Entomofaunal Diversity in Decaying Timber and Dead Wood Habitats in Ondo State Reserves, South West Nigeria

Dead wood and decaying timber support exceptional biodiversity, hosting numerous specialized saproxylic insects that play vital roles in wood decomposition, nutrient cycling, and forest regeneration. Ondo State harbors remnant patches of tropical forest in both state reserves and private farmland, yet the saproxylic insect community of these habitats is undescribed. This study investigates the entomofaunal diversity in decaying timber habitats in selected forest reserves of Ondo State. Flight interception traps and direct sampling from logs at different decay stages will be used across eight sites in Owo, Idanre, and Odigbo LGAs over one year. Beetles, including Cerambycidae, Buprestidae, and Scolytinae, will be the primary focus group, with hymenoptera and diptera recorded supplementarily. Specimens will be identified to genus or species level and diversity indices computed. The study will examine whether insect diversity increases with log decay stage and whether reserves show higher diversity than logged farmland logs. This research contributes to the understudied invertebrate biodiversity of Ondo State's remnant forests and provides evidence for the conservation value of leaving dead wood in managed forests. Keywords: saproxylic insects, dead wood, forest reserves, Ondo State, biodiversity