Diversity patterns of ground beetles and understory vegetation in mature, secondary, and plantation forest regions of temperate northernChina

Abstract

Plantation and secondary forests form increasingly important components of the global forest cover, but our current knowledge about their potential contribution to biodiversity conservation is limited. We surveyed understory plant and carabid species assemblages at three distinct regions in temperate northeastern China, dominated by mature forest (Changbaishan Nature Reserve, sampled in 2011 and 2012), secondary forest (Dongling Mountain, sampled in 2011 and 2012), and forest plantation habitats (Bashang Plateau, sampled in 2006 and 2007), respectively. The α-diversity of both taxonomic groups was highest in plantation forests of the Bashang Plateau. Beetle α-diversity was lowest, but plant and beetle species turnover peaked in the secondary forests of Dongling Mountain, while habitats in the Changbaishan Nature Reserve showed the lowest turnover rates for both taxa. Changbaishan Nature Reserve harbored the highest proportion of forest specialists. Our results suggest that in temperate regions of northern China, the protected larch plantation forest established over extensive areas might play a considerable role in maintaining a high biodiversity in relation to understory herbaceous plant species and carabid assemblages, which can be seen as indicators of forest disturbance. The high proportion of phytophagous carabids and the rarity of forest specialists reflect the relatively homogenous, immature status of the forest ecosystems on the Bashang Plateau. China's last remaining large old-growth forests like the ones on Changbaishan represent stable, mature ecosystems which require particular conservation attention.

Large‐scale α‐diversity patterns in plants and ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) indicate a high biodiversity conservation value of China's restored temperate forest landscapes

“…On the contrary, we found the lowest dissimilarity in mature forests. Such results are in line with previous studies of both geometrid moths and carabid beetles in one of our study areas, at Donglingshan, where species dissimilarity was higher than in the mature forest at Changbaishan (Zou, Sang, Wang, et al, ; Zou et al, ). The relatively high dissimilarity in beetle assemblages within secondary and plantation forests suggests that they are not strongly dominated by generalists.…”

“…It can, therefore, be inferred that younger, less complexed, ecosystems should contain a lower proportion of both predatory and large species. Evidence from selected sites in our previous studies suggests that secondary and plantation forests contain a smaller proportion of predatory carabid species than mature forests (Zou, Sang, Wang, et al, ). Nonetheless, this trend has not previously been tested at a wider geographic scale.…”

“…The implications of China's reforestation and afforestation initiatives for the conservation of invertebrates, in terms of α‐diversity and assemblage composition, therefore, require urgent attention. There are already a small number of case studies assessing the insect biodiversity conservation value of individual forest areas (Zou, Sang, Wang, et al, ; Zou, Sang, Warren‐Thomas, & Axmacher, ). Nonetheless, the small scale and lack of replicates in these studies mean that their results cannot be extrapolated across wider geographic areas.…”

How informative is the response of Ground Beetles' (Coleoptera: Carabidae) assemblages to anthropogenic land use changes? Insights for ecological status assessments from a case study in the Neotropics

“…Nonetheless, it should be noted that high diversity itself is insufficient in indicating "healthy" ecosystems, which should be complemented by RTU composition (Zou et al, 2015). In fact, many forest RTU are not able to occur in Cocoa agroforests, despite the high diversity associated to these habitats (Schroth and Harvey, 2007).…”

Topography Affects Tree Species Distribution and Biomass Variation in a Warm Temperate, Secondary Forest

“…Except for cliffs and ridges, the soil layer is generally above 30 cm, the surface litter layer is thick, the humus is well developed, and the soil is rich in organic matter. The region has a history of steel and iron production through the late 1950s, resulting in areas of secondary or planted forests that are generally 60 to 80 years old [26]. Selection harvesting during this period left some residual trees, with the largest oak trees about 100 years old.…”