POSTER PRESENTATION @ Internet Congress of Entomology, Brazil Aug 2000.

The unique insect biodiversity of the Klamath/Siskiyou Mountain region in NW USA:
   challenges for inventory and conservation. 

 A.R. Moldenke¹, B. Marcot², D DellaSala³ & N Rappaport⁴

This region has long been recognized as of extreme significance botanically. Escape from glaciation, diversity of geologic substrates combined with varied relief, and location at the interface of mesic vs. xeric biomes should have rendered this region as unique entomologically as botanically. Though scattered literature supports this hypothesis, a careful documentation of the endemic levels of arthropod biodiversity needs to be undertaken. The World Wildlife Fund, the Forest Service (land owners) and entomologists from Oregon State University are collaborating in a unique attempt to define and protect the ecological processes arthropods participate in, preserve biodiversity hot-spots and premiere taxa, while permitting economic utilization of the forest resources as a sustainable long-term resource. The three most critical management concerns center on ancient-forest stands, riparian habitats and the adequacy of buffers, and unique habitats. Relict ancient taxa representative of the transcontinental forests before mountain orogeny split the continent in two characterize this region (i.e., Tricholepidion gertschi  (Thysanura) endemic to CA; Cryptocercus punctulatus (communal Blattaria) amphi-continental distribution). Beta diversity is driven by habitat heterogeneity and recent adaptive radiation (i.e., Amaurobiidae (Araneae)). Additionally, taxa with limited mobility have spawned localized geographic isolates as they recolonized the Pacific Northwest since glaciation (i.e., Pleocominae (Scarabaeidae), Caseyidae (Diplopoda)). Though the vast majority of taxa inhabiting the region are widely distributed geographically, endemicity is likely to be relatively high. With adequate inventory a system of protection can be implemented before this ecosystem is more heavily impaired.

¹Dept of Entomology, 2046 Cordley Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-2907; ²Forest & Range Experiment Laboratory, US Forest Service, Portland, OR;  ³World Wildlife Fund, Ashland, OR; ⁴Forest & Range Experiment Laboratory, Albany, CA.