TY - JOUR

T1 - The ground beetle fauna of ancient and recent woodlands in the lowlands of north-west Germany (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

AU - Assmann, Thorsten

PY - 1999/11

Y1 - 1999/11

N2 - In north-west Germany the ground beetle fauna was investigated using pitfall traps at 79 sampling sites in ancient woodlands and recent woodlands (with and without direct contact to old stands). Two woodland types were considered: The Quercion robori-petraea-woodlands (oak-beech-type) on mainly sandy soils and the Stellario-Carpinetum-woodlands (hornbeam-type) on mainly loamy soils. The number of recorded ground beetle species inhabiting exclusively or predominantly woodlands in the investigation area is significantly higher in ancient stands of both woodland types than in recent ones. No statistically substantiated relation between habitat size (both about 1800 and in 1990) and the number of characteristic woodland ground beetle species could be ascertained. Carabus glabratus and Abax parallelus show a distinct focus in ancient woodlands. Significantly more records of Carabus violaceus and Abax parallelepipedus are known from ancient woodlands than from recent ones. Twelve of the 16 ground beetle species, for which no difference in the colonisation of ancient and recent woodlands was ascertained, are macropterous. Half of the eight brachypterous woodland species is exclusively or predominantly found in ancient woodlands, suggesting that power of dispersal is an important factor which determines the species number in woodland fragments of different age.

AB - In north-west Germany the ground beetle fauna was investigated using pitfall traps at 79 sampling sites in ancient woodlands and recent woodlands (with and without direct contact to old stands). Two woodland types were considered: The Quercion robori-petraea-woodlands (oak-beech-type) on mainly sandy soils and the Stellario-Carpinetum-woodlands (hornbeam-type) on mainly loamy soils. The number of recorded ground beetle species inhabiting exclusively or predominantly woodlands in the investigation area is significantly higher in ancient stands of both woodland types than in recent ones. No statistically substantiated relation between habitat size (both about 1800 and in 1990) and the number of characteristic woodland ground beetle species could be ascertained. Carabus glabratus and Abax parallelus show a distinct focus in ancient woodlands. Significantly more records of Carabus violaceus and Abax parallelepipedus are known from ancient woodlands than from recent ones. Twelve of the 16 ground beetle species, for which no difference in the colonisation of ancient and recent woodlands was ascertained, are macropterous. Half of the eight brachypterous woodland species is exclusively or predominantly found in ancient woodlands, suggesting that power of dispersal is an important factor which determines the species number in woodland fragments of different age.

KW - Ancient woodlands

KW - Carabidae

KW - Power of dispersal

KW - Relict species

KW - Species-area relationship

KW - Biology

KW - Ecosystems Research

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0032778546&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1023/A:1008974413376

DO - 10.1023/A:1008974413376

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:0032778546

VL - 8

SP - 1499

EP - 1517

JO - Biodiversity and Conservation

JF - Biodiversity and Conservation

SN - 0960-3115

IS - 11

ER -