The current status of forest Macrolepidoptera in northern New Jersey: evidence for the decline of understory specialists

Schweitzer, Dale F.; Garris, Joseph R.; McBride, Anthony E.; Smith, Joseph A.

doi:10.1007/s10841-014-9658-0

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Forest composition has changed due to fire suppression and more recently because of browsing by superabundant deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) [ 36 ], [ 82 ]. Data on forest composition are limited mostly to intensively studied research plots in restricted areas [ 37 ], and therefore inference about plant species availability for larval foraging across the study area is impossible.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are pollinating hawk moths declining in the Northeastern United States? An analysis of collection records

et al. 2017

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Increasing attention to pollinators and their role in providing ecosystem services has revealed a paucity of studies on long-term population trends of most insect pollinators in many parts of the world. Because targeted monitoring programs are resource intensive and unlikely to be performed on most insect pollinators, we took advantage of existing collection records to examine long-term trends in northeastern United States populations of 26 species of hawk moths (family Sphingidae) that are presumed to be pollinators. We compiled over 6,600 records from nine museum and 14 private collections that spanned a 112-year period, and used logistic generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) to examine long-term population trends. We controlled for uneven sampling effort by adding a covariate for list length, the number of species recorded during each sampling event. We found that of the 22 species for which there was sufficient data to assess population trends, eight species declined and four species increased in detection probability (the probability of a species being recorded during each year while accounting for effort, climate, and spatial effects in the GLMMs). Of the four species with too few records to statistically assess, two have disappeared from parts of their ranges. None of the four species with diurnal adults showed a trend in detection probability. Two species that are pests of solanaceous crops declined, consistent with a seven-fold drop in the area planted in tobacco and tomato crops. We found some evidence linking susceptibility to parasitoidism by the introduced fly Compsilura concinnata (Tachinidae) to declines. Moths with larvae that feed on vines and trees, where available evidence indicates that the fly is most likely to attack, had a greater propensity to decline than species that use herbs and shrubs as larval host plants. Species that develop in the spring, before Compsilura populations have increased, did not decline. However, restricting the analysis to hawk moth records from areas outside of a “refuge” area where Compsilura does not occur did not significantly increase the intensity of the declines as would be predicted if Compsilura was the primary cause of declines. Forests have recovered over the study period across most of the northeastern U.S., but this does not appear to have been a major factor because host plants of several of the declining species have increased in abundance with forest expansion and maturation. Climate variables used in the GLMMs were not consistently related to moth detection probability. Hawk moth declines may have ecological effects on both the plants pollinated by these species and vertebrate predators of the moths.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are pollinating hawk moths declining in the Northeastern United States? An analysis of collection records

et al. 2017

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“…High deer populations and their impact on primary producer diversity and abundance led to dramatic abundance declines in forest macrolepidoptera specialized on understory plant species in New Jersey (Schweitzer, Garris, McBride, & Smith, 2014). In Pennsylvania, aboveground insect abundance, richness, and diversity were up to 50% higher where deer were excluded for 60 years (Chips et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Red oak seedlings as indicators of deer browse pressure: Gauging the outcome of different white‐tailed deer management approaches

Blossey

Curtis

Boulanger

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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After decades of high deer populations, North American forests have lost much of their previous biodiversity. Any landscape‐level recovery requires substantial reductions in deer herds, but modern societies and wildlife management agencies appear unable to devise appropriate solutions to this chronic ecological and human health crisis. We evaluated the effectiveness of fertility control and hunting in reducing deer impacts at Cornell University. We estimated spring deer populations and planted Quercus rubra seedlings to assess deer browse pressure, rodent attack, and other factors compromising seedling performance. Oak seedlings protected in cages grew well, but deer annually browsed ≥60% of unprotected seedlings. Despite female sterilization rates of >90%, the deer population remained stable. Neither sterilization nor recreational hunting reduced deer browse rates and neither appears able to achieve reductions in deer populations or their impacts. We eliminated deer sterilization and recreational hunting in a core management area in favor of allowing volunteer archers to shoot deer over bait, including at night. This resulted in a substantial reduction in the deer population and a linear decline in browse rates as a function of spring deer abundance. Public trust stewardship of North American landscapes will require a fundamental overhaul in deer management to provide for a brighter future, and oak seedlings may be a promising metric to assess success. These changes will require intense public debate and may require new approaches such as regulated commercial hunting, natural dispersal, or intentional release of important deer predators (e.g., wolves and mountain lions). Such drastic changes in deer management will be highly controversial, and at present, likely difficult to implement in North America. However, the future of our forest ecosystems and their associated biodiversity will depend on evidence to guide change in landscape management and stewardship.

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“…The science documenting and forecasting the extensive and prolonged negative impacts of high deer browse pressure is clear and largely uncontested, and has been so for decades ( Leopold et al 1947 ; Côté et al 2004 ; Binkley et al 2006 ). Large deer populations not only affect crops and valuable timber species, but also create simplified and less diverse ecosystems with cascading negative impacts percolating through food webs affecting plants, insects, birds and ecosystem processes ( Côté et al 2004 ; Wardle and Bardgett 2004 ; McGraw and Furedi 2005 ; Martin et al 2011 ; Nuttle et al 2011 ; Schweitzer et al 2014 ). Furthermore, deer appear to have an outsized influence on prevalence of tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme ( Stafford et al 2003 ; Raizman et al 2013 ; Kilpatrick et al 2014 ), and are implicated in facilitating spread of invasive plant species and invasive earthworms ( Eschtruth and Battles 2009 ; Knight et al 2009 b ; Kalisz et al 2014 ; Dávalos et al 2015 b , c ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An indicator approach to capture impacts of white-tailed deer and other ungulates in the presence of multiple associated stressors

Blossey

Dávalos

Nuzzo³

2017

AoB PLANTS

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We developed a standardized metric to measure impacts of high white-tailed deer populations using red oak (Quercus rubra) seedlings. Our “sentinel approach” showed that deer browse reduced oak seedling survival and growth far more than invasive plants or invasive earthworms. Our approach can be used in areas devoid of vegetation but under heavy deer browse pressure, and the method can be implemented by non-specialists.

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The current status of forest Macrolepidoptera in northern New Jersey: evidence for the decline of understory specialists

Cited by 10 publications

References 28 publications

Are pollinating hawk moths declining in the Northeastern United States? An analysis of collection records

Are pollinating hawk moths declining in the Northeastern United States? An analysis of collection records

Red oak seedlings as indicators of deer browse pressure: Gauging the outcome of different white‐tailed deer management approaches

An indicator approach to capture impacts of white-tailed deer and other ungulates in the presence of multiple associated stressors

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