Journal
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL BIOLOGY
Volume 37, Issue 4, Pages 297-300Publisher
ELSEVIER FRANCE-EDITIONS SCIENTIFIQUES MEDICALES ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/S1164-5563(01)01103-7
Keywords
diversity; forest edge; ground beetles; indicator species; nature conservation
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We evaluated ground beetle diversity in relation to forest edge between an oak-hombeam forest and adjacent herbaceous grassland. To test our hypothesis that the diversity of ground beetles was higher in the forest edge than the interior, pitfall trap samples were taken along two forest-grassland transects in northern Hungary. The diversity of ground beetles was significantly higher at the forest edge and in the grassland than in the forest interior. Ground beetle assemblages in the forest interior, forest edge and grassland could be separated from each other by ordination. Indicator species analysis detected five groups of species: habitat generalists, grassland-associated species, forest generalists, forest specialists, and edge-associated species. Rank correlation indicated leaf litter, herb, canopy cover, and prey abundance as the most important factors influencing carabid diversity. The high diversity of the forest edge resulted from the presence of edge-associated species and of species characteristic of adjacent habitats. Forest edges seem to play an important role in maintaining diversity. Serving as source habitats, edges also contribute to the recolonisation by ground beetles after habitat destruction or other disturbance in the adjacent habitats. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.
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