Beetle Diversity Research Articles

Beetle diversity in dead wood is lower in non‐native than native tree species, especially those more distantly related to native species

Abstract Non‐native tree species are widely used in forest plantations. This may have negative consequences for biodiversity. Hitherto, most studies have compared species diversity between native and non‐native forest stands, which makes it difficult to separate the impact of tree species per se from stand characteristics. Our study, conducted in the south of Sweden, compares saproxylic beetle diversity across different nutritional groups, in dead wood of two native and four non‐native tree species in a block design after one and three seasons. Such an approach allows analysis of the impact of non‐native tree species per se. Mean species richness (± SD) per log was lower in non‐native than in native tree species (non‐native trees: lodgepole pine: 10.7 (± 5.3); Sitka spruce: 8.5 (± 4.3), Douglas fir: 7.1 (± 4.3), Japanese larch 9.4 (± 4.6); native trees: Norway spruce: 12.0 (± 6.0), Scots pine: 12.3 (± 5.2)). Sample‐based rarefaction revealed that when only native tree species were pooled, the species richness was higher than for all tree species combined. The difference in species composition among tree species was strongly driven by bark and wood consumers in the first season, while for predators and fungivores, the differences were smaller. Species composition differed most in the first season. Dissimilarity in beetle species composition was positively correlated with phylogenetic distances of the tree species. Species richness was lower in non‐native tree species that are only remotely related to native trees species. Of the studied non‐native tree species, lodgepole pine was more closely related to native tree species and consistently harboured higher species richness. Synthesis and applications. Although non‐native tree species also harbour saproxylic beetle communities, the use of non‐native tree species, especially those only remotely related to native tree species, reduces local diversity of saproxylic beetles. Thus, for biodiversity conservation, an extensive use of non‐native tree species is not recommended as this increases the risk of losing forest biodiversity, especially when they are only distantly related to native tree species.

Community of Bark and Ambrosia Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae and Platypodinae) in Agricultural and Forest Ecosystems with Laurel Wilt.

Redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus, is an invasive wood-boring pest first detected in the USA in 2002 in Georgia. The beetle's dominant fungal symbiont, Harringtonialauricola, causes laurel wilt, a lethal disease of trees in the Lauraceae. Over the past 20 years, X. glabratus and laurel wilt have spread to twelve southeastern states, resulting in high mortality of native Persea species, including redbay (P. borbonia), swampbay (P. palustris), and silkbay (P. humilis). Laurel wilt also threatens avocado (P. americana) in south Florida, but in contrast to the situation in forests, X. glabratus is detected at very low levels in affected groves. Moreover, other species of ambrosia beetle have acquired H. lauricola and now function as secondary vectors. To better understand the beetle communities in different ecosystems exhibiting laurel wilt, parallel field tests were conducted in an avocado grove in Miami-Dade County and a swampbay forest in Highlands County, FL. Sampling utilized ethanol lures (the best general attractant for ambrosia beetles) and essential oil lures (the best attractants for X. glabratus), alone and in combination, resulting in detection of 20 species. This study documents host-related differences in beetle diversity and population levels, and species-specific differences in chemical ecology, as reflected in efficacy of lures and lure combinations.

Good news! Sampling intensity needed for accurate assessments of dung beetle diversity may be lower in the Neotropics

Ecological studies with Scarabaeinae dung beetles have increased exponentially over the past 30 years, using lethal pitfall traps baited with mammal feces or carrion as the preferred sampling method. Different studies have determined the distance between pitfall traps for effective sampling, but the number of traps is often subjective, leading to excessive or poor sampling. This study provides quantitative guidelines for establishing the sample size for optimal completeness of dung beetle diversity by systematically reviewing the relationship between sampling intensity and sampling coverage, habitat type, and the journal impact factor in peer-reviewed research. We gathered 94 studies covering a range from México to Argentina. Sampling was conducted mainly in forested habitats, followed by treeless agriculture and agroforestry systems, with a median value of 50 pitfall traps per sampled habitat. Sampling completeness was above 0.9 in 95% of the studies. Oversampling ranged from 1 to more than 96,000 individuals, and sampling deficit varied between 2 and 3,300 specimens. Sampling intensity and the journal impact factor were significantly and positively correlated with oversampling, but these variables did not explain the sampling deficit. The positive correlation between journal impact factor and oversampling may reflect a publication bias where high-impact journals and researchers seek more generalizable information obtained with a higher sampling intensity. Dung beetle oversampling was not homogeneous between habitats, being highest in old-growth forests and lowest in disturbed habitats such as pastures and forest edges. Our results show that the collection intensity used in dung beetle studies should be reconsidered carefully. By incorporating ethical principles used in animal science, we suggest sampling guidelines for a robust sampling scheme of dung beetle diversity, which would also prevent oversampling. Consciously reducing sampling intensity will make resource use more cost-effective. We suggest increasing the number of independent sampling units rather than intensifying subsampling, thereby increasing the predictive power of statistical models to obtain more robust evidence of the phenomena under study.

Tree biomass, carbon stock characteristics and ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) diversity in the Uzungwa Scarp Forest Nature Reserve, Tanzania.

Reducing carbon emission from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) has drawn attention and remain one of the main options for climate change mitigation. However, the extent to which conservation for carbon may enhance biodiversity conservation in both disturbed and relatively undisturbed (control) environment remain unclear in most forest types. The extent to which anthropogenic disturbances affect carbon stock and ground beetle diversity is also far from clear. This paper addressed these knowledge gaps using data based on ground beetles, carbon stock in live trees and tree species sampled in Uzungwa Scarp Nature Forest Reserve (USNFR). All trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 5 cm were measured for height and DBH in twelve clusters of 1 ha in size. In the same clusters, ground beetles were sampled using pitfall traps, active night search and active day search. The species diversity of ground beetles differed significantly between control sites and disturbed sites (p < 0.05). The mean total biomass and carbon stock in live trees were high in disturbed sites (323.72 t/ha) when compared to control sites (289.72 t/ha) but the difference was not statistically significant (U = 14, p > 0.05). Carbon in live trees and ground beetle diversity showed a weak positive correlation, while richness and abundance showed weak negative in control sites. Results show that REDD+ related activities in a tropical forest may enhance ground beetle diversity and carbon stock if ground beetles conservation is explicitly taken into account. Thus forest conservation planning that pursues both carbon storage and ground-dwelling invertebrate diversity is recommended.

Hierarchical trait filtering at different spatial scales determines beetle assemblages in deadwood

Abstract Environmental filters—including those resulting from biotic interactions—play a crucial role during the assembly of ecological communities. The importance of scale has thereby been acknowledged but filters at different scales have rarely been quantified in relation to each other, although these hierarchically nested filters eventually determine which communities assemble from a regional species pool. Saproxylic beetles offer an ideal system to study such hierarchically nested environmental filters. Three steps of filtering during the community assembly of these deadwood‐dependent beetles are proposed. First, starting from a regional species pool, species must disperse to forest sites. Second, within a site, individuals need to find a patch with preferred microclimatic conditions. Third, the conditions of a single deadwood object (i.e. tree species identity, decomposition stage) at this patch will determine, which species colonise and establish. To study these hierarchical filters, we used unique long‐term data ets of saproxylic beetle diversity from trap catches at 29 sites and from emergence traps on 694 experimentally installed deadwood logs at the same sites in three regions in Germany. To relate different environmental filters to beetle assemblages, we used a set of 13 functional traits that are hypothesised to relate to different filters at different scales. We show that all three hierarchical filtering steps resulted in reductions of functional diversity and simultaneous shifts in the functional composition of beetle assemblages, reflecting the roles of different traits in response to different filters. Trait composition changed most strongly at the last filtering step, that is, depended on tree species identity and decomposition stage. We showed that if community assembly is analysed as a hierarchical multi‐step process based on data from different spatial scales, environmental filters can be quantified at these scales. As such, a better understanding of the role that different filters play at different spatial scales can be reached. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Dung-visiting beetle diversity is mainly affected by land use, while community specialization is driven by climate.

Dung beetles are important actors in the self‐regulation of ecosystems by driving nutrient cycling, bioturbation, and pest suppression. Urbanization and the sprawl of agricultural areas, however, destroy natural habitats and may threaten dung beetle diversity. In addition, climate change may cause shifts in geographical distribution and community composition. We used a space‐for‐time approach to test the effects of land use and climate on α‐diversity, local community specialization (H 2′) on dung resources, and γ‐diversity of dung‐visiting beetles. For this, we used pitfall traps baited with four different dung types at 115 study sites, distributed over a spatial extent of 300 km × 300 km and 1000 m in elevation. Study sites were established in four local land‐use types: forests, grasslands, arable sites, and settlements, embedded in near‐natural, agricultural, or urban landscapes. Our results show that abundance and species density of dung‐visiting beetles were negatively affected by agricultural land use at both spatial scales, whereas γ‐diversity at the local scale was negatively affected by settlements and on a landscape scale equally by agricultural and urban land use. Increasing precipitation diminished dung‐visiting beetle abundance, and higher temperatures reduced community specialization on dung types and γ‐diversity. These results indicate that intensive land use and high temperatures may cause a loss in dung‐visiting beetle diversity and alter community networks. A decrease in dung‐visiting beetle diversity may disturb decomposition processes at both local and landscape scales and alter ecosystem functioning, which may lead to drastic ecological and economic damage.

Configurational landscape heterogeneity: Crop-fallow boundaries enhance the taxonomic diversity of carabid beetles and spiders

Arthropod biodiversity in agricultural landscapes is favoured by high levels of compositional and configurational heterogeneity. In terms of composition, the high value of non-crop habitats is firmly established. In contrast, the causes underlying positive effects of configurational heterogeneity, i.e. patch size and boundary length, are less well understood. We here test the hypothesis that boundaries comprise valuable habitats in its own right by enhancing the taxonomic diversity of carabid beetles and spiders. We used pitfall traps placed along transects running from the interior of wheat fields across the habitat boundary to the interior of unmanaged grassland fallows. Taxonomic diversity was highest around the boundaries due to (1) spillover effects but also (2) species showing a distinct preference for edge habitat. For carabids, habitat boundaries harboured distinct species assemblages. Grassland fallows had, especially in spiders, positive effects on the taxonomic diversity of crop fields close to the boundary, while no negative effects of crop fields on adjacent fallows could be found. Overall, taxonomic diversity was higher in grassland fallows than in crop fields, though differences were surprisingly small. The high taxonomic diversity found for boundaries suggest that these may comprise valuable habitats in its own rights, which in turn may causally underpin positive effects of configurational heterogeneity on arthropod diversity in agroecosystems. Thus, increasing configurational heterogeneity, e.g. by promoting small field sizes and high edge density, seems an important tool for preserving farmland biodiversity.

Ground beetle assemblages respond to motorway proximity through changes in functional rather than taxonomic diversity in a grassland ecosystem

Despite being among the best-studied insect groups in road ecology, assemblage-level effects of major roads on ground beetles have rarely been investigated from the functional perspective. In this study we adopted both species-based and trait-based approaches to investigate spatial dynamics of ground beetle assemblages with respect to motorway proximity and identify main environmental drivers of the observed changes. In 2018, ground beetles were sampled by pitfall traps within homogeneous portions of a grassland habitat in Lika region, Croatia, in eight locations at five distances from a motorway: 10, 25, 50, 100 and 500 m. While no significant spatial patterns were found in taxonomic assemblage metrics, confirming that road-related effects are less prominent in open compared to closed habitat types, functional diversity of ground beetles increased with motorway proximity, possibly owing to an edge effect. Our findings show that, in grassland ecosystems, motorways are likely to affect ground beetle assemblages primarily through changes in vegetation height, with highly vegetated roadsides potentially acting as habitat corridors or supplementary habitats for generalist and mesophilous species.

Functional diversity and redundancy of amphibians, ants, and dung beetles in passive and active cloud forest restoration

Forest restoration practices have increased globally, with positive consequences for biodiversity conservation. However, our understanding of the variation in ecosystem functioning recovery presented among different restoration strategies remains limited, and few studies have compared the functional diversity of contrasting faunal assemblages. Here, we assessed how the functional diversities and functional redundancies of amphibian, ant, and dung beetle assemblages vary among forests of the same age (23 years) under active (native mixed plantations) and passive (natural regeneration) restoration, cattle pasture (degraded ecosystem), and mature cloud forest (reference ecosystem). We also explored how environmental variables relate to the functional diversity of each animal assemblage. We found that functional diversity (measured as functional richness, functional evenness, and functional divergence) and functional redundancy in the three faunal assemblages were similar between the two restoration strategies. However, some attributes of functional diversity did not reach the values of the reference ecosystem, especially in the amphibians and dung beetles. Environmental variables related to functional diversity also depended on the taxonomic group and the metric of functional diversity, but the most important of these variables were vegetation condition, canopy cover and tree density. In our study system, passive and active restoration produced similar recovery rates of functional diversity of the faunal assemblages. Regardless of the restoration strategy implemented, long-term adaptive management strategies must be implemented to ensure full recovery of biodiversity and functionality in Neotropical cloud forest landscapes.

Shining leaf chafers (Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) and rhino beetles (Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) of the Macau SAR, China

ABSTRACT Recent observations and a review of historical collections and literature have revealed that the diversity of scarab beetles in the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of South China is substantially higher than previously reported. In this latest account, nine identified species are reported from this area in the Rutelinae subfamily, within the genera Adoretus, Anomala, Mimela, Pseudosinghala and Popillia. The subfamily Dynastinae appears to be locally represented by two species within the complex oriental genus Xylotrupes and the more widespread genus Alissonotum, respectively. With the exception of A. rubripes rubripes, P. mutans and X. siamensis, which are observed regularly and in reasonable numbers, all the other species are recorded very infrequently and often as single individuals. Thus, while the biodiversity potential of the region is relatively high, most species appear to be under threat of local extinction. This can be attributed mainly to the rapid habitat degradation, use of pesticides and extreme light pollution that are currently occurring in this SAR.

Forest management affects saproxylic beetles through tree species composition and canopy cover

Forest management has been shown to affect biodiversity, but the effects vary among taxa and studies. Due to their host-tree preferences, many saproxylic, i.e. deadwood-dependent, beetle species are likely affected by forest management via changes in tree species composition. However, further structural differences caused by forest management, such as microclimatic conditions, may interfere with effects of tree species. We lack a more detailed understanding of how forest management intensity influences saproxylic beetles through tree species composition and structural properties.We analyzed the effect of forest management on saproxylic beetles using an eight-year dataset collected from 379 experimental logs of 13 different tree species, which were exposed in forests of different management intensity in three regions of Germany. To quantify forest management intensity, we first used a composite index (ForMI) which considers the share of locally non-native tree species, the origin of deadwood and the harvesting rate and then replaced it by five forest structural and compositional properties. This two-step approach allowed to assess the overall effects of management summarizing different aspects and to identify the main forest attributes driving these overall effects. We further investigated whether the effects differ between beetle assemblages emerging from conifer and broadleaf logs (host level), and between generalists, conifer-specialists, and broadleaf-specialists (beetle specialization level).Abundance and species richness increased with increasing ForMI for all beetles, generalists, and conifer-specialists, but not for broadleaf-specialists.Effects of ForMI were stronger for assemblages emerging from conifer than broadleaf logs. Among the evaluated structural and compositional variables, strongest effects were observed for conifer share at stand level and canopy cover. Conifer share positively affected the species richness of all beetles, generalists and conifer specialists, but not of broadleaf specialists. Canopy cover negatively affected all beetles, generalists and conifer specialists, but did not affect broadleaf specialists.Our results show that major drivers behind effects of forest management on saproxylic beetles are differences in tree species composition and canopy cover. Effects differ between beetle groups depending on their host specialization. Forest management decisions regarding tree species composition should therefore more strongly consider their effects on saproxylic beetle diversity to meet conservation goals also in the future.

P070 Antimicrobial peptides from the Coleoptera family Scarabaeidae against Candida and Cryptococcus pathogenic yeasts.

Poster session 1, September 21, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PMObjectivesHost defense peptides (HDP) are produced by a diversity of beetles. The aims of this work were (1) to find new promising peptides from the Coleoptera family Scarabaeidae with potential biomedical applications, (2) to modify physicochemical and structural characteristics of one of the most promissory peptides in order to improve its antimicrobial properties, and (3) to evaluate the in vitro activity of the HDPs against reference strains of pathogenic Candida and Cryptococcus yeasts.Materials and MethodsFrom the Scarabaeidae family transcriptome, 14 promising HDPs were identified. Subsequently, we designed 19 new sequences from Act8 peptide modifying the net charge, hydrophobic angle, and the general composition of amino acids, among other properties, in order to improve the HDPs antifungal activity. The in vitro antifungal susceptibility of the 33 HDPs against C. albicans SC5314, C. krusei, ATCC 6558, C. parapsilosis ATCC 22019, C. glabrata ATCC 2001, C. tropicalis ATCC 750, C. neoformans H99, and C. gattii H0058-I-2029 isolates were evaluated by broth microdilution, with a concentration ranging from 0.19 to 50 μg/ml.ResultsAll 14 peptides identified showed in vitro activity against C. krusei, C. parapsilosis, and C. glabrata. One peptide showed in vitro activity against C. albicans, 6 against C. tropicalis, 11 against C. neoformans and 13 against C. gattii. As well the 19 modified peptides showed in vitro activity against C. krusei, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis, C. neoformans, and C. gattii. A total of 15 modified peptides showed in vitro activity against C. albicans, and 3 against C. glabrata. MIC ranges per species and per peptide are shown in Table 1.ConclusionsThe HDPs herein analyzed showed a significant in vitro antifungal activity against six Candida and two Cryptococcus pathogenic species. Our findings encourage further work with in vivo experimental models in order to better understand the action mechanisms of these antimicrobial peptides. HDPs from different species are becoming a promising therapeutic alternative in the control of fungal infections.

Exploring the diversity of leaf beetles (coleoptera: chrysomelidae) on the islands of Vietnam: a survey of Phu Quoc Island, South of Vietnam

Chrysomelidae on the islands of Vietnam has been poorly known. In this study, we investigated the diversity of Chrysomelidae on Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang province, Southern Vietnam. Specimens were collected from Phu Quoc national park and the buffer zone forest. First, all specimens were ordered into a morph-species operational taxonomic unit (OTU). We collected 52 morphological OTUs of 31 genera and 5 subfamilies, 20 of which were identified as level species. Then, all morphological OTUs were extracted, amplified, and sequenced from the 658 bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. A total of 63 DNA barcode sequences of 13 species and 27 morphological OTUs were successfully sequenced and assigned to 32 Barcode Index Numbers (BIN) in Bold. In the comparison, between morphological OTUs and BINs, the number of OTUs was reduced to 20 species and 24 OTUs (a total of 44 OTUs). The number of species on Phu Quoc Island is estimated to be 1.38x –1. 96 × greater. A total of 32 BINs were generated from this study, 30 of which were new to Vietnam and 28 of which were new to BOLD. The results of this study provide the first document of the leaf beetle fauna on Phu Quoc island and the first DNA Barcoding data for Chrysomelidae from this region in Vietnam, as well as additional documents of leaf beetles on islands from another world.

​Diversity, Abundance and Composition of Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in Jhunjhunu District of Rajasthan, India

Background: Jhunjhunu district has semi-arid climatic condition which is favorable to flourish ground beetles. Diversity of ground beetles are beneficial to agricultural ecosystem as carabid beetles are prominent decomposers and reduce population of insect pest specially, caterpillars. The present study aimed to document diversity of ground beetles which will provide first even preliminary information needed for their conservation and use in integrated pest management program. Methods: Sampling was carried out in Jhunjhunu district from January 2021 to December 2021. Four sampling sites viz., Site-A (agriculture land), Site-B (Plains are relatively flat land which is dominated by grasses, herbs and shrubs), Site-C (rocky area) and Site-D (blanks of water bodies) were selected based on different habitats situation. Carabid beetles were collected using pitfall trap, hand picking and light trap and identified by valid taxonomic keys. Result: Diversity indices authenticated a good diversity and abundance of ground beetles in the district. A total of 956 individuals of carabid beetles, representing 28 species and 19 genera belonging to 11 subfamilies viz. Harpalinae (7 species), Trechinae (7 species), Brachininae (3 species), Scaritinae (3 species), Lebiinae (2 species), Paussinae (1 species), Anthiinae (1 species), Carabinae (1 species), Pterostichinae (1 species), Platyninae (1 species), Cicindelinae (1 species) under Carabidae family were collected and identified from various habitats of study area. On the basis of total number of individuals Dromius quadrimaculatus is the most dominant species and constituted 18.62% of total beetles followed by Chlaenius bimaculatus (8.05%), Tetragonoderus intermedius (7.64%) Lophyra differens (6.80%) and Bembidion ambiguum (5.02%). The highest diversity was observed at Site-B (H=2.72, J=0.83, M=4.43) followed by Site-A (H=2.72, J=0.83, M=4.08), Site-C (H=2.52, J=0.90, M=3.48) and Site-D (H=2.25, J=0.87, M=2.25).

Community Composition of Beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) along Elevational Gradients in Phulchowki Hill, Lalitpur, Nepal

Beetles are recognized as important bio-indicators of the ecosystem that can be used to determine species diversity, genetic diversity and ecosystem diversity. We investigated the species composition and diversity of beetles in four seasons along elevational gradients in Phulchowki hill from June 2018 to May 2019. Sampling was done using pitfall traps in five sites located at 1500 m, 1800 m, 2100 m, 2400 m and 2700 m altitude respectively. Overall, we documented 43 morphospecies under 37 genera and 12 families from the study area. Scarabaeidae was the most dominant family whereas Onthophagus sp.2 being the most abundant species in our study. The Shannon-Weiner diversity index, species richness and abundance were highest at 1500 m. Furthermore, diversity and species richness were highest in the spring, whereas peak beetle abundance was observed in summer. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to analyze the distribution patterns of the beetle families along the elevational gradients. PCA revealed a strong association of the Carabidae family with 1500 m, 1800 m and 2100 m altitude whereas the Scarabaeidae family were mostly associated with human-influenced areas such as 1500 m and 2700 m altitude. The generalized linear model (GLM) revealed that temperature had a major impact on the overall beetle composition.

Negative effects of forest gaps on dung removal in a full-factorial experiment.

Ecosystem functioning may directly or indirectly-via change in biodiversity-respond to land use. Dung removal is an important ecosystem function central for the decomposition of mammal faeces, including secondary seed dispersal and improved soil quality. Removal usually increases with dung beetle diversity and biomass. In forests, dung removal can vary with structural variables that are, however, often interrelated, making experiments necessary to understand the role of single variables on ecosystem functions. How gaps and deadwood, two main outcomes of forest management influence dung removal, is unknown. We tested if dung removal responds to gap creation and deadwood provisioning or if treatment effects are mediated via responses of dung beetles. We expected lower removal rates in gaps due to lower dung beetle biomass and diversity. We sampled dung beetles and measured dung removal in a highly-replicated full-factorial forest experiment established at 29 sites in three regions of Germany (treatments: Gap, Gap + Deadwood, Deadwood, Control). All gaps were experimentally created and had a diameter of around 30 m. Dung beetle diversity, biomass and dung removal were each lower in gaps than in controls. Dung removal decreased from 61.9% in controls to 48.5% in gaps, irrespective of whether or not the gap had deadwood. This treatment effect was primarily driven by dung beetle biomass but not diversity. Furthermore, dung removal was reduced to 56.9% in the deadwood treatment. Our findings are not consistent with complementarity effects of different dung beetle species linked to biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships that have been shown in several ecosystems. In contrast, identity effects can be pronounced: gaps reduced the abundance of a large-bodied key forest species (Anoplotrupes stercorosus), without compensatory recruitment of open land species. While gaps and deadwood are important for many forest organisms, dung beetles and dung removal respond negatively. Our results exemplify how experiments can contribute to test hypotheses on the interrelation between land use, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

Diversity and distribution of beetles in a Mediterranean volcanic archipelago: an updated checklist of the Coleoptera of the Aeolian Islands (Sicily, Italy)

Diversity and distribution of beetles in a Mediterranean volcanic archipelago: an updated checklist of the Coleoptera of the Aeolian Islands (Sicily, Italy)

Conservation significance and habitats variety in the Western Rhodope Mts. as a factor for the diversity of the ground beetles (Coleoptera Carabidae)

Conservation significance and habitats variety in the Western Rhodope Mts. as a factor for the diversity of the ground beetles (Coleoptera Carabidae)

How diverse are sun-grown coffee plantations? Local and landscape heterogeneity drives Andean rove beetle diversity

Compared to shade coffee plantations, sun-grown coffee is not considered very biodiversity-friendly, but little is known about how the management practices for this crop and landscape characteristics affect species diversity. Some predatory staphylinids (rove beetles) are important biological control agents in many agricultural systems, but have not received much attention in tropical agroecosystems or in coffee plantations. After collecting 2074 individuals belonging to 126 species of staphylinid collected from 27 sampling sites in a region dominated by sun-grown coffee in the Colombian Andes, we evaluated how local and landscape heterogeneity affect the diversity, abundance and composition of staphylinids. We found that both local and landscape variables had effects in different directions and of different magnitudes depending on the community attribute evaluated. At the local scale, rove beetle diversity increased with the density of herbaceous plants and coffee plant cover. At the landscape scale, species richness decreased with increasing forest cover, while the number of forest patches had a positive effect. We also found a high degree of species turnover within and between coffee plantations, and this was explained by farmland habitat structural differences between the coffee plantations and also the characteristics of the surrounding landscape. Our results indicate that the Andean sun-grown coffee plantations still host diverse and taxonomically dissimilar staphylinid communities. Therefore, properly managed local vegetation structure and the preservation of forest remnants on the landscape contribute to maintaining high diversity in this coffee production system. Promoting biodiversity conservation and the provision of ecosystem services by agroecosystems—even in intense production systems—requires that environmental heterogeneity on several scales be taken into account.

Keanekaragaman dan kelimpahan kumbang daun (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) pada empat tipe penggunaan lahan yang berbeda di Taman Nasional Bukit Duabelas dan Hutan Harapan, Provinsi Jambi

Deforestrasi memberikan dampak perubahan ekosistem dan biodiversitas. Perubahan tata guna lahan diketahui dapat memberikan dampak perubahan pada keanekaragaman dan populasi serangga, seperti semut dan kumbang di Provinsi Jambi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mempelajari keanekaragaman, kelimpahan, dan komposisi kumbang daun di lanskap Taman Nasional Bukit Duabelas (TNBD) dan Hutan Harapan. Koleksi serangga dilakukan menggunakan metode pengasapan. Sebanyak empat plot dipilih dari masing-masing tipe penggunaan lahan dan masing-masing plot ditentukan tiga subplot. Serangga yang jatuh ditampung dalam wadah (1 m x 1 m) yang telah dipasang di bawah kanopi sebelum pengasapan. Sampel serangga disortir dan diidentifikasi di Laboratorium Pengendalian Hayati, Departemen Proteksi Tanaman, Fakultas Pertanian, IPB University. Total kumbang daun yang diperoleh adalah 1.040 individu yang terdiri atas 6 subfamili dan 127 morfospesies. Penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa kelimpahan dan keanekaragaman kumbang daun dipengaruhi oleh tipe penggunaan lahan lahan, tetapi tidak dengan lanskap yang berbeda.