Occurrence of Moths in Boreal Forest Corridors

• Published in: Conservation Biology
• Main Authors: Mönkkönen, Mikko, Mutanen, Marko
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2003
• Subjects: Northern Finland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2003.01414.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1046%2Fj.1523-1739.2003.01414.x; http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2003.01414.x/fullpdf

Abstract: We studied the utility of riparian corridors in boreal forest landscapes as habitats and dispersal routes for forest‐associated noctuid and geometrid moths in northern Finland. We collected moths with baited traps to investigate their occurrence and abundance in four habitat types—forest interior, forest edge, forested corridors, and clearcuts—along riparian zones. This was done with a sampling design in which the four habitat types were nested within four riparian systems. Corridors were strips of forest 30–70 m wide surrounded by clearcuts and sapling stands. Trap sites in forest interior were more than 100 m away from the nearest forest edge within large ( >50 ha ) patches of mature ( timber volume> 100 m 3 /ha ), spruce‐dominated forests. Forest ‐ edge trap sites were in the same forest patches within 25 m from the nearest clearcut edge, and clearcut trap sites were in recent ( <10 ‐year‐old ) clearcuts>50 m away from the nearest mature forest. A total of 6485 specimens, representing 57 moth species, were captured during the 6‐week trapping period in late June–August 1999. The number of species and total number of individuals did not differ among the forested habitats ( interior, edge, corridor ) but were significantly lower in clearcuts. A consistent pattern across the nine species we examined in more detail was the low number of individuals captured in clearcuts. In general their abundance in corridors was equal to that observed in forest interiors and edges. Two species tended to occur in corridors in higher numbers than in forest‐interior habitats. Our results suggest that corridors in boreal forest landscapes serve as breeding habitats or dispersal routes for the moths and may direct the movements of these forest‐associated species. Results from studies showing positive effects of corridors on dispersal or population persistence should not, however, be used to justify more habitat destruction.