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Wim De Schuyter (UGent)
(2024)
Author
Organization
Abstract
Global changes are forcing forest management towards more resilient and more structurally complex forests. Hereby creating a more attractive habitat for their associated biodiversity. Measuring this forest structural complexity and how it relates to associated biodiversity is however challenging. Here, we used the structural complexity index (SCI), designed for forests managers to quick and easily assess structural complexity. Studies comparing the predictive value of such index with taxonomic biodiversity monitoring are rare. In this study, we focus on wild pollinators, which could potentially benefit from this shift towards more structurally complex forests. We used elevated pan traps in 19 forest plots varying in structural complexity and dominant tree species to answer following questions. First, we investigated how predictive the SCI is for wild bee and syrphid abundance and diversity. Second, we studied the communities and how these relate to the SCI. We found that the SCI was not predictive for both the abundance and diversity. We found some tree species identity effects for abundance and diversity, stressing the importance of maintaining multiple tree species. However, no differences between wild pollinator communities of forest types and SCI-levels were observed. Our results show that a tool such as the SCI, which allows forest managers to quickly assess the potential of forest stands to accommodate biodiversity, is not necessarily predictive for each taxonomic group. However, combining collection methods across multiple years and taxonomic groups, should provide additional insights for the total assessment of the predictive value of the SCI for pollinators in forests.
Keywords
forest management, Pollinator conservation, Pollination, ecosystem functioning, syrphidae, apidae
License
CC-BY-4.0
Access
open access

Citation

Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:

@misc{01JXCWKKRJTYMG6Q8CAAY73V0Y,
  abstract     = {{Global changes are forcing forest management towards more resilient and more structurally complex forests. Hereby creating a more attractive habitat for their associated biodiversity. Measuring this forest structural complexity and how it relates to associated biodiversity is however challenging. Here, we used the structural complexity index (SCI), designed for forests managers to quick and easily assess structural complexity. Studies comparing the predictive value of such index with taxonomic biodiversity monitoring are rare. In this study, we focus on wild pollinators, which could potentially benefit from this shift towards more structurally complex forests. We used elevated pan traps in 19 forest plots varying in structural complexity and dominant tree species to answer following questions. First, we investigated how predictive the SCI is for wild bee and syrphid abundance and diversity. Second, we studied the communities and how these relate to the SCI. We found that the SCI was not predictive for both the abundance and diversity. We found some tree species identity effects for abundance and diversity, stressing the importance of maintaining multiple tree species. However, no differences between wild pollinator communities of forest types and SCI-levels were observed. Our results show that a tool such as the SCI, which allows forest managers to quickly assess the potential of forest stands to accommodate biodiversity, is not necessarily predictive for each taxonomic group. However, combining collection methods across multiple years and taxonomic groups, should provide additional insights for the total assessment of the predictive value of the SCI for pollinators in forests.}},
  author       = {{De Schuyter, Wim}},
  keywords     = {{forest management,Pollinator conservation,Pollination,ecosystem functioning,syrphidae,apidae}},
  publisher    = {{figshare}},
  title        = {{Raw data}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.6084/M9.FIGSHARE.27951465}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}

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