Diversity increases

Insects benefit from devastated forests

Insects benefit from forests that have been devastated by a storm. This has now been shown by a new Swiss study, for which a research team examined storm areas for more than 20 years.

According to the study, the diversity of insects in forests increases significantly in the first few years after a hurricane. After the winter storms Vivian (1990) and Lothar (1999), the researchers set up different insect traps in storm areas and intact comparison forests. In some of the areas, the fallen trees had been cleared away, while in others they were left lying around.

In total, the research team collected over 500,000 insects, spiders and other arthropods of more than 1600 different species. The diversity of species was higher in destroyed areas than in the forests that had survived the storms unscathed. "Never before has data on arthropods been collected at regular intervals for 20 years after an ecological disturbance," said lead author Beat Wermelinger.

Effect even 20 years after the storm
Particularly endangered species such as the large pincer beetle and the mason bee were found more frequently on uncleared storm areas. This effect was still noticeable 20 years after the storms.