Saproxylophage

In opposition to the organizations Xylophage S which consume alive wood and/or died, the organizations saproxylophages gather only species which consume only the deadwood and which take part in its decomposition. These species constitute a very significant part of the food Pyramide and trophic Réseau of the forest ecosystems. They contribute to the ecological Résilience of the forests by accelerating the recycling of the deadwood in the grounds and the forest ecosystem.

The saproxylphages live in communities of mushrooms, bacteria, protozoa and invertebrates (of which many coleopters), and they play in the forest ecosystems an important role while contributing to the cycle of carbon and with the recycling of nécromasse vegetable woody that they transform into a Humus forest particularly rich and ready to absorb water. These are generally terrestrial species whose larvae flee the light (lucifugous). Some live in water where they break up immersed wood or the roots located under the level of the tablecloth.

Certain insects saproxylophages hawk with them the Spore S of mushrooms or the pieces of Mycélium fixed on hairs or bodies known as “ Mycangia ”. These mushrooms and sometimes of the associated bacteria help them to break up lignin and to be nourished. The adults of these species can sometimes sow a tree weakened by laying their eggs. It can happen that an exotic or transferred mushroom either particularly pathogenic, thus the Scolyte seems to have transported and have diffused a mushroom which decimated in a few decades the elms in Europe in the years 1970-2000.

Threats

The invertebrates saproxylophages are regarded as belonging to the species the most threatened in Europe and in the northern hemisphere, because of the rarefaction of the deadwood because of the too intensive exploitation of the forests. In a moderated primary forest, approximately 1/3 of wood present died and in the course of decomposition. In the majority of the forests exploited, except locally after the passage of the storms, there does not remain enough any more the large one and old deadwood (which does not freeze in heart), hard, tender and average, upright or laid down, dryness with immersed… and it is rare to find more than 1 to 3 trees died per ha in diameter higher than 40 cm. The écolabel S foresters such as FSC force the sylivicultor to take care to preserve a sufficient quantity of deadwood to preserve the ecological communities saproxylophages and their functions.

It was proposed to voluntarily preserve deadwood (instruction within the ONF in France), including downtown and in the gardens to try to slow down the erosion of the biodiversity at these species, with for examples the Chronoxyle S which aim at associating a teaching action with it.

See too

Forest
Chronoxyle
Deadwood

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