The importance of forest islands for invertebrate biodiversity: a case study in Western Poland

Abstract

The importance of forest islands for invertebrate biodiversity: a case study in Western Poland Ecological landscape studies are carried out concerning the ecosystem biocenosis restore and conservation and to define the ecological terms like "ecosystem services" which have increasingly caught the interest of both environmental researchers and policy makers. Ecosystems, if properly protected and maintained, provide a wide array of valuable services to humans, ranging from the air purification by carbon sequestration to preserve biodiversity of natural capital. The agricultural landscape predominating in Western and Central Europe occupies a significant place in Poland deciding, to a large extent, about the quality of the whole natural environment. Forest island studies were carried out in the agricultural landscape of Western Poland, 15 km north-east of Poznań town. Ten forest islands of varying size (from 0.5 ha to 1.5 ha) were investigated. Flora and plant communities of small forests were examined and 58 plant associations were found. Small areas of forest islands became the refuges of forest plant species and invertebrate fauna in an agricultural landscape. Differentiation, number and domination structure of invertebrate fauna (Acari, Araneae, Apoidea and Curculionidae) were studied. The studied forest islands provide suitable conditions for survival and reproduction of many animal species, and for other accidental species which use these areas for feeding or as a temporary shelter.