3.12 Insects
3.12.3 Knowledge Gaps Conservation of insects in North Carolina requires more surveys, research, and mon- itoring of species, as well as management, restoration, and protection of habitat. Our understanding of this group of species (other than butterfies) is far lower than almost any other animal group in the state. Tere are few biologists in the state focused on the type of surveys, research, and monitoring activities needed to understand these groups. Tey are an integral part of the ecosystems they share with other species and it is important to take advantage of any opportunities to expand our knowledge and understanding when possible. Tere are a large number of species that are still too poorly known to estimate their conser- vation signifcance. Te NCNHP has undertaken a series of insect inventories in the Coastal Plain ecoregion of North Carolina to bring understanding of the distribution, abundance, and habitat afnities for at least a few important groups of invertebrates. Tese surveys have uncovered not only species never before documented in North Carolina, but even spe- cies completely new to science (e.g., Apameini , New Genus 4, Species 1) (Hall 1999a, b) . 3.12.4 Management Needs Preserves can be regarded as islands of habitat to some degree. Tey are often chosen for conservation as something special in areas where the rest of the landscape has been sig- nifcantly altered. All too frequently, preserves contain the only remnants of native eco- systems for miles around. While these preserves are intended to remain “natural,” active management is often needed to accomplish this goal, although management, almost by defnition, involves some form of artifcial disturbance. Tis disturbance may replace a nat- ural form, such as wildfres, or it may be entirely new, such as spraying an entire preserve with a pesticide to control an exotic pest such as the Gypsy Moth (Hall 1999a, b) . Insect populations often undergo extreme fuctuations in numbers, resulting from vaga- ries in weather or cyclical changes in abundance of their predators or parasites. Tey are much more prone to local extirpation than either vertebrates or plants. As discussed below, they often survive only where there are enough well-dispersed habitat patches to support a metapopulation. Despite their vulnerability to local extirpation, some species can survive in long-lasting, relict populations, as long as natural ecosystem processes are continuous through time. For example, a population of the Brown Elfn found on the summit of Occoneechee Mountain, a State Natural Area along the Eno River, may have existed there since the end of the Ice Age approximately 10,000 years ago, just as have several rare plants with similar montane or boreal distributions. No other populations of this species are known within 50 miles.
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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