Determinants of moth diversity and community in a temperate mountain landscape: vegetation, topography, and seasonality

Abstract

Abstract. Macromoth diversity, abundance, and community structure in the topographically complex HJ Andrews Experimental Forest and LTER site was studied on the west slope of the Cascade Range, Oregon. Data on 493 macromoth species (62,221 individuals) was sampled eight times/year at 20 locations from 2004 to 2008 and examined using multivariate statistics and generalized additive models to determine the importance of topography and vegetation on moth community assembly and diversity. Significant differences exist between moth communities at lower and higher elevations. High-elevation moth communities are far more variable inter-annually, whether associated with high-elevation forests, meadows, or clearcuts. Low-elevation young and old gymnosperm forests and riparian forests are more stable and predictable communities having less inter-annual variability. High-elevation communities show more intra-annual variability than low-elevation communities. Low-elevation moth communities are more abundant than high-elevation communities and typically associated with the most common, abundant species of macromoths in the study. High-elevation communities, by contrast, are associated with less abundant, more evenly distributed species, as well as with rare moth species. Macromoth community structure and diversity were related to year or sample period and structural descriptions of vegetation communities, but not related to known host-plant diversity. High-elevation communities are threatened by contraction of montane meadows and climate change which, given the variability in high-elevation communities, could severely impact the biological diversity of the western Cascades landscape. Nocturnal macromoths represent an important potential indicator of ecosystem health and change.

Impact of an invasive tree on arthropod assemblages in woodlots isolated within an intensive agricultural landscape

“…Arthropods linked to such insolated understorey vegetation in the Robinia woodlots could partly compensate for loss of forest canopy herbivores due to plant invasion (Kulfan, ; Litt et al, ; Liu & Stiling, ) by filling new available niches (e.g. insolated herbs, rotten wood; Highland et al, ; Tews et al, ). Nevertheless, the above‐mentioned direct negative relationship between the presence of R. pseudoacacia and herbivorous Lepidoptera and Curculionoidea was stronger than the effect of changes in vegetation structure.…”

“…According to the known effects of habitat structure (Highland et al, ; Kadlec et al, ; Tews et al, ), the land cover composition in the surroundings (Novotný, Zapletal, Kepka, Beneš, & Konvička, ) and the area of woodlots (Baz & Garcia‐Boyero, ; Bender, Contreras, & Fahrig, ) on arthropod assemblages, we recorded variables describing these effects in all of the woodlots (according to Hanzelka & Reif, ). First, AGE of the forest stand was determined, and the numbers of fallen (FALLEN TREES) and dead (DEAD TREES) trees were counted.…”

“…In many cases, they are left to spontaneous successional processes or are afforested (as a shelter for wild game) by fast‐growing and durable tree species (Benayas, Bullock, & Newton, ; Lassoie, Buck, & Current, ). In general, biodiversity in forest habitats seems to strongly depend on vegetation structure, which is largely conditioned by the dominant tree species (Hanzelka & Reif, ; Highland, Miller, & Jones, ; Kadlec, Štrobl, Hanzelka, Hejda, & Reif, ; Tews et al, ). The dominant tree species has a strong effect on heterogeneity of habitat structure and canopy‐openness, both of which are positively linked to arthropod diversity in large European lowland forests (Kadlec et al, ; Sebek et al, ).…”

Assessing the efficiency of UV LEDs as light sources for sampling the diversity of macro-moths (Lepidoptera)

“…Moths were sampled from May to October 2015. These months are generally regarded as the best for monitoring moths in temperate and sub-arctic climates (Highland et al, 2013;Hunter et al, 2014;Jonason et al, 2014).…”

Saturniidae and Sphingidae (Lepidoptera, Bombycoidea) assemblage in Vossoroca, Tijucas do Sul, Paraná, Brazil

“…Particularly only Sphingidae are important as pollinators once the Saturniidae species do not feed as adults (Janzen 1984). Therefore, they represent important potential indicators of ecosystem health (Highland et al 2013), has charismatic flagship species for conservation campaigns (New 2013), and their knowledge is important for understanding the complexity of tropical biodiversity and its maintenance (Balvanera et al 2002, Novotny et al 2010.…”