Rove Beetles Act As Warning Signs For Clear-Cutting Consequences

WOOD PILE

The rove beetle.

by Staff Writers
Edmonton, Canada (SPX) Jun 14, 2007
New research from the University of Alberta and the Canadian Forest Service has revealed the humble rove beetle may actually have a lot to tell us about the effects of harvesting on forests species. Rove beetles can be used as indicators of clear-cut harvesting and regeneration practices and can be used as an example as to how species react to harvesting. It has been found that after an area of forest was harvested, the many forest species, including rove beetles, decreased dramatically.

As the forest regenerated, it never fully replicated the full characteristics of the older forest it replaced.

As insects are the most abundant animal species in forests, they have enormous potential as indicators of habitat change and recovery and are increasingly being used in conservation studies.

"We felt beetles were excellent candidates for this study because they are abundant and diverse, easily sampled, inhabit a variety of niches and are very sensitive to habitat change," said John Spence, professor of Renewable Resources at the University of Alberta.

A total of 13, 978 rove beetles were collected and 98 species were identified during this study.

Once the forest was harvested the overall abundance of rove beetles declined while the diversity of species increased. Also most mature forest-dwelling species became much less abundant or disappeared completely immediately after harvest. Even the low amount of mature forest beetles that survived the initial harvest would eventually die out or migrate elsewhere within a few years of harvest.

"The more forests are harvested, the more mature forest species, such as the rove beetle, become threatened by fragmentation and loss of habitat. This study is significant because it indicates a new forest will not hold the same biota as an old forest, so we must ensure that forest managers conserve adequate patches of old forests or make adequate long term plans for their full recovery," said Spence.

This research was recently published in Biological Conservation journal.

Email This Article

WOOD PILE

Woods Hole Research Center Scientists Study Impacts Of Industrial Logging In Central Africa

Woods Hole MA (SPX) Jun 11, 2007
Though the dense humid forests of Central Africa have been regarded as among the most pristine on Earth, the expansion of industrial logging and the accompanying proliferation of road density are threatening the future of this important ecosystem. Woods Hole Research Center scientists are using satellite imagery taken from 1976 to 2003 to study the development of industrial logging and road density in Central Africa so that scientists, conservation agencies and other organizations can better understand the trends and implications of such expansion.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT Locals Block Work At Indonesian Mud Volcano Steel Dam Plan To Plug Indonesian Mud Volcano Chinese Space Agency Joins The International Charter Space And Major Disasters LSU And Los Alamos Team Up To Improve Evacuation Plans	CLIMATE SCIENCE New Oak Ridge Theory Aims To Explain Recent Temperature And Climate Extremes Push-Button Climate Modeling Now Available Climate Groups Cool On G8 Deal But US Turnabout Hailed Major Developing Nations Lukewarm On G8 Climate Goals
EARTH OBSERVATION NASA Satellites Watch as China Constructs Giant Dam Kalam Calls For Development Of Satellite Systems For Entire Humanity Boeing Launches Italian Earth Observation Satellite Envisat Captures First Image Of Sargassum From Space	ENERGY TECH Spanish Fenosa To Invest In Latin American Renewables Rosneft To Invest A Billion Dollars ln New Fleet To Tap Far East Shelf Oil Deposits Extreme Environment Biology Research May Help Solve Lignocellulosic Ethanol Puzzle Prairie Cordgrass For Cellulosic Ethanol Production
EPIDEMICS Bono And Geldof blast G8 AIDS Pledge Farce US Firm To Trial Bird Flu Vaccine In Indonesia And Hong Kong Avian Influenza Survivor Antibodies Effective At Neutralising H5N1 Strain System To Pinpoint Airline Passengers Who Contaminate Cabins	FLORA AND FAUNA CT Scan Reveals Ancient Long-Necked Gliding Reptile Study Shows Lizard Moms Dress Their Children For Success Phosphate Does A Body Good New Collaborative Research Reveals Chimpanzees Can Sustain Multiple-Tradition Cultures
FROTH AND BUBBLE Chinese Premier Wants Action On Taihu Lake Pollution US Loses Landmark Supreme Court Environmental Case Big Blue Goes Big Green In India Hong Kong Red Tide Spreads	ABOUT US Experts Say Catastrophes Ruin Your Sleep Self-Healing Materials Can Mimic Human Skin Healing Again And Again Upright Walking May Have Begun In The Trees Amazon Tribesman Takes Rainforest Message To Japan

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement