Forest Fauna Research Articles

Woody species diversity, composition, structure and carbon storage of a dry evergreen montane forest of Essimingor Nature Forest Reserve in Tanzania

Abstract. Mwakalukwa EE, Mwakisu A, Maliondo SMS. 2023. Woody species diversity, composition, structure and carbon storage of a dry evergreen montane forest of Essimingor Nature Forest Reserve in Tanzania. Intl J Trop Drylands 7: 26-36. The biodiversity status of flora and fauna of many forests found on small protruding and isolated hills in most parts of dry areas in Tanzania is largely less studied. Their contribution to climate mitigation options also remains largely unknown. This study assessed the woody species diversity, composition, structure and carbon stocks potential of a dry evergreen montane forest of Essimingor Nature Forest Reserve in Tanzania. The vegetation data were collected from 23 concentric sample plots of 5m, 15m, and 20m radius laid systematically across the entire forest area of 6,100 ha. A total of 54 trees and shrubs species belonging to 29 families were identified. Diversity indices indicated the forest to have a high diversity of woody species. The most important species were Cassipourea malosana, Diospyros abyssinica and Drypetes natalensis. Stand structure comprised 288±173 stems ha-1, basal area of 11.47±7.23 m2ha-1 and standing volume of 27.3±16.3 m3ha-1. The mean above-ground and below-ground carbon stocks were 56.93±34.60 Mg C ha-1 and 34.71±19.72 Mg C ha-1, respectively. The observed high species diversity and carbon density signify the importance of conservation efforts bestowed in this reserve. Quantification of other carbon pools for estimation of the total carbon stock potential of this forest is recommended.

Genetic viability and habitat suitability of the critically endangered southern muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides) in the Atlantic Forest's fragmented landscapes under land use and climate change scenarios

The joint effects of climate change and landscape fragmentation to the genetic viability of isolated populations has barely been addressed for the Atlantic Forest fauna. Therefore, this work explored the potential habitat suitability for the southern muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides), by modeling climate change, landscape fragmentation, and genetic diversity loss of the species. Maxent was used to model its potential distribution in 2050, with two climate change scenarios. A land use and land cover change model was applied to describe current and future forest fragmentation patterns, and a Population and Habitat Viability Analysis (PHVA) was used to describe the retention of genetic diversity of the southern muriqui. Although PHVA modeling provided a low risk of extinction of the southern muriqui, climate change and fragmentation could result in the loss of >65% of the suitable forest patches, and reduce the habitat suitability to only 11% of the potential distribution area, which could lead to future genetic diversity loss and decreased capacity of self-sustained populations. In both climate change scenarios, the suitable areas for the southern muriqui in Paraná and Rio de Janeiro states will decrease more drastically. Areas where the primate occurs in the interior of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro states will disappear or be climatically disconnected from the core potential habitat. Alike preventing further deforestation, Atlantic Forest restoration actions are needed to connect the viable populations for compensating the projected land use and climate change impacts to the long term persistence of the southern muriqui.

Efeito da qualidade da água na fauna macrobentônica no rio Achenkovil, Southern-West Ghats, Kerala, Índia

Abstract Aim The present study investigated the influence of environmental variables on macrobenthic fauna in the Achenkovil River, Southern Western Ghats, Kerala. The knowledge of aquatic ecosystems in many remote areas is very scanty and no one has yet made an attempt to study the macrobenthic fauna of Achenkovil river. Since, macrobenthos play an important role in the benthic community structure a better knowledge of their ecology and distributional patterns in remote freshwater ecosystems would be of great interest for a better understanding of their functioning. Methods A bimonthly sampling was conducted from February 2019 to January 2020. Water samples for physicochemical analysis were carried to the laboratory in clean polyethylene bottles. The macrobenthic fauna was collected using Van Veen grab (0.025m2). Multivariate statistical technique such as Principal Component Analysis was used to monitor the variation in environmental parameters. The diversity of macrobenthic fauna was studied using Simpson_1-D, Shannon_H, Evenness_e^H/S, and Margalef’s indices. We analyzed the relationship between environmental variables and macrobenthic fauna, using Canonical Correlation Analysis and Pearson correlation. Results A total of 3563 individuals belonging to 9 orders, 32 families, 32 genera, and 32 species were identified. The most dominant order was Ephemeroptera followed by Coleoptera and Trichoptera and the least dominant was Zygoptera. The maximum number of macrobenthic fauna was observed in station 1(S1), (1461 Ind/m2) and the least in station 9 (S9), (37 Ind/m2). Station 1 (S1) is a pristine forest area, so this area is considered the reference site. The macrobenthic fauna in the pristine headwater forests (S1) was much more diverse than in the river mouth (S9) which is a highly impacted region. This region is facing various kinds of anthropogenic stress resulting in pollution and deterioration of water quality. The macrobenthic community structure in the Achenkovil River was significantly associated to the variations in water quality due to various natural as well as anthropogenic stresses. Conclusions It can be concluded that Ephemeroptera, Coleoptera, and Trichoptera were the most dominant groups in the undisturbed habitats in the river during the study period. The predominance of Chironomidae species, especially from the Chironomus genus in the midstream and downstream segments of the river is possibly due to their ability to adapt to various environmental conditions or habitats and their tolerance to the low oxygen content in anoxic conditions of the bottom sediment. The lowest abundance of macrobenthos at all the studied stations was observed at station 9 (S9) during dry seasons. S9 is a highly impacted region, characterized by high temperature, turbidity, TDS, pH, conductivity, nitrate, and phosphate values. For this reason, anthropogenic stress and changing environmental conditions are the main factors affecting the distribution of the macrobenthic fauna of the Achenkovil River basin, Kerala.

Litter chemistry of common European tree species drives the feeding preference and consumption rate of soil invertebrates, and shapes the diversity and structure of gut and faecal microbiomes

Terrestrial isopods and millipedes are key drivers of a litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems but the effects of litter chemistry on feeding preference and litter consumption rate as well as on the diversity and composition of gut and faecal microbiome still entails several challenges. We established a mesocosm experiment with terrestrial isopods (Oniscus asellus) and millipedes (Glomeris marginata) fed by leaf litter from six common European tree species (ash, maple, lime, beech, oak and Norway spruce) to reveal the effect of litter chemistry on consumption rate and feeding preference as well as on the compositions of gut and faecal microbiomes. The total percentage of consumed litter showed that O. asellus preferred nutrient-rich and labile-C litter of ash over more recalcitrant litter of oak, beech, and Norway spruce, while G. marginata preferred calcium-rich ash, maple and lime litter over beech and Norway spruce. Consumption of litter by O. asellus and G. marginata increased with concentrations of magnesium, sulphur and potassium but decreased with concentrations of iron, phosphorus, lignin, cellulose and TOC. The millipede G. marginata harboured higher bacterial OTU richness (73.5 ± 12.5) than the isopod O. asellus (49.1 ± 15.9), but fungal OTU richness was similar with 25.8 ± 6.7 in O. asellus and 25.7 ± 2.7 in G. marginata. In total, faeces of both animals hosted higher diversity than gut. In gut and faeces of O. asellus, the fungal OTU richness was highest for individuals fed by litter of Norway spruce, while lowest OTU richness was recorded for individuals fed by litter of more palatable ash. In contrast, the highest diversity of the fungal community in gut and faeces of G. marginata was recorded for individuals fed by palatable lime litter, while the lowest OTUs richness was recorded when millipedes were fed by maple and spruce. The structures of bacterial and fungal communities generally separated between O. asellus and G.marginata. The fungal community structure in gut and faeces differed between animals fed by different foliar litters, while the bacterial community structure mainly differed between gut and faeces regardless of the offered type of litter. The fungal community structure in gut and faeces of O. asellus and G.marginata were shaped by concentrations of magnesium, sulphur, lignin and cellulose. The bacterial communities in gut and faeces of both O. asellus and G. marginata were dominated by copiotrophic bacteria, while fungal communities were dominated by unspecified saprotrophs. Our study suggest that litter quality is a strong driver of feeding preference and consumption rates as well as composition of bacterial and fungal communities in gut and faeces of two species representing the main groups of litter feeding soil fauna in European forests.

SLAM Project - Long Term Ecological Study of the Impacts of Climate Change in the natural forests of Azores: V - New records of terrestrial arthropods after ten years of SLAM sampling.

A long-term study monitoring arthropods (Arthropoda) is being conducted since 2012 in the forests of Azorean Islands. Named "SLAM - Long Term Ecological Study of the Impacts of Climate Change in the natural forest of Azores", this project aims to understand the impact of biodiversity erosion drivers in the distribution, abundance and diversity of Azorean arthropods. The current dataset represents arthropods that have been recorded using a total of 42 passive SLAM traps (Sea, Land and Air Malaise) deployed in native, mixed and exotic forest fragments in seven Azorean Islands (Flores, Faial, Pico, Graciosa, Terceira, São Miguel and Santa Maria). This manuscript is the fifth data-paper contribution, based on data from this long-term monitoring project. We targeted taxa for species identification belonging to Arachnida (excluding Acari), Chilopoda, Diplopoda, Hexapoda (excluding Collembola, Lepidoptera, Diptera and Hymenoptera (but including only Formicidae)). Specimens were sampled over seven Azorean Islands during the 2012-2021 period. Spiders (Araneae) data from Pico and Terceira Islands are not included since they have been already published elsewhere (Costa and Borges 2021, Lhoumeau et al. 2022). We collected a total of 176007 specimens, of which 168565 (95.7%) were identified to the species or subspecies level. For Araneae and some Hemiptera species, juveniles are also included in this paper, since the low diversity in the Azores allows a relatively precise species-level identification of this life-stage. We recorded a total of 316 named species and subspecies, belonging to 25 orders, 106 families and 260 genera. The ten most abundant species were mostly endemic or native non-endemic (one Opiliones, one Archaeognatha and seven Hemiptera) and only one exotic species, the Julida Ommatoiulusmoreleti (Lucas, 1860). These ten species represent 107330 individuals (60%) of all sampled specimens and can be considered as the dominant species in the Azorean native forests for the target studied taxa. The Hemiptera were the most abundant taxa, with 90127 (50.4%) specimens. The Coleoptera were the most diverse with 30 (28.6%) families.We registered 72 new records for many of the islands (two for Flores, eight for Faial, 24 for Graciosa, 23 for Pico, eight for Terceira, three for São Miguel and four for Santa Maria). These records represent 58 species. None of them is new to the Azores Archipelago. Most of the new records are introduced species, all still with low abundance on the studied islands. This publication contributes to increasing the baseline information for future long-term comparisons of the arthropods of the studied sites and the knowledge of the arthropod fauna of the native forests of the Azores, in terms of species abundance, distribution and diversity throughout seasons and years.

Human Disturbance Affects Dung Beetle Assemblages in French Guiana Forests

French Guiana forests are threatened by increasing human activity such as infrastructure development, facilitating access to the forest and, therefore, logging, mining, farming and hunting. To highlight the impact of human pressure on the forest fauna, dung beetle assemblage was analyzed near Saint-Georges-de-l’Oyapock and compared with other sites in French Guiana, considering the distance to the main city and forest cover loss as proxies of human activities. Hill numbers and beta diversity were calculated. Non-metric multidimensional scaling and redundancy analyses were carried out to disentangle the effect of the distance to the nearest city and forest cover loss as proxies of human pressure, but also temperature and rainfall as proxies of climatic variations on dung beetle assemblage. Species richness increased significantly with the distance to the nearest city and decreasing forest cover loss. Assemblage structure varied among sites mainly with distance to the nearest city but also with rainfall. It varied also with forest cover loss, but not significantly. This study showed that human disturbances and climatic conditions, even if represented by proxies, affected dung beetle assemblage structures in French Guiana forests.

SLAM Project - Long Term Ecological Study of the Impacts of Climate Change in the natural forest of Azores: IV - The spiders of Terceira and Pico Islands (2019-2021) and general diversity patterns after ten years of sampling.

Long-term studies are key to understand the drivers of biodiversity erosion, such as land-use change and habitat degradation, climate change, invasive species or pollution. The long-term project SLAM (Long Term Ecological Study of the Impacts of Climate Change in the natural forest of Azores) started in 2012 and focuses on arthropod monitoring, using SLAM (Sea, Land and Air Malaise) traps, aiming to understand the impact of the drivers of biodiversity erosion on Azorean native forests (Azores, Portugal). This is the fourth contribution including SLAM project data and the second focused on the spider fauna (Arachnida, Araneae) of native forests on two islands (Pico and Terceira). In this contribution, we describe data collected between 2019 and 2021 and we analyse them together with a previously published database that covered the 2012-2019 period, in order to describe changes in species abundance patterns over the last ten years. We present abundance data of Azorean spider species for the 2019-2021 period in two Azorean Islands (Terceira and Pico). We also present analyses of species distribution and abundance of the whole sampling period. In the period of 2019-2021, we collected a total of 5110 spider specimens, of which 2449 (48%) were adults. Most juveniles, with the exception of some exotic Erigoninae, were also included in the data presented in this paper, since the low diversity of spiders in the Azores allows a relatively precise species-level identification of this life-stage. We recorded a total of 45 species, belonging to 39 genera and 16 families. The ten most abundant species were composed mostly of endemic or native non-endemic species and only two exotic species (Tenuiphantestenuis (Blackwall, 1852) and Dysderacrocata C. L. Koch, 1838). They included 4308 individuals (84%) of all sampled specimens and were the dominant species in Azorean native forests. The family Linyphiidae was the richest and most abundant taxon, with 15 (33%) species and 2630 (51%) specimens. We report Cheiracanthiummildei L. Koch, 1864, a non-native species, from Pico Island for the first time. We found no new species records on Terceira Island. This publication contributes to increasing the baseline information for future long-term comparisons of the spiders on the studied sites and the knowledge of the arachnofauna of the native forests of Terceira and Pico, in terms of species abundance, distribution and diversity across seasons for a 10 years period.

Fire severity has lasting effects on the distribution of arboreal mammals in a resprouting forest

AbstractWildfire severity is assumed to be an important driver of habitat availability and species' distributions in forest ecosystems. Many studies have focused on the immediate or short‐term effects of fire severity in fire‐prone ecosystems, with much less focus on how long the effect of fire severity may persist. We examined the effect of fire severity on the distribution of arboreal mammals at 3 and 10 years post‐fire, in a temperate forest ecosystem dominated by eucalypts that have strong resistance and resilience to low and high severity fire, respectively. The study took place within areas affected by the 2009 Kilmore East‐Murrindindi wildfires in south‐eastern Australia. Sites were established across a gradient of fire severity (unburnt through to canopy consumption) and surveyed at 3 and 10 years following fire. Owing to low detection rates for many species, analyses were limited to greater glider (Petauroides volans) occurrence and arboreal species richness. At both 3 and 10 years post‐fire, the greater glider was restricted to unburnt forest or sites affected only by understorey fire, which acted as fire refugia. Greater gliders were absent from sites affected by high severity, canopy‐consuming fires at both points in time. Greater glider occurrence was associated with high levels of canopy cover (>50%), which were typically those areas that were unburnt or burnt at low severity. The richness of arboreal mammals increased over time and was greater in unburnt or minimally affected forest. Our findings emphasize: (i) that fire severity is an important driver of the distribution of arboreal mammals; and (ii) the importance of recognizing longer‐term effects of fire severity in assessing species distributions, even in highly resilient forest communities. Recent advances in mapping fire severity provide new opportunities to assess the effects of fire severity on the distributional patterns of fauna in eucalypt forests.

FAUNA OF SMALL VERTEBRATES (AMPHIBIANS, REPTILES AND MAMMALS) FROM NEAR-SURFACE DEPOSITS OF CAVE LOCALITIES IN THE VALLEY OF THE MIDDLE REACHES OF THE YURYUZAN RIVER (SOUTHERN URALS)

When studying bone remains of small vertebrates from cave localities, the data obtained from the near-surface loose deposits of caves and grottoes are most often not considered due to a significant mixing of remains of different ages – recent, subrecent, Holocene and late Pleistocene. But according to a number of features – preservation, numerical quantity of remains, temporal and spatial distribution of the species defined in the layer, the material from the near-surface layers can be divided into groups of different ages and the time of accumulation of deposits can be established, which makes it possible to characterize in more detail the fauna of small vertebrates from cave localities. Bone remains of amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals from near-surface loose deposits of cave localities (Idrisovskaya Cave, Kazyrbak Cave, I1–20 Grotto, L1–20 Grotto, Grebnevaya Cave) of the middle reaches of the Yuryuzan River (Southern Urals) were studied. Using the species composition, ecological characteristics and abundance of species remains, it has been established that near-surface deposits of cave localities in the middle reaches of the Yuryuzan River contain bone remains of the Late Pleistocene–Early Holocene fauna of small mammals (Idrisovskaya Cave), Middle Holocene fauna of reptiles and small mammals (Kazyrbak Cave), Late Holocene forest–steppe fauna small mammals (I1–20 Grotto, L1–20 Grotto, Grebnevaya Сave). And in all localities, there is a subrecent forest fauna of amphibians, reptiles and small mammals.

FIRST RECORD OF THE RARE AND THREATENED SAPROXYLIC BEETLE RHYSODES SULCATUS (FABRICIUS, 1787) IN MONTENEGRO (COLEOPTERA RHYSODIDAE) AND IMPLICATION FOR HABITAT CONSERVATION

Parisi F. - First record of the rare and threatened saproxylic beetle Rhysodes sulcatus (Fabricius, 1787) in Montenegro (Coleoptera Rhysodidae) and implication for habitat conservation. The occurrence of Wrinkled Bark Beetle Rhysodes sulcatus Fabricius, 1787 (Coleoptera: Rhysodidae), a rare and threatened saproxylic beetle of primordial and old-growth forests in the Palearctic region, is reported for Montenegro. The species has a discontinuous and localized distribution in the Alpine region, and is included in Habitat Directive and in the risk categories of the IUCN red list for saproxylic beetles. Rhysodes sulcatus was found in the Biogradska Gora National Park, in the north-western part of the Bjelasica mountain range in the Dinaric Alps (Montenegro), during September 2021 while surveying the beetle fauna in a old-growth beech forests at about 1,084 m elevation. This finding extends its known distribution into Alpine region and further confirms the important biogeographical role of this mountainous territory. I discuss distribution and conservation issues and provide recommended conservation measures that may be useful for protecting many other saproxylic beetles (e.g., increase of large deadwood masses). Key Words: Biogradska Gora National park, Bjelasica mountain, Habitat Directive, Primordial forests forest, Wrinkled Bark Beetle

Under a cloak of invisibility: Use of books and book chapters published by the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales since 1970

ABSTRACT Between 1970 and 2013, the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales (RZS NSW) published 30 books, contributing to many relevant or controversial zoological topics as well as documenting the society’s history and offering perspectives on the development of Australian zoology. Authors from eight countries contributed to books or chapters. Over 97% of authors indicated Australian affiliations in addresses. Approximately 67% of papers citing RZS NSW books or book chapters had at least one author with an Australian affiliation. Ten or more authors with affiliations from each of 22 other countries were also included, indicating that the books have an international profile. This conclusion is supported by an examination of global library holdings in WorldCat; all RZS NSW books are held in libraries with the range between 17 and 152 libraries per book. The range of countries holding each book is 4 to 14. The library holdings are an important reminder that citations are not the sole indicator of use of scientific publications, with the books remaining on library shelves because students and others consult them. Although the books and their chapters were often not listed in either Scopus or Web of Science (Core Collection) or Web of Science (all databases), citations to them could still be retrieved using either a secondary documents search (Scopus) or cited reference search (versions of Web of Science). Chapters from twenty-six books were cited in Scopus in 2020 or 2021, indicating that the books have long citation lives. A list of the 20 most highly cited books or chapters included seven chapters from the two editions of Conservation of Australia’s Forest Fauna, indicating a strong interest in this subject. Eight of the books or chapters on the list covered mammals and a further three covered vertebrates generally, so mammals also engendered strong interest. Benchmarking against similar books from another publisher, CSIRO Publishing, found similar problems of a low profile in Scopus and Web of Science (Core Collection) and Web of Science (all databases), but evidence of extensive library holdings.

Local abundances of terrestrial mammal and bird species around indigenous villages in Suriname

AbstractHunting is an important threat to tropical wildlife, yet many people are dependent on forest fauna for protein provisioning. We analyzed abundances of terrestrial mammal and bird species around four indigenous villages in the south of Suriname, using camera trap data and the Royle–Nichols abundance model. We hypothesized that hunting pressure increases with decreasing distance to a village and with increasing village size (expressed as cropland area). We detected 24 animal species in all villages combined, including several rare species. For 11 of the 24 species, we were able to examine if and how distance to a village and village size related to local abundances and found a positive effect of distance to village on local abundances in five species, and a negative effect of village size in one species. Because villages, and thus hunting, affect local abundances of terrestrial bird and mammal species in our study, we recommend monitoring forest fauna in areas where people are highly dependent on animals for food provisioning.

Dynamics of the Late Quaternary Avifauna of Western Cuba (Based on Material from El Abrón Cave).

The dynamics of the taxonomic diversity of the birds of Cuba during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene is assessed for the first time using material from El Abrón Cave in the western part of the island. The Upper Pleistocene beds of the locality are characterized by a rich taxonomic diversity of birds, including an abundance of waterbirds and open-landscape inhabitants. For the Holocene, a general decrease in taxonomic diversity and a significant increase in the number of remains belonging to representatives of forest faunas (Picidae) are recorded. Our data indicate a significant transformation of landscapes of western Cuba and the faunistic associations of birds at the end of the Quaternary, which is consistent with paleoclimatic data.

Modelling Climate Change Impacts on Tropical Dry Forest Fauna

Tropical dry forests are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world, and those occurring in the insular Caribbean are particularly vulnerable. Climate change represents a significant threat for the Caribbean region and for small islands like Jamaica. Using the Hellshire Hills protected area in Jamaica, a simple model was developed to project future abundance of arthropods and lizards based on current sensitivities to climate variables derived from rainfall and temperature records. The abundances of 20 modelled taxa were predicted more often by rainfall variables than temperature, but both were found to have strong impacts on arthropod and lizard abundance. Most taxa were projected to decrease in abundance by the end of the century under drier and warmer conditions. Where an increase in abundance was projected under a low emissions scenario, this change was reduced or reversed under a high emissions climate change scenario. The validation process showed that, even for a small population, there was reasonable skill in predicting its annual variability. Results of this study show that this simple model can be used to identify the vulnerability of similar sites to the effects of shifting climate and, by extension, their conservation needs.

Butterfly diversity (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) in the Ziama Massif in Guinea and the adjacent Wonegizi and Wologizi Mountains in Liberia (West Africa): A transboundary conservation approach

Five field surveys targeting the butterfly fauna across the transboundary landscape that encompasses the Ziama Massif in Guinea and the Wologizi and Wonegizi Mountains in Liberia (collectively called as the Ziama-Wonegizi-Wologizi Transboundary Forest Landscape) were conducted between November 2017 and April 2019. Altogether 564 species of butterfly were recorded from the research area, with 450 species from the Wologizi Mountains, 254 from the Wonegizi Mountains and 429 from the Ziama Massif. An additional five species recorded in Ziama were added to the list as literature data. The surveys revealed several taxa new to science as well as a high number of restricted-range species, endemic either to the Guinea Highlands or to the broader forest area of the Liberian subregion. The results of the ecological classification of the butterfly fauna in Ziama and Wologizi show intact forest fauna with 90% and 92% of the recorded species associated with forest habitats, respectively. These results, along with the high species richness and the outstanding number of restricted-range species, make this landscape one of the most important conservation areas for butterflies in the Liberian biogeographical subregion including the Nimba Mountains and the Greater Gola Landscape on the Liberia-Sierra Leone border.

Diversity and abundance of some insect fauna in Bhawal and Madhupur Sal forests of Bangladesh

The abundance and diversity of insect fauna were studied from two deciduous sal forests of Bhawal and Madhupur located at central part of Bangladesh. A total of 544 individuals of insects of 61 species belonging to 54 genera, 33 families and 11 orders have been identified with Hymenoptera (31%) as the dominant order in species richness followed by Coleoptera (13%), Orthoptera (11%), Diptera (10%), Hemiptera (8%), Lepidoptera (8%), Odonata (8%), Homoptera (3%), Isoptera (3%), Neuroptera (3%) and Dictyoptera (2%). Bhawal scores higher Shannon-Weaver diversity index (Hʹ=3.725) compared to Madhupur (Hʹ=3.340). The Bhawal Sal Forest with the collected 341 (63%) insects and identified 53 (59%) species belonging to 10 orders was found more diverse in species richness than the Madhupur Sal Forest with 37(41%) species belonging to 11 orders identified from the collected 203 (37%) insect samples. Insects of the order Neuroptera were not recorded from Bhawal. Off the 61 species, 29(48%) species were common in both the forests, 24(39%) species were exclusive to Bhawal and eight (13%) species were exclusive to the Madhupur Sal Forest. Apis cerana of Hymenoptera was identified as the dominant species having 9% of the identified samples followed by dipteran species Musca domestica with 6% of the samples. Among the insect species 30 (49%) species were found playing beneficial role as biological control agents, predators, pollinators, honey producers and also organic debris recycler. On the other hand, 31(51%) species were found to be harmful causing damage to forest vegetation as well as human and wildlife at variable degrees. J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 2021, 7(1): 11-24

ОСОБЕННОСТИ РАЗВИТИЯ ПАНТОВ ИЗЮБРА (CERVUS ELAPHUS XANTHOPYGOS MILNE-EDWARDS, 1860), ПРИМОРСКИЙ КРАЙ

Red deer (Cervus elaphus xanthopygos Milne-Edwards, 1860) is a native subspecies of the red deer, the most common representative of the fauna of coniferous-deciduous forests in the south of the Far East, which inhabits here mainly low and middle mountains. The purpose of the study is to study the features of morphology and development of velvet antlers in male deer of different ages in the population of the Chuguevsky district of Primorsky Krai. Red deer is a very promising species of ungulates for intensive hunting, so the need to study the morphological features of the growth and development of horns in red deer in Primorsky Krai is undeniable. The studies were carried out in the Chuguevsky district, 5 camera traps were used, installed on the territory of solonetzes, the age of males was determined by morphological features. In total, more than 600 photolocations of red deer were studied during April-July 2021, the material obtained made it possible to identify with great certainty the main patterns of growth and development of antlers in red deer in the study area. All recorded animals were divided into 9 age groups. There was a fixation of visits to solonetzes by individuals of each group at different times of the day and in different periods of the summer months. The article presents the results of the work on identifying the developmental features of antlers in male red deer of different ages and at different maturation periods, obtained by studying photolocations from camera traps installed on natural ones in solonetz areas. It was found that by the end of July, in most adult males, the horns had completely grown and ossified, with the exception of the upper ends, which were still velvety and quite soft.

Predicting potential distribution and evaluating biotic interactions of threatened species: a case study of Discocactus ferricola (Cactaceae)

Abstract: Information on distribution, number of populations, and biotic interactions are essential for assessing the threat status of species and to establish more effective conservation initiatives. Ecological niche modeling have been successfully applied to identify the potential distribution, even for rare species that have few recorded occurrence points. In this study, we evaluated the potential distribution and additionally generated the first data on the reproductive biology of Discocactus ferricola, due to its degree of threat and the absence of ecological data for that species. The potential distribution map highlighted areas with higher probability of occurrence of D. ferricola on the Residual Plateau of Maciço do Urucum located in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The occurrence of D. ferricola populations was limited to outcrops of flat ironstone (cangas) distributed in patches across the landscape, increasing the chances of serious threats, such as habitat loss due to mining and species extraction. We also found that D. ferricola is xenogamous. Therefore, in situ conservation actions must prioritize the maintenance of interactions with pollinators by preserving the flora and fauna of rocky outcrops and adjacent forests in areas of greater environmental suitability for D. ferricola. Our study highlights the use of ecological niche modeling and data on biotic interactions to evaluate species potential distribution, to guide new sampling efforts, and to assist conservation and management initiatives.

Ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) communities and microhabitat diversity in a mountain village house yard – a case study from the Western Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria

This study explores the ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) diversity from an uncultivated house yard in a mountain hamlet in the Western Rhodope Mountains in southern Bulgaria. The sampling site was located at an altitude of 1340 m. A total of 2512 carabid specimens of 76 species were collected with only six pitfall traps between May 2016 and April 2021. They belong to 31 genera, 13 tribes, 21 zoogeographical categories and 15 life forms. Two species (Olisthopus rotundatus and Ophonus brevicollis) are new for the Rhodope Mountains. The findings reveal new highest altitude records for two species (Ophonus brevicollis and Philorhizus notatus). Along with the typical montane forest fauna, many ecotone and open habitat species were found. Nevertheless, carabid life forms and wing morphology structure indicate a stable environment in comparison with other regions in Bulgaria. Furthermore, this research demonstrates that even small natural habitat patches can keep a remarkable carabid diversity. Over the five-year study period, the carabid fauna in the studied house yard experienced some, both qualitative and quantitative, impoverishment, indicating some ecological “exhaustion”.

Temporal changes in proportions of small mammals in the diet of the mammalian and avian predators in Slovakia

The paper presents a brief account of the temporal changes found in proportions of the mammal components in the diets of several species of predators (owls and carnivores) collected from various sites in Slovakia and originating in various periods (Late Pleistocene–Recent). The material collected from the Šarkanica Cave (Muráňska planina Mts.) contained bones in three layers, dated using the radiocarbon analysis (14C) to 18,000–21,000 years BP (18–21 Ka), showing relatively small differences in composition of the fossil diet of Bubo scandiacus with predominance of Lasiopodomys gregalis (73.3%) and Chionomys nivalis (6.9%). A similar type of material from the Nový 3 Cave (Belianske Tatry Mts.), dated to the period of 30 Ka, contained more numerous remnants of Lemmus cf. lemmus and Sorex tundrensis. Undated samples from the Nový 1 Cave and from the Šarkania diera Cave (Súľovské skaly Mts.), which differ in their higher abundance of Dicrostonyx cf. gulielmi, are probably dated from the colder period of the last glacial maximum. Three samples from caves in the Veľká Fatra Mts. dated from the Late Pleistocene (Upper Dryas) originated from carnivores, with differences in relative proportions of predominant prey species: Chionomys nivalis (80.0%) and Lasiopodomys gregalis (14.3%), while remains of Cricetus cricetus (0.6%) also appear there. Two examples of differences in the diet composition of Strix aluco in the Veľká Fatra Mts. are present in samples dated to the Holocene period: natural development of forest fauna in the environs of Dolný Harmanec and anthropogenic influence in the form of three deforestation periods in the Tlstá massif near Blatnica (both Veľká Fatra Mts.). A sample set of the diet of Tyto alba dated >500 years BP from a church in Žilina is compared with a recent sample set of this owl diet from the Turčianska kotlina Basin and from the Danubian Lowland (Tekovské Lužany). The main difference lies in the greater proportion of the murid rodents and the relatively lower abundance of Microtus arvalis in the sample from the 16th century. Similar results were found comparing samples of Tyto alba diet, taken from a cave near Hatiny (Slovenský kras Mts.) and expected to be 100 years old, with more recent samples from the Košická kotlina Basin. The collection from the Hatiny Cave differs from the recent material in the presence of Sicista trizona and Alexandromys oeconomus. The recent samples of the diet of Bubo bubo taken from the Horné Považie Basin differ from the samples dated back more than 70 years ago by a high proportion of the genus Apodemus and a predominant incidence of frogs, while the old samples come from the period of the communist influence of the agricultural production causing serious environmental changes in the countryside (1950s) and as a result, a greater volume of large prey species, Rattus norvegicus, Arvicola amphibius, Lepus europaeus, and Erinaceus roumanicus. Since 1990, the availability of large prey for Bubo bubo has decreased due to the decline of livestock farming and a consequent successional overgrowing of pasture land by trees.