I have always been a votary for giving old growth forest its very important place in wildlife management. The importance of tree hollows should never be overlooked. I read this weekend another good paper on tree hollows.
The authors of this paper say tree hollows harbour a specialized fauna, and mites usually are the most numerous arthropods in this microhabitat.
The researchers studied Mite fauna in 3 types of tree hollows in the forest reserve "Śrubita" near Żywiec in Poland. They collected 2037 individuals of Acari and 1414 of Oribatida, representing 72 species. Over 1200 individuals per 100 g dry weight of wood dust were collected from tree hollows. The total number of oribatid species in tree hollows was higher than in the forest floor.
Yes tree hollows are very important for wildlife mangers.
Journal reference
Importance of tree hollows for biodiversity of mites (Acari) in the forest reserve "Śrubita" (Carpathian Mountains, south Poland)
Piotr SKubała and Beata Gurgul
Biological Letters, Volume 48, Number 1 / 2011
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