Trunk invertebrate faunas of Western Australian forests and woodlands: Seeking causes of patterns along a west-east gradient

Abstract

Trunk-associated invertebrates were sampled on marri trees (Eucalyptus (Corymbia) calophylla) along a transect from Karragullen, near Perth, through to Dryandra, 150 km to the south-east. This represents a drop in annual rainfall from 1078 to 504 mm, which is accompanied by a change from jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest to wandoo (Eucalyptus wandoo) woodland. Invertebrates were sampled by intercept traps, which collect invertebrates that attempt to land on the trunks, and bark traps, which collect invertebrates that move, or live, on the trunk. Trends are reported here at the ordinal level. The variety and abundance of invertebrates sampled was generally greater in the intercept than the bark traps. Invertebrate abundance, activity and biomass on bark were strongly seasonal, with greater numbers being found during the moister periods. Invertebrate abundances tended to be greater at the drier, eastern end of the transect, particularly on the three sites within wandoo woodland. These trends were analysed in terms of rainfall, soil nutrients and plant community composition. The analysis failed to detect an underlying influence of any of these factors, suggesting that the observed trends on marri trunks may be the result of invertebrate responses to the dominant tree species at the western and eastern ends of the transect, namely jarrah and wandoo respectively