Habitat heterogeneity supports epigeic arthropods after prescribed burning of dry grasslands

Fire supports landscape openness; thus, prescribed burning could be an effective management in open landscapes. In this study we tested the response of arthropods (spider, ground beetle, rove beetle and woodlouse) to dormant-season prescribed burning in dry grassland patches. We hypothesized that the unburned patches support the arthropods recolonizing the burned patches; thus, fire causes no serious damage to the arthropod assemblages. Epigeic arthropods (spider, ground beetle, rove beetle and woodlouse) were collected by unbaited pitfall traps containing ethylene glycol as a killing-preserving solution. Altogether 60 traps worked in 3 burnt and 3 control plots (10 traps/plot). Traps were emptied monthly from May to October in the year after burning. Collected arthropods were identified at species level using standard keys. We found no significant difference between the burned and control plots for the abundance, species richness, and Shannon diversity of spiders, ground beetles, rove beetles and woodlice. Differences in total abundance, species richness and diversity of arthropods were also not significant between the burned and control plots. Among from 12 most abundant species, ten species was not affected by burning, while the abundance of Titanoteca veteranica spider species increased and the abundance of Trochosa robusta spider species decreased in the burnt plots. Microcaves and other unburned microhabitats in and around the burned patches serve as refuge for epigeic arthropods supporting the fast recolonization after prescribed burning, although the abundance of some epigeic spider species (Titanoteca veteranica, Trochosa robusta) was affected by burning. Our findigs revealed that prescribed burning is a potentially promising conservation method. We also highlighted that preservation of unburned microhabitats and surroundings of the managed patches is essential during the prescribed burning.

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Changes in the shrub and herb layers of vegetation after prescribed burning in Populus tremuloides woodland in southern Ontario

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b78-214 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 56 (15) ◽

pp. 1792-1797 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

D. W. Smith ◽

T. D. W. James

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Populus Tremuloides ◽

Prescribed Burning ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Southern Ontario ◽

Calamagrostis Canadensis ◽

Cornus Stolonifera ◽

Shrub Canopy ◽

Microscale Heterogeneity

The undisturbed condition in the shrub and herb layers of a Populus tremuloides woodland in southern Ontario was characterized by a mosaic of two main vegetation groupings, one being relatively species rich and the other species poor. Their distribution was related chiefly to two environmental variables: (a) relative degree of shrub canopy cover, and (b) microtopographic position. Species-poor vegetation was associated with those sites having a closed shrub canopy and low, wet positions on the microtopographic gradient.Prescribed burning added a further dimension to the clumped pattern and species richness of the vegetation. Microscale heterogeneity created by the burns tended to increase species richness, but in general, richness was reduced by burning. Rapid postburn changes in the vegetation were largely restricted to shifts in dominance by the three most abundant species; Cornus stolonifera Michx., Calamagrostis canadensis (Michx.) Beauv., and Carex stricta var. strictior Lam. The changes in the dominants after burning appeared to be short lived but affected the overall structure of the shrub and herb vegetation.

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Contribution to the knowledge of the arthropods community inhabiting the winter-flooded meadows (marcite) of northern Italy

Biodiversity Data Journal ◽

10.3897/bdj.9.e57889 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Francesca Della Rocca ◽

Silvia Stefanelli ◽

Elisa Cardarelli ◽

Giuseppe Bogliani ◽

Francesco Bracco

Keyword(s):

Ground Beetle ◽

Northern Italy ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Butterfly Species ◽

Beetle Species ◽

Rove Beetles ◽

Invertebrate Conservation ◽

Rove Beetle ◽

Natural Grasslands

Flooded semi-natural grasslands are endangered ecosystems throughout Europe. In Italy, amongst flooded meadows, one special type called “marcita” is strongly threatened. It is a stable flooded grassland used to produce green forage even during winter months due to the thermal properties of water coming from springs and fountains that prevent the soil from freezing. To date, some research has been carried out to investigate the role of the marcita for ornithological and herpetological communities. However, no comprehensive data on invertebrates inhabiting this particular biotope available. The aim of this study was to characterise the terrestrial entomological community of these typical winter-flooded meadows in northern Italy and, in particular, in six marcita fields located in the Ticino Valley Regional Park. We collected data on species richness and diversity of Carabidae, Staphylinidae, Araneae, Lepidoptera and Orthoptera inhabiting marcita during the summers of 2014 and 2015 and data on overwintering Coleoptera during the winter of 2014-2015. Amongst the collected species, we identified those highly linked to this habitat. We found a total of 47 ground beetle species, 35 rove beetle species, 29 spider species, one Lucanidae, 16 butterfly species and 24 grasshopper and cricket species. Most of the species were collected during the summers of 2014 and 2015, while some others were also, or exclusively, overwintering (17 ground beetles, four rove beetles and one Lucanidae) and were collected during the winter of 2014-2015. Marcita fields hosted specialised species and species typical of hygrophilous habitats, amongst which are included the butterfly Lycaena dispar, the ground beetle Dolichus halensis and the grasshopper Chrysochraon dispar. This study represents the first contribution to the knowledge of terrestrial arthropod communities associated with this particular type of winter-irrigated meadow in Europe and confirms the importance of this biotope for invertebrate conservation in agricultural landscapes.

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Species Richness and Community Composition of Ants and Beetles in Bt and non-Bt Maize Fields

Environmental Entomology ◽

10.1093/ee/nvz086 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (5) ◽

pp. 1095-1103

Author(s):

Marcos Gino Fernandes ◽

Eduardo Neves Costa ◽

Carla Cristina Dutra ◽

Josué Raizer

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Large Scale ◽

Ground Beetle ◽

Ground Beetles ◽

Bt Maize ◽

Mato Grosso ◽

Nontarget Organisms ◽

Gm Plants ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Impact On Biodiversity

AbstractInsect-resistant genetically modified (GM) plants have been cultivated in several countries on a large scale. These plants express the Cry toxins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bacillales: Bacillaceae) (Bt), which confers target-pest resistance to plants. Studies on the effects of GM plants on nontarget organisms are important to assess the technology’s impact on biodiversity. The objective of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the species richness and composition of ants and ground beetles in Bt maize (four different toxins: Cry1Ab, Cry1F, and Cry1A.105/Cry2Ab2) and conventional isoline (non-Bt) fields, in the first (summer) and second (winter) cropping seasons in 13 localities of Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, over a 2-yr period (2009–2011). The assessment of Coleoptera and Formicidae species was performed using pitfall traps placed in fields throughout the period of vegetative growth and maturation of plants. Data were analyzed using faunistic indices of species richness, ordination by nonmetric multidimensional scaling, and multivariate analysis of variance. No statistically significant difference was found in the species richness of ant and ground beetle communities when comparing sites of Bt with those of non-Bt maize. Overall, Bt technology did not affect the composition of ant and ground beetles; however, municipality and cropping season exerted influence on the beetle composition. Some species were only observed in the first crop, whereas others were only observed in the second crop. This research suggests that Bt maize does not affect ant and ground beetle populations differently from its isoline.

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Effects of grassland succession on communities of small mammals in Illinois, USA

Biologia ◽

10.2478/s11756-010-0028-4 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 65 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Matthew Richardson

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Small Mammals ◽

Prescribed Burning ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Additional Time ◽

Mammal Species ◽

The North ◽

Native Grasslands ◽

Open Ground ◽

Grassland Habitats

AbstractNative grasslands are among the most imperiled of the North American ecosystems, with only ∼4% of their pre-settlement area remaining, but some grassland habitats are being restored and maintained through such methods as prescribed burning and mowing, which may provide habitat for animal species endemic to this ecosystem. I determined how succession of the plant community, due to a four-year rotational burn in 16 grassland fragments, influenced species richness and local abundances of small mammals in Illinois, USA. Species richness was relatively low in grasslands that were recently burned and highest in older successional grasslands. The most abundant species, Microtus ochrogaster, M. pennslyvanicus, Peromyscus maniculatus, P. leucopus, and Reithrodontomys megalotis showed very different responses to succession; Microtus spp. were most abundant in older successional grasslands, preferring areas with more cover of bunchgrasses, whereas the other three species were relatively abundant in grasslands of all successional ages. P. maniculatus was most abundant in any habitat that had ample open ground. The grasslands at my study site are a mixture of restored and non-restored grasslands. Overall, adding additional time between burns and restoring more of the grasslands by planting bunchgrasses that are native to this area may increase abundances of most mammal species at my study site.

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Rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) in yellow birch-dominated stands of southeastern Quebec, Canada: Diversity, abundance, and description of a new species

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/n06-057 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 139 (6) ◽

pp. 793-833 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Jan Klimaszewski ◽

David Langor ◽

Karine Savard ◽

Georges Pelletier ◽

Donald S. Chandler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Relative Abundance ◽

Betula Alleghaniensis ◽

Yellow Birch ◽

Additional Species ◽

Rove Beetles ◽

Rove Beetle ◽

Beetle Assemblages ◽

Trapping Methods ◽

And Control ◽

A New Species

AbstractRove beetle assemblages from forest dominated by yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt. (Betulaceae)) at two sites in southeastern Quebec were characterized in terms of composition, diversity, and relative abundance. In total, 143 species were collected over two seasons (June–August of 1999 and 2000). In the pretreatment year (1999), 88 species were found in uncut stands. In the post-treatment year, 116 species were found in treated (by patch harvesting and ground scarification) and control plots combined. Sixty-one species were common to the two sites, 27 species captured in the 1999 season were not recaptured in the 2000 season, and 55 additional species were captured in 2000. There are 23 new distribution records for Quebec, and one species, Atheta (Dimetrota) pseudomodesta Klimaszewski, sp. nov., is described. New bionomics data on relative abundance, seasonality, and the utility of different trapping methods are presented. Assemblage composition is compared with that of a red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg. (Pinaceae)) forest in New Brunswick.

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Rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) of a large pristine peat bog in Belarus Lake District

Fragmenta Faunistica ◽

10.3161/00159301ff2018.61.2.099 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 61 (2) ◽

pp. 99-104

Author(s):

Gennadi G. SUSHKO ◽

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Abundant Species ◽

The Other ◽

Peat Bog ◽

Lake District ◽

Open Spaces ◽

Rove Beetles ◽

Moss Layer ◽

High Species Richness ◽

North Western

Species composition and diversity of the rove beetles were studied in main habitats of a large pristine peat bog in Belarus Lake District (North-Western Belarus). Very specific staphylinid assemblages were found. They were characterized by not high species richness and diversity. In these uneven assemblages, a very small number of species: Drusilla canaliculata (Fabricius, 1787), Philonthus cognatus Stephens, 1832, Staphylinus erythropterus Linnaeus, 1758, Ischnosoma splendidus (Gravenhorst, 1806) dominated, while the majority of recorded species were rare. Unlike other inhabitants of the moss layer among the highly abundant species of rove beetles, peat bog specialists were not found. The highest diversity and evenness had the rove beetles assemblages in open spaces. On the other hand, the differences in these assemblages were not high.

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Can rove beetles (Staphylinidae) be excluded in studies focusing on saproxylic beetles in central European beech forests?

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485314000741 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 105 (1) ◽

pp. 101-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

G. Parmain ◽

C. Bouget ◽

J. Müller ◽

J. Horak ◽

M.M. Gossner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Large Scale ◽

European Beech ◽

Species Assemblages ◽

Rove Beetles ◽

Forestry Practices ◽

Rove Beetle ◽

Beetle Assemblages ◽

Saproxylic Beetle ◽

The Impact

AbstractMonitoring saproxylic beetle diversity, though challenging, can help identifying relevant conservation sites or key drivers of forest biodiversity, and assessing the impact of forestry practices on biodiversity. Unfortunately, monitoring species assemblages is costly, mainly due to the time spent on identification. Excluding families which are rich in specimens and species but are difficult to identify is a frequent procedure used in ecological entomology to reduce the identification cost. The Staphylinidae (rove beetle) family is both one of the most frequently excluded and one of the most species-rich saproxylic beetle families. Using a large-scale beetle and environmental dataset from 238 beech stands across Europe, we evaluated the effects of staphylinid exclusion on results in ecological forest studies. Simplified staphylinid-excluded assemblages were found to be relevant surrogates for whole assemblages. The species richness and composition of saproxylic beetle assemblages both with and without staphylinids responded congruently to landscape, climatic and stand gradients, even when the assemblages included a high proportion of staphylinid species. At both local and regional scales, the species richness as well as the species composition of staphylinid-included and staphylinid-excluded assemblages were highly positively correlated. Ranking of sites according to their biodiversity level, which either included or excluded Staphylinidae in species richness, also gave congruent results. From our results, species assemblages omitting staphylinids can be taken as efficient surrogates for complete assemblages in large scale biodiversity monitoring studies.

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Effects of Growing Medium Type and Moisture Level on Predation by Adult Rove Beetle, Dalotia coriaria (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), on Fungus Gnat, Bradysia sp. nr. coprophila (Diptera: Sciaridae), Larvae under Laboratory and Greenhouse Conditions

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci11842-17 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 52 (5) ◽

pp. 736-741 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nathan J. Herrick ◽

Raymond A. Cloyd

Keyword(s):

Moisture Content ◽

Laboratory Experiment ◽

Growing Media ◽

Rove Beetles ◽

Rove Beetle ◽

Fungus Gnats ◽

Growing Medium ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Fungus Gnat ◽

Saturated Treatment

The fungus gnat, Bradysia sp. nr. coprophila (Lintner) (Diptera: Sciaridae), is an insect pest of greenhouse production systems. The rove beetle, Dalotia coriaria [Kraatz] (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), is a commercially available predator of certain greenhouse insect pests that reside in growing media, including fungus gnats. There is minimal information discussing how growing medium type and moisture level (watering treatment) impact the interactions between pests and natural enemies. Therefore, we conducted laboratory and greenhouse experiments to investigate the influence of two growing media (Sunshine® LC1 Professional Growing Mix and Fafard® 3B Mix Professional Formula) and two moisture levels (“constantly saturated” and “initially saturated”) on predation by adult D. coriaria on B. sp. nr. coprophila larvae after releasing one or two rove beetle adults. In the laboratory experiment, moisture content or the amount of water retained by the growing medium did not significantly influence the recovery of adult fungus gnats for any of the rove beetle treatments. However, there was a significant difference in the recovery of fungus gnat adults between the two growing media. Fewer fungus gnat adults emerged from the Sunshine® LC1 Professional Growing Mix (0.9 ± 0.2 adults) than the Fafard® 3B Mix Professional Formula (6.0 ± 0.9 adults). Significantly fewer adult fungus gnats were recovered in the treatments where one rove beetle adult was released (2.7 ± 0.7 adults) and two rove beetle adults were released (2.3 ± 0.5 adults) compared with the control without rove beetles (5.4 ± 1.4 adults). However, there was no significant difference between the number of rove beetle adults released. In contrast to the laboratory experiment, moisture content in the greenhouse experiment significantly influenced the recovery of adult fungus gnats. More adult fungus gnats were recovered from the “constantly saturated” treatment (9.9 ± 1.4 adults) than the “initially saturated” treatment (3.8 ± 1.0 adults). Similar to the laboratory experiment, there was a significant difference in the recovery of fungus gnat adults between the two growing media, with fewer adults captured from the Sunshine® LC1 Professional Growing Mix (3.2 ± 0.8 adults) than the Fafard® 3B Mix Professional Formula (10.4 ± 1.4 adults). However, the treatments with rove beetle adults [one rove beetle (6.6 ± 1.8 adults) or two rove beetles (5.3 ± 1.5 adults)] were not significantly different from the control without rove beetles (8.6 ± 1.5 adults), suggesting that the growing media and moisture levels were acting directly on fungus gnat survival. The results of our study demonstrate that survival of fungus gnat larvae that reside in the growing medium and the success of rove beetle adults used to regulate these pests can be influenced by growing media and the moisture content within growing media.

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Recuperation of theTerra FirmeForest Understory Bird Fauna Eight Years after a Wildfire in Eastern Acre, Brazil

International Journal of Ecology ◽

10.1155/2015/324048 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Tatiana Lemos da Silva ◽

Edilaine Lemes Marques ◽

Edson Guilherme

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Bird Species ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Bird Species Richness ◽

Dead Trees ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Bird Fauna ◽

Components Analysis ◽

Species Richness And Abundance ◽

And Control

The present study evaluated the characteristics of the understory bird fauna of four fragments ofterra firmeforest in eastern Acre, Brazil, that were impacted by wildfires in 2005. The study investigated the species richness and the composition of trophic guilds using mist-netting on eight transects (four in burned plots and four in control plots in the same forest fragments). Eight plots (0.12 ha) were also established parallel to each transect to record the number of live trees (DBH ≥ 10 cm), palms, and dead trees. Bamboo stems were quantified in 0.024 ha subplots. No significant difference was found between burned and control plots in the species richness or abundance of birds, nor was any significant pattern found in the NMDS ordination of the composition of the communities or guilds. The Principal Components Analysis (PCA) found that the burned plots were physiognomically distinct, due principally to the number of bamboo stems and dead trees. Multiple regressions based on the PCA scores and bird species richness and abundance found no significant trends. The findings of the present study indicate that the understory bird assemblage of the areas affected by a single wildfire in 2005 had almost totally recuperated eight years after this event.

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IOP Lowering Effects of Ocimum basilicum Seed Extract in Two Rabbit Models of Ocular Hypertension

Journal of Clinical and Health Sciences ◽

10.24191/jchs.v4i1.7281 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 39

Author(s):

Renu Agarwal ◽

SK Gupta ◽

Sushma Srivastava ◽

Rohit Saxena

Keyword(s):

Ocular Hypertension ◽

Antioxidant Properties ◽

Ocimum Basilicum ◽

Seed Extract ◽

Water Loading ◽

Antiglaucoma Medication ◽

Lowering Effect ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Mean ◽

And Control

Introduction: Ocimum basilicum (OB), a herb known for its antihypertensive, anticholinesterase and antioxidant properties was investigated for possible intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering effects in rabbits with ocular hypertension (OHT). Methods: The IOP lowering effect of a single drop of OB extract (OBE) was evaluated in oculonormotensive rabbits using three concentrations (0.25, 0.5 and 1% w/v). The concentration showing maximum IOP reduction was further evaluated in rabbits with water-loading and steroid-induced OHT. Results: IOP lowering effect of OBE 0.5% in oculonormotensive rabbit eyes was significantly greater compared to OBE 0.25% (p<0.05) but was comparable (p>0.05) to OBE 1%. Therefore, 0.5% concentration was selected for further evaluation. Pretreatment with OBE (0.5%) caused significantly lower increase in IOP after water loading amounting to 23.39% above baseline as compared to 54.00% in control eye, 15 minutes post water loading. At 60 minutes, post water loading, mean IOP rise was 95.12% and 63.58% in control and test eyes, respectively. Significant difference between the mean IOP of two eyes persisted during the 2nd hr. In rabbits with steroid induced OHT, OBE 0.5% produced a mean IOP reduction of 24.73% at the end of first hr and the mean peak IOP reduction of 31.63% was observed at the end of 2 hr. A significant difference between the IOP of test and control eyes persisted from 1 to 6 hr. Conclusions: Ocimum basilicum seed extract showed significant IOP lowering effect in rabbits with water loading and steroid induced OHT, however, its utility as an effective antiglaucoma medication needs further investigations.

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