....................................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ vii Chapter 1.0 .................................................................................................................................................... 1 Thesis Overview ............................................................................................................................... 1 Saproxylic Organisms at a Glance .................................................................................................... 3 Ecological Requirements: The Importance of Deadwood ............................................................... 5 Comparing Diversity Between Old Growth Forests and Tree Plantations ....................................... 7 Managing for Sustainable Ecosystems via Saproxylic Communities ............................................... 7 Invasive Species and Resource Pulses ........................................................................................... 11 Using Saproxylic Beetles as Indicators of Ecological Integrity ....................................................... 13 The Importance of Monitoring Insect Populations ........................................................................ 15 Chapter 2.0 .................................................................................................................................................. 17 Methodology .................................................................................................................................. 17 Study Sites ......................................................................................................................... 17 Insect Sampling ................................................................................................................. 25 Statistical Analyses ............................................................................................................ 27 Results ............................................................................................................................................ 32 Chapter 3.0 .................................................................................................................................................. 44 Insight Into Saproxylic Beetle Communities in Kitchener, ON ....................................................... 44 Comparing Biodiversity between Study Sites ................................................................................ 44 Families of Interest Due to Ecological Importance and Indicators of Forest Integrity .................. 46 Functional Groups .......................................................................................................................... 50 Recommendations and Conclusions .............................................................................................. 51 References .................................................................................................................................................. 58 Appendix ..................................................................................................................................................... 70