Could the vulnerable great Capricorn beetle benefit from the introduction of the non-native red oak?

Abstract

predictive capability of the models when combined with the remaining variables. We argue that physicochemical properties of the wood and/or phloem and structure of the cortex may also influence colonisation of trees. Our results do not provide arguments for the introduction of non-native oaks to benefit C. cerdo. Instead, we recommend maintaining semi-open conditions around host trees and high density of old oaks in the landscape. Keywords Non-native plants • Saproxylic organisms • Habitats Directive • Habitat preferences, Cerambycidae • Cerambyx cerdo • Veteran trees • Northern red oak • Quercus rubra benefits to some species (Davis et al. 2011; Gleditsch and Carlo 2011; Schlaepfer et al. 2011). These include, among others, providing habitat or food resources to animals of conservation interest. For example, pollinators may use alien plants as an additional source of food due to their increased availability in disturbed habitats (Williams et al.

Monitoring and management of Cerambyx cerdo in the Mediterranean region – a review and the potential role of citizen science

“…Due to past forest exploitation, old growth forests are rare in the Mediterranean basin (Blondel andAronson 1999, Scarascia-Mugnozza et al 2000), suggesting the need of delimiting non-intervention areas within the Natura 2000 network to "re-wilding" landscapes (Schnitzler 2014). However, in central European countries, the C. cerdo and other saproxylic beetles have been found to be associated with sun-exposed wood located near ground (Buse et al 2007, Albert et al 2013, Oleksa and Klejdysz 2017 and could benefit from the restoration of traditional management practices such as coppice with standards or woodland pastures (Buse et al 2007, Vodka et al 2008). Retention forestry is also emerging as a practical way to harvest forest and maintain or restore old-growth features of landscapes (Fedrowitz et al 2014, Mason andZapponi 2015).…”

“…Several sampling methods have been applied to study C. cerdo populations, including visual censuses of adult exit holes to assess microhabitat requirements (Buse et al 2007, Regnery et al 2013, Albert et al 2013, Oleksa and Klejdysz 2017, comparison of evening transects, night surveys of trunks, pitfall and bait traps for distribution and population monitoring of adult beetles in a Natura 2000 network (Vrezec et al 2012) and bait traps to estimate dispersal in a Mediterranean woodland pasture (Torres-Vila et al 2017). Most of the available studies come from central Europe and focus on microhabitat selection in open landscapes, as summarized in Table 2.…”

“…For example, given the assumed preference of the beetle for lower parts of sun-exposed trunks (Buse et al 2007, Albert et al 2013, Oleksa and Klejdysz 2017, is the abandonment of traditional management, based on coppice with standards or open woodland pastures, underlying the decline of C. cerdo and associated saproxylic communities (Vodka et al 2008, Sebek et al 2015? However, given that C. cerdo has been extensively studied in open woodlands of central Europe (Buse et al 2007, Albert et al 2013, Oleksa and Klejdysz 2017, does the strong association with lower parts of sun-exposed trunks hold in other ecological contexts? Indeed, detailed habitat preference in the Mediterranean region is largely unknown and may differ from the preference observed in central Europe (Buse et al 2016).…”

“…The species is also assessed at the Mediterranean level as "Least Concern" since it has a large geographical range and is abundant in the region, although sub-populations are often scattered and there is a low probability that the habitat would recover if destroyed in the future (Buse et al 2016). Major threats for the species are the decline in the number of old trees situated in open or semi-open landscapes (Buse et al 2007, Albert et al 2013, fragmentation and isolation of sub-populations (Buse et al 2016, but see Torres-Vila et al 2017), changes in habitat and landscape structure such as plantations with exotic plants and alteration of grazing regimes (Buse et al 2016, Oleksa andKlejdysz 2017), and forest sanitary measures (Luce 1997, Horak et al 2010, Buse et al 2016. In fact, Cerambyx spp.…”

The great capricorn beetle Cerambyx cerdo L. in south-western Poland – the current state and perspectives of conservation in one of the recent distribution centres in Central Europe

“…Its imposing larvae, which can be longer than adults (up to 100 mm), are xylophagous on different oaks, rarely on other tree species (e.g. Luce 1997, Sláma 1998, Neumann and Malchau 2010, Oleksa and Klejdysz 2017. Adults are observed from late spring to summer, chiefly at dusk and in the evening.…”