Temporal effects of selection logging on ground beetle communities in northern hardwood forests of eastern Canada
2003
Vance, Christine C. | Nol, Erica
We compared temporal changes in composition and abundance of ground beetles (Carabidae) among hardwood forest stands that underwent single-tree selection cutting 0.5-3 years previously, 15-20 years previously, and reference stands that are and will remain unmanaged in the park’s wilderness zone to determine impact of this silvicultural method on these important invertebrates. Short-term (0.5-3 year post-logging) effects included an increase in the number of forest generalist and open habitat species, a loss of large bodied species, and substantial (> 50%) reductions in activity densities of carabids; the latter effect correlated with significant reductions in leaf litter. Long-term (15-20 year post-logging) effects included an increase in forest generalist and open habitat species and increases in the activity densities of a few species that preferred the vegetation characteristics present in the 15-20 year treatment and absent from reference stands. Beetle communities in stands harvested 15-20 years previously contained activity densities and species composition similar to reference stands in the park, suggesting few long-term effects after the first rotation of this method. Introduced carabids were rare in our mostly forested study area. We recommend examining effects of a second rotation on carabid communities.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]