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Long lasting impact of forest harvesting on the diversity of herbivorous insects

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Abstract

Many of the protected forest areas in Uganda have been subject to logging in the past. It is known that logging changes communities, but how long these changes last is unclear. Most of the studies on butterflies and moths have looked at the effects of logging relatively shortly (<15 years) after the logging took place. In this study we investigated community of herbivorous lepidopteran larvae and its temporal dynamics in a natural forest and three differently managed forest compartments after 40 years of regeneration. We collected samples of larvae from the leaves of Neoboutonia macrocalyx Pax. between April 2006 and March 2008 in Kibale National Park, Western Uganda. Herbivory, density of larvae, and species richness were significantly lower in logged compartments than in natural forest. Furthermore, the community composition differed significantly between the logged compartments and the natural forest. There was seasonal variation in larval density, species richness and diversity. In species richness and diversity the variation was synchronous in all the study areas, but larval density did not vary synchronously across the compartments, probably due to the impact of logging on the environment. We also observed changes in the community composition during different seasons in all the study areas. We attribute the long term impact of logging to the hindered regeneration of logged compartments and recommend restoration activities to help to return the logged areas closer to the natural state.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Erimosi Agaba, Edith Karungi, Gideon Muhereza, Isaiah Mwesige, John Mwesige and Richard Sabiiti for assisting with the fieldwork. The authors thank also Makerere University Biological Field Station, Kibale National Park for support. Funding was provided by Finnish Academy (grant no. 109861). Permission to conduct this research was given by the Office of the President, Uganda, the National Council for Science and Technology, Uganda and the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

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  1. Jenny Koivisto

    Present address: Department of Biology, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7803, 5020, Bergen, Norway

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Biosciences, University of Joensuu, P.O. Box 111, 80101, Joensuu, Finland

    Sini Savilaakso, Jenny Koivisto, Timo O. Veteli & Heikki Roininen

  2. Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute, Joensuu Game and Fisheries Research, Yliopistokatu 6, 80100, Joensuu, Finland

    Jyrki Pusenius

  3. Rue de l’aqueduc 155, 1050, Ixelles, Belgium

    Sini Savilaakso

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  1. Sini Savilaakso
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Correspondence to Sini Savilaakso.

Appendices

Appendix 1

See Table 3.

Table 3 The number of individuals (larval density per m2 of leaf area in parentheses) of lepidopteran species recorded in four differently managed compartments in Kibale National Park, Uganda
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Appendix 2

See Table 4.

Table 4 The number of species per lepidopteran family recorded in four differently managed compartments in Kibale National Park, Uganda
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Savilaakso, S., Koivisto, J., Veteli, T.O. et al. Long lasting impact of forest harvesting on the diversity of herbivorous insects. Biodivers Conserv 18, 3931–3948 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-009-9689-0

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