Forest Gaps and Habitat Specialists
Increasing tree mortality and forest management practices are reducing forest canopy cover across Europe, potentially leading to the decline of forest specialists and a loss of ecosystem stability. Insects are an ideal study group for assessing the impacts of forest dieback and deadwood accumulation or removal, as they are highly responsive to both canopy cover and deadwood availability. However, two main challenges arise: first, disentangling the effects of canopy openings and deadwood accumulation, which naturally occur together in disturbance events but are typically separated by management practices that remove deadwood; second, overcoming the taxonomic limitations of most studies, as habitat preferences remain unknown for the majority of insect species.
This study aims to develop a comprehensive catalogue of forest affinities for insect metabarcoding data, covering a wide range of taxa. By classifying habitat preferences independently of the Biodiversity Exploratories setup, this approach ensures a more robust assessment while minimizing site-specific biases. Beyond forest affinity classification, we will examine the phylogenetic diversity and beta diversity of insect communities to gain deeper insights into ecosystem stability.
Insect communities in forest ecosystems will transition toward more gap and edge related assemblages following the creation of canopy gaps. These shifts will be intensified by the removal of deadwood. Insect communities in forest gaps with deadwood removal will exhibit reduced phylogenetic diversity, and these changes will be driven by environmental filtering more than increased competition.
To track changes in insect communities, we will conduct fieldwork at 17 FOX sites in Hainich and Schwäbische Alb in 2026, using Malaise traps and DNA metabarcoding for species identification. This will allow us to identify insects from all insect orders including understudied taxa like Diptera.
Scientific assistants
