SITE INDEX OF SIAMESE ROSEWOOD (Dalbergia cochinchinensis Pierre) IN PLANTATIONS OF THAILAND

Currently, decreased productivity of Siamese rosewood (Dalbergia cochinchinensis Pierre) is a problem due to illegal logging and the guidelines to manage this prevention being may be insufficient. Forest plantations should be promoted to achieve sustainable wood production for this species. Site index (SI) is a measure that can be used to predict forest productivity to identify appropriate sites for planting Siamese rosewood. The objective of the current study was to predict the SI for Siamese rosewood in Thailand. A sample of 78 temporary plots at 26 sites in 16 provinces of Thailand was selected to construct a site index curve with a base age of 30 years. The results showed that the mean age of Siamese rosewood was 28 years (between 13 and 55 years), the mean diameter at breast height (DBH) was 20.03 cm (between 7.99 and 33.80 cm), and the mean dominant height was 20.79 m (between 7.32 and 24.82 m). The SI equation was: SI = e(lnHdo-12.476(A-1-Ab-1)) with an R2 value of 0.406 at p < 0.0001 (chosen as 30 years in the present study). The equation indicated that 14, 18, 22, 26, and 30 m trees belonged to site classes Ι, ΙΙ, ΙΙΙ, ΙV, and V, respectively. Although in natural forest, Siamese rosewood is distributed in dry evergreen and mixed deciduous forests, in the present study, several sites in areas under both in situ and ex situ conservation were in the good and very good site categories. Thus, both areas can be used to plant Siamese rosewood and increase its productivity

Commercial spruce plantations support a limited. canopy fauna: Evidence from a multi taxa comparison of native and plantation forests

Globally, the total area of plantation forest is increasing as deforestation and fragmentation of native forest continues. In some countries commercial plantations make up more than half of the total forested land. Internationally, there is growing emphasis on forestry policy for plantations to deliver biodiversity and ecosystem services. In Ireland, native forest now comprises just 1% of total land cover while non-native spruce forest makes up 60% of the plantation estate and approximately 6% of the total land cover. The majority of plantation invertebrate biodiversity assessments focus on ground-dwelling species and consequently a good understanding exists for these guilds, especially ground-active spiders and beetles. Using a technique of insecticide fogging, we examine the less well understood component of forest systems, the canopy fauna (Coleoptera, Araneae, Diptera and Hemiptera), in Irish spruce plantations (Sitka and Norway) and compare the assemblage composition, richness and abundance to that of remnant native forest (ash and oak). In addition, we examine the potential for accumulation of forest species in second rotation spruce plantations and identify indicator species for each forest type. From 30 sampled canopies, we recorded 1155 beetles and 1340 spiders from 144 species and over 142 000 Diptera and Hemiptera from 71 families. For all taxa, canopy assemblages of native forests were significantly different from closed-canopy plantation forests. No indicators for plantation forest were identified; those identified for native forest included species from multiple feeding guilds. Plantations supported approximately half the number of beetle species and half the number of Diptera and Hemiptera families recorded in native forests. Although assemblages in Norway spruce plantations were very different to those of native forest, they had consistently higher richness than Sitka spruce plantations. No differences in richness or abundance were found between first rotation and second rotation Sitka spruce plantations. Compared to other forest types, Sitka spruce plantations contained far greater total abundance of invertebrates, due to vast numbers of aphids and midges. Under current management, Sitka spruce plantations provide limited benefit to the canopy fauna typical of native forests in either first or second rotations. The large aphid populations may provide abundant food for insectivores but may also lead to reduced crop production through defoliation. Progressive forestry management should attempt to diversify the plantation canopy fauna, which may also increase productivity and resilience to pest species

Insect Pollination of Aquilaria crassna (Thymelaeaceae): Effect of Moths for the Fruit Setting in Thailand

The diversity and abundance of insect visitors to flowers of Aquilaria crassna were investigated in a natural forest in Khao Yai National Park and a plantation in Trat Province, Thailand. The behavior and pollinating effectiveness of the major insect visitors were also examined. Data were collected from 2006 to 2008 during the flowering season from March to May. A total of 103 insect species were found, representing 34 families from 4 orders. The highest number of species belonged to the order Lepidoptera (61 species), followed by Hymenoptera (26), and Coleoptera and Diptera (8). The efficiency of moth visitors was measured by the mean number of pollen grains found on the visitor\u27s proboscis. Endotricha species (Pyralidae, Lepidoptera) were the most abundant and frequent visitors in both areas, and had pollen deposits of $16.29 pm 5.36$ (n=9) grains per proboscis. Fruit setting following different pollination treatments was not significantly different in the natural forest and the plantation, and no significant difference was found between hand pollination and open pollination. However, there was a significant difference in fruit setting between hand pollination and closed pollination, indicating that pollen transfer from anthers to stigma by vectors was required for fruit setting of A. crassna flowers

Pollen Composition Significantly Impacts the Development and Survival of the Native Small Carpenter Bee, Ceratina Calcarata

As native bee populations decrease, there is a need to better understand their nutritional requirements to sustain healthy pollinator populations. A common native bee to eastern North America is the small carpenter bee, Ceratina calcarata. Previous studies have shown that the primary pollen sources for C. calcarata consist of clover and rose. • The aim of this study is to compare the effects of diet composition on body size, development and survival. Artificial pollen diets were created using five different ratios of commercially available clover and rose pollen. • Diets containing higher ratios of clover pollen produced larger individuals with increased survival rates and faster development times. To examine this further, the macronutrient profiles of clover and rose pollen were characterised comparing: protein, sugar, fatty acid, and amino acid content. Results indicated that rose pollen contained significantly higher protein and sugar content, while clover pollen had higher concentrations of essential amino acids. These are crucial to bee health and development, which helps to explain the increased survivorship observed on high clover diet treatments. • Taken together, these results show that clover pollen provides a higher quality diet for larval development and survival of the native small carpenter bee. This research indicates that diet has a significant effect on the health of the native pollinator community and more research is needed to further explore the balance between pollen quality and availability, including essential macronutrients and the availability of these floral sources for wild bees