Abstract
Carabids, as well-known bioindicators, have been used to study the long term changes that have occurred in their communities in the Dinaric Alps. This study involved eight sites in the protected forests of the Risnjak National Park in the years 2015 and 2016 of which three were previously studied in 1990 and 1991. A total of 9, 521 individual ground beetles belonging to 17 genera and 33 species were collected. Species diversity and community composition, including percentages of species grouped according to their habitat preferences, body size, wing morphology, preferred moisture and temperature were used to compare the sites sampled in 1990 and 1991 and resampled in 2015 and 2016. Even though this study was carried out in protected forests within the National Park with minimal anthropogenic pressure and the fact that available climatic data didn't show any significant change in climate over the last 25 years, there was a reduction in the abundance of specialist species and increase in the spread of generalist species. Furthermore, the lower abundance of a mountain specialist and endemic species, Pterostichus variolatus, and the lack of mountain specialists Molops alpestris, Pterostichus unctulatus and Trechus croaticus in the catches indicate the importance of further monitoring of these mountain forest ecosystems and for a well-timed and appropriate conservation approach.
Highlights
The rapid loss of biodiversity is a threat to the stability and the existence of the ecosystems we know today
A total of 40 species were caught in 1990–1991 and 2015–2016, of which only 7 species (Calathus micropterus, Calosoma inquisitor, Cymindis humeralis, Reicheiodes rotundipennis, Molops alpestris, Pterostichus unctulatus and Trechus croaticus) were caught in 1990–1991 and 10 species (Abax parallelepipedus, Anisodactylus intermedius, Amara eurynota, Leistus nitidus, Leistus piceus, Loricera pilicornis, Molops elatus, Molops ovipennis, Molops piceus, and Nebria brevicollis) in 2015–2016, which indicated that the fauna recorded in 2015–2016 was richer
Years later, we revealed an increase in the number of thermophilous species and decrease in the number of species preferring low temperatures at some of the sites, among them some mountain specialists (e.g. P. unctulatus) and species typical of the Alpine-Dinaric region (e.g. P. variolatus)
Summary
The rapid loss of biodiversity is a threat to the stability and the existence of the ecosystems we know today. The great abundance, ecological diversity, short generation times, relatively high fecundity, sensitivity to environmental changes and well-known life history traits (Lindroth, 1961–1969; Thiele, 1977; Grum, 1986; Lövei & Sunderland, 1996; Niemelä et al, 2000; Szyszko et al, 2000) make their bioindicator role unquestionable (e.g. Müller-Motzfeld, 1989; Heijerman & Turin, 1994; Horvatovich, 1994; Maelfait et al, 1994; Pizzolotto, 1994; Eyre et al, 1996; Luff, 1996; Šerić Jelaska & Durbešić, 2009; Pizzolotto et al, 2013). Their high sensitivity to soil composition, pH and temperature (Merivee et al, 2004, 2005, 2008; Must et al, 2006) was the main reason why ground-dwelling beetles were considered to be potential early warning indicators (Koivula, 2011). It is not surprising that carabids are being increasingly used to determine modifications in ecosystems caused by changes in climate (e.g. McCarty, 2001; Parmesan & Yohe, 2003; Harte et al, 2004; Gobbi et al, 2007, 2010, 2011; Brambilla & Gobbi, 2013; Brandmayr et al, 2013)
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