Biodiversity in Dead Wood

Fossils document the existence of trees and wood-associated organisms from almost 400 million years ago, and today there are between 400,000 and 1 million wood-inhabiting species in the world. This is the first book to synthesise the natural history and conservation needs of wood-inhabiting organisms. Presenting a thorough introduction to biodiversity in decaying wood, the book studies the rich diversity of fungi, insects and vertebrates that depend upon dead wood. It describes the functional diversity of these organisms and their specific habitat requirements in terms of host trees, decay phases, tree dimensions, microhabitats and the surrounding environment. Recognising the threats posed by timber extraction and forest management, the authors also present management options for protecting and maintaining the diversity of these species in forests as well as in agricultural landscapes and urban parks.

Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Wood decomposition; 3. The saproxylic food web; 4. Other associations with dead woody material; 5. Host tree associations; 6. Mortality factors and decay succession; 7. Microhabitats; 8. Tree size; 9. The surrounding environment; 10. Evolution of saproxylic organisms; 11. Species diversity of saproxylic organisms; 12. Natural forest dynamics; 13. Dead wood and sustainable forest management; 14. Population dynamics and evolutionary strategies; 15. Threatened saproxylic species; 16. Dead wood in agricultural and urban habitats; 17. The value and future of saproxylic diversity; References; Index.

Presenting a thorough introduction to biodiversity in decaying wood, this book studies the rich diversity of fungi, insects and vertebrates that depend upon dead wood. It describes the functional diversity of these organisms, outlining threats and management options for protecting and maintaining biodiversity.

Jogeir N. Stokland is a researcher at the Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute and an associate professor at the University of Oslo, Norway. He has conducted research on forest biodiversity, dead wood dynamics and species diversity in decaying wood for more than 20 years. His expertise covers both entomology and mycology.
Juha Siitonen is a researcher at the Finnish Forest Research Institute. He has conducted research on the effects of forest management on dead wood and saproxylic species, including beetles and polypores, for more than 20 years. He is a member of the Finnish beetle working group, and has been involved in the red-list assessments of Finnish fauna.
Bengt Gunnar Jonsson is a professor of Plant Ecology at Mid Sweden University. His research focuses on forest history and dynamics and its role in maintaining forest biodiversity. He has played an active role in several national conservation projects initiated by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Swedish Forest Agency.