Invertebrates

Invertebrates are one of the least well known groups of British shingle species, yet where studies have been carried out the habitat has been shown to hold considerable numbers of Red Data Book (RDB) and priority Biodiversity Action Plan species. A species of fly new to science was recently found living within the shingle at Rye, which suggests there is much more to discover.

Invertebrates are not only important in their own right as part of the biological diversity of shingle areas, but they are also important indicators of the health of the systems. Although there is detailed information for a few sites (notably Dungeness) it is clear that many other sites are under recorded. At the same time there is a paucity of knowledge on the importance of habitat type, the association with host plants and interactions between the two. Although some plants are known to be particularly important for some species, many more rely on a matrix of habitats including open and closed shingle vegetation. Invertebrates may also have a close relationship with and depend upon the physical structure of individual plants and/or plant communities. Thus the architecture of vegetation and the shingle matrix is very important. Not understanding this relationship runs the risk that management such as grazing, if advocated on largely stable vegetation, could lead to loss of invertebrate interest. [For more information o these relationships see the list for invertebrates of dry shingle, wet shingle, migrant species and species of man-made habitats.]

Recommendation: It is vitally important to extend the knowledge of the interactions between habitat, plant species and community structure to those sites that are currently understudied. These studies should be carried out across the range of shingle habitats, from bare shingle to closed grasslands, heathlands and scrub. The work should be designed to develop management plans that incorporate the protection of invertebrate taxa and their microhabitats. These studies should be linked to objectives associated more directly with vegetation management. There are strong possibilities that southern shingle systems, with their wealth of species lying at the edge of their geographical range, will yield a range of important records and could be tackled first.