Effects of nature management practice on carabid assemblages (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in a non-native plantation

Abstract

The effects of nature management practice were studied in the Aggtelek National Park in Hungary, Central Europe. The management increased the recolonisation of herbs, shrubs and trees of the native vegetation. Pitfall catches of carabid beetles from native oak–hornbeam forest were compared with those from managed and unmanaged non-native spruce plantations. The unmanaged plantation had a very low number of individuals and low diversity many years after establishment. Carabid beetles were significantly more abundant, and species richness and diversity higher in the native forest and in the managed plantation. The carabid assemblage in the managed spruce plantation was similar to that of the native forest but strikingly different from that in the unmanaged plantation. Many deciduous forest species disappeared or decreased significantly in abundance in the unmanaged plantation, and they appeared in high abundance only in the managed plantation and/or in the native forest. Multiple regression showed that the cover of the leaf litter was a significant factor explaining the abundance, species richness and diversity of the carabid assemblages. Our results suggest that the planting of non-native spruce has a detrimental effect on carabid assemblages, and the nature management practice that encourages the re-invasion of the native plant species and the reproduction of the leaf litter significantly contributes to the re-establishment and maintenance of the diversity of carabid assemblages in the studied area.