Distribution of invertebrates on foliage in forests of south‐eastern Australia

Abstract

Nearly 1500 foliage samples were collected from a total of 156 plant species, distributed at 16 study sites representing a wide range of forests and woodlands in south-eastern Australia. Samples were collected in all months. Invertebrates present in samples were counted, sorted into 13 categories, and the number present (> 3 mm in length) converted into density estimates. Densities of all invertebrates combined and invertebrate diversity were also calculated. Despite high variability there were some obvious distributional patterns for most categories. Three major dichotomies affected abundance and distribution of invertebrates: these were presence or absence of flowers, whether the plant species was Eucalyptus or other, and i/Eucalyptus, whether the plant species was Symphyomyrtus or Monocalyptus. The presence of flowers in foliage samples increased the abundance of most invertebrate taxa. Compared to foliage of non-Eucalyptus species. Eucalyptus foliage had more lerp-forming psyllids and miscellaneous larvae, but fewer Arachnida, Coleoptera, Psocoptera, Hemiptera (other), Thysanoptera, Diptera, and total arthropods. Foliage of Symphyomyrtus species had higher densities of most categories (and particularly lerp-forming psyllids) than that o/Monocalyptus.There were seasonal variations in abundance in most invertebrate taxa, but these patterns were different for Eucalyptus and non-Eucalyptus species. For most sites abundance of all arthropods combined was lowest in winter, but this decline was not especially pronounced, and was reversed at more xeric sites.For most categories there were significant differences between study sites in abundance and for some this was related to position of sites on a moisture gradient. In general total arthropod densities were highest at intermediate and xeric sites. There were some significant differences in arthropod communities for the same plant species at different study sites.Sample height, plant height, and the ratio of these were relatively unimportant variables. Likewise, the ratio of leaf width : leaf length was not significantly correlated with abundance for any invertebrate category across 128 plant species, but mean leaf size was negatively correlated with densities of Arachnida and total invertebrates. The distributions of some invertebrate categories were intercorrelated.

Composition and structure of natural mixed-oak stands in northern and central Portugal

“…Similar results have been reported in other natural mature forest types (Lähde and Laiho, 1992;Halpern and Spies, 1995;Bengtsson et al, 2000;Crow et al, 2002;Wilson and McComb, 2005). In natural forests, structural and compositional heterogeneity contribute to high biological diversity (Woinarski and Cullen, 1984;Schoonmaker and McKee, 1988;Traill, 1993;Tyrrell and Crow, 1994;Tanabe et al, 2001;Keeton, 2006;Fischer et al, 2007). A diverse oak mature forest with diverse habitat components is likely to be related with high species diversity.…”

“…A diverse oak mature forest with diverse habitat components is likely to be related with high species diversity. Different attributes provided by various tree species such as diverse foliage, bark types, dead wood and coarse debris, and hollow bearing trees for nesting and shelter have been identified as important resource bases for different life forms (Recher, 1969;Woinarski and Cullen, 1984;MacNally et al, 2001;Franklin et al, 2002;Harvey et al, 2002;Mitchell et al, 2008).…”

The Role of Life-History and Ecology in the Evolution of Color Patterns in Australian Chrysomeline Beetles

“…Most arachnid species are sensitive to green, while a few taxa are sensitive to blue and red wavelengths (Dahl and Granda, 1989;Peaslee and Wilson, 1989;Zurek et al, 2015). Combined, the visual system of potential arachnid predators, and fewer arachnids on Eucalypts (Woinarski and Cullen, 1984) may result in low selection pressure from arachnid predators, explaining why beetles feeding on Eucalyptus can evolve different blue patterns from their background.…”

Are gullies best for biodiversity? An empirical examination of Australian wet forest types

“…Notably, the stand structural complexity (sensu Lindenmayer and Franklin, 2002) added by Acacia spp. is a valuable foraging substrate for wildlife in montane ash forests because it has many species of invertebrates associated with it (Woinarski and Cullen, 1984) and provides places to nest (Beruldsen, 2003). MacArthur and MacArthur (1961) showed that bird species richness increases with increased vertical heterogeneity (Recher, 1969).…”