning, does that mean it is
really in the peak of it health and expression of its overall, especially
invertebrate animal diversity?

I welcome your comments on these and related issues.

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