Abstract
Experimental research on beetle responses to removal of logging residues following clearcut harvesting in the boreal balsam fir forest of Quebec revealed several abundant rove beetle (Staphylinidae) species potentially important for long-term monitoring. To understand the trophic affiliations of these species in forest ecosystems, it was necessary to analyze their gut contents. We used microscopic and molecular (DNA) methods to identify the gut contents of the following rove beetles: Atheta capsularis Klimaszewski, Atheta klagesi Bernhauer, Oxypoda grandipennis (Casey), Bryophacis smetanai Campbell, Ischnosoma longicorne (Mäklin), Mycetoporus montanus Luze, Tachinus frigidus Erichson, Tachinus fumipennis (Say), Tachinus quebecensis Robert, and Pseudopsis subulata Herman. We found no apparent arthropod fragments within the guts; however, a number of fungi were identified by DNA sequences, including filamentous fungi and budding yeasts [Ascomycota: Candida derodonti Suh & Blackwell (accession number FJ623605), Candida mesenterica (Geiger) Diddens & Lodder (accession number FM178362), Candida railenensis Ramirez and Gonzáles (accession number JX455763), Candida sophie-reginae Ramirez & González (accession number HQ652073), Candida sp. (accession number AY498864), Pichia delftensis Beech (accession number AY923246), Pichia membranifaciens Hansen (accession number JQ26345), Pichia misumaiensis Y. Sasaki and Tak. Yoshida ex Kurtzman 2000 (accession number U73581), Pichia sp. (accession number AM261630), Cladosporium sp. (accession number KF367501), Acremoniumpsammosporum W. Gams (accession number GU566287), Alternaria sp. (accession number GU584946), Aspergillus versicolor Bubak (accession number AJ937750), and Aspergillusamstelodami (L. Mangin) Thom and Church (accession number HQ728257)]. In addition, two species of bacteria [Bradyrhizobium japonicum (Kirchner) Jordan (accession number BA000040) and Serratia marcescens Bizio accession number CP003942] were found in the guts. These results not only provide evidence of the consumer-resource relations of these beetles but also clarify the relationship between rove beetles, woody debris and fungi. Predominance of yeast-feeding by abundant rove beetles suggests that it may play an important role in their dietary requirements.
Highlights
Rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) have proven to be useful indicators of forest disturbance and recovery because they are sensitive to environmental perturbations, diverse in species and trophic roles, sampled, and at least in central Europe and Canada, mostly readily identified using a wealth of available taxonomic tools (Boháč 1990, 1999, Pohl et al 2008)
At least seven different spore types could be discriminated using microscopic techniques and available taxonomic resources, they could not be identified with certainty
We identified 17 fungal taxa in the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota and two bacterial taxa in the phylum Proteobacteria through molecular analysis (Table 3)
Summary
Rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) have proven to be useful indicators of forest disturbance and recovery because they are sensitive to environmental perturbations, diverse in species and trophic roles, sampled, and at least in central Europe and Canada, mostly readily identified using a wealth of available taxonomic tools (Boháč 1990, 1999, Pohl et al 2008). Many staphylinid species show distinct response patterns following forest disturbances (e.g., Pohl et al 2007, 2008, Klimaszewski et al 2008, Work et al 2013). While studies comparing species assemblages can quantify the overall effects of harvest treatments or other forest disturbances, they are often not designed to identify specific underlying mechanisms for individual species’ responses. Study of trophic roles may provide useful insights into these response patterns by assessing factors such as individual predator-prey (or consumer-resource) relationships, the degree of diet specialization, and possible associations of beetles with specific microhabitats that may serve as habitat or substrate for their food resources. Oxytelinae are generally detritivores and feed on decaying plant ma-
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