NS — Cavità Aeree Vegetazione

Biodiversityvv0

Responsible:Niccolò Calandri

NS — Vegetated Above-Ground Cavities

Overview

The NS — Vegetated Above-Ground Cavities sub-indicator measures habitat suitability for pollinators that nest in above-ground cavities associated with woody and shrubby vegetation. This is the most influential factor of the NS index (weight 5 out of 13 total).

This group includes important genera such as Osmia (mason bees), Megachile (leafcutter bees), Xylocopa (carpenter bees), and numerous solitary wasps. These insects nest in:

Hollow stems of herbaceous and shrubby plants
Dead wood and fallen logs with beetle galleries
Cracked bark of mature trees
Natural tree cavities (woodpecker holes, knotholes)

The presence of mature, diverse vegetation with abundant dead wood is the main predictor for this group.

Weight in NS weighted average: 5 (the most influential).

Calculation Methodology

Calculated using the InVEST Pollinator Model. The coefficient is particularly high for CLC classes with mature vegetation:

0.8–1.0 — High suitability (mature forests, mixed woodlands, tree-lined hedgerows, parks with mature trees)
0.4–0.7 — Medium suitability (shrublands, orchards, farmland with hedgerows)
0.1–0.2 — Low suitability (open grasslands without trees, intensive farmland)
0.0 — Unsuitable (impervious surfaces, water bodies)

Data Sources

Code	Name	Provider	Type	Coverage	Availability
`WRD_INVST_99`	InVEST Pollinator Model	Natural Capital Project	model	Global	Continuous

References

Lonsdorf, E. et al. (2009). Annals of Botany, 103(9), 1589-1600.
Kremen, C. et al. (2007). Ecology Letters, 10(4), 299-314.
Steffan-Dewenter, I. & Schiele, S. (2008). Ecology, 89(5), 1375-1387.

Data Sources & References

Sources

WRD_INVST_99

Methodology

NS sub-indicator for aerial cavities in vegetation. Each CLC class receives a suitability coefficient for cavities in woody vegetation (0-1) based on the InVEST Pollinator model. Target species: Osmia, Megachile, Xylocopa (dead wood, hollow stems, bark). Weight in NS weighted average: 5 (the most influential). Scale: 0-1.