The ground beetle fauna of ancient and recent woodlands in the lowlands of north-west Germany (Coleoptera, Carabidae)
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Standard
In: Biodiversity and Conservation, Vol. 8, No. 11, 11.1999, p. 1499-1517.
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Bibtex
}
RIS
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 -