Assemblage Characteristics of Butterflies and Carabid Beetles as a Function of Soil Characteristics and Plant Diversity in Differently Managed Fields, Forests and Ecotones: A Case Study in Tuczno Forest District, Poland

Abstract

A drastic decline in insect fauna on a large scale has been reported. We assume that this is a multifactorial problem involving biotope types and plant diversity, soil characteristics and human activity (management of areas). The aim of our study was to analyze diversity patterns of carabid beetles and butterflies as predatory and phytophagous arthropod groups in response to soil characteristics and plant diversity in different types of ecosystems and ecotones with diverse management situated in a heterogeneous landscape composed of different forests, agricultural and post-agricultural areas of different stages of succession and watercourses and mires in north-western Poland. Three different forests, three fallows, two meadows and two ecotones, differing with respect to the involved ecosystems, were included in the study. Our results showed that the study site types differed with respect to soil characteristics and plant diversity, but ecotones were not characterized by explicitly higher diversity in these parameters. For both carabid beetles and butterflies, characteristic assemblages for individual study sites could be demonstrated. We could also show differences in the most important factors between these two taxonomic groups. We assume that management type is important regarding ecosystem characteristics and biodiversity. Large-scale management strategies are necessary in order to maintain or create landscapes with high natural qualities.

Impact of Land Use on Peat Soil Elemental Content and Carabidae and Plant Species Composition and Abundance

“…The average abundance in grazed transects was about one-third lower than in mowed transects [68]. In a study carried out by Szyszko-Podgórska [59] on land with different economic uses, it was shown that the number of species did not differ much between mowed and unmowed fallow land.…”

“…In the case of beetles, in the results of this study, it is impossible to conclude which form of use determines the species richness of this taxonomic group of animals. This is probably conditioned by the caught species' characteristics and needs in relation to the environment [59]. On the other hand, an increase in the number of individuals of each species depending on the form of use was observed, with some species showing a clear preference.…”

“…The management practices in agricultural and forest ecosystems were also found to have a significant impact on the formation of beetle and butterfly communities. Large-scale management strategies are needed to effectively protect species diversity [59]. As one can observe, the management operations that are carried out affect the occurrence of animals in the environments we shape, and these actions can have a positive effect on a particular group of insects, as well as a negative effect on another.…”

Molecular Identification of Ixodid Tick Species and their Screening for Selected Protozoan Pathogens Collected from Large Ruminants of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

“…Ground beetle assemblages have been reported amongst important insect communities from the agricultural landscapes across the globe (Szyszko-Podgórska et al, 2021;Rainio and Niemelä, 2003). Interestingly, most species of carabids were observed with reasonably higher magnitudes from all three study sites except Scarites subterraneus (from Sambrial), Pheropsophus darwini (from Pasrur), Cymindis platicollis (from Sambrial) and Dioryche subrecta (from Sambrial).…”

Diversity in Landscape Management Affects Butterfly Distribution

“…Humans, by shaping spatial patterns, can create proper conditions for the occurrence of various animal species. Animals are able to move freely, hence, they can be good indicators of microclimatic conditions created for them [5,6]. Consequently, humans have the potential to influence the occurrence of native animal species, inter alia, by managing spatial patterns in such a way that conditions are fostered for the occurrence of expected species.…”