SCOTLAND

Project title/name: Conservation Strategy for Specialist Insect Faunas.

Country : United Kingdom

Project location within the country: North-west Scotland (Wester Ross)

25,000 US$

Short project description: Provision of research and monitoring services to study the minimum habitat requirements necessary to conserve specialist insect faunas.

Description of the research programme: Given the importance of specialist insects in terrestrial biodiversity, there is surprisingly little information on their conservation biology. This study is part of a wider research programme which investigates the importance of habitat size and isolation on the distribution of specialist insects.

Donor: Carnegie Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage, MGM

Department: Head offices

Client: MGM

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Title of consulting services provided: Survey of Specialist Insects in Native Scots Pine Woodlands.

Description of services provided: The Company has undertaken surveys of insects living under bark of Scots Pine trees in remnant patches of native woodland in Wester Ross. A total of 36 species of beetle were found from 16 families of which 15 were specialists of Scots Pine. The main families present were Cerambycidae, Scolytidae, Rhizophagidae and Elateridae. Eight species are considered rare and listed among the nationally notable species, categories a or b. Species diversity of specialist insects was unrelated to the size of woods. A high diversity of beetles was found in small woods indicating strong dispersal. Even after sampling 27 trees a ceiling to the number of species in a wood was not found. An unexpected difference was found in the diversity of beetles on either side of the boundary between the North Central and North West biochemical regions of Scots Pine. Reference collections of insects have been retained by the company.

Staff provided: Ms. K. McKay BSc. (Ecologist); Dr. S. Blackman (Entomologist); Dr M.G. Murray (Biodiversity specialist).

June 1995

March 1996

12,000 US$