Moth diversity in young jack pine-deciduous forests after disturbance by wildfire or clear-cutting

grantor: University of TorontoMoth diversity was compared between four to eight year-old jack pine-deciduous forests that had been burned by wildfire or clear-cut. Field work took place north of Sudbury, Ontario between June and August 1997. Diversity under the two disturbance types was not significantly different based on comparisons of the number of individuals and species, rank abundance curves, diversity indices, DCA ordinations and species rankings. Exceptions to this were: 'Nemoria rubrifrontaria' and four other geometrids which were found significantly more frequently in burned sites, and ' Acronicta innotata' and 'Euxoa' species which were found more frequently in cut sites. Plant composition appeared to be influential in determining moth composition. Additionally, increasing numbers of moths were caught as night temperature increased. In terms of the response by nocturnal macrolepidopterans, clear-cutting appears to be emulating the natural disturbance, fire, in these young jack pine-birch-poplar-spruce forests.M.Sc.F