Macro-moth (Lepidoptera) Diversity of a Newly Shaped Ecological Corridor and the Surrounding Forest Area in the Western Italian Alps

Abstract

In addition to the compilation of biodiversity inventories, checklists, especially if combined with abundance data, are important tools to understand species distribution, habitat use, and community composition over time. Their importance is even higher when ecological indicator taxa are considered, as in the case of moths. In this work, we investigated macro-moth diversity in a forest area (30 ha) in the Western Italian Alps, recently subjected to intense management activities. Indeed, an ecological corridor, which includes 10 clearings, has been shaped thanks to forest compensation related to the construction site of the Turin–Lyon High-Speed Railway. Here, we identified 17 patches (9 clearings and 8 forests), and we conducted moth surveys using UV–LED light traps. A total of 15,614 individuals belonging to 442 species were collected in 2020 and 2021. Two and fifteen species are new records for Piedmont and for Susa Valley, respectively. In addition to the faunistic interest of the data, this study—using a standardized method—provides geo-referenced occurrences, species-richness, and abundance values useful to compile a baseline dataset for future comparisons. Indeed, the replicable and easy shareable method allows us to make comparisons with other research and thus assess the impact of environmental changes.

The Contribution of Cultivated and Semi-Natural Patches to the Beta Diversity of Nocturnal Lepidoptera within an Organic Century-Old Olive Grove in a Fragmented Landscape

“…Grasslands, pastures, woodlands, and hedgerows are foraging and resting areas for beneficial biota, providing nectar sources for pollinators, prey for predators, and hosts for parasitoids, all of which are very scarce within disturbed habitats [12,13]. Furthermore, these semi-natural landscape elements can act as corridors or stepping stones, favouring the permeability of hostile environments [14][15][16][17].…”

Zoological Checklists: From Natural History Museums to Ecosystems

“…Additionally, in case the checklists cover a wide taxonomic range and an extensive sampling design, then it may be possible to extrapolate statistically robust information to map local and regional patterns of species abundance [18].…”