Numerical responses of saproxylic beetles to rapid increases in dead wood availability following geometrid moth outbreaks in sub-arctic mountain birch forest

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Numerical responses of saproxylic beetles to rapid increases in dead wood availability following geometrid moth outbreaks in sub-arctic mountain birch forest. / Vindstad, Ole Petter Laksforsmo; Schultze, Sabrina; Jepsen, Jane Uhd et al.
In: PLoS ONE, Vol. 9, No. 6, e99624, 09.06.2014.

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Harvard

APA

Vindstad, O. P. L., Schultze, S., Jepsen, J. U., Biuw, M., Kapari, L., Sverdrup-Thygeson, A., & Ims, R. A. (2014). Numerical responses of saproxylic beetles to rapid increases in dead wood availability following geometrid moth outbreaks in sub-arctic mountain birch forest. PLoS ONE, 9(6), Article e99624. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0099624

Vancouver

Vindstad OPL, Schultze S, Jepsen JU, Biuw M, Kapari L, Sverdrup-Thygeson A et al. Numerical responses of saproxylic beetles to rapid increases in dead wood availability following geometrid moth outbreaks in sub-arctic mountain birch forest. PLoS ONE. 2014 Jun 9;9(6):e99624. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099624

Bibtex

@article{8c575f8f1f00445c9497e2e3d98b5862,
title = "Numerical responses of saproxylic beetles to rapid increases in dead wood availability following geometrid moth outbreaks in sub-arctic mountain birch forest",
abstract = "Saproxylic insects play an important part in decomposing dead wood in healthy forest ecosystems, but little is known about their role in the aftermath of large-scale forest mortality caused by pest insect outbreaks. We used window traps to study short-term changes in the abundance and community structure of saproxylic beetles following extensive mortality of mountain birch in sub-arctic northern Norway caused by an outbreak of geometrid moths. Three to five years after the outbreak, the proportion of obligate saproxylic individuals in the beetle community was roughly 10% higher in forest damaged by the outbreak than in undamaged forest. This was mainly due to two early-successional saproxylic beetle species. Facultative saproxylic beetles showed no consistent differences between damaged and undamaged forest. These findings would suggest a weak numerical response of the saproxylic beetle community to the dead wood left by the outbreak. We suggest that species-specific preferences for certain wood decay stages may limit the number of saproxylic species that respond numerically to an outbreak at a particular time, and that increases in responding species may be constrained by limitations to the amount of dead wood that can be exploited within a given timeframe (i.e. satiation effects). Low diversity of beetle species or slow development of larvae in our cold sub-arctic study region may also limit numerical responses. Our study suggests that saproxylic beetles, owing to weak numerical responses, may so far have played a minor role in decomposing the vast quantities of dead wood left by the moth outbreak.",
keywords = "Biology, birch; community structure; dead wood; Denticollis borealis; Enicmus lundbladi; epidemic; Epirrita autumnata; forest; larval development; litter decomposition; mortality; moth; nonhuman; Norway; Operophtera brumata; organisms by habitat; population abundance; saproxylic species; species difference; species diversity; wood; animal; Arctic; ecosystem; forest; geography; moth; population density, Atheta taxiceroides, betula pubescens, Ecosystems Research, beetle;",
author = "Vindstad, {Ole Petter Laksforsmo} and Sabrina Schultze and Jepsen, {Jane Uhd} and Martin Biuw and Lauri Kapari and Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson and Ims, {Rolf Anker}",
year = "2014",
month = jun,
day = "9",
doi = "10.1371/journal.pone.0099624",
language = "English",
volume = "9",
journal = "PLoS ONE",
issn = "1932-6203",
publisher = "Public Library of Science",
number = "6",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Numerical responses of saproxylic beetles to rapid increases in dead wood availability following geometrid moth outbreaks in sub-arctic mountain birch forest

AU - Vindstad, Ole Petter Laksforsmo

AU - Schultze, Sabrina

AU - Jepsen, Jane Uhd

AU - Biuw, Martin

AU - Kapari, Lauri

AU - Sverdrup-Thygeson, Anne

AU - Ims, Rolf Anker

PY - 2014/6/9

Y1 - 2014/6/9

N2 - Saproxylic insects play an important part in decomposing dead wood in healthy forest ecosystems, but little is known about their role in the aftermath of large-scale forest mortality caused by pest insect outbreaks. We used window traps to study short-term changes in the abundance and community structure of saproxylic beetles following extensive mortality of mountain birch in sub-arctic northern Norway caused by an outbreak of geometrid moths. Three to five years after the outbreak, the proportion of obligate saproxylic individuals in the beetle community was roughly 10% higher in forest damaged by the outbreak than in undamaged forest. This was mainly due to two early-successional saproxylic beetle species. Facultative saproxylic beetles showed no consistent differences between damaged and undamaged forest. These findings would suggest a weak numerical response of the saproxylic beetle community to the dead wood left by the outbreak. We suggest that species-specific preferences for certain wood decay stages may limit the number of saproxylic species that respond numerically to an outbreak at a particular time, and that increases in responding species may be constrained by limitations to the amount of dead wood that can be exploited within a given timeframe (i.e. satiation effects). Low diversity of beetle species or slow development of larvae in our cold sub-arctic study region may also limit numerical responses. Our study suggests that saproxylic beetles, owing to weak numerical responses, may so far have played a minor role in decomposing the vast quantities of dead wood left by the moth outbreak.

AB - Saproxylic insects play an important part in decomposing dead wood in healthy forest ecosystems, but little is known about their role in the aftermath of large-scale forest mortality caused by pest insect outbreaks. We used window traps to study short-term changes in the abundance and community structure of saproxylic beetles following extensive mortality of mountain birch in sub-arctic northern Norway caused by an outbreak of geometrid moths. Three to five years after the outbreak, the proportion of obligate saproxylic individuals in the beetle community was roughly 10% higher in forest damaged by the outbreak than in undamaged forest. This was mainly due to two early-successional saproxylic beetle species. Facultative saproxylic beetles showed no consistent differences between damaged and undamaged forest. These findings would suggest a weak numerical response of the saproxylic beetle community to the dead wood left by the outbreak. We suggest that species-specific preferences for certain wood decay stages may limit the number of saproxylic species that respond numerically to an outbreak at a particular time, and that increases in responding species may be constrained by limitations to the amount of dead wood that can be exploited within a given timeframe (i.e. satiation effects). Low diversity of beetle species or slow development of larvae in our cold sub-arctic study region may also limit numerical responses. Our study suggests that saproxylic beetles, owing to weak numerical responses, may so far have played a minor role in decomposing the vast quantities of dead wood left by the moth outbreak.

KW - Biology

KW - birch; community structure; dead wood; Denticollis borealis; Enicmus lundbladi; epidemic; Epirrita autumnata; forest; larval development; litter decomposition; mortality; moth; nonhuman; Norway; Operophtera brumata; organisms by habitat; population abunda

KW - Atheta taxiceroides

KW - betula pubescens

KW - Ecosystems Research

KW - beetle;

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84902602814&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/4ccd20d4-0f92-3b3a-b5e1-6adf4d884b12/

U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0099624

DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0099624

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 24911056

AN - SCOPUS:84902602814

VL - 9

JO - PLoS ONE

JF - PLoS ONE

SN - 1932-6203

IS - 6

M1 - e99624

ER -

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