For further information on our studies in Insect Ecology, visit Hanula's Web Site . Intensive forest management focuses on maximizing wood fiber production and minimizing losses through tree mortality and subsequent decomposition. However, whole communities of insects rely on dead trees for survival, and detritus is a major part of the forest food web. Fire is increasingly being suggested as a way of restoring and maintaining longleaf pine ecosystems. Study plots that have been burned regularly for over 30 years will be sampled to determine what the long-term effects of prescribed burning are on the arthropod community.
Pollinators play a critical role in the life history of many flowering plants.
In the case of endangered species, it is unclear whether or not the pollinator community is still intact or functional. Recent advances in video equipment and computers make video monitoring of pollinator activity a viable option for studying pollinator behavior. By understanding the pollination ecology of rare plants, we will be able to help managers restore the whole community that endangered plants require. In particular, determine how it contributes to overall forest diversity and arthropod abundance. Determine what role insects play in coarse woody debris decomposition.