Individual study: Grazing impacts on moth diversity and abundance on a Scottish upland estate
Littlewood N.A. (2008) Grazing impacts on moth diversity and abundance on a Scottish upland estate. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 1, 151-160
This study is summarised as evidence for the intervention(s) shown on the right. The icon shows which synopsis it is relevant to.
Maintain upland heath/moorland
In the same randomized, replicated, controlled trial (described in (Dennis et al. 2008), more moths (Lepidoptera) and moth species were found on ungrazed and lightly-grazed plots than on plots grazed at a commercial stocking rate (Littlewood 2008). Low-intensity sheep grazing and ungrazed treatments produced the highest number of moths (on average 52 moths/night and 48 moths/night, respectively) and moth species (on average 12.3 species/night; 13.2 species/night). Fewest moths (on average 34 moths/night) and moth species (on average 10.6 species/night) were found under the commercial grazing treatment. Grazing treatments began in January 2003 and moths were sampled between June and October 2007 using a randomly-placed 15W light trap for six or seven sample nights per plot.