Literature Review Biodiversity Biology

A Literature Review Analyzing Insect Adaptations to Fire
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The study focusses on the responses of the insects to fire in relation to other feasible and appropriate conservation management of open habitats. Most insect groups decline remarkably especially immediately after a fire. The magnitude of reduction varies with the degree of exposure to the flames as well as the mobility of the insects. The percentages exposure to very high temperature and stress experienced, greatly determine the survival rates of these insect groups. These factors are very useful for understanding the insects’ response to other environment conservation measures like haying, mowing, and grazing. By contrast, the assumption that the most habitat- restricted species will be the most adapted to ecological changes believed to be prevalent in that ecosystem appears to be less efficacious for predicting insect management preferences.
The biodiversity approach to conservation that emphasizes on natural processes over individual species is frequently advocated for today (Grumbine 1994). However, crucial concerns have been raised about negative impacts for rare insects attributed to ecosystem management with fire (Opler 1981: Wright and Samways 1999). However, a significant contrast is illustrated by other authors such as Shuey, Panzer and Schwartz who argue that insects specialized to live in open habitats asserted to be fire-dependent will likewise be fire-adapted.
The authors’ views seem to differ; first, because there is virtually no scientific sampled, direct observation that exists for the species composition and ecological functioning of un-fragmented and unaltered examples of these habitats (Curtis 1959, Nuzzo 1986). Secondly, conservation techniques for land acquisition and management may have been initiated primarily from the point of view of another species group, more so vascular plants (Wright and Samways 1999). Thirdly, the efficacy of the ‘ecosystem approach’ is poorly tested, given the complexities of evaluating what and how to determine. Moreover, its efficacy in conserving species assemblages has not been carefully compared with other approaches such as single – species ‘flagships’ and ‘umbrellas’(Swengel & Swengel 1997and Simberloff 2002). Fourth, studies of entomological responses to ecosystem management techniques have used a variety of analytical approaches, comparisons, and taxonomical scales.
Though interesting, not all authors agree that many insects decline markedly in the immediate period during and after fire (0 to 1-2 months after fire) as compared to unburnt controls ( Leiby 1922, Rice 1932; Bulan and Barrett 1971, Lamotte 1975, Morris 1975, Dietrich et al 1998). They also seem to be on a consensus that the degree of reduction appears to be relative to the degree of exposure to the flames with lesser or no decline for species below ground, within or beneath unburnt wood, or above flames in treetops as illustrated (Rice 1932; Buffington 1967, Swengel and Swengel 1999). Amazing durability of a few individual insects has also been documented, for instance, complete inundation by a hurricane tide of the habitat occupied by the im...