Measuring the impact of forest management on the structure and composition of moth communities using automatic and manual light traps
Abstract
Human-induced environmental impacts threaten global biodiversity, including temperate forests
which have been highly altered and reduced. Despite these disturbances, temperate forests serve
as biodiversity hotspots and play an important role in the conservation of declining species. Insect
decline, often overlooked, is of significant concern due to its consequences on ecosystems and
human health. To reverse insect decline, we first need to understand the influence our activities
have on their populations. In this regard, our study focused on the impact of the French «futaie
régulière» forest management method on moth communities.
First, we chose to evaluate the effect of forest management on species richness and diversity.
Sampling took place using two types of automatic light traps (T-traps LepiLED and Skinner
Actinic) in the forest of Tours-Larçay-les Hâtes, focusing on two contrasting plots : a naturally
evolving plot and a managed plot. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found that forest management
does not appear to have a significant impact on the moth communities we studied.
However, to confirm our results, we first had to improve upon our current biomonitoring protocol,
focusing on increasing the sampling effort of micro moths which was initially insufficient. This
was our second step. To do so we chose to use Bioform towers along with our automatic traps.
By doing so, we concluded that the “futaie régulière” forest management method has no effect on
the richness and diversity of both the macro moth and the micro moth communities located in the
forest of Tours-Larçay-les Hâtes.