Hackforth, Charles Noah; (2025) The structure and function of insect communities in central Congo peatland forests. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Insects are fundamental to ecosystem functioning, yet their diversity and ecological roles remain poorly understood in many regions, particularly the Congo Basin’s forested wetlands. In 2017, scientists first described what is the world’s largest tropical peatland complex at the core of the wetlands. Nothing is known of the insect communities in these peatland forests. Low plant diversity and acidic aquatic conditions may support a low diversity of widespread forest insect species. Alternatively, unique selective pressures may produce novel insect diversity. I conducted the first sampling of three insect groups (Odonata, diurnal and nocturnal Lepidoptera) in the central Congo peatlands, in 2022 and 2023, to assess their diversity and functional composition. In total, I recorded 44 species of Odonata, 195 butterfly species and 1289 moth species, with the peat swamp forests supporting ~20-75% fewer species than nearby terra firme tropical forest across taxa. No clear evidence supports the presence of novel species endemic to the peat swamp forests, although they do support highly distinct species assemblages, which may have reduced functional redundancy. Odonata communities in the swamp forest mainly comprise lentic blackwater specialists restricted to the Congo Basin. Larval host plant associations and extreme environmental conditions appeared to shape distributions of Lepidoptera. Distinct taxonomic patterns of seasonality and vertical stratification in moth communities indicate a unique suite of ecological pressures in the swamps, with consequences for insect-mediated ecosystem processes. Finally, I describe the role of nocturnal Lepidoptera in pollen transport, finding highly complex, largely generalised, and similarly structured networks across the peat swamp and terra firme sites. Observed differences appear to reflect the diversity of moths and floral resources in each forest type. This first study of insects in the recently described peat swamp forest ecosystem will allow more targeted future hypothesis testing and sampling in this vulnerable ecosystem.

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