1. Saproxylic beetles are a key group when assessing forest biodiversity, and biologists have been trying to explore their ecological requirements.2. We studied Cucujus cinnaberinus in its recent stronghold (i.e. Czech Republic, Central Europe).3. Our analyses using a generalised linear model (GLZ) revealed that sufficient sun exposure was the most important habitat parameter at the tree level and that the species preferred dead wood with well-peeled bark at an intermediate stage of decay at the microhabitat level.4. Redundancy analysis (RDA) of species associations showed that the microhabitat of C. cinnaberinus was often prepared by early phloeoxylophages. Silvanids and large carabids were significant associates, and the non-coleopteran taxa associated with C. cinnaberinus were ants (Lasius spp.), mites, springtails, and centipedes. Only one species of bracket fungus Phellinus populicola was significantly associated with C. cinnaberinus.5. Cucujus cinnaberinus microhabitats were species-rich compared with those from which this species was absent. C. cinnaberinus shares its habitat with several redlisted beetles. The most common functional groups were predators and scavengers. However, we found no difference in the composition of functional groups between sites with and without C. cinnaberinus in our study samples.6. The results contribute to the debate about the decline in saproxylic species in relation to the decline in open spaces in forest landscapes. The habitat requirements of many saproxylic beetles indicate that modern forest management should pay more attention to open forest stands, rather than hands-off practices that naturally lead to canopy closure.

Here we determine the distribution, numbers and habitat preferences of two of the largest species in the family Cervidae present in the Czech Republic, red deer and Eurasian elk. Red deer occurs predominantly in vast areas of forest, i.e. mainly in the mountains bordering this country and several large forest units in the interior. The range of this species has been increasing along with the size of its population. Areas of its permanent occurrence may be generally characterized as regions largely covered with deciduous and coniferous forests and pastures, and regions with a more diverse landscape. Red deer does not occur in areas that are mainly arable or urban, or in areas covered with extensive water bodies and wetlands. As these animals prefer large forests, they occur mainly at high altitudes where the terrain is rugged. The Eurasian elk permanently occurs in the Czech Republic in a single area located between the state border and the right bank of the Lipno Dam. Its home range has been diminishing, presumably along with its numbers. The area of its permanent occurrence is characterized by an abundance of coniferous trees, some pastures and water bodies. The Eurasian elk does not occur in areas covered with arable and urban land but also surprisingly in areas with mainly deciduous forest. Both species prefer high altitudes, but Eurasian elk prefers areas with little difference in the terrain vertically.

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Phytophthora alni is an invasive organism that causes root and collar rot in alders, which significantly damages the forest and riparian vegetation of alder trees in Central and Western Europe. In the Czech Republic, this pathogen was first confirmed in 2001, and since then it has been gradually spreading from the west to the east. Here, we applied a model of potential distribution that estimates the level and spatial variability of the pathogen occurrence and spread risk for Czech Republic forests to target the early detection and control the further invasion of P. alni in this region. Our predictions are based on a rigorous statistical analysis of data obtained from field survey as well as available geodatabases. We used two sets of predictor variables describing (i) the forest stands and (ii) neighbourhood of the stands, and generalized linear modelling with forward stepwise selection of predictors. The results of statistical analysis showed the significant effect of the area of the forest stand, forest vegetation zone, presence of watercourse and area of alder stands in the neighbourhood on the probability of occurrence of P. alni in the study region. The map derived based on the final model shows the potential risk of occurrence and impact of P. alni in forests of the Czech Republic as classified on a five-point scale ranging from very low risk for alder stands with a low level of likely invasion to very sensitive alder stands with high probability of pathogen occurrence and high levels of damage. This is a unique output not only for the Czech Republic but also throughout Europe.