A comprehensive overview of wood-inhabiting fungi, insects and vertebrates, discussing habitat requirements along with strategies for maintaining biodiversity.

"In August 2004, the city of Brisbane, Australia, was host to one of the largest recent gatherings of the world's entomologists. Several thousand delegates attended the 22nd International Congress of Entomology, which featured a multitude of symposia that together covered a wide range of entomology-related topics. This special General Technical Report is based on papers presented in a symposium entitled 'Insect Biodiversity and Dead Wood.' It features contributions by scientists from around the world, and these contributions clearly illustrate our growing understanding of the entomological importance of dead wood.

This volume offers extensive information on insect life in dying and dead wood. Written and reviewed by leading experts from around the world, the twenty-five chapters included here provide the most global coverage possible and specifically address less-studied taxa and topics. An overarching goal of this work is to unite literature that has become fragmented along taxonomic and geographic lines. A particular effort was made to recognize the dominant roles that social insects (e.g., termites, ants and passalid beetles) play in saproxylic assemblages in many parts of the world without overlooking the non-social members of these communities. The book is divided into four parts: · Part I “Diversity” includes chapters addressing the major orders of saproxylic insects (Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera and Blattodea), broadly organized in decreasing order of estimated global saproxylic diversity. In addition to order-level treatments, some chapters in this part discuss groups of particular interest, including pollinators, hymenopteran parasitoids, ants, stag and passalid beetles, and wood-feeding termites. · Part II “Ecology” discusses insect-fungal and insect-insect interactions, nutritional ecology, dispersal, seasonality, and vertical stratification. · Part III “Conservation” focuses on the importance of primary forests for saproxylic insects, offers recommendations for conserving these organisms in managed forests, discusses the relationships between saproxylic insects and fire, and addresses the value of tree hollows and highly-decomposed wood for saproxylic insects. Utilization of non-native wood by saproxylic insects and the suitability of urban environments for these organisms are also covered. · Lastly, Part IV “Methodological Advancements” highlights molecular tools for assessing saproxylic diversity. The book offers an accessible and insightful resource for natural historians of all kinds and will especially appeal to entomologists, ecologists, conservationists and foresters.

The group of saproxylic beetles consists of thousands of different species exhibiting a rich variety of form as well as varied life-cycle strategies. They play an important role in decomposition processes and thus for nutrient-cycling in natural ecosystems. Based on contributions given at the conference this book contains contributions about research on conservation ecology of saproxylic beetles as well as results from recent faunistic surveys in different European regions. It comprises aspects of saproxylic beetle ecology, faunistics, diversity and conservation issues. International experts report on their activity, management strategies and new approaches in saproxylic insect conservation. There are a lot of people doing research on saproxylic beetles in different countries of the world, but this seems to be a little bit disorganized. Hopefully, these European conferences will lead to a better, more international network. The contributions included in this volume cover a broad spectrum of research on saproxylic beetles, organized in three main chapters: "Saproxylic beetle assemblages and regional surveys" include "Oaks in Norway," showing the abundance and composition of red-listed species of beetles in hollow oaks. Further reports on regional surveys deals with a spruce primeval forest in Romania, a hardwood floodplain forest in the Czech Republic, and the Gartow region of Lower Saxony, a hotspot of saproxylic beetle diversity in north-western Germany. "Saproxylic beetle ecology and implications for their conservation" deals with ecological studies of single species, e.g. Limoniscus violaceus, Lucanus cervus, Osmoderma eremita and the worldwide distribution of the genus Cucujus. "Advances in methodology and databases" discusses new techniques in trapping and the development of databases. This volume gives a nice overview of the actual research on saproxylic beetles in Europe and I wish the next conference in 2010 a successful meeting; maybe some people from the UK or even overseas should be invited.

CHOICE Highly Recommended title, 2022! Forest insects play important roles ecologically and economically. They pollinate plants, decompose dead plant and animal tissue, provide food for vertebrates, regulate pest organisms and shape entire landscapes. Some are considered pests, while others provide usable products. Introduced species may become invasive, while the survival of others is threatened. Forest Insects in Europe: Diversity, Functions and Importance has been written not only with professional entomologists in mind, but also for nature lovers generally. The descriptions of the various roles insects play in forest ecosystems are intended to be easily comprehensible, but still scientific. The book is richly illustrated with attractive photos and contains 580 fascinating colour images of more than 300 different insect and spider species. The German edition was awarded the Prix Moulines by the Swiss Entomological Society in 2019.