| Title: | The importance of direct and indirect trophic interactions in determining the presence of a locally rare day-flying moth |
| Author(s): | O'Neill HM; Twiss SD; Stephens PA; Mason THE; Ryrholm N; Burman J; |
| Address: | "Centre for Environmental Research Innovation and Sustainability, Institute of Technology Sligo, Ash Lane, Sligo, Ireland. O'Neill.Hagen@itsligo.ie. Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK. Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, CH-6204, Sempach, Switzerland. Department of Electronics, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and 44 Sustainable Development, University of Gavle, Gavle, Sweden. Ecology Research Group, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, Kent, England" |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00442-021-05100-9 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1432-1939 (Electronic) 0029-8549 (Print) 0029-8549 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Ecosystem engineers affect other organisms by creating, maintaining or modifying habitats, potentially supporting species of conservation concern. However, it is important to consider these interactions alongside non-engineering trophic pathways. We investigated the relative importance of trophic and non-trophic effects of an ecosystem engineer, red deer, on a locally rare moth, the transparent burnet (Zygaena purpuralis). This species requires specific microhabitat conditions, including the foodplant, thyme, and bare soil for egg-laying. The relative importance of grazing (i.e., trophic effect of modifying microhabitat) and trampling (i.e., non-trophic effect of exposing bare soil) by red deer on transparent burnet abundance is unknown. We tested for these effects using a novel method of placing pheromone-baited funnel traps in the field. Imago abundance throughout the flight season was related to plant composition, diversity and structure at various scales around each trap. Indirect effects of red deer activity were accounted for by testing red deer pellet and trail presence against imago abundance. Imago abundance was positively associated with thyme and plant diversity, whilst negatively associated with velvet grass and heather species cover. The presence of red deer pellets and trails were positively associated with imago abundance. The use of these sites by red deer aids the transparent burnet population via appropriate levels of grazing and the provision of a key habitat condition, bare soil, in the form of deer trails. This study shows that understanding how both trophic and non-trophic interactions affect the abundance of a species provides valuable insights regarding conservation objectives" |
| Keywords: | Animals *Deer Ecosystem *Moths Plants Soil Conservation ecology Ecosystem engineering Ecosystem engineers Invertebrates Lepidoptera Red deer Trophic effects Zygaena purpuralis; |
| Notes: | "MedlineO'Neill, Hagen M Twiss, Sean D Stephens, Philip A Mason, Tom H E Ryrholm, Nils Burman, Joseph eng NE/K500999/1/Natural Environment Research Council/ Germany 2022/01/10 Oecologia. 2022 Feb; 198(2):531-542. doi: 10.1007/s00442-021-05100-9. Epub 2022 Jan 8" |
