Seasonality of canopy invertebrate communities in eucalypt forests of eastern and western Australia

Recher, Harry F.; Majer, Jonathan; Ganesh, S.R.

doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.1996.tb00586.x

Cited by 62 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Nectar, and ground, bark, foliage, and flying arthropods were most abundant during spring, summer, and autumn (late September -early May, and least abundant during winter (late May -early September) (Recher et al 1983a). Similar seasonal changes in the abundance of canopy and bark arthropods in eastern and western Australia were reported by Recher et al (1996) and Majer et al (2003). Eucalypt seed capsules, although abundances differed seasonally among tree species, were available throughout the year (Recher et al 1983a).…”

Section: Australian Zoologist Volume 38 (1)supporting

confidence: 49%

The winter foraging behaviour of birds in a mixed eucalypt forest and woodland on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales

Recher

2016

Australian Zoologist

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In this paper, I present data on the foraging behaviour of eucalypt forest and woodland birds at two sites on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales during the non-breeding season (winter). The winter community was a subset of the summer community, with six guilds among 23 species identified by cluster analysis compared with seven guilds among 41 species in summer. Despite this difference, birds were abundant during winter, with more than 200 individuals of 29 species recorded during July censuses on the two 10 ha plots. Although a few birds fed on nectar, nectar was not abundant in winter and the nectar-foraging guild present in summer was absent in winter. Most birds that relied on large arthropods and aerial foragers left the area after summer and an aerial foraging guild was restricted to one species, the Grey Fantail. As in summer, species differed in foraging manoeuvres and substrates, as well as foraging heights and the plant species frequented to find food. The continued abundance and diversity of species/guilds through the winter is best explained by the variety of food resources available for birds; the complexity of foliage, bark, and ground substrates provided a wide range of foraging substrates over the entire vertical profile of the vegetation. Maintenance of this structural complexity is essential for the survival of eucalypt forest and woodland birds.

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Section: Australian Zoologist Volume 38 (1)supporting

confidence: 49%

The winter foraging behaviour of birds in a mixed eucalypt forest and woodland on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales

Recher

2016

Australian Zoologist

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“…3). The magnitude of this peak varies from year to year, but the basic regularity contrasts with the situation on eucalyptus in Australia where the variations between years can be as great as that between seasons (Recher et al, 1996). This peak of insects is a very important food source for birds, especially tits (Parus spp.).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…Moran & Southwood, 1982;Kitching et al, 1993;Ozanne et al, 2000), or throughout a single season (e.g. Stork & Brendell, 1990;Recher et al, 1996), although some studies have been extended for a longer period (e.g. Basset & Arthington, 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonality, abundance, species richness and specificity of the phytophagous guild of insects on oak (Quercus) canopies

Southwood¹,

Wint²,

Kennedy³

et al. 2004

Eur. J. Entomol.

102

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Abstract. 1. A study was made by knockdown sampling and branch clipping of the arthropod fauna of two native oaks (Quercus petraea and Q. robur) and of two introduced species (Q. cerris and Q. ilex) in woods near Oxford, U.K., and of two native species (Q. ilex and Q. pubescens) in southern France. Sampling was undertaken for five years in England and four years in France. All the phytophagous species except Acarina and Cecidomyidae from the Oxford samples were identified to species. 2. In England a marked seasonal pattern was observed in all years: chewing insects peaked in May, followed sequentially by sucking species, leaf miners and gall formers. The May peak on the native trees is much larger in terms of individuals, and especially in biomass, than on the introduced species. This peak is well known to provide an important food source for several species of woodland bird. 3. Most phytophages were much less abundant on the introduced oaks than on the native species. This is probably due more to the features of the leaves, than to the introduced status per se. 4. The species richness of the fauna was estimated by three methods on the basis of the total projected number of species (Smax), and its specificity to oak by reference to the known host range as recorded in the standard reference works. 5. The species richness of Heteroptera and Coleoptera on the deciduous oaks in their natural habitats (Q. petraea and Q. robur in England, Q. pubescens in France) are similar. 6. The fauna of the evergreen Q. ilex has a similar species richness both in France, where it is native, and in England, where it is introduced and where its phytophage guild is smaller than that of the deciduous species. In England the extent of oak specificity on Q. ilex is less than that of the deciduous species. 7. In England the phytophage fauna of the deciduous and introduced Q. cerris has a species richness considerably greater than that found on Q. ilex, but somewhat less than that of the deciduous and native oaks. However, the specificity of this fauna to oaks was not significantly different to that of the fauna on the native oaks.

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“…Flowering is a useful indicator over such large scales given the difficulties in measuring invertebrate prey even over small areas (Recher et al, 1996;Timewell & Mac Nally, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collapse of an avifauna: climate change appears to exacerbate habitat loss and degradation

Nally

Bennett

Thomson

et al. 2009

Diversity and Distributions

168

197

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Aim We characterized changes in reporting rates and abundances of bird species over a period of severe rainfall deficiency and increasing average temperatures. We also measured flowering in eucalypts, which support large numbers of nectarivores characteristic of the region.Location A 30,000‐km2 region of northern Victoria, Australia, consisting of limited amounts of remnant native woodlands embedded in largely agricultural landscapes.Methods There were three sets of monitoring studies, pitched at regional (survey programmes in 1995–97, 2004–05 and 2006–08), landscape (2002–03 and 2006–07) and site (1997–2008 continuously) scales. Bird survey techniques used a standard 2‐ha, 20‐min count method. We used Bayesian analyses of reporting rates to document statistically changes in the avifauna through time at each spatial scale.Results Bird populations in the largest remnants of native vegetation (up to 40,000 ha), some of which have been declared as national parks in the past decade, experienced similar declines to those in heavily cleared landscapes. All categories of birds (guilds based on foraging substrate, diet, nest site; relative mobility; geographical distributions) were affected similarly. We detected virtually no bird breeding in the latest survey periods. Eucalypt flowering has declined significantly over the past 12 years of drought.Main conclusions Declines in the largest woodland remnants commensurate with those in cleared landscapes suggest that reserve systems may not be relied upon to sustain species under climate change. We attribute population declines to low breeding success due to reduced food. Resilience of bird populations in this woodland system might be increased by active management to enhance habitat quality in existing vegetation and restoration of woodland in the more fertile parts of landscapes.

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Seasonality of canopy invertebrate communities in eucalypt forests of eastern and western Australia

Cited by 62 publications

References 18 publications

The winter foraging behaviour of birds in a mixed eucalypt forest and woodland on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales

The winter foraging behaviour of birds in a mixed eucalypt forest and woodland on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales

Seasonality, abundance, species richness and specificity of the phytophagous guild of insects on oak (Quercus) canopies

Collapse of an avifauna: climate change appears to exacerbate habitat loss and degradation

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