The Ecological Users in Forest Roles of Wildlife Tree Ecosystems
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LAND MANAGEMENT HANDBOOK 35 The Ecological Roles of Wildlife Tree Users in Forest Ecosystems 1995 Province of British Columbia Ministry of Forests Research Program The Ecological Roles of Wildlife Tree Users in Forest Ecosystems Marlene M. Machmer and Christoph Steeger Province of British Columbia Ministry of Forests Research Program Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Machmer, Marlene M. The ecological roles of wildlife tree users in forest ecosystems (Land management handbook ; 35) “This handbook prepared by Pandion Ecological Research Ltd.”--Verso of t.p. Includes bibliographical references: p. ISBN 0-7726-2418-6 1. Forest fauna – Ecology - British Columbia. 2. Forest fauna - Feeding and foods - British Columbia. 3. Forest insects - Biological control - British Columbia. 4. Trees -Wounds and injuries - British Columbia. 5. Forest management - British Columbia. I. Steeger, Chrisoph, 1958– . II. British Columbia. Ministry of Forests. Research Branch. III. Pandion Ecological Research Ltd. IV. Title. V. Series. SB764.C3M32 1995 574.5’2642’09711 C95-960108-2 Prepared by Pandion Ecological Research Ltd. P.O. Box 26, Ymir, BC V0G 2K0 © 1995 Province of British Columbia Published by the Research Branch B.C. Ministry of Forests 31 Bastion Square Victoria, BC v8w 3E7 Copies of this and other Ministry of Forests titles are available from Crown Publications Inc. 521 Fort Street Victoria, BC v8w 1E7 SUMMARY This report synthesizes North American litera- in pest density. They also affect pest abundance ture about the effects of wildlife tree users on indirectly by altering the microclimate of their invertebrate and vertebrate pest populations. prey and by increasing pest susceptibility to The feeding habits of 92 species of wildlife tree other mortality agents such as parasitism, pre- users in British Columbia are described along dation, disease and weather. The relative effect with the forest pest species (vertebrate and in- of predation by these guilds is greatest at low vertebrate) they prey on. By examining the pest densities; thus they play a significant role trophic relationships of wildlife tree users, in maintaining pests at endemic levels by delay- knowledge of their other ecological roles is ing the onset of outbreaks or by accelerating gained. These roles are identified and discussed their decline. The ground- and aerial-foraging in the context of forest management. Manage- (hawking) birds, terrestrial and arboreal ment recommendations and research directions rodents, and aerial-foraging and gleaning bats are discussed. all consume injurious insects. However, the Wildlife tree users are arranged into foraging quantitative effect of these wildlife tree-using guilds, and studies that investigate the effects of guilds on pest populations requires further individual species or entire guilds on the abun- investigation. There is little evidence that dance and distribution of forest pests are re- vertebrate forest pests are regulated by wildlife viewed. These effects are quantified when tree-dependent carnivorous birds and mam- possible and anecdotal information is presented mals. However, their actions may reduce pest and discussed for guilds where quantitative damage by slowing the rate of an outbreak, studies are lacking. This information is used to accelerating its decline, or interacting with evaluate the potential capacity of specific wild- density- dependent factors to lowe r equilibrium life tree users to regulate forest pests in a pest densities. density-dependent manner. Other ecological roles of wildlife tree users The impact of wildlife tree users on forest in British Columbia include dispersing mycor- pests is most apparent in the bark-foraging and rhizal inoculum, seeds and other materials, foliage-gleaning guilds, which have been studied providing nesting, feeding and roosting oppor- extensively. Members of these groups (e.g., tunities for wildlife, accelerating decomposition woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees) exert in dead and decaying trees, nutrient cycling, a direct influence on pest abundance, exhibiting transmitting tree and insect pathogens, consum functional and numerical responses to increases ing seeds, and damaging healthy trees. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank Daniel Lousier (Minis- Idaho, Moscow), Professor Robert Barclay (Uni- try of Forests, Prince George Forest Region) for versity of Calgary) and Grant MacHutchon sup- initiating and supporting this project. Dale Seip plied background reference material. Joan (Ministry of Forests, Prince George) provided Siderius assisted with information gathering. We helpful comments on an earlier version of this also thank Susan Bannerman for her thorough document. Professor Oz Garton (University of editing of the manuscript. iv CONTENTS Summary...................................................................................................... iii 1. Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 2. Methods and Materials ......................................................................... 2 2.1 General Approach ........................................................................ 2 2.2 Forest Pests in British Columbia ....................................................... 2 2.3 Information About the Feeding Habits of Wildlife Tree Users ................... 2 2.4 Information About the Regulating Effect of Wildlife Tree Users on Forest Pests ..................................................................... 3 3. Results ........................................................................................ 4 3.1 Feeding Habits of Wildlife Tree Users ................................................ 4 3.2 Regulation of Abundance and Distribution of Forest Pests by Wildlife Tree Users ..................................................................... 5 3.2.1 Bark-foraging birds .............................................................. 5 3.2.2 Foliage-gleaning birds .......................................................... 6 3.2.3 Terrestrial and arboreal rodents ............................................... 8 3.2.4 Ground-foraging birds ........................................................ 8 3.2.5 Aerial-foraging and hawking birds ............................................ 8 3.2.6 Terrestrial-foraging raptors ...................................................... 8 3.2.7 Aerial-foraging and gleaning bats .............................................. 9 3.2.8 Carnivores ......................................................................... 9 3.2.9 Amphibians ....................................................................... 10 3.3 Summary of Impact of Wildlife Tree Users on Forest Pests ....................... 10 3.4 Other Ecological Roles of Wildlife Tree Users ....................................... 10 3.4.1ÊÊÊÊDispersal of mycorrhizal inoculum ............................................ 11 3.4.2 Dispersal of seeds and other materials ......................................... 11 3.4.3 ÊProvision of nesting, roosting and feeding opportunities ................... 12 3.4.4 Accelerating decomposition in dead and decaying trees .................... 13 3.4.5 Nutrient cycling ................................................................... 13 3.4.6 Vectors for the transmission of tree pathogens ................................ 13 3.4.7 Seed predation ..................................................................... 13 3.4.8 Damage to healthy trees ............................................................ 14 4. Management Implications for Wildlife Tree Users ...................................... 39 5. Directions for Future Research ................................................................ 41 5.1 Primary Cavity Excavators ................................................................. 41 5.2 Secondary Cavity Users .................................................................... 41 5.3 Bats ........................................................................................... 41 5.4 Small Mammals ................................................................................ 42 Appendix 1. Forest insect pests and their associated taxonomic classification ............ 43 Literature Cited ...................................................................................... 44 v Tables ............................................................................. 1ÊÊÊ Food habits of aquatic-foraging birds 15 .................................................................... 16 2ÊÊÊ Food habits of terrestrial-foraging raptors 3ÊÊÊ Food habits of bark-foraging birds .............................................................................. 18 4ÊÊÊ Food habits of foliage-gleaning birds ............................................................................ 19 ............................................................ 21 5ÊÊÊ Food habits of aerial-foraging and hawking birds 6ÊÊÊ Food habits of ground-foraging birds ............................................................................ 22 7ÊÊÊ Food habits of aerial-foraging and gleaning bats ............................................................. 23 8 Food habits of terrestrial and arboreal rodents ................................................................ 25 9ÊÊÊ Food habits of carnivores ............................................................................................ 27 10ÊÊÊ Summary of quantitative studies of avian predation on