Recolonization of a burnt pine forest ( Pinus pinaster) by Carabidae (Coleoptera)

Abstract

This paper describe changes in Carabid fauna after a wild fire in June 1996 in a Pinus pinaster forest in Spain, and also, provides information about trap selectivity and the influence of a firebreak on carabid abundance. Sampling was carried out from April to October 1997 in the burnt area and in a nearby unburnt pine forest. Pitfall traps contained three different types of attracting bait and were placed in each area at different distances from the firebreak. The colonizing species in the burnt area are described and compared to those captured in the control pine forest. Data on abundance, species richness, equitability, diversity and size differences are given. Seasonal changes and the composition of the Carabidae community after the fire are also discussed. Greater abundance was observed in the burnt pine forest due to the arrival of opportunistic species after the wild fire. Species adapted to open areas were captured in the burnt pine zone whereas species detected in the control forest are characteristically located in areas covered by a lot of vegetation or in grasslands, needing more humidity and therefore not tolerant to prevailing post-fire drought conditions.