Chapter 2 - Influence of Riparian Vegetation on Nocturnal Flying Insects
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AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF Holly K. Ober for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Forest Science and Wildlife Science presented on November 7, 2006. Title: Functional Relationships Among Vegetation, Nocturnal Insects, and Bats in Riparian Areas of the Oregon Coast Range. Abstract approved:______________________________________________________ John P. Hayes Vegetation provides food for many insects, and many insects serve as food for bats. We investigated the linkages among these three trophic levels in riparian areas throughout the Oregon Coast Range by examining the influence of vegetation cover, composition, and structure on the activity of nocturnal insects and bats, the influence of insect abundance on activity of bats, and the diets of bats. Vegetation characteristics at the stream reach spatial scale explained more variation in bat activity than did vegetation characteristics measured at larger spatial scales. Vegetation characteristics most closely associated with bat activity varied among species of bat, included both canopy and shrub attributes, and apparently operated through constraints imposed by vegetation structure on bat flight capabilities rather than through regulation of the distribution of insect prey abundance. The two orders of insects most frequently consumed by bats were Lepidoptera and Diptera. Three species of bat fed predominantly on small insects likely of aquatic origin, and activity of these species was correlated with local abundance of small insects. The seven remaining species of bat fed predominantly on larger, terrestrial insects, and their activity was not correlated with local abundance of insects. Variation among stream reaches in the number of captures and biomass of the six most commonly captured orders of insects (Diptera, Lepidoptera, Trichoptera, Ephemeroptera, Coleoptera, and Hymenoptera) was better explained by cover of deciduous canopy than by any other vegetation characteristic investigated. The number of captures and biomass of these insects increased as deciduous canopy cover increased. Canopy composition explained variation in macro-moth community composition as well: species richness and cover of canopy trees and of shrubs were associated with variation in moth species composition. Number of moths captured, biomass, and Shannon’s species diversity were greater in deciduous- than conifer-dominated stream reaches. Deciduous shrub and canopy trees play an important role in the determination of nocturnal flying insect abundance and community composition. Management activities that promote deciduous vegetation in riparian areas in this region are likely to help maintain biodiversity and abundance of nocturnal insects, which in turn serve as food resources for bats. © Copyright by Holly K. Ober November 7, 2006 All Rights Reserved Functional Relationships Among Vegetation, Nocturnal Insects, and Bats in Riparian Areas of the Oregon Coast Range by Holly K. Ober A DISSERTATION submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Presented November 7, 2006 Commencement June 2007 Doctor of Philosophy dissertation of Holly K. Ober presented on November 7, 2006. APPROVED: _____________________________________________________________________ Major Professor, representing Forest Science and Wildlife Science _____________________________________________________________________ Head of the Department of Forest Science _____________________________________________________________________ Head of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife _____________________________________________________________________ Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my dissertation will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my dissertation to any reader upon request. _____________________________________________________________________ Holly K. Ober, Author ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indebted to family, friends, and colleagues for the support and encouragement they provided me the past five years. I want to express sincere appreciation to those close friends and fellow students who helped me make it through this endeavor: Rajat Panwar, Fred Frick, Peter Giampaoli, Ed Arnett, Dave Waldien, and Julie Boland. I also owe gratitude to my parents for their limitless moral and psychological support. My major advisor, Dr. John Hayes, has been an outstanding role model, and I thank him for his guidance, optimism, and enthusiasm. This project, as well as a multitude of other academic (and athletic) endeavors I have undertaken while at OSU, would not have been possible without his encouragement. I also thank my committee members for their contributions: Dr. Dave Hibbs provided thoughtful and creative insight during the planning stages of the project, Dr. Jeff Miller furnished guidance on moth collection and identification, and Dr. Gail Olson provided expertise in model selection. I am grateful to Manuela Huso and NaDene Sorensen for providing statistical counsel. This project benefited from the contributions of many technicians and teachers. I want to thank the large crew of field assistants who helped collect the data: Angela Baker, Julie Boland, Nicole Duncum, AJ Fedoruk, Tim Fox, Anne Hendrickson, Josh Jones, Francine Nogash, and Angella Sjollema. They each managed to maintain a cheerful outlook despite my requests that they work long hours amidst hostile plants, slippery streambeds, and steep slopes in remote areas throughout the night. I am especially indebted to Tim Fox for teaching me how to identify Oregon plants and for challenging me to think outside the box. I also want to thank those who helped with data processing. Angela Baker, Julie Boland, Nicole Duncum, and Peter Giampaoli assisted with insect sorting. Dana Ross provided all moth identifications. Finally I thank Dr. John Whitaker, Jr. for teaching me the skills required to identify insect remains in bat guano, Fred Frick for teaching me how to identify bat echolocation calls, and Ed Arnett and Dave Waldien for teaching me how to be a critical thinker. Funding for this project was provided by the Cooperative Forest Ecosystem Research program (a consortium of the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Forestry, and Oregon State University), the US Forest Service, Simpson Timber Company, and Weyerhaeuser Timber Company. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 1 Influence of Vegetation on Animals....................................................................... 1 Linkages Among Bats, Insects, and Vegetation in Riparian Areas ........................ 2 Contributions of Coniferous and Deciduous Vegetation........................................ 5 Literature Cited ....................................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER 2 - INFLUENCE OF RIPARIAN VEGETATION ON NOCTURNAL FLYING INSECTS ........................................................................................................ 13 Abstract................................................................................................................. 13 Introduction........................................................................................................... 13 Research Approach .......................................................................................... 15 Methods................................................................................................................. 18 Study Area........................................................................................................ 18 Insect Sampling................................................................................................ 20 Vegetation Sampling........................................................................................ 21 Statistical Analyses .......................................................................................... 23 Results................................................................................................................... 25 Discussion............................................................................................................. 28 Conclusions and Management Implications .................................................... 31 CHAPTER 3 – MACRO-MOTH BIODIVERSITY IN RIPARIAN AREAS OF THE OREGON COAST RANGE........................................................................................... 47 Abstract................................................................................................................. 47 Introduction........................................................................................................... 48 Methods................................................................................................................. 50 Study Area........................................................................................................ 50 Lepidoptera Sampling ...................................................................................... 52 Vegetation Sampling........................................................................................ 53 Statistical Analyses .......................................................................................... 54 Results..................................................................................................................