Insect Richness Research Articles

Effects of nitrogen inputs and mowing on the abundance and species richness of herbivorous insects in a meadow steppe.

To reveal the effects of nitrogen (N) inputs and mowing on the abundance and richness of insect community in meadow steppe, we investigated the abundance and diversity of herbivorous insects under four treatments in Inner Mongolia meadow steppe in August 2022, including control, N addition, mowing, and combined N addition and mowing. At a long-term control experimental platform, we collected insects using the vacuum sampling method. The results showed that N addition significantly increased the abundance of herbivorous insects, and mowing significantly decreased the abundance of herbivorous insects. Nitrogen addition significantly increased insect abundance in unmown condition but not in the mown condition. The responses of insect abundance at the community level to N addition were mainly driven by the dominant groups, Cicadellidae and Lygaeidae, which was affected by the abundance of Gramineae species. In contrast, their responses to mowing were the opposite. Both N addition and mowing did not affect the diversity of herbivorous insects. Our results indicated that the responses of herbivorous insect abundance to N inputs and mowing were directly regulated by food resources. With increasing food resource availability, the abundance but not the diversity of herbivorous insects increased, with stronger responses of dominant groups than subordinate ones.

A Note on Diversity of Aquatic Insects in Rivers of Royal Belum State Park, Perak

Royal Belum State Park is one of the oldest, protected and pristine land masses that joins hundreds of small tributaries that feed Lake Temenggor. A scientific expedition was conducted, and the diversity of aquatic insects was studied. Five rivers namely Sungai Ta Ng, Sungai Papan, Sungai Gen, Sungai Ruok and Sungai Rambutan were chosen. A kick-sampling technique was deployed to collect the aquatic insect larvae. The study recorded a total of 42 families and 61 genera of aquatic insects which Sungai Papan has the largest number of taxa recorded (18 families, 26 genera). The number of intolerant taxa (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera; EPT) in Sungai Papan was substantial (15 genera). Odonata was discovered to be the most diverse order (13 genera), followed by Ephemeroptera (10 genera) and Trichoptera (10 genera). The findings provided a concise richness of aquatic insects, which might serve as a good tool for evaluating the conservation needs of the area.

Elevational variation of spider and insect communities in the Swedish mountains

AbstractMountain topography gives rise to often dramatic climate‐driven elevation gradients in primary productivity, which can generate substantial biodiversity variation. Therefore, mountain areas may be particularly useful for evaluating the ecological consequences of climate change. Arthropods are the most diverse animal phylum, which play important roles in most ecosystems. However, despite their ecological importance, we have limited information on how arthropods vary along elevation gradients. We investigated how taxonomic richness, taxonomic composition, and spatial structuring of spider and insect communities varied along elevation gradients and among three geographic locations in a mountain region of northern Sweden. The locations provided a latitude gradient spanning approximately 3° (from 62° N to 65° N), but were otherwise selected to contain similar environmental characteristics. Taxonomic richness of both spiders and insects declined monotonically with increasing elevation, and there were limited differences between the geographic locations in such declines. Taxonomic composition varied with elevation for both taxonomic groups, but also differed among the three sites. Linyphiid spiders were more widely distributed along the elevation gradients than other spider taxa, whereas a broad taxonomic range of insects occurred over almost all elevations. We observed nested as well as modular spatial distributions of both spider and insect communities along the elevation gradients. While the modular patterns suggest that species turnover has generated distinct communities at different elevations, some generalist species were still widespread throughout large parts of the gradients. Our results point to smaller differences among geographic locations than among taxonomic groups in how taxonomic richness and community structuring varied with elevation. We interpret these results as support for taxonomically specific adaptations to environmental conditions being important for structuring arthropod communities. We also suggest that climate‐driven changes to arthropod communities in mountain environments may be regulated by two not mutually exclusive processes, one in which generalist species may become more dominant and shift their ranges upward and one in which high‐elevation specialists may go extinct because of increasingly fragmented habitats.

Little evidence for land-use filters on intraspecific trait variation in three arthropod groups

Abstract. Declines in species richness and abundance of insects over the last decades are often driven by anthropogenic land use and can have severe consequences for ecosystem functioning. Many studies investigated the effects of land-use intensification on the distribution of phenotypic traits across species at the community level, often with mixed results. However, biotic and abiotic environmental filters and potential selection act on individuals within each species, i.e., at the species' population level, and thus drive the extent of intraspecific phenotypic variation. Here, we compare the morphological trait variation within selected species of dung beetles, bees and grasshoppers and link this variation to land-use intensity in forests and grasslands. Selected traits included absolute body size measures and relative leg, wing or eye size, or shape and are often interpreted as “functional traits” in the context of specific ecological responses or effects. We predicted that trait variability among individuals of arthropod species is reduced in intensively used ecosystems (with pronounced environmental filtering) compared to low-intensity ones, particularly for arthropod species that were more abundant in intensively used sites (“land-use winners” compared to “losers”). In general, only few effects of land-use intensity on trait variation were found showing a decreasing variation with increasing land-use intensity in forests but an increasing variation in grasslands. Although many studies confirmed strong land-use impacts on species composition, diversity and trait distribution, including evidence from the same land-use gradients, we were not able to confirm consistent effects at the intraspecific level. However, the choice of which traits are included in analyses and the linkage between phenotypic variation and genetic variability can strongly influence the conclusions drawn on ecological processes. Therefore, we suggest extending the use of intraspecific trait variation on other, more specific response or effect traits and a broader range of species in future studies.

Multidecadal data indicate increase of aquatic insects in Central European streams

In recent years, declining insect biodiversity has sparked interest among scientists and drawn the attention of society and politicians. However, our understanding of the extent of this decline is incomplete, particularly for freshwater insects that provide a key trophic link between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, but that are also especially vulnerable to climate change. To investigate the response of freshwater insects to climate change, we quantified shifts in insect abundance and diversity across 7264 samples covering Central Europe during 1990–2018 and related these changes to annual data on temperature and precipitation. We observed both increases in richness (10.6 %) and abundance (9.5 %) of freshwater insects over the past three decades. These changes were related to increases in summer temperature and summer precipitation, which had negative effects on species richness, and to increases in winter temperature and precipitation, which had positive effects. Further we found that increased temperature was generally related to increased abundance, whereas increased precipitation was associated with declines, thus highlighting the particularly varying impacts on differing insect orders. Given that freshwater insects have been more severely affected by global change than marine and terrestrial species, the observed increases are a positive sign, but the overall situation of freshwater invertebrates is still critical.

Diversity of insect flower visitors of cayenne pepper in agricultural landscapes, Banggai, Central Sulawesi

The existence of semi-natural habitats around agricultural land has the potential to support ecosystem services by providing resources for beneficial insects. The study aimed to analyze the abundance, diversity index, and evenness of the insects visiting cayenne flowers. This research was carried out in cayenne cultivation areas in the Banggai Regency. Sampling locations were divided into two categories: cayenne fields close to and far from forests or semi-natural habitats. Insect collection was carried out from June 2022 to August 2022, in the morning and evening, using insect nets. The results showed that 16 families and 52 cayenne flower-visiting insects were identified. Lasioglossum sp.3, Lasioglossum sp.5, Megachile sp.2, ?Parancistrocerus sp. and Rhynchium sp. have a higher abundance than the others. The highest Shannon and Wiener diversity index was found in cayenne fields in Tolisu Village (H'= 2.491), Mansahang (H'= 2.216), Salodik (H'= 2.145), and the lowest in cayenne fields in Kembang Merta Village (H'= 1.211), Dale-Dale (H'= 1.112 ), and Beringin Jaya (H'= 1.149 ). The highest evenness index (E) was found in the fields in Lembah Makmur Village (E= 0.9721) and Mansahang (E= 0.9172), and the lowest was found in cayenne fields in Petak Village (E= 0.3975) and Lenyek (E= 0.4405). The highest species richness was found in cayenne fields in Tolisu (14 species), Salodik (14 species), and Petak (12 species). Cayenne fields in the three villages are close to semi-natural habitats. Our findings show that agricultural land adjacent to semi-natural habitats has increased the species richness of cayenne flower visitor insects. Thus, semi-natural habitats are critical to sustaining insect communities in agricultural landscapes.

Diversity assessment of insect species in the Kariavattom campus, University of Kerala

Insects play crucial roles in their specific niches and are vital contributors to various ecosystem processes. They dominate the food webs of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. A study was conducted at Kerala University to evaluate the diversity and abundance of insect species in selected habitats (North and South campus). Sampling was conducted using pitfall traps, sweep nets, beating sheets, Berlese funnels, and hand collection. The collected insects were brought back to the laboratory for identification and counting. A total of 965 insects from 9 Orders and 35 Families were recorded. Indices such as the Shannon index, Simpson index, Margalef index, Evenness index, and Sorenson similarity index were utilized to analyze the diversity of insects. The results indicated that Hymenoptera (30.155%), Orthoptera (25.596%), Lepidoptera (11.192%), and Coleoptera (8.290%) were the most dominant Orders on the campus, comprising 75.233% of the total, whereas the least abundant was Mantodea (0.622%). The South Campus exhibited high species diversity (Margalef index = 8.422), abundance (n = 686), Evenness (E = 0.776), and Shannon diversity (H = 3.124) of insects. It also showed a higher Simpson index (λ = 0.109) compared to the North Campus, which indicated (λ = 0.0610). Moreover, the South Campus recorded a very high number of species, with 56 species (Margalef index = 8.422) compared to 45 species (Margalef index = 7.813) recorded from the North Campus. The higher the index value, the greater the species richness. The high diversity and richness of insects in the southern habitat may be attributed to the large and less disturbed area, the presence of well-distributed ecological niches, more microhabitats, and an abundance of food. Therefore, understanding the factors that influence insect species diversity and abundance at the University of Kerala is important for conservation. This study, thus, highlights the diversity and abundance of insects and the need for sustainable measures to be implemented to conserve these significant species.

Arthropod fauna on the abaxial and adaxial surfaces of Acacia mangium (Fabaceae) leaves.

Acacia mangium (Willd., 1806) (Fabales: Fabaceae) is a fast growing, rustic, pioneer species, with potential to fix nitrogen, and for programs to recover degraded areas. The objective was to evaluate the distribution and the functional diversity of interactions and the K-dominance of arthropod groups on A. mangium saplings. The number of individuals of eleven species of phytophagous insects, three bee species, and fourteen natural enemy species were highest on the adaxial leaf surface of this plant. Abundance, diversity and species richness of phytophagous insects and natural enemies, and abundance and species richness of pollinators were highest on the adaxial A. mangium leaf surface. The distribution of five species of sap-sucking hemipterans and six of protocooperating ants (Hymenoptera), with positive interaction between these groups, and three bee species (Hymenoptera) were aggregated on leaves of A. mangium saplings. Aethalion reticulatum (L.) (Hemiptera: Aethalionidae) and Bemisia sp. (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae); Brachymyrmex sp. and Camponotus sp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae); and Trigona spinipes Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Apidae) were the most dominant phytophagous insects, natural enemies, and pollinators, respectively, on A. mangium leaves. Knowledge of preferred leaf surfaces could help integrated pest management programs.

Diversity of Edible Aquatic Insects Inhabiting Rice Fields in Central Thailand

Abstract—Rice fields occupy great biodiversity and support a variety of living organisms, including edible aquatic insects. The goal of this study was to assess the richness and diversity of edible aquatic insects living in rice fields. A sampling of aquatic insects and physico-chemical parameters of the rice field water were made after irrigation. Three replications of sampling by aquatic net were collected from the bottom along the edge of the rice plots. The richness and diversity indices were analyzed. A total of 10 501 individuals, comprising 64 genera of aquatic insects belonging to six orders, were collected at different study sites. Among aquatic insects, the order Hemiptera occupied the highest abundance of the total insects collected. Richness showed a range of 14 to 50. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H′) showed a range of 1.877 to 3.450, whereas Simpson`s diversity index (D) showed a range of 0.7665 to 0.9605. Canonical Correspondence Analysis and non-parametric Spearman correlation revealed that some insect species were correlated positively with pH, temperature, turbidity, alkalinity, and nutrients (nitrate and phosphate), and had a negative correlation with electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids.

Diversity, Evenness, and Species Richness of Aerial Insects in Dry Land of Kefamenanu, North Central Timor, East Nusa Tenggara

This research was conducted to determine the diversity, richness, and evenness of aerial insects based on habitat characteristics in the dry land of Kefamenanu city, North Central Timor, East Nusa Tenggara. The research was conducted on three types of habitats, namely dry land, rivers, and lakes by purposive sampling method. Sampling was done by documenting specimens in each habitat, identifying, inventorying, and analyzing quantitatively to obtain data on species diversity, species richness, and species evenness. Results revealed that aerial insects in Kefamenanu City were found in 9 orders, 25 families, 44 genera, 54 species, and 1998 individuals in three habitat types with diversity index (H'=3,068), evenness index (E=0.774), richness index (R). = 6.974), and dominance index (0.074). Aerial insects in dryland habitats are found in 8 orders, 18 families, 32 genera, 32 species, 514 individuals with diversity index (H'=2.735), evenness index (E=0.789), richness index (R=4.966), and dominance index. (0.092). Aerial insects in river habitat found 7 orders, 20 families, 40 genera, 47 species, and 792 individuals with diversity index (H'=3.205), evenness index (E=0.833), richness index (R=6.892), and dominance index (0.075). Aerial insects in the lake habitat found 8 orders, 18 families, 35 genera, 39 species, 692 individuals with diversity index (H'=2,906), evenness index (E=0.793), richness index (R=5.811), and dominance index (0.083).

Improving insect conservation management through insect monitoring and stakeholder involvement

In recent years, the decline of insect biodiversity and the imminent loss of provided ecosystem functions and services has received public attention and raised the demand for political action. The complex, multi-causal contributors to insect decline require a broad interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach that addresses ecological and social aspects to find sustainable solutions. The project Diversity of Insects in Nature protected Areas (DINA) assesses insect communities in 21 nature reserves in Germany, and considers interactions with plant diversity, pesticide exposure, spatial and climatic factors. The nature reserves border on agricultural land, to investigate impacts on insect diversity. Part of the project is to obtain scientific data from Malaise traps and their surroundings, while another part involves relevant stakeholders to identify opportunities and obstacles to insect diversity conservation. Our results indicate a positive association between insect richness and biomass. Insect richness was negatively related to the number of stationary pesticides (soil and vegetation), pesticides measured in ethanol, the amount of area in agricultural production, and precipitation. Our qualitative survey along with stakeholder interviews show that there is general support for insect conservation, while at the same time the stakeholders expressed the need for more information and data on insect biodiversity, as well as flexible policy options. We conclude that conservation management for insects in protected areas should consider a wider landscape. Local targets of conservation management will have to integrate different stakeholder perspectives. Scientifically informed stakeholder dialogues can mediate conflicts of interests, knowledge, and values to develop mutual conservation scenarios.

DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTION OF CLASS INSECTA FROM SELECTED AREA OF TUBA ISLAND RESERVE FOREST

Insects are ubiquitous and inhabit all types of ecosystems that include island ecosystems. A study on the diversity and distribution of Class Insecta was conducted at a selected forest area in Pulau Tuba using malaise traps. No insect study has been conducted at Pulau Tuba before. Three study sites namely forest fringe, middle forest, and inner forest were chosen. A total of 5883 specimens belonging to seven orders and 106 morphospecies of insects were collected. The orders identified were Blattodea, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, Isoptera, and Lepidoptera. Diptera samples were the most found while Blattodea recorded the lowest number recorded. Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H’) showed that the inner forest had the highest diversity value with H’ = 0.53, followed by the forest fringe with H’ = 0.44, and the middle forest with H’ = 0.22. The Evenness Index (E’) and Margalef Richness Index (R’) also showed the highest value comes from the inner forest with E’ = 0.28 and R’ = 0.81 respectively. Kruskal-Wallis test showed that there was a significant difference in insect distribution across three study sites where P< 0.05. Overall, this study suggested that the diversity of Class Insecta at Pulau Tuba was low in the three locations confirming the low species richness of insects in the island forest ecosystem.

Effects of Forest Management on the Insect Assemblage of Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) in the Allegheny National Forest.

Over the last decade, the Allegheny National Forest (ANF) in the USA has experienced issues with the regeneration of black cherry (Prunus serotina). This study was conducted to investigate the effects of silvicultural treatment on the insect communities that may affect black cherry pollination and regeneration. We conducted a 2-year study to compare the abundance, richness, and diversity of insects in unmanaged, shelterwood seed-tree, and shelterwood clear-cut stands. Using pan traps, we sampled insects at the ground level and in the canopies of flowering mature black cherry trees. The results of this study showed significant increases in the abundance of insects captured in shelterwood seed-tree stands and in species richness and diversity of insects captured in the canopy of black cherry in shelterwood removal stands, indicating that silvicultural treatment affected the insect community significantly. The dominant insect order was Diptera (true flies, 72.91%, n = 12,668), and Anthalia bulbosa (Diptera: Hybotidae) was the dominant species comprising 33% of all insects found in the canopy of flowering black cherry. The findings in this study could help land managers in managing black cherry for its pollination and natural regeneration.

Using fertilization rates in semi-natural grasslands to produce seed for ecological restoration

To produce seeds of native species for ecological restoration, cultivating semi-natural grasslands can be a strategy that avoids the environmental impacts of conventional seed propagation and favours the conservation of species-rich grasslands. In a lowland grassland in northern Italy, the effects of three mineral fertilisation treatments (0–0–0, 0–54–108, and 192–108–216 kg ha−1 year−1 of N, P2O5, and K2O; abbreviations: 000, 0pk, and NPK) on seed production were studied in a fully randomised block design. Fertile shoots of flowering species were collected and analysed for seed content, and species phenology was recorded during field observations. The grassland environmental quality was described based on soil analyses and indices of natural (plant and insect richness) and aesthetic (flower colour) value. NPK produced the highest viable seed amount (59,375 m−2 year−1). The seed mixture was composed mostly of grasses (97%) and included the lowest species number (34). NPK also had the lowest environmental value. In 0pk, the nitrogen from legume rhizobial fixation allowed the production of an intermediate viable seed amount (28,485 m−2 year−1) with an intermediate forb seed percentage (14%) and the highest species number in the vegetation (42) and collected as seeds. In 000, the seed amount was the lowest (8310 m−2 year−1), but the species number (40) and forb percentage in the seed mixture (39%) were high. The natural and aesthetic values did not significantly differ between 0pk and 000. The P soil content increased strongly in NPK, whereas decreases or insignificant increases in P and K were recorded in 0pk and 000. Mineral 0pk fertilisation allows for relatively high seed production with high legume and forb richness by avoiding the distribution of nitrogen fertilisers that potentially impact the environment. This strategy seems to be a good option for producing environmentally friendly seed mixtures of many native species from semi-natural grasslands.

Landscape-scale diversity of plants, bumblebees and butterflies in mixed farm-forest landscapes of Northern Europe: Clear-cuts do not compensate for the negative effects of plantation forest cover

To assess the biodiversity consequences of contemporary land-use trends in Northern Europe, where agriculture is being replaced by forestry, we need a better knowledge of the contributions of constituting habitats to biodiversity. Here, we use purposefully collected data from 87 sites to model how agricultural habitats, including semi-natural pastures, sown temporary grassland (leys), cereal crops, and forest habitats comprising both mature production forests and clear-cuts, contribute to landscape-scale diversity of plants, bumblebees and butterflies in boreonemoral Sweden. At the local scale, species richness was highest in semi-natural pastures, intermediate in cereal crops and leys and lowest in forest. In clear-cuts, species richness was similarly high to that in semi-natural pastures. Countryside species-area models show that at a landscape scale, the high local richness in clear-cuts was more than offset by the low species richness encountered in forest. At landscape scale, semi-natural pastures, and in the case of plants also cereal crops, were major contributors of unique species. Leys and semi-natural pastures were both important contributors to bumblebee diversity. The effect of the surrounding landscape composition on local diversity was weak, suggesting that area-based approximations of landscape-scale species richness were reasonable. We conclude that clear-cuts constitute habitats for open-land species but cannot maintain landscape-scale diversity in the face of agricultural abandonment when open land is replaced by even-aged production forests. Maintaining farmland, in particular semi-natural pastures but also cereals and leys, is therefore critical to maintaining the landscape-scale species richness of plants and insects in forestry-dominated areas.

Quantitative status of population of insects from Lucknow region, Uttar Pradesh, India

Insects are found everywhere in our nature, yet, their diversity, abundance and characterization in various ecosystems are still not well defined, systematically. The present study was conducted to assess and compare the abundance, species richness and diversity of insects amongst four different spots of Lucknow district, Uttar Pradesh, India. A total of 746 insects which belonged to 6 insect species and 3 insect orders were collected from the different spots. The ecological parameters like evenness index, Margalef index, Shannon diversity index, Simpson index, Simpson diversity index and effective number of species were analysed to determine the population status of insects. The findings illustrated that the most abundant group of insects was Hymenoptera followed by Lepidoptera and Orthoptera, respectively. Notably, the differential biodiversity of insects and the variations in associated ecological parameters were observed due to the deviations in the environmental factors of four spots. Among four spots, spot 2 (Capital Public School) illustrated the highest Shannon diversity index (1.762), Simpson diversity index (0.829) and Margalef index (0.984). Thus, the assessed insect’s diversity and other intended ecological parameters can be beneficial to build the strategic frameworks for setting up the agro-based economic standards of a particular region.

Effects of experimental rewilding on butterflies, bumblebees and grasshoppers

Grassland ecosystems are species-rich habitats that are rapidly declining globally posing serious concerns for biodiversity conservation. This situation is particularly relevant in agricultural areas in Europe. As traditional management practices and livestock grazing regimes ceased, rewilding could be a potential avenue to tackle current biodiversity declines. To test this hypothesis, we set up a 3-year experiment where 12 horses were introduced in three 10-hectare enclosure replicates (four horses per enclosure). Horses were kept without supplementary feeding to mimic ecosystem functions of wild horses. We applied Generalized Linear Mixed Effects Models and a backward stepwise model selection procedure to elucidate factors that modulate insect richness induced by grazing. Our results show that plant species richness, the proportion of flowers and plant height play a significant role for butterfly and bumblebee richness, while the opposite effect was detected for grasshoppers. However, the effect on grasshoppers was counterbalanced by increased grasshopper species richness in habitats adjacent to horse latrines.Implications for insect conservationRewilding with horses may offset current biodiversity declines by maintaining important functional links between plants and pollinators in grassland ecosystems. Horse grazing can however have different effects on diverse functional groups of insects. Application of integrative landscape scale approaches may be needed to elucidate the effects of rewilding for certain functional groups such as grasshoppers. With current biodiversity declines, up-scaling rewilding research and practice might be crucial to mitigate the pervasive effects on insects as their services and functions are critical for our existence.

Could Purposefully Engineered Native Grassland Gardens Enhance Urban Insect Biodiversity?

Progress is required in response to how cities can support greater biodiversity. This calls for more research on how landscape designers can actively shape urban ecologies to deliver context-specific empirical bases for green space intervention decisions. Design experiments offer opportunities for implemented projects within real-world settings to serve as learning sites. This paper explores preliminary ecological outcomes from a multidisciplinary team on whether purposefully engineered native grassland gardens provide more habitat functions for insects than mainstream gardens in the City of Tshwane, South Africa. Six different sites were sampled: two recently installed native grassland garden interventions (young native), two contemporary non-native control gardens (young non-native) on the same premises and of the same ages as the interventions, one remnant of a more pristine native grassland reference area (old native), and one long-established, non-native reference garden (old non-native). Plant and insect diversity were sampled over one year. The short-term findings suggest that higher plant beta diversity (species turnover indicating heterogeneity in a site) supports greater insect richness and evenness in richness. Garden size, age, and connectivity were not clear factors mediating urban habitat enhancement. Based on the preliminary results, the researchers recommend high native grassland species composition and diversity, avoiding individual species dominance, but increasing beta diversity and functional types when selecting garden plants for urban insect biodiversity conservation in grassland biomes.

Diversity of Insects in Pulses at Arunachal Pradesh

Surveys were conducted during 2018-19 and 2019-20 for evaluating the abundance and diversity of insect pests and foragers in Namsai District of Arunachal Pradesh from pulse crops (black gram, green gram and pigeonpea). The data on species richness, dominance and distribution of insects revealed a total of 38 insect pests belonging to 6 orders, 26 families and 38 species. Of these 12 species were observed as foragers. Coleoptera was the most dominant group followed by Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Mantodea and Araneae (Arachnida). Among the observed foragers Polistes sp. was found to be dominant followed by Apis dorsata (F).

The Distinctive Plant and Insect Assemblages of An Experimental Forest in Northern Lower Michigan (United States).

The effects of plants on insects are not completely clear due to potential covariation of weather or location affecting both assemblages. To address this question, plant and insect assemblages were described during summer 2019 and 2020 in two different forest habitats of northern Lower Michigan. The first habitat was a hardwood forest typical of secondary succession in the region. The second was a hydric forest located ~20 m from the hardwood forest which developed after lake sediment was deposited into a 10-ha area in the early 2000s. Reflecting this sediment deposition, soil of the hydric forest had higher water content and organic matter, and was dominated by the plant genera Solidago (Asterales: Asteraceae), Rubus (Rosales: Rosaceae), and Salix (Malpighiales: Salicaceae). In contrast, the hardwood forest had greater inorganic sediment and was dominated by Pteridium (Polypodiales: Dennstaedtiaceae), Carex (Poales: Cyperaceae), and Acer. Nearly 140,000 insect specimens were sampled using pitfall trapping, sweep netting, flight intercept trapping, ultraviolet light trapping, and yellow and blue pan trapping. The first three methods each sampled a unique insect assemblage, whereas the last three overlapped in taxa sampled. Insect assemblages of the two forests were distinct from each other using any of the six methods, with abundance of Pteridium and Salix (Sapindales: Sapindaceae) generally associating with changes in insect composition. A total of 41 insect taxa indicated the hydric forest and 14 indicated the hardwood forest. Insect richness increased with that of plants. These results demonstrate that differences in soil composition and plant assemblages associate with differences in forest insect assemblages, even of forests in very close proximity.