Skip to main content

Effects of some ecological variables on carabid communities in native and non native forests in the Ibaizabal basin (Basque Country: Spain)

Effets de certaines variables écologiques sur les communautés de carabidés autochtones et non autochtones des forêts dans le bassin Ibaizabal au Pays Basque espagnol

Abstract

  • • Carabid beetles were investigated at five different forest types in the Ibaizabal basin (northern Spain). The landscape is characterized by the presence of remnants of native forest surrounded by conifer plantations.

  • • Carabids were trapped in 52 stands of mixed forest, beech forest, holm oak forest, mixed pine and Monterey pine plantations in 2005 and 2006. The main objectives of the study were: compare carabid diversity, recognise the characteristic species, and study the effects of ecological variables on carabid assemblages in the different forest types.

  • • No significative differences in species abundance, richness and diversity were found among the studied forests. Most of the trapped beetles were identified as forest generalists, nevertheless some native and non-native forest specialist species were also found. Distribution of carabid communities overlapped and, except for beech forest, no specific communities were distinguished. Altitude, percentage of grass coverage and temperature were the main variables influencing species distribution.

  • • The results suggest high habitat homogeneity, caused by regeneration in pine plantations of the indigenous understorey, and by poor habitat quality in native forest (patchy remnants enclosed in conifer plantations). This situation could explain the similar carabid diversity.

Résumé

  • • Les carabidés ont été étudiés dans cinq différents types de forêts dans le bassin Ibaizabal (nord de l’Espagne). Le paysage est caractérisé par la présence de vestiges de la forêt naturelle entourés par des plantations de conifères.

  • • Les carabidés ont été piégés en 2005 et 2006, dans 52 peuplements de forêts mixtes, hêtraies, chênaies vertes, peuplement mélangé de pins et plantations de pins de Monterey. Les principaux objectifs de l’étude ont été : la comparaison de la diversité des carabidés, la reconnaissance des espèces caractéristiques, et l’étude des effets des variables écologiques sur les assemblages de carabidés dans les différents types de forêts.

  • • Parmi les forêts étudiées, il n’a pas été mis en évidence de différences significatives pour ce qui concerne l’abondance des espèces, la richesse et la diversité. La plupart des coléoptères piégés ont été identifiés comme étant des généralistes des forêts, néanmoins certaines espèces autochtones et non autochtones des forêts ont également été trouvées. Les répartitions des communautés de carabidés se chevauchent et, à l’exception des hêtraies, aucune communauté spécifique n’a été distinguée. L’altitude, le pourcentage de couverture herbacée et la température ont été les principales variables qui ont influencé la répartition des espèces.

  • • Les résultats obtenus suggèrent que la haute homogénéité de l’habitat est causée par la régénération d’un sous-bois d’espèces naturelles dans les plantations de pins, et par la mauvaise qualité de l’habitat dans la forêt naturelle (restes fragmentaires de forêts entourés par des plantations de conifères). Cette situation pourrait expliquer la diversité similaire des carabidés.

References

  • Aseginolaza Iparragirre C., 1996. Vegetación de la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco, Dpto. de Ordenación del Territorio, Vivienda y Medio Ambiente, Gobierno Vasco, Vitoria-Gasteiz, 361p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baguette M. and Gérard S., 1993. Effects of spruce plantations on carabid beetles in southern Belgium. Pedobiologia 37: 129–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barbaro L., Pontcharraud L., Vetillard F., Guyon D., and Jactel H., 2005. Comparative responses of bird, carabid, and spider assemblages to stand and landscape diversity in maritime pine plantation forests. Écoscience 12: 110–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brandmayr P., Colombetta G., and Polli S., 1983. Waldcarabides des Triester Karstes als Indikatoren des makroklimatischen Überganges vom kontinentalen Europa zur Mediterraneis (Coleoptera, Carabidae). Zool. Jb. Syst. 110: 201–220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Butterfield J., 1992. The effect of conifer plantations on the invertebrate communities of peat moorland. In: Bragg O.M., Robertson P.D. and Ingram H.A.P. (Eds.), Peatland ecosystems and man: an impact assessment. International Peat Society, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 309–315.

    Google Scholar 

  • Butterfield J., Luff M.L., Baines M., and Eyre M.D., 1995. Carabid beetle communities as indicators of conservation potential in upland forests. For. Ecol. Manage. 79: 63–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davies K.F. and Margules C.R., 1998. Effects of habitat fragmentation on carabid beetles: experimental evidence. J. Anim. Ecol. 67: 460–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Groot R., 2006. The concept of ecosystem goods and services, Abstracts of the scientific forum of the International Congress on Cultivated Forests, 3–7 October, Bilbao, Spain.

  • De Warnaffe G. and Lebrun P., 2004. Effects of forest management on carabid beetles in Belgium: implications for biodiversity conservation. Biol. Conserv. 118: 219–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dufrêne M. and Legendre P., 1997. Species assemblages and indicator species: the need for a flexible asymmetrical approach. Ecol. Monogr. 67: 345–366.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elek Z., Magura T., and Tóthmérész B., 2001. Impacts of non-native Norway spruce plantation on abundance and species richness of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Web Ecol. 2: 32–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fahy O. and Gormally M., 1998. A comparison of plants and carabid beetle communities in an Irish oak woodland with a nearby conifer plantation and clearfelled site. For. Ecol. Manage. 110: 263–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • GESPLAN, 2002. Sistema de cartografía ambiental de la C.A.P.V., Departamento de Ordenación del Territorio, Vivienda y Medio ambiente del Gobierno Vasco, Vitoria-Gasteiz.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutiérrez D., Menéndez R., and Méndez M., 2004. Habitat-based conservation priorities for carabid beetles within the Picos de Europa National Park, northern Spain. Biol. Conserv. 115: 379–393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halme E. and Niemelä J., 1993. Carabid beetles in fragments of coniferous forest. Ann. Zool. Fenn. 30: 17–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Humphrey J.W., Hawes C., Peace A.J., Ferris-Kaan R., and Jukes M.R., 1999. Relationships between insect diversity and habitat characteristics in plantation forests. For. Ecol. Manage. 3: 11–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hùrka K., 1996. Carabidae of the Czech and Slovak Republics. Kabourek, Zlín, 565 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ings T.C. and Hartley S.E., 1999. The effect of habitat structure on carabid communities during the regeneration of a native Scottish forest. For. Ecol. Manage. 119: 123–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inventario Forestal de la Comunidad Autónoma Vasca, 2005. Departamento de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación del Gobierno Vasco, [on line] avalaible at: http://www.nasdap.ejgv.euskadi.net/ r50-15135/es/contenidos/estadistica/inven_fores_tabla3/es_dapa/ inven_fores_tabla3.html, Accessed: junio 2007.

  • IFN2, 1998. Villaescusa R. and Díaz R., 1998. Segundo Inventario Forestal Nacional (1986–1996), Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, ICONA, Madrid.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jactel H., Brockerhoff E., and Duelli P., 2004. A test of the biodiversitystability theory: Meta-analysis of tree species diversity effects on insect pest infestations, and re-examination of responsible factors. In: Scherer-Lorenzen M., Körner C., and Schulze E.D. (Eds.), Forest Diversity and Function, Ecological Studies 176, Springer Verlag, Berlin, pp. 235–262.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeannel R., 1941. Coléoptères Carabiques, première partie. Faune de France 39, Lechevalier, Paris, 571 p.

  • Jeannel R., 1942. Coléoptères Carabiques, seconde partie. Faune de France 40, Lechevalier, Paris, 600 p.

  • Jiménez-Valverde A. and Ortuño V.M., 2007. The history of endemic Iberian ground beetle description (Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae): which species were described first? Acta Oecol. 31: 13–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jukes M.R., Peace A.J., and Ferris R., 2001. Carabid beetle communities associated with coniferous plantations in Britain: the influence of site, ground vegetation and stand structure. For. Ecol. Manage., 148: 271–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landres P.B., Verner J., and Thomas J.W., 1988. Ecological uses of vertebrate indicator species: a critique, Conserv. Biol. 2: 316–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lenski R.E., 1982. Effects of forest cutting on two Carabus species: evidence for competition for food. Ecology 63: 1211–1217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levenson J.B., 1981. Woodlots as biogeographic islands in south-eastern Wisconsin. In: Burgess R.L. and Sharpe D.M. (Eds.), Forest island dynamics in man-dominated landscapes, Springer Verlag, New York, pp. 13–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loidi J., Herrera M., Salcedo I., Galarza A., and Iturrondobeitia J.C., 2005. Bizkaiko basoak, Los bosques de Bizkaia, Instituto de Estudios Territoriales de Bizkaia, Bilbao, 383 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lövei G. and Sunderland K.D., 1996. Ecology and behavior of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Annu. Rev. Entomol. 41: 231–256.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lövei G.L., Magura T., Tóthmérész B., and Ködöböcz V., 2006. The influence of matrix and edges on species richness patterns of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in habitat islands. Global Ecol. Biogeogr. 15: 283–289.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luff M.L., Eyre M.D., and Rushton S.P., 1992. Classification and prediction of grassland habitats using ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), J. Environ. Manage. 35: 301–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mader H.J., 1984. Animal habitat isolation by roads and agricultural fields. Biol. Conserv. 29: 81–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magura T., 2002. Carabids and forest edge: spatial pattern and edge effect. For. Ecol. Manage. 157: 23–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magura T., Tóthmérész B., and Bordan Z., 1997. Comparison of the carabid communities of a zonal oak-hornbeam forest and pine plantations. Acta Zool. Hung. 43: 173–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magura T., Tothmérész B., and Bordán Z., 2000. Effects of nature management practice on carabid assemblages (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in a non-native plantation. Biol. Conserv. 93: 95–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magura T., Tóthmérész B., and Elek Z., 2003. Diversity and composition of carabids during a forestry cycle. Biodivers. Conserv. 12: 73–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magura T., Tóthmérész B., and Elek Z., 2005. Impacts of leaf-litter addition on carabids in a conifer plantation. Biodivers. Conserv. 14: 475–491.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martres J.L. and Tomé M., 2002. Forest Atlas of the South Atlantic Arc. IEFC, USSE and Eurosilva Sur, Vitoria-Gasteiz, 78 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Migliorini M., Petrioli A., and Bernini F., 2002. Comparative anlysis of two edaphic zoocoenoses (Oribatid mites and Carabid beetles) in five habitats of the “Pietraporciana” and “Lucciolabella” Nature Reserves (Orcia Valley, central Italy). Acta Oecol. 23: 361–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montreal Process, 2000. Montreal Process Year 2000 Progress Report-Progress and innovation in implementing criteria and indicators for the conservation of sustainable management of temperate and boreal forests. The Montreal Process Liaison Office. Canadian Forest Service, Otawa, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niemelä J., 2001. Carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and habitat fragmentation: a review. Eur. J. Entomol. 98: 127–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niemelä J. and Halme H., 1992. Habitat associations of carabid beetles in fields and forests on the Åland Islands, SW Finland. Ecography 15: 3–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niemelä J. and Spence J.R., 1994. Distribution of forest dwelling carabids (Coleoptera): spatial scale and the concept of communities. Ecography 17: 166–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niemelä J., Langor D., and Spence J.R., 1993. Effects of clear-cut harvesting on boreal gorund beetle assemblages (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in western Canada. Conserv. Biol. 7: 551–561.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niemelä J., Spence J.R., Langor D., Haila Y., and Tukia H., 1994. Logging and boreal gorund beetle assemblages on two continents: implications for conservation. In: Gaston K., Samways M. and New T. (Eds.), Perspectives in insect conservation, Intercept Publications, Andover, pp. 29–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niemelä J., Kotze J., Ashworth A., Brandmayr P., and Desender K., 2000. The search of common anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity: a global network. J. Insect Conserv. 4: 3–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niemelä J., Koivula M., and Kotze D.J., 2007. The effects of forestry on carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in boreal forests. J. Insect Conserv. 11: 5–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orive E. and Rallo A., 2002. Ríos de Bizkaia /Bizkaiko Ibaiak. Instituto de Estudios Territoriales de Bizkaia, ZURE, Bizkaia, 258 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ortubay A., 1995. Relación clima-vegetación en la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco. Dpto. de Industria, Agricultura y Pesca, Tésis doctorales n 27, Servicio Central de Publicaciones del Gobierno Vasco, Vitoria-Gasteiz, 506 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ortuño V.M. and Marcos J.M., 2003. Los Caraboidea (Insecta: Coleoptera) de la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco (Tomo 1). Dpto. de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio. Servicio Central de Publicaciones del Gobierno Vasco, Vitoria-Gasteiz, 573 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearce L.P. and Venier L.A., 2006. The use of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and spiders (Araneae) as bioindicators of sustainable forest management: A review. Ecol. Indic. 6: 780–793.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Penev L., 1996. Large-scale variation in carabid assemblages, with special reference to the local fauna concept, Ann. Zool. Fenn. 33: 49–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pimm S.L. and Gilpin M.E., 1989. Theoretical issues in conservation biology. In: Roughgarden J., May R.M., and Lewin S.A. (Eds.), Perspectives in Ecological Theory, Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, pp. 287–305.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poole A., Gormally M., and Skeffington M.S., 2003. The flora and carabid beetle fauna of a nature and regenerating semi-natural oak woodland in south-east Ireland. For. Ecol. Manage. 177: 207–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rainio J. and Niemelä J., 2003. Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) as bioindicators. Biodivers. Conserv. 12: 487–506.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Serrano J., 2003. Catálogo de los Carabidae: Coleoptera de la Península Ibérica. Monografías de la Sociedad Entomólogica Aragonesa, Vol. 9, Zaragoza, 130 p.

  • Sokal R.R. and Rohlf F.J., 1981. Biometry, Freeman, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spence J.R., Langor D.W., Niemelä J., Cárcamo H.A., and Currie C.R., 1996. Northern forestry and carabids: the case for concern about old-growth species. Ann. Zool. Fenn. 33: 173–184.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taboada A., Kotze J., Tárrega R., and Salgado J., 2006. Traditional forest management: do carabid beetles respond to human-created vegetation structures in an oak mosaic landscape? For. Ecol. Manage. 237: 436–449.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ter Braak C.J.K. and Šmilauer P., 1998. CANOCO Reference Manual and User’s Guide to CANOCO for Windows: Software for Canonical Ordination (version 4), Microcomputer Power, Ithaca, New York, 352 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thiele H.-U., 1977. Carabid Beetles in their Environments, A study on Habitat Selection by Adaptations in Physiology and Behaviour, Springer, Berlin, 369 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNCSD, 2007. Indicators of sustainable development: guidelines and methodologies 2001, [online] available at: http://www.un.org/ esa/sustdev/natlinfo/indicators/isd_guidelines_note.htm, Accessed: February 2007.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Arturo Goldarazena.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0 ), which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Martínez, A., Iturrondobeitia, J.C. & Goldarazena, A. Effects of some ecological variables on carabid communities in native and non native forests in the Ibaizabal basin (Basque Country: Spain). Ann. For. Sci. 66, 304 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1051/forest/2009003

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/forest/2009003

Keywords

Mots-clés