Date of Award
Summer 8-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife Science
Department
Biological Sciences
College
College of Natural & Health Sciences
Committee Chair
Dr. Jorista Garrie
Second Committee Member
Dr. Eric Lovely
Third Committee Member
Dr. Roger Perry
Fourth Committee Member
Matthew Anderson
Program Director
Dr. Thomas Nupp
Dean of Graduate College
Dr. Richard Schoephoerster
Abstract
Insects are important in woodland ecosystems due to their role as pollinators and as prey for bats. My research investigated the relationships between forest management, vegetation, and insects in the Ozark National Forest in Arkansas. I selected 30 stands burned at varying frequencies in the last 12 years. Twelve of these stands were burned and mechanically thinned, 12 were only burned, and 6 were untreated. I deployed blacklight traps and malaise traps in each stand monthly from mid-March to mid- November 2019. Over 42,391 insects were collected, and Lepidoptera was the most abundant order. Insects were dried, weighed, and identified for diversity metrics. I used multi-model selection and AICc to find the top models from a series of linear mixed effects models to determine the best forest management strategies for bat prey and the best vegetation habitat for pollinators. Total biomass of nocturnal, aerial insects was lower in thinned stands despite thinned stands having more ground vegetation. However, it is unclear if it is the removal of Lepidoptera tree hosts or changes to bat foraging activity that drove this relationship. Stands burned at high frequencies had a higher abundance of Coleoptera and more ground vegetation that is important insect habitat. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis is not a universal ecological rule and was not supported with regards to Lepidoptera diversity and burn frequency. However, more research needs to be done to determine if there is an intermediate tree density that balances the benefits to Lepidoptera bat-prey and Hymenoptera pollinators.
Recommended Citation
Tormanen, Aaron P., "The Impacts of Prescribed Burning and Mechanical Thinning on Insect Communities in the Arkansas Ozarks" (2020). Theses and Dissertations from 2020. 9.
https://orc.library.atu.edu/etds_2020/9