Litter beetles are indicators of ancient and current forest cover
2015
Cateau, Eugénie | Ladet, Sylvie | Herrault, Pierre Alexis | Sheeren, David | Brustel, Hervé | Dynamiques Forestières dans l'Espace Rural (DYNAFOR) ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-École nationale supérieure agronomique de Toulouse (ENSAT) ; Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP) ; Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP) ; Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT) | Dynamiques et écologie des paysages agriforestiers (DYNAFOR) ; École nationale supérieure agronomique de Toulouse (ENSAT) ; Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP) ; Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP) ; Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Ecole d'Ingénieurs de Purpan (INP - PURPAN) ; Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP) ; Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)
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Show more [+] Less [-]English. Saproxylic litter beetles, especially flightless ones, are indicators of temporal continuity of forest, which is an important element of biodiversity conservation in landscape management. However, little work has been done in comparing the importance of local and landscape-scale historical factors to explain species pattern. In this study, a set of historical, internal and landscape factors was investigated in forest litter beetle communities in a region with highly fragmented forests (Coteaux de Gascogne, SW France). We sampled 27 woodlots, divided in 9 triplets (ancient >10ha, ancient <3ha, recent <3ha), in three different subregions. We extracted past and present spatial patterns of the woodlots from old maps and aerial photographs. In each forest, 10 trees were sampled by litter sieving and beetles were extracted through the Berlese device. At the community level, geographical subregion, ancient and current forest ratios were the most explanatory variables in Correspondence Analysis. At the species level, 5 were indicators of ancient forest ratios and 4 of current ones. Compared to other species, flightless beetles turned out to be a better indicator of ancient forest ratio. Those results showed that the history of surrounding forest was more important for litter beetle than forest ancientness.
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