Seasonality of litter-inhabiting invertebrates in two native-forest communities of Orongorongo Valley, New Zealand

Abstract

Invertebrates were collected with equal sampling intensity from sites in two native-forest communities near Wellington, New Zealand for 14 months. More species and individuals occurred in the more botanically diverse lowland broadleafpodocarp forest than in the less diverse high-altitude silver beech forest. Of the 124 species caught (270 758 individuals), 91 (156 285) occurred in broadleaf-podocarp and 81 (114473) in silver beech (Nothofagus menziesil) forest (68 species were common to both forests). Although many invertebrates were caught throughout the year, catches were significantly higher in autumn than in other seasons. The catches of many invertebrates were positively correlated with temperature but not with rainfall. Invertebrates were caught over a longer period of the year than reported from temperate forests in the Northern Hemisphere. This feature is a reflection of the oceanic climate of New Zealand where climatic extremes are moderate and therefore the invertebrate activity is not curtailed.

Invertebrate survey of coastal habitats and podocarp forest on Ulva Island, Rakiura National Park, New Zealand

“…The invertebrate community reported in this survey was quite different in composition from that described from mainland lowland shrubland (Derraik et al 2001) and from mainland broadleaf and beech forests (Moeed & Meads 1985,1986. These distinctions may be explained by characteristics of island biogeography such as isolation or small surface area (Macarthur & Macarthur 1961).…”

“…Invertebrate assemblages have been documented in broadleaf-podocarp forests elsewhere (Moeed & Meads 1984, 1985, 1986, but not in dense stands of coastal forest or in mature podocarp forest like that on Ulva. Some preliminary invertebrate surveys on Ulva and Codfish Islands were conducted by cadenhead & Deans (1981,1982) (Poppelwell 1911) and therefore is expected to share species with Ulva ( Fig.…”

Responses of litter‐dwelling arthropods and house mice to beech seeding in the Orongorongo Valley, New Zealand

“…From January 1992, arthropods of the litter were sampled in hard beech and silver beech forest The study also continued the long-term measurements of hard beech seeding, mice, and moths emerging from the forest floor (Fitzgerald et al 1996) From January 1994, when Landcare Research shifted its Hutt Valley campus to Palmerston North, new staff carried out all field and laboratory work, and considerable effort was made to continue sampling in exactly the same way This was not entirely successful (see below) Species were identified by the same people throughout the study Arthropod sampling general comments Arthropods were sampled by three methods used previously in the Orongorongo Valley by Moeed & Meads emergence traps (Moeed & Meads 1987b), pitfall traps (Moeed & Meads 1985), and Tullgren extraction (Moeed & Meads 1986, 1987a Emergence traps had been operated in hard beech forest each summer from 1985/86 to 1990/91 to measure the emergence of moths from the litter (Fitzgerald et al 1996) From November 1991 they were operated continuously until May 1996 From January 1992 arthropods were also sampled in hard beech and silver beech forest by pitfall trapping and Tullgren extraction of litter Pitfall traps mainly catch animals that move on the forest floor, and the Tullgren method extracts animals that live within the litter In sampling arthropods by emergence traps and Tullgren samples, areas of the forest floor with uniform litter were selected so that results could be strictly comparable throughout the study. Areas with litter-catching plants, such as Blechnum discolor, and mosses, liverworts, or filmy ferns, were avoided, and litter adjacent to logs was not sampled.…”

“…Litter samples were collected and extracted using the technique of Moeed & Meads (1986). Moeed & Meads (1986) From January 1992 to June 1993 samples were collected on the first of the month, from July 1993 samples were collected mid-month Silver beech litter samples were not collected m September 1992 because of snow on the ground…”

How elevation affects ship rat (Rattus rattus) capture patterns, Mt Misery, New Zealand

“…This is because temperature may indirectly influence ship rat abundance through its effect on invertebrate activity and beech seed production frequency and magnitude. Invertebrate activity increases with warming temperatures (Moeed & Meads 1985, 1986. Invertebrates are a big component of ship rat diet in beech forest especially when beech seed is not available (McQueen & Lawrence 2008).…”