Guidelines for the monitoring of Rosalia alpina

Rosalia alpina (Linnaeus, 1758) is a large longhorn beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) which is protected by the Habitats Directive and which typically inhabits beech forests characterised by the presence of mature, dead (or moribund) and sun-exposed trees. A revision of the current knowledge on systematics, ecology and conservation of R. alpina is reported. The research was carried out as part of the LIFE MIPP project which aims to find a standard monitoring method for saproxylic beetles protected in Europe. For monitoring this species, different methods were tested and compared in two areas of the Apennines, utilising wild trees, logs and tripods (artificially built with beech woods), all potentially suitable for the reproduction of the species. Even if all methods succeeded in the survey of the target species, these results showed that the use of wild trees outperformed other methods. Indeed, the use of wild trees allowed more adults to be observed and required less intensive labour. However, monitoring the rosalia longicorn on wild trees has the main disadvantage that they can hardly be considered “standard sampling units”, as each tree may be differently attractive to adults. Our results demonstrated that the most important factors influencing the attraction of single trunks were wood volume, sun-exposure and decay stage. Based on the results obtained during the project LIFE MIPP, as well as on a literature review, a standard monitoring method for R. alpina was developed

Inter-annual and intra-seasonal patterns of abundance in a set of common waterbirds: a long term study in a Mediterranean wetland

"" Data on phenology and abundance of a set of common water-related birds were . collected in a remnant wetland of central Italy during six years, under a long-term management . project. In the study area, water level fluctuated following a seasonal pattern determined by climatic and anthropogenic factors (in particular, a local fish farming activity). We detected inter-annual and intra-seasonal changes in values of bird abundance. A high water level in wetland . channels and surrounding reed and rush beds, induced a higher availability of suitable habitats . for common ducks (mallard, teal, garganey), favouring an increase in the abundance of these . species. In particular, a significant correlation was found between water level and duck abun-. dance. On the contrary, the abundance of herons (little egret, grey heron, purple heron) increased . in association with a drop in water level. The latter was determined by both seasonal aridity and . fish farming activities in late spring. Such a decrease of water level implies a rise in fish density . and therefore its availability for herons. "

Bird and beetle assemblages in relict beech forests of central Italy: a multi-taxa approach to assess the importance of dead wood in biodiversity conservation

The awareness of the importance of deadwood in forest ecosystems has increased in recent decades. Today, dead wood is recognized as a key factor affecting diversity of forest communities. Hole-nesting birds and saproxylic organisms represent an active part of the animal community through the recycle of decaying wood into the forest soils. Three relict beech forests of central Italy were surveyed for both saproxylic beetles and hole-nesting birds, using two different types of interception traps for the former group and point count method for the latter. The variables of dead wood quality were recorded from ten plots, particularly the decaying class and typology of all the wood debris with a diameter ≥ 5 cm. In order to correlate richness and abundance of beetles and birds in a symmetric way, we used co-inertia analysis (CoIA). To correlate in a predictive way the dead wood attributes (dead wood typology and class decay) with birds and beetles assemblages we used partial redundancy analysis (RDA). Our results showed a significant relationship between saproxylic beetle and hole-nesting bird communities. Three dead wood variables (the volume of standing dead trees, stumps and large branches on the ground) appeared to be good predictors of saproxylic beetle richness while the volume of standing dead tree and of dead trees on the ground were the same for hole-nesting birds. These results suggest specific recommendations useful for forest management and planning

Saproxylic beetles in three relict beech forests of central Italy: analysis of environmental parameters and implications for forest management

Three relict beech forest of central Italy were surveyed by different trap types: pitfall traps, and three different types of windows flight traps. Species richness and similarity of saproxylic beetles among the study areas were compared using Chao’s indexes. Species composition and abundance were compared in order to test the influence of two trap factors on the catches of saproxylic beetles: the height effect and the colour effect (transparent or black panels). Redundancy Analysis was used to describe the factors affecting abundance and the occurrence of saproxylic beetles through some selected environmental variables at tree scale (tree diameter, canopy closure, tree cavity) and at plot scale (dead wood typology and decay class). The species richness and composition do not vary among the studied areas. The comparison among traps type showed changes in saproxylic beetle assemblages from the ground level to the canopy closure. On the contrary, trap colour did not influence the species composition. A combination of standardized and replicable pitfall and windows traps is suitable to compare the saproxylic fauna. The analysis performed at tree scale, revealed a different correlation between tree-dependent variables and saproxylic beetle richness and abundance for each trap type. Three dead wood variables at plot scale (the amount of standing dead trees, stumps and large branches on the ground) appeared to be good predictors of saproxylic beetle richness

Distribution and abundance of hole-nesting birds in Mediterranean forests: impact of past management patterns on habitat preference

This study explores the relative abundance of hole-nesting birds in fourMediterranean forest types, each of which has undergone different patterns of forest management. Nine species were sampled in 24 study plots, to compare cork oak forest, turkey oak forest, holm oak forest and pine plantation. The abundance of hole-nesters was greater in cork oak forest and turkey oak forest. Three species were most frequently detected: Great Tit (Parusmajor), Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) and Nuthatch (Sitta europaea). Bird abundancewas significantly lower in holmoak forest, particularly in the cases of Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis), Nuthatch and Short-toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla). TheGreat SpottedWoodpecker showed a positive correlation with the abundance of three secondary cavity nesters: Nuthatch, Short-toed Treecreeper and Starling; in contrast, Green Woodpecker showed a negative correlation with Starling. Habitat structure varied significantly among forest types, especially themean andmaximumtree height, these being lower in holmoak forest. The Great SpottedWoodpecker proved to be a good indicator of less disturbed woodlands. In fact, maximum tree height turned out to be a significant and positive explanatory variable for woodpecker abundance.We consider that intensive coppicing and timbermanagement in holm oak forest during the 20th century widely affected trees’ age-profile, with consequences for their suitability forwoodpeckers and other hole-nesting birds. Tomonitor the response of hole-nesting birds to forest management in terms of abundance, we propose the use of the great spotted woodpecker as an indicator species

Survey of saproxylic beetle assemblages at different forest plots in central Italy

Saproxylic beetles from coarse deadwood debris found on the forest floor were documented for the first time at four permanent monitoring plots in central Italy that are part of the International Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP Forests). The plots consisted of unmanaged vegetation communities representing typical beech forest, mixed broadleaf and conifer forest, Turkey oak forest, and cork oak forest respectively. With the present study, we identified beetle assemblages to species level and investigated whether the type of vegetation affects beetle communities. In order to detect more of the species present and perform a better comparison among study sites, samples were collected with two types of traps: flight interception traps hanging from tree branches (n = 1 per plot) and emergence traps mounted on deadwood like fallen branches or trunks (n = up to 8 per plot, depending on the availability of deadwood pieces). A total of 1372 individual beetles, belonging to 133 species of 36 families were captured, identified and enumerated. Considering all beetles caught in both trap types, alpha-diversity values indicated high beetle diversity at all of the four forest sites, while measured species richness, accumulation curves and species richness estimators agreed that the highest species density was at Rosello. Monte Rufeno had the highest abundance of beetle individuals. Monte Rufeno and Monte Circeo had the highest numbers of saproxylic species, even though Rosello had the highest total number of beetle species. Ninety species (67.7% of the species found in all plots combined) were caught in only one plot, while only three species, representing 2.3% of the total of species, were collected at all of the four plots; nine saproxylic species were collected exclusively at Monte Circeo, among them rare singletons like Agrilus convexicollis mancini Obenberger (Buprestidae) and Nematodes filum (F.) (Melasidae), the latter recorded in central Italy for the first time. Environmental variables having the strongest correlations with the assemblage composition were plot-scale variables (slope, stand age, amount of deadwood). The only trap-scale variable that showed up as related to assemblage composition was wood decayclass. The study highlighted that the diversity in saproxylic beetle communities reflects the different tree communities at the four study plots. The research also showed that even at the small and very small scale of forest plots, traits of beetle assemblages can be revealed on coarse deadwood debris

Monitoring of Insects with Public Participation. Layman’s Report

Although Italy hosts a very important part of Europe’s biodiversity, at the same time however many species are threatened. The Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), one of the pillars of European nature conservation, safeguards biodiversity through the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. It imposes to maintain or restore a favourable conservation status of habitats and populations. A further important obligation deriving from this Directive is the set-up of a European ecological network of special areas of conservation, entitled Natura 2000. Additionally, the Habitats Directive requires the Member States to carry out monitoring to determine the conservation status of the protected habitats and species. The Directive lists a total of 117 species of insects; of these 49 species are present in Italy. However, there is still no nationally accepted and widely applied monitoring system for these insects. In addition, for many insect species listed in the Habitats Directive, the current knowledge of their distribution in Italy is fragmentary and many records are outdated

Monitoraggio di Insetti con la Partecipazione Pubblica. Layman’s Report

L’Italia possiede un immenso patrimonio naturale, ma molte specie si trovano in condizioni di criticità. La Direttiva Habitat (92/43/CEE), uno dei pilastri della politica Europea per la conservazione della natura, ha come scopo la salvaguardia della biodiversità mediante la tutela degli habitat naturali, nonché della flora e della fauna selvatiche. A tal fine la Direttiva ha istituito una rete ecologica europea, chiamata Rete Natura 2000, e stabilisce che ogni Stato deve assicurare il mantenimento o il ripristino, in uno stato di conservazione soddisfacente, degli habitat e delle specie elencati nei suoi allegati. Per accertare lo stato di conservazione di questi habitat e specie la Direttiva richiede agli Stati membri di garantire il loro monitoraggio. A livello Europeo, la Direttiva ha elencato 117 specie di insetti; di queste, 49 sono presenti in Italia. Tuttavia, non esiste ancora un sistema di monitoraggio per questi insetti, accettato e applicato su scala nazionale. Inoltre per molte specie di insetti elencati nella Direttiva Habitat anche l’attuale conoscenza della loro distribuzione in Italia è molto lacunosa perché molte segnalazioni sono storiche

Guidelines for the monitoring of Cerambyx cerdo

Cerambyx cerdo is a longhorn beetle widely distributed in southern and central Europe. This saproxylic beetle is generally associated with oak forests where there are mature or partially dead and sun-exposed trees. Its populations are currently threatened by forest practices such as the removal of partially dead trees and the decline in the number of old oak trees situated in open or semi-open landscapes. Thus, C. cerdo has been included in Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive. The present paper is part of a special issue on monitoring of saproxylic beetles which are protected in Europe, based on the research carried out during the LIFE-MIPP project, with a revision of the current knowledge on systematics, ecology and conservation of C. cerdo. The main aim of the present paper is to test different monitoring methods in order to develop a quick and reproducible protocol for the conservation of this species. The methods tested were: artificial sap attracting the adults, baited traps, VES (visual encounter survey) and collecting remains of predation along transects. Based on these results, a detailed monitoring method for C. cerdo using baited trap is proposed in this paper, together with a discussion on its constraints, spatial validity and possible interferences. In order to assess the conservation status of populations of C. cerdo in Europe and to compare populations over time, a method for the calculation of a reference value, based on the monitoring method, is provided