Bird and beetle assemblages in relict beech forests of central Italy: a multi-taxa approach to assess the importance of dead wood in biodiversity conservation

Zan, Lara Redolfi De; Battisti, Corrado; Carpaneto, Giuseppe M.

doi:10.1556/comec.15.2014.2.12

Cited by 16 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Three relict beech forests of central Italy were surveyed for both saproxylic beetles and hole-nesting birds, using two different types of interception traps, in order to find an ecological correlation between these two groups of animals. The results showed a significant relationship between saproxylic beetles and hole-nesting bird communities (Redolfi et al 2014b) and suggest specific recommendations useful for forest management and planning.…”

Section: Threatsmentioning

confidence: 84%

A Red List of Italian Saproxylic Beetles: taxonomic overview, ecological features and conservation issues (Coleoptera)

Carpaneto¹,

Baviera²,

Biscaccianti³

et al. 2015

Fragm Entomol

100

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The main objectives of this review are: 1) the compilation and updating of a reference database for Italian saproxylic beetles, useful to assess the trend of their populations and communities in the next decades; 2) the identification of the major threats involving the known Italian species of saproxylic beetles; 3) the evaluation of the extinction risk for all known Italian species of saproxylic beetles; 4) the organization of an expert network for studying and continuous updating of all known species of saproxylic beetle species in Italy; 5) the creation of a baseline for future evaluations of the trends in biodiversity conservation in Italy; 6) the assignment of ecological categories to all the Italian saproxylic beetles, useful for the aims of future researches on their communities and on forest environments. The assessments of extinction risk are based on the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria and the most updated guidelines. The assessments have been carried out by experts covering different regions of Italy, and have been evaluated according to the IUCN standards. All the beetles whose larval biology is sufficiently well known as to be considered saproxylic have been included in the Red List, either the autochthonous species (native or possibly native to Italy) or a few allochthonous species recently introduced or probably introduced to Italy in historic times. The entire national range of each saproxylic beetle species was evaluated, including large and small islands; for most species, the main parameters considered for evaluation were the extent of their geographical occurrence in Italy, and the number of known sites of presence. 2049 saproxylic beetle species (belonging to 66 families) have been listed, assigned to a trophic category (Table 3) and 97% of them have been assessed. On the whole, threatened species (VU + EN + CR) are 421 (Fig. 6), corresponding to 21 % of the 1988 assessed species; only two species are formally recognized to be probably Regionally Extinct in Italy in recent times. Little less than 65% of the Italian saproxylic beetles are not currently threatened with extinction, although their populations are probably declining. In forest environments, the main threats are habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution due to the use of pesticide against forest pests, and habitat simplification due to economic forest management. In coastal environments, the main threats are due to massive touristic exploitation such as the excess of urbanization and infrastructures along the seashore, and the complete removal of woody materials as tree trunks stranded on the beaches, because this kind of intervention is considered an aesthetic amelioration of seaside resorts. The number of species whose populations may become impoverished by direct harvest (only a few of large forest beetles frequently collected by insect traders) is very small and almost negligible. The Red List is a fundamental tool for the identification of conservation priorities, but it is not a list of priorities on its own. O...

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Section: Threatsmentioning

confidence: 84%

A Red List of Italian Saproxylic Beetles: taxonomic overview, ecological features and conservation issues (Coleoptera)

Carpaneto¹,

Baviera²,

Biscaccianti³

et al. 2015

Fragm Entomol

100

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“…Indeed, after digging into EPS, larvae remained sprinkled with fragments attached to their setae. Thus, MP can be transferred along the food chain when the larvae are eaten by predators, such as hole‐nesting birds (Redolfi De Zan et al, 2014 ) (Figure 3 ). In addition, due to the long residence time, MP produced by cetonid larvae can enter terrestrial trophic webs (Huerta Lwanga et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Another one bites the plastics

Gallitelli

Zauli²,

Scalici

2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Old‐growth forests host a rich diversity of invertebrate assemblages. Among them, saproxylic insects play a fundamental role in the nutrient cycle and ecosystem functioning. In these environments, coevolution between insect and plants have reached a stable equilibrium over millions of years. These delicate ecosystems are threatened mainly by habitat loss and fragmentation, and to date, they have to face the new “plastic threat.” Plastics are widespread in all biomes and ecosystems accumulating throughout the years due to their low degradation rate. Once accumulated, large pieces of plastics can be degraded into smaller particles, the latter representing a great threat to biodiversity and ecosystem health, producing detrimental effects on biota. Since the effects of plastics on terrestrial systems remain largely unexplored, this study aimed at contributing to increasing the knowledge on the interaction between plastics and terrestrial biota. We put our emphasis on the novel and broad topic of plastic degradation by saproxylic beetle larvae, describing how they fragmented macroplastics into microplastics. To investigate whether saproxylic cetonid larvae could degrade expanded polystyrene, we performed an experiment. Thus, we put larvae collected in the field in an expanded polystyrene box. We observed that larvae dug in the thickness of the box fragmenting macroplastics into microplastics and producing a total of 3441 particles. Then, we removed the larvae from the EPS box and isolated them in glass jars filled with natural substrate. The substrate was checked for EPS microplastics previously ingested and now egested by larvae. Additionally, we pointed out that plastics remained attached to cetonid larvae setae, with a mean number of 30.7 ± 12.5 items. Although preliminary, our results highlighted that microplastics attached to saproxylic cetonid larvae might be transported into habitats and transferred along the food web. In conclusion, plastic pollution might affect vulnerable species and ecosystem services representing a risk also for human health.

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“…In recent years, the use of statistical methods, such as multivariate synecological analysis, to model species distribution and habitat requirements has increased, with a wide range of statistical analyses being applied (e.g. Canedoli et al, 2018;Melles, 2005;Redol De Zan et al, 2014;Xu et al, 2018). In this study, various synecological methods, such as RDA, p.RDA, variation partitioning, and MRT, were employed to model habitat requirements and species distribution.…”

Section: Scaling and Methodological Aspectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synecological approach of novelty responses in bird assemblage inhabiting Atlas cedar afforestation (Cedrus atlantica(Endl.) G. Manetti ex Carrière) of Mount M’Cid, Northeastern Algeria

Menaa

Guellati

Boutabia³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The degradation of Algerian forests caused by repeated fires, pests, diseases, and illegal cutting has led to significant losses in the natural heritage. Afforestation activities play a crucial role in restoring the degraded ecosystem, but the ecological characteristics of the forests are often overlooked when selecting single or multiple native or exotic coniferous species for afforestation. This study used a multivariate synecological approach (such as, Redundancy Canonical Analysis, a variation partitioning approach based on partial RDA and multivariate regression tree with indicator species) to analyze the relative contributions of environmental factors in forest bird community assembly in Atlas cedar stand afforestations. The survey used the point count method to observe the spatial distribution of breeding forest birds across the wooded landscape with respect to habitat predictors, summarizing woodland physiognomy and landscape-scale variables. A total of 47 forest bird species were observed, and the used multivariate synecological analysis has identified three major patterns of relationships among breeding birds and afforested area: the first was related to changes in tree structure during growth, the second was associated with the height of the grass layer, and the third was the gradient of height elevation.

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Bird and beetle assemblages in relict beech forests of central Italy: a multi-taxa approach to assess the importance of dead wood in biodiversity conservation

Cited by 16 publications

References 69 publications

A Red List of Italian Saproxylic Beetles: taxonomic overview, ecological features and conservation issues (Coleoptera)

A Red List of Italian Saproxylic Beetles: taxonomic overview, ecological features and conservation issues (Coleoptera)

Another one bites the plastics

Synecological approach of novelty responses in bird assemblage inhabiting Atlas cedar afforestation (Cedrus atlantica(Endl.) G. Manetti ex Carrière) of Mount M’Cid, Northeastern Algeria

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