Forestry clear-cuts increase environmental temperatures, affecting the ecophysiological responses of specialized beetles in fragmented landscapes

The forestry practice of clear-cutting (the removal of all woody vegetation) results in a range of negative impacts on ectotherm physiology and behaviour. Organisms in these habitats can experience elevated body temperature due to increases in air and soil temperature, affecting their performance. In this study, we evaluated the effect of ambient temperature (air and soil), habitat type (clear-cut, forest edge and forest interior) and season (summer and autumn) on body temperature, microhabitat use and velocity of the thermosensitive ground-beetle Ceroglossus chilensis. We found that body temperature of C. chilensis increased with higher soil temperature in summer, especially in clear-cuts, although body temperature decreased rapidly when sheltering in microhabitats (e.g. dead logs, plants and leaf litter). Leaf litter and dead logs were more frequently selected in native forest and clear-cuts, respectively, but in clear-cuts, dead logs and plants have up to 4 degrees C higher than the optimal preference of C. chilensis. Higher soil temperature and lower activity levels of beetles were observed in clear-cuts in summer than in the other two habitat types, and beetles moved faster in the interior of the native forest than in other habitats regardless of the season. Our results suggest that C. chilensis is a bioindicator of changes in ambient temperatures occurring after forest fragmentation by forestry. We suggest that the management and maintenance of thermal shelters in clear-cuts could lessen the negative effects of high temperatures on thermosensitive beetles in fragmented forest landscapes.

Automated summary

The practice of clear-cutting has negative impacts on ectotherm physiology and behavior. This study evaluates the effects of temperature, habitat type, and season on body temperature and behavior of the ground-beetle Ceroglossus chilensis.