Research presentation: Pheromones for conservation. Glenn Svensson, Lund University & Mattias Larsson, SLU, Sweden.

Pheromones for conservation:

Odour-based methods for monitoring threatened saproxylic insects

Glenn Svensson, Department of Ecology, Lund University, Sweden

Mattias Larsson, Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden

The research program aims to integrate chemical ecology research into conservation biology, using saproxylic insects as focal group. Insects living on dead or dying deciduous trees represent a diverse assemblage, which is today threatened all over Europe due to habitat loss and fragmentation. There is thus a serious need for reliable data on present occupancy of these species to select areas with the highest conservation value, but the currently available monitoring methods are both labour-intensive and time-consuming.

Just like other insects, saproxylic beetles and moths rely heavily on olfactory cues during both habitat and mate search. Identifying behaviour-modifying odours and develop odour-based trapping methods may thus facilitate monitoring and improve conservation of these insects.

The research program is focused on three model systems:

The scarab beetle Osmoderma eremita Scopoli, and its larval predator, the click beetle Elater ferrugineus L. living in wood mould in old deciduous trees.
The beetles Harminius undulatus, Peltis grossa, and Upis ceramboide, and their vulnerability to modern forestry management.
Threatened saproxylic species of the moth families Tineidae and Sesiidae.


Osmoderma eremita		Elater ferrugineus