Response of rove‐beetle (Staphylinidae) assemblages to the cumulative effect of wildfire and linear footprint in boreal treed peatlands

Abstract

Cumulative effects of anthropogenic and natural disturbances have become increasingly relevant in the context of biodiversity conservation. Oil and gas (OG) exploration and extraction activities have created thousands of kilometers of linear footprints in boreal ecosystems of Alberta, Canada. Among these disturbances, seismic lines (narrow corridors cut through the forest) are one of the most common footprints and have become a significant landscape feature influencing the maintenance of forest interior habitats and biodiversity. Wildfire is a common stand‐replacing natural disturbance in the boreal forest, and as such, it is hypothesized that its effects can mitigate the linear footprint associated with OG exploration, but only a few studies have examined its effectiveness. We studied the short‐term (1 year post‐fire) response of rove‐beetle assemblages to the combined effects of wildfire and linear footprint in forest, edge, and seismic line habitats at burned and unburned peatlands along the southwest perimeter of the 2016 Horse River wildfire (Fort McMurray). While rove‐beetle species richness was higher in seismic lines in both the burned and unburned habitats compared with the adjacent peatland, diversity was greater only in seismic lines of burned areas. Abundance was lower in the burned adjacent peatland but similarly higher in the remaining habitats. Assemblage composition on seismic lines was significantly different from that in the adjacent forest and edge habitats within both burned and unburned sites. Moreover, species composition in burned seismic lines was different from either unburned lines or burned forest and edge. Euaesthethus laeviusculus and Gabrius picipennis were indicator species of burned line habitats, are sensitive to post‐fire landscapes and can occupy wet habitats with moss cover more efficiently than when these habitats are surrounded by unburned forest. Although these results are based on short‐term responses, they suggest that wildfire did not reduce the linear footprint, and instead, the cumulative effect of these two disturbances had a more complex influence on rove‐beetle recovery at the landscape level than for other invertebrates. Therefore, continued monitoring of these sites can become useful to evaluate changes over time and to better understand longer‐term biodiversity responses to the cumulative effects of wildfire and linear disturbances in boreal treed peatlands, given the long‐lasting effect of such disturbances.

Inverted Soil Mounding as a Restoration Approach of Seismic Lines in Boreal Peatlands: Implications on Plant and Arthropod Abundance and Diversity

“…Despite differences in site type (upland vs. wetlands), arthropod indicator species from our study align with those of harvested stands [58,60,62]. For example, D. bidentata, Cybaeopsis euopla (Bishop & Crosby), Sciastes truncatus (Emerton), and A. olivacea were indicator spiders for the reference fen treatment in our study; these species have also been identified as indicator or dominant species for unharvested or mature upland stands [58,60,66].…”

“…Despite differences in site type (upland vs. wetlands), arthropod indicator species from our study align with those of harvested stands [58,60,62]. For example, D. bidentata, Cybaeopsis euopla (Bishop & Crosby), Sciastes truncatus (Emerton), and A. olivacea were indicator spiders for the reference fen treatment in our study; these species have also been identified as indicator or dominant species for unharvested or mature upland stands [58,60,66]. In contrast, two wolf spider species were indicators for mounded seismic lines: P. fuscula (also found on untreated seismic lines but at much lower catch and frequency) and P. xerampelina (only found on mounded sites); previous studies have shown these species to be associated with recently harvested or burned upland stands [58,60,67].…”

“…For example, D. bidentata, Cybaeopsis euopla (Bishop & Crosby), Sciastes truncatus (Emerton), and A. olivacea were indicator spiders for the reference fen treatment in our study; these species have also been identified as indicator or dominant species for unharvested or mature upland stands [58,60,66]. In contrast, two wolf spider species were indicators for mounded seismic lines: P. fuscula (also found on untreated seismic lines but at much lower catch and frequency) and P. xerampelina (only found on mounded sites); previous studies have shown these species to be associated with recently harvested or burned upland stands [58,60,67]. A similar pattern emerges with the beetles, where Q. frigidus (rove beetle) is an indicator species for uncut upland stands [62] and is also an indicator species for reference fens in our study.…”

“…Mounded seismic lines had significantly higher rove beetle richness and diversity compared to the adjacent reference fens. In a study exploring the effects of wildfires on rove beetle assemblages on seismic lines, rove beetle richness was also found to be higher on seismic lines compared to the adjacent fen in both burned and unburned sites [60]. Interestingly, studies in upland stands have also found higher rove beetle richness immediately after tree harvesting [61,62].…”

“…A similar pattern emerges with the beetles, where Q. frigidus (rove beetle) is an indicator species for uncut upland stands [62] and is also an indicator species for reference fens in our study. The rove beetle D. pleuralis and the ground beetle P. adstrictus have been associated with recently harvested stands (1-3 years post-harvest) [60,62] and are indicator species for mounded seismic lines. Though arthropods and their response to anthropogenic disturbances are well studied in upland forest stands, few studies have examined their response to disturbances and restoration efforts in treed peatlands in North America, especially in moderate-rich fens [61], but see [65].…”