Saproxylic communities

INTRODUCTION

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Up to this point, the website has purposely grouped associated species together in their respective taxonomic orders, duly separated into three clearly defined sections; insects, arachnids and soil and leaf-litter invertebrates.

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Insects naturally take centre stage and, apart from a couple of minor groups such as Thysanoptera (thrips), all of the orders are represented to some degree. Similarly with the arachnids, although the smaller species, Acari (mites and ticks) and the pseudoscorpions are separated as they're better placed with the Myriapods (centipedes and millipedes), Isopods (woodlice) and Collembola (springtails).

 

However, as previously noted, there are a few organisms such as diplurans, symphylans, enchytraeids (pot worms) and earthworms that have not been individually featured, but will now be covered in this collective ‘article-based’ section.

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Wildlife photography naturally makes you take notice of the habits, general behaviour and interactions of the creatures you're watching. The situation with insects is no different to life on the African plains, but just on a smaller scale. If you put your camera down and take time to look at the bigger scene, you'll find that there's probably more going on than you realised. This certainly applies to invertebrate communities as there are various habitats that could provide opportunities for observation and study, but probably the most diverse group are the cryptozoic species that live within the top layer of soil or on the ground in leaf-litter, under logs and stones or on decaying deadwood. It's an unfamiliar term, but the cryptozoa - derived from the Greek kruptos and zōē, meaning ‘hidden life’ - is used in ecology when referring to these places or any similar dark microhabitat, such as beneath the bark of both fallen and mature trees, knot holes and hollows, that could be considered a safe haven where invertebrates can live in a relatively cool, stable environment that is shaded from direct sunlight.

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Such places can be found almost anywhere where there are trees, including grassland, heathland, parks and gardens, but obviously the biggest concentration of these habitats occurs in woodland and forests which is my main focus. Whilst the organic make-up of the underlying soil, leaf litter and general detritus of the forest floor is of critical importance, deadwood is the key component as it provides a home or nutrient source for so many species, which is why I chose to use saproxylic communities as the title of this section.

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However, deadwood is a generic term that needs to be broken down - literally in the case of certain saproxylic species and saprotrophic fungi - and understood, because it really does play such an important role. Similarly with the soil and the trees and the role of mycorrhizal fungi, which is why the first part of this section titled woodland ecology takes a broad look at the different woodland habitats before moving on to the individual species that live there. Part two focuses on the soil and litter organisms and the smaller creatures that are more typically associated with the soil rather than deadwood, and then, under the all-encompassing title of life on the forest floor, part three covers the remaining cryptozoic and saproxylic species. And finally, part four will look at the role of woodland fungi, which is a completely new subject that I need to learn about.