New Records and Rare Invertebrate Specimens Recorded During a Decade of Forest Biodiversity Research in Ireland

New records and rare invertebrate specimens recorded during a decade of forest biodiversity research in Ireland I Background ARTICLE Ireland has been subject to extensive deforestation in the past two millennia, and only 1% of the country Rebecca Martin1 1 PLANFORBIO, Department of Zoology, now consists of native or semi-natural woodlands (Forest Service, 2000a; Anne Oxbrough2 Ecology and Plant Science, University College Cork, Ireland; Forest Service, 2000c). During the last Tom Gittings1 Corresponding author: [email protected] century, approximately 10% of the Thomas C. Kelly1 land area was afforested, primarily and John O'Halloran1 2 Department of Renewable Resources, through an increase in commercial University of Alberta, plantations comprised of non-native 751 General Services Building, conifers, particularly Sitka spruce Edmonton, Alberta, (Joyce & O'Carroll, 2002). In Canada T6G 2H 1; addition, the Irish government aims to [email protected] increase total forest cover to 14.5% by 2030, with this target mainly being met through plantation establishment. Traditionally, Irish forestry has been under the domain of the semi-state body Coillte, which planted extensively in upland areas. In more recent years there has been a policy shift with the government supporting private afforestation schemes on land more typically used for agriculture (Forest Service, 2007), whilst Coillte concentrates on harvesting and restocking its forests. Since 1998, Ireland has been committed to Rebecca Martin Anne Oxbrough ensuring that all forestry development complies with the principles of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM), and as a result both new and restocked forests have been affected by changing policy aiming to create more diverse plantations (UNECE/FAO, 2003). This includes a suite of measures, from planting fewer monocultures and even-aged stands, to including more species of native provenance and leaving over-mature trees and deadwood in situ at the time of harvest (Forest Service, 2000a). Forests in Ireland are relatively small Tom Gittings Thomas C. Kelly John O'Halioran in size (on average 8-10 hectares), and Antenna 34 (3) 111 p....".1: Two methods of collecting. Left: pitfall trap and right: canopy fogging. are typically embedded in a landscape structural development, open habitats radio tagging and nest cameras to of intensive agriculture. In light of this which are commonly used in examine this species' behaviour and and the low native woodland cover it afforestation (lowland bogs, heaths, habitat use in landscapes containing is vital that the potential of managed grasslands etc.) and open plantation forests (Wilson et al., plantations to support native flora and space within mature plantations 2009); iii) RHODO which is fauna is determined. (Ire monger et al., 2006a). At each site investigating effective control Araneae were sampled with pitfall measures for Rhododendron ponticium traps, while Syrphidae were sampled L.; and iv) BIOPLAN, which involves The importance of invertebrates to with Malaise traps (Gittings et al., the implementation of an assessment Irish forests 2005; Oxbrough et al., 2005; Gittings, and monitoring programme for Invertebrates are an important 2006; Gittings et al., 2006; Oxbrough biodiversity in Irish and Scottish component of forest biodiversity, et al., 2006a; Oxbrough et al., 2006b; forests. The overall aim of these inhabiting all areas from the soil and Oxbrough, 2007a; Oxbrough et al., proj ects is to form a set of litter layers, to herb and under-storey 2007b; Oxbrough et al., 2010a). management recommendations for layers, and the canopy. They have Additionally, data on ground improving biodiversity in plantation functional importance in food webs vegetation and birds were collected forests, by combining diversity data on acting as herbivores, predators, as a (Wilson et al., 2006). a wide range of taxa from a variety of food source for mammals and birds, The PLANFORBIO Research forest habitat types. and also as decomposers and Programme (2007-2013) was initially Invertebrate groups studied in detail pollinators (Buse & Good, 1993; conceived to in part follow on from on the BIOFOREST and Kevan, 1999; Barton et al., 2009). the BIOFOREST project but has a FORESTBIO projects included Until recently, few studies had much broader focus being comprised Lepidoptera and Syrphidae, ground- focused on invertebrate diversity in of four research projects: i) dwelling Araneae and Carabidae, and Irish forests and little information was FORESTBIO which aims to examine canopy-dwelling Araneae, Coleoptera, available on species typical of semi- the biota of Ireland's future forests and Opiliones, all of which were natural woodlands, providing a including second rotation Sitka spruce identified to species level. baseline of the 'ideal' forest biota or and mixed species stands, but also Methodologies employed included on what fauna are supported in obtain a 'baseline' of species in pitfall traps, Malaise traps, suction plantation forests. In the past ten years Ireland's native woodlands through samplers, light traps and canopy several large-scale research proj ects extensive survey of oak and ash fogging. The lack of previous have been established to address some woodlands. Target taxa include invertebrate research in Ireland of these issues. The BIOFOREST ground-dwelling plants, canopy coupled with the geographically project (2001-2006) examined over epiphytes, and a range of invertebrates extensive and diverse range of sites 100 sites across Ireland which and birds. Deadwood volumes have sampled has led to a host of new included Sitka spruce and ash also been calculated (Sweeney et al., records and rare specimens being plantations at various stages of 2010); ii) HEN HARRIER which uses recorded since 2001. 112 Antenna 34 (3) Rare species and new county records two rare species were recorded; Table jakutorum Bagatshanova, 1980) was of Syrphidae: 1). There are eleven Irish species of very widespread in the Sitka spruce Hoverflies [Diptera, Syrphidae) were syrphids with larvae that typically plantations surveyed. It was recorded sampled during BIOFOREST using feed on aphids associated with conifer from 30 sites and was common or Malaise traps. A total of 49,279 foliage (Dasysrphus hilaris abundant in some sites. Prior to this hoverflies of 112 species were (Zetterstedt), 1843, D. pinastri survey, this species was regarded as infrequent in Ireland (Speight, 2000). identified, which represents 61% of (DeGeer), 1776 sensu Doczkal It may be that the species has recently the Irish hoverfly fauna. The majority (1996), Didea alneti (Fallen), 1817, undergone a major increase in Ireland, of the species we recorded in mature Eriozona syrphoides (Fallen), 1817, Lapposyrphus lapponicus, Megasyrphus coinciding with the maturing and spruce plantations were associated erratic (L.), 1758, Melangyna harvesting of the major post-war with open space habitats rather than compositarum (Verrall), 1873, established plantations. Another closed-canopy forest (Gittings et al., Parasyrphus annulatus (Zetterstedt), saproxylic species, Sphegina clunipes 2006). 1838, P lineolus (Zetterstedt), 1843, P (Fallen), 1816, was also very common One species new to Ireland was malinellus (Collin), 1952 and P vittiger and wide-spread in the conifer recorded: Lapposyrphus lapponicus (Zetterstedt), 1843) and some of plantations surveyed. This species was (Zetterstedt, 1838) from a mature these species have been quite Widely previously thought to be restricted to Sitka spruce plantation in Co. Kerry recorded in Ireland (Speight, 2008a). deciduous woodlands in Ireland (Gittings, 2006). The project However, only single records of three (Speight, 2000) and its apparent produced 134 new country records of these species were recorded during habitat shift may also have been a involving 64 different species,some of the BIOFOREST project (L. response to the increased availability which were published (Gittings et al., lapponicus, M. erraticus and P vittiger). of suitable habitat in harvested 2005; Speight & Gittings, 2006). Nine Therefore, it appears that commercial plantations. Since completion of the decreasing/threatened species were Sitka spruce plantations in Ireland are BIOFOREST survey, another recorded (Table 1).These were mainly missing a habitat component that is saproxylic conifer-associated species, associated with three types of habitat required for these species, although Sphegina sibirica Stackelberg, 1953, features: conifer plantations, surface what this habitat component is has been recorded in Ireland for the water habitat features and Salix scrub. remains unknown. first time in conifer plantations (Speight, 2008b). One of the most notable features of By contrast with the conifer-foliage this survey was the general scarcity of species, the one Irish saproxylic conifer-associated syrphids (although conifer-associated species (Xylota Table 1. Records of decreasing/threatened Syrphidae, sampled using Malaise traps. Nomenclature follows Speight (Speight, 2008a). County Species Name Year captured Irish status' Likely habitat source" Epistrophe nitidicollis Salix swamp/conifer Kerry, Kilkenny 2004 . Threatened/Decreasing (Meigen),1822 plantation Lapposyrphus lapponicus Kerry 2003 Threatened Conifer plantation (Zetterstedt, 1838) Kilkenny, Fermanagh, Parasyrphus nigritarsis 2002,2004 Threatened/Decreasing Salix swamp Tipperary (Zetterstedt), 1843 Platycheirus amplus Curran, Wet flushes in oligotrophic Clare", Kerry 2001,2003 Threatened

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