Bugs, bees and beasties- Bio-diversity matters

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

o.k seems a lot of us are well into the old habitat creation and all the bugs and beasties that would benifit some first class re housing. So in the interests of developing our skills in the development of "bug penthouses" i thought i would start this thread rather than continue ditracting form monkeys, "to coronet or not, that is the question"

 

i am no expert it has to be said, but it also has to be said i have done my fair share of beetle salvation! so i have my own views and would love to know what experiances succseses and failures any of you lot of had.

 

We all know that life, diverse life, requires extra special attention to detail, these critters are fussy about their living quarters, a wide range of pre requisits must be in place for the more specialised bugs. some need pre infection by certain fungi, some like their wood bone dry and dead, others like it with the sap still pulsing through the woody vessels.

 

some like it damp and squidgey, some can only reproduce within the fruit bodies of certain fungi. so this thread will be dedicated to the "beauties of B" those critters that love the "demons of D"

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Stags for example, including the lesser, in my experience would given the choice take Ash over oak, i find many Stag Sp in old pollards/heavey pruned ash where I do not find them in the oaks. I also think they may prefer a certain degredation of the wood prior to moving in? maybe there are specific qualities in ash that are of a superior fodder maybe Pholiota squarosus (common but/root infection of ash) infection has much appeal, like a form of palo pedero for bugs?

 

heavy pruning of an asjh leading to dysfunctional core old tap root dying and colonisation by pholiota creating an ideal scenario?

Edited December 26, 2009 by Tony Croft aka hamadryad

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

On the hunt for some thread specific stuff i found this really great site, you have to pay for the full PDF files if you want the full reports/research but will be worth it for looking into special and niche areas of this subject.

 

I located some great docs, and next pay day will be having a few for sure, and will keep you posted if i learn something interesting.

 

ScienceDirect - Home

[Bundle 2]

Think maybe the answer/preference may lie in the chemical make up of the woods aswell as structure issues ...( polyphenols/resins etc) Ring porous and so on.

This may be an overly simplistic observation from a scientific point of view but associations are indicative of environmental status quo as much as anything else.....

By understanding the chemistry/biology, perhaps we are then able to extrapolate information as to the current status and trend of ecological trends?

We see fungi species being forced to move from Elm for example to other hosts as they are available..... ? Certainly we see pathogenesis/saprotropism in decay heirarchy within the same species of fungi.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Think maybe the answer/preference may lie in the chemical make up of the woods aswell as structure issues ...( polyphenols/resins etc) Ring porous and so on.

This may be an overly simplistic observation from a scientific point of view but associations are indicative of environmental status quo as much as anything else.....

By understanding the chemistry/biology, perhaps we are then able to extrapolate information as to the current status and trend of ecological trends?

We see fungi species being forced to move from Elm for example to other hosts as they are available..... ? Certainly we see pathogenesis/saprotropism in decay heirarchy within the same species of fungi.

 

mmm academic speaking, hard to fully grasp for me at the mo, but get the majority of what you say here.

 

evolution is happening as we speak, things are having to adapt and change, rigidiporus on poplar, auricularia judea increasing host range etc. but thats not realy what i am getting at, more to do with what people are doing out there whats working for them and what seems to be a waste of time failing.

 

Ted green and his "special formula" for the "giggles" violent click beetles etc sort of thing, observations people have made, little insights to preferences of certain bugs

[gibbon]

On the hunt for some thread specific stuff i found this really great site, you have to pay for the full PDF files if you want the full reports/research but will be worth it for looking into special and niche areas of this subject.

 

I located some great docs, and next pay day will be having a few for sure, and will keep you posted if i learn something interesting.

 

ScienceDirect - Home

 

Why would you want to pay for those documents? If you are studying an FdSc just enter your athens code and download it for free. In fact, would you be so kind as to pm me your athens code please?

[Bundle 2]

"mmm academic speaking,"

Well you are kind for sure.....!

My point, and I will stick my neck out on this forum and make a comment/state an opinion that no doubt will be refuted by many an "arboreal" observer and professional.....It may be that our understanding of the life processes and associations are misplaced Believing certain fungi/host relations are "Atypical" only limits our grasp of what is possible or indeed necessary.....Science is not anecdotal. What intelligent people do with their understanding and knowledge is however something else oftentimes......

[bobby]

can get hold of most of the articles free via athens if you let me know which ones you want.

[WeeDee]

"mmm academic speaking,"

Well you are kind for sure.....!

 

Whoah there horsie! Not everyone dispels 'academic speaking' with such a carefree side-step, so don't get too defensive, Bundle. I happen to appreciate logical supposition and evidence-based inference, and I also understand what you are saying (and have said in the past) much more clearly than others who appear to pluck conclusions from the ether and then proceed to find supporting evidence. Of course, I only speak as someone with a BSc in Environmental sciences - so I would say that wouldn't I?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

FFS!

 

can i open my mouth without it all going pete tong in here, note the obvious tone NOT academic! lol

 

i know what hes saying in a round about way, that I shouldnt asume that a fungal colonisation is atypical etc, i get that, hence this thread, I DONT KNOW SO I AM ASKING!

 

And why would I have an athens code? and how would i find mine?