Forest Fauna Research Articles

A multiscale approach to evaluate the structure of diversity of Collembola in boreo-nemoral forests of the Russian Plain

Collembola is a group of numerous ubiquitous small soil-dwelling arthropods decomposing the plant residues. The study analyses the diversity structure of this group in mesic conditions of coniferous, mixed, and broad-leaved forests. Sample plots were located in three Protected Areas in the Moscow Region (Losiny Ostrov National Park and the Valuyevsky Forest Park) and Smolensk Region (Smolenskoe Poozerye National Park). In total, 70 species of Collembola were registered in the forest litter. Two Collembola species were of Asian origin, namely Appendisotoma stebayevae (noted in Europe for the first time) and Vertagopus asiaticus (the second record of this species in the study area). The number of species was close to the number of genera, indicating the allochthonous character of the forest fauna of Collembola of the central Russian Plain. A multiscale approach was applied for sampling design. This allowed us to assess the diversity of Collembola at various spatial scales: from 1 m to hundreds of kilometres. The study scheme included two regions, four localities, 12 sample sites, and 36 plots; the latter was 1 m2 (the smallest area unit). The data analysis was based on the concept of alpha-beta diversity accompanied by the additive partitioning method. The region (the largest area unit) was the most important factor in forming the species diversity. The type of forest litter (coniferous vs. broad-leaved) was less significant; the habitat heterogeneity factor made even a less contribution. On average, 1 m2 of forest litter comprised about a quarter of the entire list of Collembola species in the studied forests. The species richness of Collembola in the broad-leaved forests was more variable in space and in time compared to coniferous forests and mixed forests; a transitional pattern was observed. The species composition of Collembola varied between the seasons of the year by about a quarter when considering the same sites of coniferous and mixed forests. In broad-leaved forests of various areas, seasonal changes in species composition varied highly, from very pronounced to insignificant. The new concept of plant litter traits is discussed as a factor for affecting the patterns of the structure and dynamics of the Collembola species diversity.

Trait-dependent responses of birds and bats to season and dry forest distance in tropical agroforestry

Agricultural expansion and intensification increasingly threaten birds and bats, especially insectivorous species from the tropics. Cacao agroforests in tropical rainforest areas have been shown to support higher bird and bat biodiversity than other land-use systems, but their suitability for tropical dry forest biodiversity remains unclear. We present the first assessment of bird and bat diversity patterns in cacao agroforests inside tropical dry forest landscapes. We investigated the response of bird and bat species richness and abundance to forest distance and season across 12 smallholder, organic cacao agroforests and adjacent tropical dry forests in the Peruvian lowlands of Piura. We found that insectivorous bird abundance and species richness increased with forest distance in the dry but not in the rainy season, indicating the value of cacao agroforests for these birds when resources are scarce in forests. In the case of bats, we observed more species in agroforests with increasing forest distance independent of season, and the abundance of insectivorous species increased along the gradient. Other dietary groups and forest specialists of both taxa did not vary notably across the forest distance gradient. Our findings point to the relevance of cacao agroforests as alternative habitats for insectivorous birds and bats in tropical dry forest landscapes, especially during the dry season. We suggest that the maintenance of wildlife friendly cacao agroforests, parallel to dry forest conservation and restoration, creates win-win situations for both the conservation of tropical dry forest fauna and the maintenance of related ecosystem services from which cacao smallholders may benefit.

BIODIVERSITY OF FRUIT-BEARING FOREST SPECIES IN THE PROTECTED LANDSCAPE "KONJUH"

UDK: 634.2:574.4]:502(497.6 “Konjuh“)
 The area of the protected landscape "Konjuh" is distinguished by quality forest ecosystems, featuring diverse fruit-bearing forest species, which contributes to the conservation of biodiversity of the protected landscape "Konjuh". The aim of the paper is to assess the state of biodiversity of fruit-bearing species in the forest ecosystems of the study area, with the emphasis on determining the genus richness as a basis for conservation (in/ex situ), breeding and economic use. During the vegetation season in 2015 and 2016, several relevés (phytosociological plot) were made in the Protected Landscape "Konjuh". The results of the research indicate the high level of variability for most of the species according to characteristics of biology, pomology, and ecology. The fruit trees, like the noble hardwood, are wild cherry, (Prunus avium L.), wild pear (Pyrus communis L.), wild apples (Malus sylvestris Mill.), Breccia (Torminalis clusii M. Roem.), Sorbus aria L. et all, Wild cherry, Vrapcarka (Prunus avium L.) is the most famous forest fruit grower, occurs as a single tree or in smaller groups (Noćajević, 2009). The benefits of fruit-bearing forest species are emphasized in the bloom and the fruiting time, when "decorated" forest provide a rich bee pasture and feeding nutriment for forest fauna (Orešković et al. 2006). Fruit-bearing Forest species are significant as the genera of the varieties and as a basis for the grafting for high-grade varieties. Also, they are important for humans from the aspect of ecology, nutrition, dietotherapy, pharmacology and bioenergy balance.

Fauna Biodiversity as Indicator of Mangrove Forest Health on Moti Island, Moti District, Ternate City

The health condition of mangrove forests can be determined by assessing forest health indicators. One of the indicators used in determining the health of mangrove forests is faunal biodiversity. Measurement of forest health is a step that can be taken to ensure forest functions and benefits. The study's objectives were to determine the composition of mangrove species and mangrove forest fauna (birds and epifauna), to determine the structure of the fauna community which includes species diversity and species dominance and to determine the health condition of mangrove forests on Moti Island, Ternate Island District. This research was conducted on Moti Island, Moti District, Ternate City, North Maluku Province for six months, April - September 2021. A Sampling of mangroves was carried out using the "spot check" method. Meanwhile, the method used to assess mangroves' health condition refers to the FHM (Forest Health Monitoring) method. There are nine species of mangrove, namely Rhizophora apiculata, Rhizophora stylosa, Rhizophora mucronata, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Sonneratia alba, Xylocarpus granatum, Avicennia offincinalis, A. marina and Nypa fruticans. While the composition of fauna species is as many as 18 species consisting of Epifauna (Gastropoda = 12 species, Bivalve = 2 species) and birds as many as four species. The diversity of mangrove forest fauna species in all research locations is moderate and no species dominate. The health status of mangrove forests, both Tafaga and Figur villages, has 60% good condition, 20% moderate and poor conditions.

An Ecological Review of Romanian Philatelic Postage Stamps in Relation to Forest Fruits

Forest products play a vital role in our lives in many ways we can imagine. Berries, for example, are still an important source of food, being of real use in defining a healthy diet and natural medicine. To show that there have been and still are concerns regarding the highlighting of the role of berries in the community, we set out, through this study, to analyze their entire Romanian philatelic history. Thus, through this study, we chose to index, analyze and highlight a series of philatelic issues, which appeared exclusively in Romania, since 1964, which make direct reference to berries. Most of the analyzed materials present the berries in the foreground, as independent postage stamps, but there are also exceptions to the rule. Some stamps capture only the theme tangentially, their illustration reflecting forest fauna species. Also, berries are treated both in direct relation to the fauna species that have berries as a preferential menu, and as part of another unique theme, medicinal plants. On all of this philatelic issues, we set out to make a brief presentation, going from postage stamps to first-day covers (FDCs) and then to maximum postcards and other circulated pieces.

DIVERSITY AND RESIDENTIAL STATUS OF WADER BIRDS AT HODAL IN PALWAL DISTRICT, IN HARYANA, INDIA.

Waders belonging to order Charadriiformes are commonly found along shorelines and mudats that wade in order to forage for food (such as insects or crustaceans) in the mud or sand. Bogs, marshes, mudats, shorelines, ponds, and ooded areas are all popular habitats for wading birds. The waders include storks, spoonbills, cranes, herons, egrets and ibises. They have certain physical and behavioural adaptations for living on or near water. Wading birds depend on water as a source of food, shelter, and nesting sites. Wading birds wade into shallow water to obtain food, instead of swimming and diving in water in search of feed that is not found on land. If we study the morphology of wading birds, they have lots of characteristics and adaptations that are useful in a watery habitat. Long legs of the wading birds help them to keep their feathers high and dry when wading into water in search of food. A long neck and a long bill are adaptations that make it possible to strike at prey while walking around on long legs. The benets of wading bird′s long, thin, spread-out toes are three-fold: toes help them to keep their balance and also help them to walk in mud without sinking. While walking in water and mushy mud, thin toes are easier to lift and set down. Spread-out toes also prevent them from sinking into soft mud in the water and at the water's edge, and above all those toes also disperse the weight of these big, tall birds, helping them keep their balance over their long legs. Waders are ecologically dependent on wetlands, as they provide good habitat to them for feeding, roosting, breeding, nesting, pre-migratory requirements, migration and protection from predators. So, wet lands plays an important part in the life cycle of wading birds. Wetlands have got highest capacity and are often extremely rich in bird and animal life. The present study aims at the assessment of diversity and residential status of wading birds in Yamuna basin near Hodal in Palwal District. It is located at 27°53′39″N and 77°22′09″E having an average elevation of 190 meters. Many ornithologists pay lots of their attention on eld study of birds during the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth century and till today many more are involved in the study of avian diversity near rivers. Avian fauna of Kalesar forests in immediate vicinity of River Yamuna in Yamuna-nagar District has been analysed by Kalsi (1998). Kulkarni et al.(2011) reported 151 species of birds from river Godavari; Balapureet al. (2012) reported 63 avian species from river Narmada. Other workers like Bahuguna(2008), Taketal.(2010), Gupta & Kaushik (2011), Gupta et.al(2012), Anupma et al (2014), Ankita et al (2019) have studied wetlands birds in various regions along the banks of rivers.

Изучение археозоологической коллекции городища Ашна-Пандо в Среднем Посурье

The article presents the results of processing of the archaeozoological collection from the excavations of the Ashna-Pando hillfort (Surskiy district of the Ulyanovsk region), carried out by P. D. Stepanov in 1949. The collection (2,760 bone fragments) belongs to three cultural layers identified at the site: the Fatyanovo-Balanovo culture of the Bronze Age, a specific local cultural group of the Early Iron Age and the Imenkovo culture of the late period of the Migrations era. It is the materials of the Migration period that are of the greatest interest. During that time, Ashna-Pando, in all likelihood, played the role of a local communal center — a place for meetings of the community. The collection of bones from the Imenkovo assemblage seems to reflect periodic joint meals rather than daily consumption. In general, the meat diet of the Imenkovo population, especially for the last period of the occupation of Ashna-Pando, was characterized by the increasing role of hunting for forest fauna, which, in combination with the finds of agricultural tools in Ashna-Pando as well as in other settlements of the Imenkovo in the Sura region, reflects the decisive role of slash-and-burn farming in the economic system.

Floral and Faunal Diversity in Sri Lankan Mangrove Forests: A Systematic Review

The paper gives a historical overview, and a summary of key findings from 70 previously published research papers giving scientific data over the years from 1980 to 2019. They concern the flora and/or fauna in the mangrove forests along the Sri Lankan coast, addressing diversity, taxonomy, distribution, and ecological interactions. A total of 28 mangrove floral species from 13 plant families have been reported so far. Similarly, faunal diversity studies have reported 99 invertebrates, dominated by Arthropoda (n = 55) and Mollusca (n = 26), and 214 vertebrates comprising Pisces (n = 112), Aves (n = 72), Reptilia (n = 13) and Amphibia (n = 2). Most studies have been concentrated on the Southwestern coast (nflora = 20, nfauna = 6). Negombo has been a hotspot for mangrove research, with a higher number of studies (nflora = 11, nfauna = 5). The majority of the mangrove studies were focused on mangrove floral diversity and taxonomy and were conducted over recent years (2010–2019). Scientific data on mangrove fauna is restricted to a certain geographical extent. This paper intends to identify the research gaps in the field of Sri Lankan mangroves regarding various aspects and suggests advancement in future studies. Overall, outputs from the present study would be helpful for upcoming researchers to focus more on filling the gaps in knowledge.

Longhorned woodboring beetles (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) from Cusuco National Park, Honduras: new species, new records, and revalidation

An ongoing study of the longhorned beetle fauna in the cloud forests of Cusuco National Park revealed multiple additions to the Honduran fauna. Four new species are described: Heterachthes caceresae sp. nov. (Cerambycinae, Neoibidionini), Oreodera kawasae sp. nov. (Lamiinae, Acrocinini), Phrynidius guifarroi sp. nov. (Lamiinae, Apomecynini), and Strangalia lunai sp. nov. (Lepturinae, Lepturini). Additionally, Lagocheirus parvulus Casey, 1913 (Lamiinae, Acanthocinini) is revalidated as Lagocheirus araneiformis parvulus Casey, 1913 (Lagochirus [sic]). We recorded Arixiuna varians (Bates, 1881) (Lamiinae, Hemilophini) for the first time for Honduras. These findings confirm how poorly the invertebrate biodiversity of cloud forests is documented and hints at the large number of species we are losing with the ongoing deforestation.

Identifying structural connectivity priorities in eastern Paraguay\u2019s fragmented Atlantic Forest

The Atlantic Forest of eastern Paraguay has experienced extensive recent deforestation. Less than one-third of the region is forested, and the remaining forest largely consists of isolated remnants with potentially disrupted connectivity for forest fauna. We used a graph theory approach to identify those forest remnants that are important in maintaining landscape structural connectivity for mammals in this fragmented forest. We quantified structural connectivity for forest remnants over the period 2000–2019 at three levels: the entire network of Atlantic Forest remnants in eastern Paraguay; at 10 smaller, nested spatial scales (40–10,000 m) encompassing a range of potential mammalian dispersal abilities; and at the level of individual remnants. We used 10 graph theory metrics to assess aspects of network complexity, dispersal-route efficiency, and individual remnant importance in supporting structural connectivity. We identified forest remnants that serve as important structural connectivity roles as stepping stones, hubs, or articulation points and that should be prioritized for connectivity conservation. Structural connectivity was constrained for organisms incapable of travelling at least 9–12 km (farthest distances between nearest-neighboring forest remnants depending on whether smaller remnants were included or not) and was particularly limited for area-sensitive forest-specialist mammals. With the increased forest loss and fragmentation that is occurring, the connectivity of this system will likely be further compromised, but most of the remnants that we identified as playing important roles for structural connectivity were outside of the country’s proposed “green corridor,” indicating additional areas where conservation action can be directed.

Resilience of epigeal spiders (Araneae) after clear-felling for agriculture in a Central African rainforest

Epigeal spiders were collected in five lowland rainforest habitats of the Masako Reserve (Kisangani, RD Congo): primary forest (>200 y. old), old secondary forest (± 80 y.), young secondary forest (40 y.), old fallow (12 y.) and young fallow (5 y.). The density and spatial distribution of spider populations were estimated by means of nocturnal distance sampling performed in all habitats except young secondary forest, and by pitfall trapping, applied in all five habitats. The epigeal spiders of the Masako forest belong to 62 species in 25 families. The most frequent families are Ctenidae, Lycosidae, and Sparassidae in the distance samples, and Zodariidae, Salticidae, and Corinnidae in the pitfalls. The density of the Ctenidae increases in an ascending sequence from 0.007 ind. m-2 in young fallow to 0.103 ind. m-2 in primary forest. For Lycosidae the sequence is inversed. They are by far the most common in young fallow (0.028 ind. m-2) and virtually absent in primary forest. Typical forest spiders, absent from open habitats, are common in old fallow which means that after 12 years, the typical forest fauna is already re-established. Only the young fallow fauna is clearly different from that of the other habitats, which confirms the high resilience and recolonization potential of epigeal spiders.

Intra-annual activity patterns of terrestrial isopods are tempered in forest compared to open habitat

Forests exhibit lower inter-seasonal climatic variation compared to open landscape types. Because fauna activity is influenced by a site's microclimate, we expect these more stable conditions translate into smaller intra-annual variation in activity patterns of soil fauna in forests. We assessed differences in activity of terrestrial isopods across more open (open landscape and anthropogenic habitat) and closed (forest) habitat based on recent field observations in Belgium. We related the species detectability chance (as a proxy for activity) to monthly average temperatures to establish linear relationships. The slopes of these relationships are combined in a meta-analytical model to investigate how species' responses relate to habitat type. We found that terrestrial isopod activity was more tempered in forests than in open landscape habitats, suggesting that climate stability in forests leads to more stable levels of terrestrial isopod activity. We also found that activity patterns in anthropogenic habitat are tempered compared to open landscape habitat but highly variable and more research is needed to unravel underlying mechanisms.

Preface

This special issue of ZooKeys celebrates the memory of Dr. Terry Lee Erwin (1940-2020), who was the founding Editor of this journal. Terry was also a preeminent systematist specializing in the beetle family Carabidae, as well as one of the world’s principal authorities on the biodiversity crisis, especially in relation to the canopy fauna of tropical forests. His contributions as a practicing scientist, an educator and a public advocate for insect natural history were enormous. His unexpected passing in May 2020 was a significant loss to students of the Carabidae and to the worldwide community interested in understanding the biological diversity of Neotropical forests. In this volume we showcase his influence on others, both through a set of scientific papers that reflect the breadth of that influence, and a series of personal memories offered by people who worked and interacted with Terry. That influence includes both the direct impacts of his own scientific work and the unusual level of encouragement and generous support that he provided to others who pursued work on carabid beetles. The volume begins with a short biography of Dr. Erwin, emphasizing his connections to the New World tropics and the genesis of his work on the beetles that live there, followed by a general summary of his scientific accomplishments and the legacy that he leaves behind to support and encourage work in the areas that he touched. The work closes with a view of his most central work as a taxonomist by listing the genera and species that he described, and the taxa named in his honour by others in recognition of his influence on the field. This volume was made possible through the generous support of Pensoft Publishers. The Editors sincerely thank all contributors and the highly competent staff of ZooKeys for their efforts in producing this memorial to our friend, colleague and exemplary systematist.

Nature Ideas Exchange: Education of Sustainable Business Principles Based on Parallels with Forest Ecosystem

Arne Næss considered nature the best source of knowledge and regarded the economists as morally responsible for the ecological crisis. Therefore, this research focused on students of economic fields at the university level. The experimental group (n = 236) led by a teacher-as-researcher completed a Business Economic course by forest workshops for one semester because the sustainability principles can be very well explained and observed on examples of forest fauna and flora and then applied in managerial practice. Many similarities were found between forest and business principles (optimal growth rate, teamwork, cooperation models, parasitism). This paper aimed to identify if students’ proficiency in applying sustainable mindset from a forest ecosystem to practice increased. The achievement test compared outcomes of the experimental and control group (n = 190) of students. Based on statistical testing, it can be stated that the experimental intervention led to better results compared to the control group. For issues in which no suitable parallel with the forest ecosystem was found and were therefore explained according to the textbook, group (E) did not perform better than group (C). The methodology is based on qualitative and quantitative research, a mixed-methods approach.

Responses of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) to tree retention groups of various sizes support leaving them in clear-cut areas

The value of leaving tree retention groups (TRGs) in clear-cuts has been verified in the last 30 years on the basis of the responses of various organisms, including carabid beetles. Most such research in Europe has been conducted in the Fennoscandian taiga. However, there is a lack of such studies of TRGs in the lowland temperate pine forests of Central Europe. Therefore I conducted a follow-up of carabid beetles in TRGs over the first three years after clear-cutting. The treatments were TRGs of different sizes, i.e. large (0.07 ha), medium (0.05 ha) and small (0.02 ha), together with the surrounding space in the clear-cuts and the neighboring control, i.e. mature unharvested pine stands. There were 3 sites, each with 6 TRGs (2 TRGs in each of the 3 size). (1) The rarefied species number, abundance and percentage of small zoophages in the assemblages inhabiting the control stands and TRGs were similar. (2) The proportion of forest fauna was higher in the assemblages inhabiting the control stands than in the TRGs, which was associated with colonization of TRGs by non-forest fauna and by the dominance it achieved. (3) Between the first and second year, the rarefied species number increased in the control stands and in the largest TRGs. (4) As the distance from the TRGs increased, the abundance and percentages of individuals representing small zoophages and forest species decreased, while the percentage of hemizoophages, generalists and open-habitat species increased. (5) In successive years there was a decrease in the proportion of forest fauna in the clearing and an increase in the rarefied species number, abundance, and proportion of individuals representing large zoophages and open-habitat species. (6) In the first two years of the study the carabid assemblages living in the control stands and those in the large TRGs were the most similar. (7) At the species level, Carabus violaceus was characteristic of large TRGs, and Amara consularis of small TRGs. Harpalus latus was a species characteristic of the area of the clearing furthest from the TRGs. In contrast with other research, I conclude that even such small TRGs as the ones I studied provide support for forest carabids in the first few years after clear-cutting. However, among the three sizes of TRGs, the largest ones (0.07 ha) offer the best protection for forest fauna. It is important to leave several such TRGs in the clear-cut area to form an archipelago of “habitat islands” facilitating the movement and survival of forest species.

From Phenology and Habitat Preferences to Climate Change: Importance of Citizen Science in Studying Insect Ecology in the Continental Scale with American Red Flat Bark Beetle, Cucujus clavipes, as a Model Species

Simple SummaryStudies of widely distributed species often are problematic as such research usually needs to engage a lot of time, a large team of field workers, and big financial support before good quality data will be collected. Citizen scientists allow to study different aspects of species biology and ecology with significantly reduced basic operational costs of such studies. Based on the data deposited in the iNaturalist database, we studied the ecology of the American flat bark beetle in the entire area of its species range. The results clearly show high value of citizen science, particularly in studies focused on habitat preferences and phenology in both recognized subspecies of this taxon.The American red flat bark beetle, Cucujus clavipes, is a wide distributed saproxylic species divided into two subspecies: ssp. clavipes restricted to eastern regions of North America and ssp. puniceus occurring only in western regions of this continent. Unique morphological features, including body shape and body coloration, make this species easy to recognize even for amateurs. Surprisingly, except some studies focused on physiological adaptations of the species, the ecology of C. clavipes was almost unstudied. Based on over 500 records collected by citizen scientists and deposited in the iNaturalist data base, we studied phenological activity of adult beetles, habitat preferences and impact of future climate change for both subspecies separately. The results clearly show that spp. clavipes and ssp. puniceus can be characterized by differences in phenology and macrohabitat preferences, and their ranges do not overlap at any point. Spp. clavipes is found as more opportunistic taxon occurring in different forests as well as in urban and agricultural areas with tree vegetation always in elevations below 500 m, while elevational distribution of ssp. puniceus covers areas up to 2300 m, and the beetle was observed mainly in forested areas. Moreover, we expect that climate warming will have negative influence on both subspecies with the possible loss of proper niches at level even up to 47–70% of their actual ranges during next few decades. As the species is actually recognized as unthreatened and always co-occurs with many other species, we suggest, because of its expected future habitat loss, to pay more attention to conservationists for possible negative changes in saproxylic insects and/or forest fauna in North America. In addition, as our results clearly show that both subspecies of C. clavipes differ ecologically, which strongly supports earlier significant morphological and physiological differences noted between them, we suggest that their taxonomical status should be verified by molecular data, because very probably they represent separate species.

How the loss of forest fauna undermines the achievement of the SDGs

The human-driven loss of biodiversity has numerous ecological, social, and economic impacts at the local and global levels, threatening important ecological functions and jeopardizing human well-being. In this perspective, we present an overview of how tropical defaunation—defined as the disappearance of fauna as a result of anthropogenic drivers such as hunting and habitat alteration in tropical forest ecosystems—is interlinked with four selected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We discuss tropical defaunation related to nutrition and zero hunger (SDG 2), good health and well-being (SDG 3), climate action (SDG 13), and life on land (SDG 15). We propose a range of options on how to study defaunation in future research and how to address the ongoing tropical defaunation crisis, including but not limited to recent insights from policy, conservation management, and development practice.

Impact of logging on the biodiversity and composition of flora and fauna in the mangrove forests of Bintuni Bay, West Papua, Indonesia

The mangrove ecosystem of Bintuni Bay, West Papua, Indonesia is one of the largest in the world covering more than 250,000 ha. In the southern part of the bay, ± 82,120 ha of mangroves and surrounding area is managed and harvested under a 30-year rotation cycle to produce wood chips, with strict compliance to sustainable forest management standards. Flora and fauna have been continuously monitored for a period of 10 years (2009–2018), to assess the effectiveness of environmental management programs on the biological aspect. Mangrove flora and fauna recorded in the area comprise 28 true mangrove species representing 11 families along with 103 birds (40 families), 9 reptiles (6 families) and 7 mammals (5 families). Results confirm previous studies that secondary mangrove forest shows significant growth and recovery, with 5 true mangrove species consistently becoming dominant species in primary and secondary mangrove forest. Logging on mangroves significantly impacted the biodiversity of flora as Rhizopora apiculata become more dominant in secondary forest covering 69% of total species composition. Abundance and diversity of fauna in secondary forest was higher in younger forests as compared to older stands. About 18% of total fauna individual was categorized as keystone species. Fauna composition was not significantly impacted by logging most likely due to the abundance of habitat (untouched forest) remaining in the surrounding harvest area. With appropriate environmental management programs, impact of logging on mangrove forest can be minimized and the ecosystem could be restored effectively to provide adequate habitat for flora and fauna.

Long-Term Empirical Studies Highlight Multiple Drivers of Temporal Change in Bird Fauna in the Wet Forests of Victoria, South-Eastern Australia

Birds are high profile elements of the vertebrate biota in almost all terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Many studies have uncovered evidence of a decline in bird biodiversity, but temporal patterns of change vary among ecosystems and among bird species with different life history traits. Ecosystem-specific, long-term studies are critical for identifying patterns of temporal change in bird biodiversity and the drivers of that change. Here we present a case study of drivers of temporal change in the bird fauna of the Mountain Ash and Alpine Ash eucalypt forests of south-eastern Australia. Using insights from observational studies and experiments conducted over the past 18 years, we discuss the direct and interactive effects of fire and logging on birds. The extent and severity of wildfires have major negative effects on almost all bird species, and have persisted for more than a decade after the last major conflagration (in 2009). Logging has markedly different effects on birds than those quantified for fire, and may have resulted in elevated levels of site occupancy in remaining uncut areas in the landscape. Both fire and logging have led to marked losses in the extent of old growth forest in Mountain Ash and Alpine Ash ecosystems. This is a concern given the strong association of most species of birds with old forest relative to younger age cohorts. Based on an understanding of the effects of fire and logging as drivers of change, we propose a series of inter-related management actions designed to enhance the conservation of avifauna in Mountain Ash and Alpine Ash ecosystems. A particular focus of management must be on increasing the interval between fires and limiting the spatial extent of wildfires and, in turn, significantly expanding the extent of old growth forest. This is because old growth forest is where most bird species are most likely to occur, and in the event of future wildfires, where fire severity will be lowest. Expansion of the old growth estate will require commercial logging operations to be excluded from large parts of Mountain Ash and Alpine Ash forests.

Tree species and microhabitat affect forest bog spider fauna

Peat bogs are among the most threatened habitats in Central Europe. They are characterized by stagnant water with low pH and lower nutrient content compared to the surrounding habitats. The flora and fauna of peat bogs comprised of many habitat specialist and rare species. We explored the differences in spider fauna of European spruce and Scots pine forests. Furthermore, we assessed the effect of microhabitat diversity in the bog forests of the Poiana Stampei peat bog complex, Bucovina, Romania. We collected numerous rare and cold-adapted species. .We found a strong effect of forest type, presumably due to the different microclimatic conditions of the forests. European spruce forests had lower species richness of ground-dwelling fauna than Scots pine forests; however, we found contradictory results for vegetation-dwelling species richness. Hummocks had a more positive effect on the ground-dwelling spiders of Scots pine than in European spruce forests, presumably due to the more open structure of sphagnum hummocks than ground level. However, this effect was negative for vegetation dwellers. The cold-adapted species with restricted ranges are vulnerable to climate change, and bogs may serve as important micro-refugia for them. Central European bogs are isolated and highly threatened by anthropogenic activities, such as drainage, peat extraction, and eutrophication. The deterioration habitat quality of peat bogs will result in a significant loss in the regional species pool of the Carpathians.