Melbourne's terrestrial invertebrate biodiversity: Losses, gains and the new perspective

2011·3.3 MB·English

by  Alan L Yen

Contributions
Melbourne’s terrestrial invertebrate biodiversity:
losses, gains and the newperspective
Alan LYen
BiosciencesResearchDivision,DepartmentofPrimaryIndustries,621BurwoodHighway,Knoxfield,Victoria3180
and
LaTrobeUniversity,Bundoora,Victoria3083
Abstract
ThemostdiversegroupofanimalsinthegreaterMeibourneregionis theinvertebrates. Theyareessentiai in
maintaining manyecoiogicai functions in thevaried environments across the area. Yet we lack basic infor-
mationonthe identity, distribution andbiology for mostspecies. Historicalinformationand collections are
importantinunderstandingthefaunaofMelbourne,buttheenvironmentisalwayschangingandthediffer-
entspecies ofinvertebrates can adapt to these changes. Thishas resulted in a Melbourne invertebrate fauna
comprisingnativespeciesthathavealwaysresidedintheregion,andinvertebratesthathavebeenintroduced
sinceEuropeansettlementeitherfromoverseasorfromotherpartsofAustralia. Despitethelackofinforma-
tionaboutthefaunaatthetimeofEuropeansettlement,invertebratesarestillarichresourceforstudyingand
understandingthenatureofMelbourne.(Vie VictorianNaturalist128(5)2011,201-208)
Keywords: Invertebrates;insects;Melbourne; urban
In the 1900 Handbook ofMelbourne, Charles sityintheMelbourneregionissimplyknowing
Frenchprovidedaverygeneralsummaryonthe whatthefaunacomprises.Therearetwoimpor-
insect life with an emphasis on beetles, moths tant questions: (1) What was the fauna before
andbutterflies, phasmids, mantids, cockroach- European settlement altered the environment
es, dragonflies, termites, thrips, wasps, ants, and (2) how will the fauna change in the face
bugs and houseflies. French (1900a) titled his ofincreasing environmental change? 'Ihe lack
chapter Victorian Entomology and highlighted ofany‘baseline’inventoriesofterrestrial inver-
availableinformation. Henamedfewerthan20 tebrates in Melbourne, the diversity ofhabitat
speciesofinsects,butprovidedinformation on types across the region, and the fact that these
the genera that were found. There was an em- habitats were not altered in a consistent man-
phasis on beetles, and French (1900a) estimat- ner, resulted in somehabitats withvirtuallyno
ed that there were 450 species ofjewel beetles good quality remnants and others with good
(buprestids) and weevils (curculionids). Inter- representative remnants. Some ofthe environ-
estingly, Frenchlistedtwoexoticinsectspecies: ments within the region have undergoneenor-
the Oriental cockroach Blatta orientalis, which mous change since European settlement; they
incidentally maybe African in origin, and the have been grazed, cleared for agriculture, used
PearSlug Caliroa cerasi, whichisasawflyfrom for industrial development and for buildings
the USA. French (1900a) made two important (homes and offices), and some ofthese altered
comments about the insects. First, he decried areas have evenbeen restoredforconservation
the lack ofa national collection to house Aus- ofnativebiota.
tralian insects, and secondly he stated that a The definition ofMelbourne in this paper is
lot ofmaterial was sent overseas. At that time, the greater Melbourne region, including areas
the entomologycollection at the National Mu- surrounding Port Phillip Bay the Dandenong
seumofVictoriawas smallandwithoutan en- Ranges, and the new urban growth corridors
tomological curator, and French himself was that extend east, north and west. It includes
establishing a small collection of agricultural urban (city), suburban and rural environments
insectpests(whichhelaterdescribedin hisfive (including conservation reserves of different
volume series Destructive Insects of Victoria) typeswithinalltheseenvironments).Industrial-
(French 1891-1911). isedcountriesarecharacterisedbyupto80%of
The critical first step to understanding the theirpopulationsresidingwithincities(Magura
importanceofterrestrial invertebratebiodiver-
Voll28 (5)2011 201
Contributions
et III. 2008a) and Australia is no exception to (1979) list articles on terrestrial invertebrates
this,with Melbournebeingagoodexample. in The Victorian Naturalist from the following
There is a tacit assumption that urbanisation suburbs (and include the year ofpublication):
results in habitat destruction and biodiversity Belgrave (1909), Blackburn (1947), Clayton
losses. This is a fairlysimplisticviewbecause it (1894), Croydon (1914), Dandenong Ranges
doesnottakeintoaccountthedegreeofchange (1923), Ferntree Gully (1890, 1892), Diamond
caused by urbanisation, the large amount of Creek (1928), Hurstbridge (1926), Kinglake
spatial and temporal variation in urban envi- (1931),Macclesfield (1949),Melbourne(1919),
ronments, as well as factors that may actually Mooroolbark (1933), Mt Evelyn (1922), Oak-
enhancenativebiodiversity. leigh (1890), Plenty (1892, 1899), Ringwood
This paper reviews ourknowledge ofthe bio- (1890, 1922), South Morang (1929), Springvale
diversityofterrestrialinvertebratesinthegreat- (1894), Upper Ferntree Gully (1906), Upwey
er Melbourne region, and assesses the different (1923), Wandin (1928),Wandong(1903),War-
environmental factors that determine the com- randyte (1894), Wonga Park (1928), and Yan
positionandlong-termsurvivalofthefauna. Yean (1926). One member took his study of
TerrestrialinvertebratesofthegreaterMel- urban natural history seriously by collecting
bourneregion insectsina3rdfloorofficeinCollinsStoversix
Backgroundinformation months (Searle 1919); most were species nor-
Information on invertebrates based on tradi- mallyassociatedwith humandwellings.
tionalownerknowledgeisveryrare. Theuseof What do weknow about the terrestrial inver-
insects (and other invertebrates) was probably tebratesofMelbourne?
very important for local Aborigines, and the The information on the terrestrial invertebrate
clan that lived in the Yarra Valley area (Wur- fauna of Melbourne is fragmented. Unlike
rundjeri), is named after the edible grub (jeri) groups such as vascular plants and all the ver-
thatlives in thewhite orMannaGumEucalyp- tebrategroups, we do not knowthe numberof
tusviminalis (wurrun) (Crawford2008). species,theirdistributions,andwelackdataon
Possibly the largest collection ofinsects was changes in species composition, distribution
madebytheEnglishactorandcollectorHenry and abundances for terrestrial invertebrates.
Edwards in the 1850s (Brown-May and May This isprimarilydueto the treatment ofinver-
1997). He collected and identified approxi- tebrates eitheraspests orsimplyas not impor-
mately 2000 species ofinsects. This collection tant. Conservation agencies have not taken on
was purchased by Frederick McCoy to start themanagementofterrestrialinvertebratesun-
the entomology collection of the new Na- less theyare listed as a species ofconservation
tional MuseumofVictoria. Although Edwards significance, and despite their acknowledged
did publish information on his later observa- essential roles in providingecosystem services,
tions on the life histories of Lepidoptera, he no strategyhaseverbeen developedtoattempt
did not write about his Melbourne insect col- to document or understand most ofourfaunal
lection except in a letter to Mr John Jones in biodiversity.
Worcester in 1854 (Edwards 1854). Frederick However, we do know that Melbourne’s ter-
McCoy (1878-1890) illustrated and described restrial invertebrate biodiversity is very rich.
26 species of insects in his Prodromus of the Wedohavealotofcollectionsandrecordsthat
ZoologyofVictoria. French (1900a) provided a have not been thoroughly used, and the level
briefintroduction to Victorian insects, but his ofinformation on each group ofinvertebrates
main contribution is his five volume Destruc- varies considerably. Some, such as butterflies
tive Insects of Victoria (French 1891-1911) in and dragonflies, are relatively well known in
which he illustrated and discussed 110 species that most species have been described and
ofplantpestinsectsand mites. there is information on theirbiologiesand dis-
Members of the Field Naturalists Club of tributions(althoughwecouldprobablydowith
Victoria also contributed to documentation of more information on many ofthem). In con-
invertebrates from Melbourne. Hall andThiess trast, there are invertebrate groups with unde-
202 TheVictorianNaturalist
Contributions
scribed species and little or no information on plant specific pollinators means that there is
theirbiologies. no natural mechanism for pollination. Biotic
interactions can change, and some native in-
Factors that influence terrestrial invertebrate sects may be able to survive by switching to
biodiversity another plant species. Some native plants may
The European settlement of Melbourne saw be pollinated by exotic honey bees and some
habitat destruction or simplification, habi- native pollinators may pollinate exotic plants.
tat fragmentation, creation ofnew barriers to However, many changes are more subtle and
natural dispersal, altered environmental con- takealongertimeforadverseeffectstobecome
ditions (hydrological, climatic), and creation apparent. For example, fragmentation may re-
of new habitats (buildings, transport infra- sultin smallerhabitatareas, buttheviabilityof
structure, exotic parks and gardens and non- these smaller areas for invertebrates can be af-
endemic native parks and gardens). Amongst
fected by edge effects, greater ease ofinvasion
this, some good quality remnant native veg- by exotic invertebrate species, reduced ability
etation survived. One important factor is the to disperse (barriers), and genetic bottlenecks.
broad spatial scale that some ofthese changes As insect development is temperature-de-
covered through establishment of agriculture, pendent, and edge effects are associated with
large scale industrial development and large slightlyhighertemperatures, this mayresult in
scale urbanexpansion. In addition, thereisthe increased population numbers. Furthermore,
wholeissueoftheintroduction ofexoticplants largercitiesgenerallyhavehigherambienttem-
andanimals. peratures(heatislandeffect),soinsectnumbers
The currentterrestrial invertebratefauna is a cansometimesbehigherintheseareas.
composite ofnative species thathave survived
since European settlement and native and ex- Ejffectsofurbanisationoninsects
otic species that have been introduced since There has been a lot ofresearch on the effects
European settlement. There is a tendency to ofurbanisation on invertebrates overseas. The
use species richness (number ofspecies) as an assumption in some ofthese studies is that in-
indicator ofbiodiversity with the assumption creased urbanisation leads to loss of species.
thathigherspeciesrichnessisbetter.No doubt Urban growth and industrial expansion led to
some native species have been lost (either lo- species losses in Britain for example, but with
cally extinct or even possibly totally extinct) the exception ofthe most highly disturbed ar-
within the Melbourne region (and remember eas, naturalrecolonisationoccursto establisha
that extinction is part of evolution), but it is newequilibrium (Davis 1976). Urban environ-
possible that ahighlyaltered Melbourne envi- ments can support rich insect faunas (Frankie
ronment may have more invertebrate species and Ehler 1978; Connoretal. 2002; McKinney
than at the time ofEuropean settlement. The 2008), althoughtheabundancesofmanyinsect
composition is dependent upon suitable habi- species can be reduced and local extinctions
tat, suitable food and biotic interactions (bi- can occur (Connor et al. 2002). The adverse
otic competition, natural enemies) that allows effects may take a much longer time; in Italy,
long-termsurvivalofthespecies.Thequestion historical records indicate that increasing ur-
is whether the conditions are suitable for the banisation has seen a marked impoverishment
speciesthatwewantto survive. ofinsects associated with greater urbanisation
Habitat destruction or simplification can be (Zapparoli 1997; Brandmayr etal. 2009). Most
at the very local level (e.g. loss of particular studies found a change in the composition of
host plant species, leaflitter, soil and large old thefauna. Thiscan involvechanges intheratio
trees) or whole communities (e.g. western ba- of opportunistic and specialist species in the
salt plains native grasslands). This can lead to case of ground beetles, ants, spiders and iso-
loss ofnative species and the ecosystem serv- pods (Grandchamp et al. 2000; Magura et al.
ices that they perform. For example, a loss of 2004; Lessard and Buddie 2005; Magura et al.
a particular plant species means that its host 2008a,b, 2010),justto cite a few ofthe numer-
specific herbivores have no food. Loss ofhost ousoverseasstudies.
Voll28 (5) 2011 203
Contributions
There have been considerably fewer studies activity by attracting them to lights. Eisenbeis
on the effects of urbanisation on Australian (2006) estimated that high pressure mercury
invertebrates. Thesestudieshaveinvolvedcom- lamps in a German town with 20000 street
parisons of small urban remnants and larger lights will attract and kill about 3 million in-
patches of the same vegetation type (Christie sectspernightor360millionduringthewarm-
andHochuli2009)ortheinvertebratefaunaofa er months ofJune to September. Frank (1988)
singletreespecies (Angophom costata) in urban reviewed the effects of outdoor lighting on
orlargecontinuousareasofthesamevegetation moths and found that it disturbs flight, vision,
type(Christieetal. 2010). ChristieandHochuli navigation, migrations, dispersal, oviposition,
(2009) found no differences in the number of mating, feeding, circadian rhythms, photope-
speciesofwaspsinurbanandlargerpatches,but riodism and crypsis in some moth species. It
different trophic structures ofarboreal inverte- exposes moths to increased predation. While
brates in the centre oflarger patches compared Frank (1988) recorded noextinctionsofmoths
totheedgesoflargepatchesandinsmall urban due to outdoor lighting, the effect on popula-
remnants. Edge effects are also veryimportant. tiondynamicsofsomespecies maybe marked,
Gibb and Hochuli (2002) found that the small especially if they are populations already re-
and large fragments ofsimilarremnantvegeta- ducedbyhabitatlossandfragmentation (Frank
tionin urbanenvironmentssupporteddifferent 2006). On the otherhand, the insects attracted
invertebrateassemblages. to night lighting may provide an important
New source offood for nocturnal insectivores such
‘habitat’factors
The Australian studies listed above involve asbats(ScanlonandPetit2008).Oneoftheim-
plant-dependent insects. Urban areas are char- portant insect migrations in eastern Australia
acterised by many non-living habitats such as isthatofBogongmothsAgrotis infusabetween
buildings (homes, offices, facfories) which can their feeding sites in the lowlands and their
provide habitats for invertebrates (walls, cavi- over-summersitesinthealps (Common 1954).
ties, timber, stones) and roads (which can be BogongMothsareanessentialfooditemforthe
threatened Mountain Pygmy Possum Buramys
a barrier to dispersal on one hand, and a cor-
ridor for dispersal on the other). Unregulated parvus, and the moth populations maybe get-
industries can be a source of pollution that ting smaller because ofagricultural insecticide
could kill some invertebrates. Most urban ar- application to reduce larval numbers, reduced
eas have parks and gardens; the plants maybe over-summerhabitatsinthealpsbecauseofcli-
native or exotic, and this can affect host plant mate change, and loss offlyingadults attracted
to nightlights.
relationships (native insects adapting to exotic
plant species or exotic insects adapting to na- Exoticinvertebrates
tive plant species). Exotic weeds may exclude Another threat to native invertebrate biodiver-
native plants and thereby deprive some native sity is the introduction ofexotic invertebrates.
insects oftheir food and habitat. The effects of The number ofintroduced exotic invertebrate
roads (one ofthe main infrastructure elements species in Victoria is difficult to determine.
inurbanenvironments)oninvertebratescanbe Some were introduced for food production or
very important. Roads can act as a barrier to to increase soil fertility, such as the European
dispersal for ground active species (Yamada et honeybee Apis mellifera L. and several species
al. 2010), but may also be a cause of inverte- ofearthworms; others for biological control of
brateroaddeaths. plantpestsorweeds;andmanyhavebeenintro-
duced accidentally. The issues associated with
Artificialnightlighting
oOvneerloofotkheedcahsaraancteerciosltoigciscaolfcfiatciteosrthisataritsiofifctieanl BthoembEuusrotpereraesntrihsoLn.e(ycbuererenatnldyitnhTeasBmuamnbilae)baeree
night lighting. Moonlight has a significant role outlined ingreaterdetail in Collettetal. (2007)
and Kingston (2007). Exotic invertebrates that
in influencinginsectactivityanddispersal,and
artificial night lighting may have a significant are considered a danger to the native fauna
include the Argentine ant Linepithema humile
effect on insects by disrupting normal insect
204 TheVictorianNaturalist
Contributions
(Mayr), the Big-headed ant Pheidole mega- vironment mayhave habitats analogous to na-
cephela(Fabricius),theEuropeanwasp Vespula tivehabitats (LundholmandRichardson2010),
germanica (E), Portuguese millipedes Omma- andsomenativeinvertebratesareabletoadapt:
toiulus moreletii (Lucas), and several species of spiders are a good example ofa group where
slugsandsnails (Hetericketal. 2000; Collett et some species have adapted. An example ofthe
al. 2007; Callan and Majer 2009). The impacts use of man-made structures by spiders is the
ofthese species have not, in most cases, been immenseconcentrationoforb-weavingspiders
determined. The exception is the detrimental recorded in a roofed four acre waste treatment
effectsofArgentineantsonnativeants(Rowles plant in Baltimore (USA) that had 11 species
and O’Dowd 2009). The European wasp is an of spiders and over 31000 individuals (about
example ofa species whose ecological impacts threequartersofwhichwereyounghatchlings)
are notknown. While the control ofEuropean (Greene et al. 2010). However, some elements
Wasps has been driven bytheir impact on hu- ofnativehabitats, such aslargeoldtrees, arein
mans (their venom and also the way they im- decline and itwilltake alongtime forthem to
pact on social gatherings), there are anecdotal be replaced. Another element that is often re-
observations on the predation ofmany native moved for aesthetic or fire threat purposes is
insects by European wasps. One suggestion, at large coarse woody debris. The built environ-
thisstageunsubstantiated,isthatthedeclineof ment has many elements that can be used by
Emperorgum mothsAntheraea eucalyptiScott native invertebrates: gardens, parks, rail and
inurban Melbourneis dueto predationbyEu- road reserves, streetscapes, stream banks and
ropeanwasps. drainage channels; in all these examples, the
plantscanbenativeand/orexoticspecies.
Thenewperspective
Urbanenvironmentscontain aneclecticmix-
Every major city is different, and ultimately tureofdifferenttypesofhabitats,andoftenthere
we would expect Melbourne to have its own are more resources available and the number
unique invertebrate fauna whose composition ofinvertebrate species residing in urban loca-
is determined by the remnants ofthe original tionsmayinfactbegreaterthanthenumberin
environments, exotic introductions, new an- native environments. No doubt some ofthese
thropogenichabitats,andeffortstoreintroduce
species are exotic species or native species that
‘native’habitats. havebeenaccidentallytranslocatedwithnative
Theremnantsincludethewesternbasaltplains
plantsfromotherpartsofAustralia.
grasslands, the coastal vegetation, especiallyof
the peninsulas surrounding Port Phillip Bay, Habitatrestorationorcreation
and the eucalypt woodlands and forests to the Besides conservation of remnants, there is
north and east. Some of these environments, the option of habitat restoration, or in some
especially the eucalypt woodlands and forests, cases, habitat creation. The former applies to
maybeinlargeenoughremnantstoretainmuch degraded remnants, while the latter applies to
of the original invertebrate faunas, although situations where the original habitat is totally
theydofacethreatsfrominvasivespecies(both changedandanattemptismadetorecreatethat
plants and animals), and more recently, from habitat (including corridors to link remnants).
fuel reduction burns whose long-term effects In most cases, there is an emphasis on recreat-
onlargeelementsoftheinvertebratefaunaand ing pre-European settlementhabitats based on
theirfunctions arelargelyunknown. Thewest- vegetation anddrainagepatterns. The question
ern basalt plains grasslands are in a more pre- ofinvertebrates usually is not asked, and often
cariousstatebecauseofthewidespreadlossand only involves planting known food plants, es-
fragmentation they have suffered; information peciallyofbutterflies,inthehopethattheywill
on the invertebrates ofthese grasslands is still be recolonised. Habitat recreation may not be
lacking(YenandKobelt2009). Inthenonrem- successful if limits to dispersal prevent colo-
nant environments, there are features that did nisation (Lundholm and Richardson 2010).
not exist before European settlement, such as Further, no consideration is ever given to in-
buildingsandroads.Insomecases,thebuilten- vertebrates associated with decomposition or
Vol 128 (5) 2011 205
Contributions
pollination in these situations. Even ifwe can Most urbanisation in Australia is on the coast,
recreatea‘native’habitatbasedonplantspecies and increasing intensive recreational activity
composition and structure, there is no guar- coupled with increasing urbanisation threat-
antee that the conditions are suitable for the ens many butterfly species, with exotic weeds
native invertebrate fauna that we are trying to and inappropriate fire regimes as major threats
maintain. Habitat restoration or creation is of- in remnant bushlands. Some species adapt to
ten a complex process, and another factor that modified habitatsand some speciescan useex-
isrelevantforinvertebrates is,howdoweman- oticplantspecies (NewandSands2002).
age forecological succession? This is especially Whilespecies,suchastheSmall antbluebut-
pertinentforhabitats that relyon floods or fire terfly Acrodipsas myrmecophila (Waterhouse
aspartoftheirsuccessionalprocesses. and Lyell) that maybe naturallyrarehavegone
Climatechange from the region (White 2003), others have lost
In someways, the climate associated with large somuchhabitatthattheyareclassedas‘conser-
cities provides an insight into possible longer- vation dependent’ because their continued ex-
termclimatechangeissues.Citiesgenerallyhave istence within the Melbourne region depends
highertemperatures (theheatislandeffect) and upon human management of their remnant
higher levels of carbon dioxide from vehicles habitats. The best example is the Eltham cop-
and industries. The city climate may be more per butterfly Paraluciapyrodiscus lucida Cros-
moderated. Higher temperatures can increase by. This species is part ofa complex tritrophic
relationship that involves an appropriate food
the rate of invertebrate development, and the
moderated climate (such as less severe frosts) source(BursariaspinosaCav.) andanattendant
mayseeincreasedpopulationsofmanyinverte- ant(Notoncussp.)whichtendsthelarvae.How-
brates. This could be a problem with plant pest ever, appropriate conditions for survival ofthe
species. However, the effects ofclimate change Eltham copper butterfly depend upon appro-
wcoauylditbceouelvdecnhamnogreefsleovweerreinigfawnedcloenasfiidngerphteh-e p(rCiaantezaunnodeertsatlo.r2e0y07v;egNeteawtio2n010(f)i.reTdheepesnurdveinvta)l
nology. A reviewoffloweringphenologyin ur- ofthe Eltham copper butterfly within Greater
ban environments suggests that spring-bloom- Melbourne depends upon managing the small
ing plants in a variety ofecosystems in North remnantpatchesonwhichitiscurrentlyknown
America, Europe, and China tend to bloom andtryingtoestablish moreadjacenthabitat.
Another lepidopteran of conservation con-
earlier in the city than in the surrounding un-
urbanised habitat. Moreover, ephemerals, early cern is the Golden sun moth Synemon plana
Walker, a species closely associated with tem-
springbloomersand insect-pollinatedplants in
these environments tend to be more sensitive perate native grasslands in south-eastern
than perennials, mid- or late-spring bloomers Australia (New et al. 2007). This is a difficult
andwind-pollinatedplants(NeilandWu2006). species to study because its larvae have a long
We lack information on how these changes period underground feeding on plant roots,
couldaffectplantfeedinginsects,insectpollina- andadultsemergeandliveforashortperiod. It
wasconsideredaveryrarespeciesknown from
torsand theremainderofthefoodchain (natu-
ral enemies such as predatory invertebrates, a small number of locations, but after more
parasitoids,birds,lizardsandmammals). intensive survey effort, it is now known from
more locations (Gilmore etal. 2008). This spe-
Lepidopteraasanexample cies presents uswitha real dilemma: isitreally
The group ofinsects that we have most knowl- indecline,orisitverydifficulttosurvey,orhas
edge about in the greater Melbourne region is thereactuallybeenanincreaseinnumbersover
thebutterflies.Approximately75speciesofbut- recent years? The Golden sun moth is posing
terflies are found in the greater Melbourne re- a real conservation issue because it is found in
gion; onlyonespecies, theCabbage White But- the urban growth corridors to the north and
terflyPieris rapae L., has been introduced from west ofMelbourne. To complicate matters fur-
overseas.Manyspecieshavedeclinedbecauseof ther,thereareindicationsthatitslarvaemaybe
habitat loss, and some are listed as threatened. ableto feedon theexoticweed Chilean Needle
206 TheVictorianNaturalist
Contributions
grass Nassella neesiana (Trin. & Rupr.) Bark- harbour more exotic plants and invertebrates.
worth (Brabyand Dunford2006). The coastal regions are also under increased
Itmustberememberedthatbutterfliesarethe pressures by development for recreation, so
bestknowngroupofourinsects,andevenwith theirsituationissimilartothatofthelargerur-
butterflies there are large knowledge gaps on bangrowthcorridors.
the biology and distribution of many species. Weknowthatinvertebratebiodiversitywillbe
The state ofknowledge with most other inver- highwithin the greaterMelbourne region. The
tebrategroupsisevenworse. question is whether we have the native species
required to maintain essential ecosystemfunc-
Thefuture
tions such as pollination, decomposition, con-
As we do not have detailed lists ofnative spe- trolofpests,etc. Consequentlywecannotleave
ciesthatoccurinthegreaterMelbourneregion theinvertebratesas a‘blackbox’ andhopethat
o(fnotrhedoinwveertheabvreattehegreoxupperstiifsewetoairdeeanbtliefytmoaconly- iatbfouuntcttihoenfsapurnoapearnlyd.iWties ndootnteoeodltaoteletaorsntamrotrteo
lect more specimens or even examine existing studytheinvertebratesofgreaterMelbournein
collections), the options to consider in con- moredetail.Remnanthabitatsarewaitingtobe
serving Melbourne’s invertebrate biodiversity
studied and undescribed species await collec-
appearsimple: tion. Collections (museums’ and naturalists’)
• Conserve as large as possible patches of are an important resource to provide more
remnanthabitats
background material, but historical compari-
• Establish corridors for natural dispersal son ofthe number ofspecies with the present
betweenremnantpatches
day should not be used because inadequate
• Establishsuitableinvertebratemicrohabitats
• Plantendemicnativespecies background information will invariably mean
• Controlcurrentexoticpestinvertebrates that more species willbe found today. Inverte-
• Prevent incursions by exotic species (plants bratesareaveryadaptivegroupandtherecould
and animals) both from overseas and from be large changes in species composition over
otherpartsofAustralia. timein responsetoenvironmentalchange.
While these maybe simple guidelines in prin- Acknowledgements
ciple,theyareenormousundertakingsthatwill TheauthorwishestothankGaryPreslandforprovid-
requirelargeamountsofresources. inginformationaboutHenryEdwards.
These guidelines will be influenced by the
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208 TheVictorianNaturalist
Contributions
Above: (L) StAndrewsCrossspider. Photoby
AnneMorton;(R) Heliotropemoth. PhotobyVirgil
Hubregtse.
Below: Cricket. PhotobyAnne Morton
Voll28 (5) 2011 209