Impact of Horizontal Edge–Interior and Vertical Canopy–Understory Gradients on the Abundance and Diversity of Bark and Woodboring Beetles in Survey Traps

Abstract

Semiochemical-baited intercept traps are important tools used to collect information about the presence/absence and population dynamics of forest insects. The performance of these tools is influenced by trap location along both horizontal edge–interior and vertical understory–canopy gradients. Consequently, the development of survey and detection programs requires both the development of effective traps and semiochemical lures but also deployment protocols to guide their use. We used field trapping experiments to examine the impact of both horizontal edge–interior and vertical understory–canopy gradients and their interactions with the species richness and abundance of Buprestidae, Cerambycidae and Curculionidae. Both gradients had significant effects on the diversity and abundance of all three families collected in traps and the pattern of gradient effects differed between the two experiments. In the first experiment, traps were deployed along transects involving large (>100 m) forest gaps and in the second experiment traps transected small (ca. 15 m) forest gaps. These results were consistent with the idea that gradient effects on the abundance and diversity of these three families of forest Coleoptera are context dependent. The results of this study suggest that monitoring programs for bark and woodboring beetles should deploy traps at multiple locations along both vertical understory–canopy and horizontal edge–interior gradients.

Testing trapping protocols for detecting the Citrus Longhorn Beetle, Anoplophora chinensis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

“…A similar result was also observed for ALB, which was caught in higher numbers by traps hanging from trees than from bamboo poles (Nehme et al., 2010). Other researchers have found traps placed under the canopy or in the forest edges to be more effective in catching long‐horned beetles than traps set up in clearings and open fields (Dodds, 2011; Sweeney et al., 2020). According to the results of our study, the protocol that provides the highest levels of CLB captures is therefore the installation of cross‐vane traps in the crowns of CLB host trees.…”

Vertical Stratification of Beetles in Deciduous Forest Communities in the Centre of European Russia

“…For example, when using traps with α-pinene, ethanol, ipsdienol, and ipsenol, it turned out that species richness, species diversity, abundance, number of unique species of Coleoptera were higher in the undergrowth compared to traps under the canopy [32]. The average catch of Dicerca divaricata in traps with sex attractants was significantly lower in the undergrowth than in any other trap locations [33]. Catches of Monochamus galloprovincialis in traps with various attractants located in tree crowns were significantly larger than in traps located at lower forest strata [34].…”

Rapid Assessment of Cerambycid Beetle Biodiversity in a Tropical Rainforest in Yunnan Province, China, Using a Multicomponent Pheromone Lure

“…In addition, several recent studies have shown that trap placement can significantly affect trap captures of arboreal insects [ 25 , 26 ], including cerambycids, with some species being caught primarily at ground level, whereas others were caught preferentially by traps in the canopy [ 10 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. These reports suggest that different species prefer different strata within the tree canopy, possibly as a function of their differing requirements for either standing or fallen trees as hosts, and trunks versus branches.…”