Greatorex-Davies, J.N.

Hall, M.L.

Pollard, E.

English

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1 3isINSTITUTEOF TERRESTRIALECOLOGY(NATURALENVIRONMENTRESEARCHCOUNCIL)1NCC/NERCCONTRACTHF3/08/12ITE PROJECT 948Progress report to Nature ConservancyCouncil1MANAGEMENTGUIDELINESFOR THE CONSERVATIONOFINVERTEBRATES,ESPECIALLYBUTTERFLIES,IN PLANTATIONWOODLANDE POLLARD, M L HALL & J N GREATOREX-DAVIESMonks Wood ExperimentalStationAbbots RiptonHuntingdonCambs PE17 2L5 March 1987This report is an official documentprepared under contract between theNature Conservancy Council and theNatural Environment Research Council.It should not be quoted without thepermission of both the Institute ofTerrestrial Ecology and the NatureConservancy Council.INSTITUTEOF TERRESTRIALECOLOGY(NATURALENVIRONMENTRESEARCHCOUNCIL)NCC/NERC CONTRACT HF3/08/12ITE PROJECT948Progress report to Nature ConservancyCouncilMANAGEMENTGUIDELINESFOR THE CONSERVATIONOFINVERTEBRATES,ESPECIALLYBUTTERFLIES,IN PLANTATIONWOODLANDE POLLARD,M L HALL & J N GREATOREX-DAVIESMonks Wood ExperimentalStationAbbots RiptonHuntingdonCambs PE17 2LS March 1987onalmnoinoninnnalnialThe main aims of this 5 year study are:—To prepare managementguidelinesfor invertebrates,especiallybutterflies,in selectedwoods.To add to the limited amount of informationwe have on the effects ofmanagementand ride orientationon other insect groups.5. To initiate a programme of monitoring in selectedwoods to enable us toassessthe impact of managementand developingshade on the butterfliesandtheir foodplants.The first year of the study includeda survey of 6 coniferouswoods for which wehad several years' data from the Butterfly MonitoringScheme. To augment thebutterfly data we recorded the ehade conditions, herbaceous plants andHeteroptera on each section of the butterfly transects. These data have nowbeen analysed.The study of Heteropterain 1985 showed that, as a group, these insects showvery similarpatternsof distributionin relationto shade,as do the plants andbutterflies; that is the highest number of species is found in the sunnierrides. Indicationsare that managementfor butterflies(the clearanceof rideedges and creationof open areas followedby rotationalmanagement)will alsobenefit many speciesof plants and invertebrates.Field work in 1986 was concentrated on 2 woods, Whitecrosa Green Wood inOxfordshire (BBONT) and SomerfordCommon in Wiltshire (PC). These woods havebeen managed recently for butterflies in different ways and monitoring isessential if the effecta of the different management strategies are to bejudged. WhitecrossGreen Wood has one main ride throughthe centre of the woodwhich has been 'scalloped',creatinga series of small glades on alternatesidesof the ride. SomerfordCommon has been managed more conservatively.The ridesthere have been cleared back to the original ditches and beyond to about 5 m,though not, as originallyplanned,to 10 m. These woods, both managed during1985-86 and with programmes for the continuation of management,present anopportunity to monitor the long—term effects of the different managementstrategieson both plant and animalcommunities.Both sites are recorded weekly for butterfliesby excellentlocal recorders.For each section of the butterfly transects we now have permanentlymarkedbotanicaltransects(usingburied metal markers),hemisphericalphotographs(forshade estimates) and fixed point photographs. We also have recent aerialphotographsof each site.The second major extensionof the study in 1986 was to examinethe influenceofaspect on some groups of invertebrates,particularlythose associatedwith hazel(Co lus avelana),a shrub frequentlyfound at rides edges. Ten east west rideswere chosen from 'YardleyChase in Northamptonshirefor this study. The hazel onnorth and south—facingsides of the rides was sampled seperately. The mostintensive samplingwas of lepidopterousleaf miners, apecificto hazel. Theresults showed some differencesbetween north and south—facingaspects, butthese differenceswere small. In aouthern Britain, hazel is predominantlyanunderstorey shrub. It is possible that the invertebratefauna has evolved tocope with a fluctuatingregimeof shade and light resultingin greatertoleranceto aspect. However, results for.other insect groups suggestthat some speciesof Heteropteraand Coleopteraon hazel do benefit from direct sunlight,so thatorientationof rides is a factorto be consideredin managementrecommendations,even for the fauna of shrub species.As the work to date indicatessome.faunaldifferencesbetween north and south-facing ride sides,work will continuein the final year of the studyto discoverwhether insects are more abundant on ride margins with a sunny aspect, or ifnumbers simply reflect the relative abundance of their foodplants. To testthis, we hope to study the fauna associatedwith a herbaceousspecies, (posiblythistle)on north and south-facingaspects.1However, the greaterpart of our time this year will be devotedto the continuedmonitoringof WhitecroesGreen Wood and SomerfordCommon, and the productionofmanagement recommendationsfor a selection of other woods. We also hope toproduce evidence of the general benefits to be gained from management forbutterflies.

Management guidelines for the conservation of invertebrates, especially butterflies, in plantation woodland. Progress report to Nature Conservancy Council

http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/19313/1/ITE0948_N019313CR.pdf

Management guidelines for the conservation of invertebrates, especially butterflies, in plantation woodland. Progress report to Nature Conservancy Council

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