Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Effect of deadwood management on saproxylic beetle richness in the floodplain forests of northern Italy: some measures for deadwood sustainable use

  • ORIGINAL PAPER
  • Published:
Journal of Insect Conservation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Saproxylic beetles may act as bio-indicators of high-quality mature woodlands, and their conservation is strongly linked to the quality and quantity of deadwood in a biotope. We tested the effect of deadwood accumulation and habitat variables on saproxylic species richness by investigating six sampling sites under different deadwood management practices that belong to both alluvial and riparian mixed forests of the Po plain, Italy. We sampled 43 obligate saproxylic species. The main factor predicting saproxylic species richness was the amount of deadwood measured by both log diameter and volume. We found a threshold of 0.22 m diameter (confidence interval CI 0.18–0.37 m) and 32.04 m3/ha volume (CI 16.09–64.09 m3/ha) below which saproxylic beetle richness would be significantly reduced and a threshold of 35 m3/ha dead wood volume (CI 33–40 m3/ha) over which species richness increases by <5 %. The other deadwood and environmental components influenced saproxylic beetle richness to a lesser extent; some of them, however, should still be considered for proper management. Forest structure variables describing forest density such as large trees and basal areas have a negative effect on species richness. According to the results of our study, stumps and advanced decaying class are positively correlated, while small logs are negatively correlated to species richness. Thus, in extensively managed forests, the regular cutting of trees should be implemented to create artificial stumps, in order to assure a continuity of deadwood and, in the meantime, increase the number and width of openings in the forest. Moreover, prolonging rotation times can assure the presence of deadwood at intermediate/later stages of decay.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akaike H (1985) Prediction and entropy. In: Atkinson AC, Fienberg SE (eds) A celebration of statistics. Springer, New York, pp 1–24

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Albrecht L (1990) Grundlagen, Ziele und Methodik der waldökologischen Forschung in Naturwaldreservaten. Schriftenreihe Naturwaldreservate in Bayern 1. München, Germany

  • Alexander KNA (2004) Revision of the index of ecological continuity as used for saproxylic beetles. English Nature Research Report 574. English Nature, Peterborough

  • Alinvi O, Ball JP, Danell K, Hjältén J, Pettersson RB (2007) Sampling saproxylic beetle assemblages in dead wood logs: comparing window and eclector traps to traditional bark sieving and a refinement. J Insect Conserv 11(2):99–112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson MJ (2001) A new method for non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance. Austral Ecol 26:32–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson MJ, Gorley RN, Clarke KR (2008) PERMANOVA+for PRIMER: guide to software and statistical methods. PRIMER-E, Plymouth

    Google Scholar 

  • Audisio P (1993) Fauna d’Italia XXXII. Coleoptera Nitidulidae—Kateretidae. Calderini, Bologna

    Google Scholar 

  • Barton K (2009) MuMIn: multi-model inference. R package version 0.12.2/r18

  • Bässler C, Förster B, Monin C, Müller J (2008) The BIOKLIM-Project: biodiversity research between climate change and wilding in a temperate montane forest. The conceptual framework. Waldökologie, Landschaftsforschung und Naturschutz 7:21–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Blasi C, Marignani M, Copiz R, Fipaldini M, Del Vico E (2010) Le Aree Importanti per le Piante nelle Regioni d’Italia: il presente e il futuro della conservazione del nostro patrimonio botanico. Progetto Artiser, Roma

    Google Scholar 

  • Bouget C, Brustel H, Zagatti P (2008) The French information system on saproxylic beetle ecology (FRISBEE): an ecological and taxonomical database to help with the assessment of forest conservation status. Terre Vie-Rev Ecol 10:33–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Brin A, Bouget C, Brustel H, Jactel H (2011) Diameter of downed woody debris does matter for saproxylic beetle assemblages in temperate oak and pine forests. J Insect Conserv 15:653–669

    Google Scholar 

  • Burnham KP, Anderson DR (2002) Model selection and multimodel inference: a practical information-theoretic approach, 2nd edn. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Buse J, Levanony T, Timm A, Dayan T, Assmann T (2010) Saproxylic beetle assemblages in the Mediterranean region: impact of forest management on richness and structure. Forest Ecol Manag 259:1376–1384

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campanaro A, Hardersen S, Mason F (2007). Piano di gestione della Riserva Naturale Statale e Sito Natura 2000 “Bosco della Fontana”. Quaderni Conservazione Habitat, 4. Cierre edizioni, Verona

  • Castellani C, Scrinzi G, Tabacchi G, Tosi V (1984) Inventario Forestale Nazionale Italiano. Tavole di cubatura a doppia entrata. MAF/ISAFA, Trento

    Google Scholar 

  • Cavalli R, Mason F (2003) Techniques for re-establishment of dead wood for saproxylic fauna conservation. LIFE nature project NAT/IT/99/6245 Bosco della Fontana (Mantova, Italy). Gianluigi Arcari Editore, Mantova

  • Chao A, Jost L (2012) Coverage-based rarefaction and extrapolation: standardizing samples by completeness rather than size. Ecology 93:2533–2547

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen M, Hahn K, Mountford EP, Ódor P, Standovar T, Rozenbergar D, Diaci J, Wijdeven S, Meyer P, Winter S, Vrska T (2005) Dead wood in European beech (Fagus sylvatica) forest reserves. Forest Ecol Manag 210:267–282

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cindolo C, Petriccione B (2006) Progetto biosoil—biodiversity. Valutazione della biodiversità forestale sulla Rete sistematica di Livello I. Manuale Nazionale, Italia. Corpo forestale dello Stato, Roma

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies ZG, Tyler C, Stewart GB, Pullin AS (2008) Are current management recommendations for conserving saproxylic invertebrates effective? Biodivers Conserv 17:209–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deuiffic P (2010) Du bois mort pour la biodiversité. Des forestiers entre dout et engagement. Revue Forestière Française 1(42):71–85

    Google Scholar 

  • Dufrene M, Legendre P (1997) Species assemblages and indicator species: the need for a flexible asymmetrical approach. Ecol Monogr 67:345–366

    Google Scholar 

  • Franc V (1997) New records of Coreidae (Heteroptera) and Erotylidae (Coleoptera) from Slovakia. Biologia. Bratislava 52(5):662

    Google Scholar 

  • Franc N (2007) Standing or downed dead trees—does it matter for saproxylicbeetles in temperate oak-rich forest? Can J For Res 3:2494–2507

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Franc N, Götmark F (2008) Openness in management: hands-off vs partial cutting in conservation forests, and the response of beetles. Biol Conserv 141(9):2310–2321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gelman A, Pittau MG, Yajima M, Su YS (2008) An approximate EM algorithm for multilevel generalized linear models. Technical report, Department of Statistics, Columbia University

  • Gibb H, Hjältén J, Ball JP, Atlegrim O, Pettersson RB, Hilszczański J, Johansson T, Danell K (2006) Effects of landscape composition and substrate availability on saproxylic beetles in boreal forests: a study using experimental logs for monitoring assemblages. Ecogr 29:191–204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grove S, Meggs J (2003) Coarse woody debris, biodiversity and management: a review with particular reference to Tasmanian wet eucalypt forests. Aust For 66:258–272

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harmon ME, Franklin JF, Swanson FJ, Sollins P, Gregory SV, Lattin JD, Anderson NH, Cline SP, Aumen NG, Sedell JR, Lienkaemper GW, Cromack K, Cummins KW (1986) Ecology of coarse woody debris in temperate ecosystems. Adv Ecol Res 15:133–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hjälten J, Johansson T, Alinvi O, Danell K, Ball JP, Pettersson R, Gibb H, Hilszczan′ski J (2007) The importance of substrate type, shading and scorching for the attractiveness of dead wood to saproxylic beetles. Basic Appl Ecol 8:364–376

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hothorn T, Zeileis A (2008) Generalized Maximally Selected Statistics. Biometrics 64:1263–1269

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hothorn T, Buhlmann P, Dudoit S, Molinaro A, Vander Laan M (2006) Survival ensembles. Biostat 7: 355–373.Johansson T, Gibb H, Hilszczanski J, Pettersson RB, Hjälten J, Atlegrim O, Ball J.P., Danell K (2006). Conservation-oriented manipulations of coarse woody debris affect their value as habitat for spruce-infesting bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) in northern Sweden. Can J For Res 36:174–185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johansson T, Gibb H, Hilszczanski J, Pettersson RB, Hjältén J, Atlegrim O, Ball JP, Danell K (2006) Conservation-oriented manipulations of coarse woody debris affect their value as habitat for spruce-infesting bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) in northern Sweden. Can J For Res 36:174–185

    Google Scholar 

  • Jonsell M, Weslien J, Ehnström B (1998) Substrate requirements of red-listed saproxylic invertebrates in Sweden. Biodivers Conserv 7:749–764

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jonsson BG, Kruys N, Ranius T (2005) Ecology of species living on dead wood—Lessons for dead wood management. Silva Fennica 39:289–309

    Google Scholar 

  • Jost L (2010) The relation between evenness and diversity. Diversity 2:207–232

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaila L, Martikainen P, Punttila P (1997) Dead trees left in clearcuts benefit saproxylic Coleoptera adapted to natural disturbances in boreal forest. Biodivers Conserv 6:1–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lassauce A, Paillet Y, Jactel H, Bouget C (2011) Deadwood as a surrogate for forest biodiversity: meta-analysis of correlations between deadwood volume and species richness of saproxylic organisms. Ecol Indicators 11:1027–1039

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lombardi F, Lasserre B, Tognetti R, Marchetti M (2008) Deadwood in relation to stand management and forest type in Central Apennines (Molise, Italy). Ecosystems 11:882–894

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martikainen P (2001) Conservation of threatened saproxylic beetles: significance of retained aspen Populus tremula on clear-cut areas. Ecol Bull 49:205–218

    Google Scholar 

  • Mason F (2004) Dinamica di una foresta della Pianura Padana. Bosco della Fontana—Primo contributo Monitoraggio 1995. Seconda edizione con Linee di gestione forestale. Gianluigi Arcari Editore, Mantova

  • McCune B, Mefford MJ (1999) PC-ORD. Multivariate analysis of ecological data, version 4. MjM Software Design, Gleneden Beach, OR, USA

  • McLean IFG, Speight MCD (1993) Saproxylic invertebrates—the European context. In: Kirby KJ, Drake CM (eds) Dead wood matters: the ecology and conservation of saproxylic invertebrates in Britain. Eng Nat Sci 7:21–32

  • MCPFE (2003) Improved pan-European indicators for sustainable forest management as adopted by MCPFE expert level. Meeting 7–8 Oct 2002, Vienna, Austria

  • Méndez M, Quirós AR (2005) Vida en la madera muerta: los escarabajos lucanidos de Cantabria. Locustella 3:9–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Milanesi P, Meriggi A, Merli E (2012) Selection of wild ungulates by wolves (Canis lupus L. 1758) in an area of the Northern Apennines. Ethol, Ecol & Evol 24:81–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Müller J, Bütler R (2010) A review of habitat thresholds for dead wood: a baseline for management recommendations. Eur J Forest Res 129:981–992

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Müller J, Hothorn T (2004) Maximally selected two-sample statistics as a new tool for the identification and assessment of habitat factors with an application to breeding-bird communities in oak forests. Eur J Forest Res 123:219–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Müller J, Müller AJ, Bussler H (2013) Some of the rarest European saproxylic beetles are common in the wilderness of Northern Mongolia. J Insect Conserv 17:989–1001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nakagawa S, Freckleton RP (2011) Model averaging, missing data and multiple imputation: a case study for behavioural ecology. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 65:103–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nieto A, Alexander KNA (2010) European Red List of Saproxylic Beetles. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg

  • Oksanen J, Blanchet FG, Kindt R, Legendre R, Minchin PR, O’Hara RB et al (2012) Vegan: community ecology package, R Package Version 2.1-17 edn

  • Olszewski TD (2004) A unified mathematical framework for the measurement of richness and evenness within and among multiple communities. Oikos 104:377–387

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paillet Y, Bergès L, Hjältén J, Ódor P, Avon C, Bernhardt-Römermann M, Bijlsma RJ et al (2010) Biodiversity differences between managed and unmanaged forests: meta-analysis of species richness in Europe. Cons Biol 24:101–112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perracino M (2010) Atlante dei SIC della Provincia di Pavia. Regione Lombardia e Fondazione Lombardia per l’Ambiente, Milano

  • Pignatti G, De Nadale F, Gasparini P, Paletto A (2009) Il legno morto nei boschi italiani secondo l’Inventario Forestale Nazionale. Forest@ 6:365–375

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinheiro JC, Bates DM (2000) Mixed Effects Models in S and S-Plus. Springer-Verlag, New York

  • Prigioni C (1995) Guidelines for the feasibility study of reintroduction of the otter Lutra lutra in Italy: the Project of the Ticino Valley (North-Western Italy). Hystrix 7:255–264

    Google Scholar 

  • Ranius T, Jansson N (2000) The influence of forest regrowth, original canopy cover and tree size on saproxylic beetles associated with old oaks. Biol Conserv 95:85–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richards SA (2005) Testing ecological theory using the information-theoretic approach: examples and cautionary results. Ecology 86:2805–2814

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roff DA (2006) Introduction to computer-intensive methods of data analysis in biology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

  • Rondeux J, Samchez C (2010) Review of indicators and field methods for monitoring biodiversity within national forest inventories. Core variable: Deadwood. Environ Monit Assess 164:617–630

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schiegg K (2000) Effects of dead wood volume and connectivity on saproxylic insect species diversity. Ecosci 7(3):290–298

    Google Scholar 

  • Schielzeth H (2010) Simple means to improve the interpretability of regression coefficients. Met Ecol Evol 1:103–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlaghamerský J (2000) The saproxylic beetles (Coleoptera) and ants (Formicidae) of Central European hardwood floodplain forests. Folia Fac Sci Nat Univ Masaryk Brun 103

  • Schlaghamerský J (2003) Saproxylic invertebrates of floodplains, a particularly endangered component of biodiversity. In: Mason F, Nardi G, Tisato M, (eds) Proceedings of the international symposium “dead wood: a key to biodiversity”, Mantova

  • Schmitt M (1992) Buchen-Totholz als Lebensraum für xylobionte Käfer. Waldhygiene 19:97–191

    Google Scholar 

  • Siitonen J, Martikainen P, Punttila P, Rauh J (2000) Coarse woody debris and stand characteristics in mature managed and old- growth boreal mesic forests in southern Finland. Forest Ecol Manag 128:211–225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Speight MCD (1989) Saproxylic invertebrates and their conservation. Strasbourg, Council of Europe, Nature and Environment Series 42, pp 81

  • Symonds MRE, Moussalli A (2011) A brief guide to model selection, multimodel inference and model averaging in behavioural ecology using Akaike’s information criterion. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 65:13–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Travaglini D, Bottalico F, Brundu P, Chirici G, Minari E (2007) Sampling deadwood within Bosco della Fontana. In: Gianelle D, Travaglini D, Mason F, Minari E, Chirici G, Chemini C (eds) Canopy analysis and dynamics of a floodplain forest. Cierre Grafica Editore, Verona, pp 59–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Vallauri D, André J, Dodelin B, Eynard-Macher R, Rambaud D (2005). Bois mort et à cavités. Un clé pour des forêts vivantes. Tec and Doc (Ed), Paris

  • Wikars L-O, Sahlin E, Ranius T (2005) A comparison of three methods to estimate species richness of saproxylic beetles (Coleoptera) in logs and high stumps of Norway spruce. Can Entomol 137(3):304-324

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Fondazione CARIPLO and the Ticino Park (Parco Lombardo della Valle del Ticino) for funding our research. Francesco Sartori generously supported part of the research which was carried out inside the Riserva Naturale Integrale “Bosco Siro Negri” through a fund from the Italian Ministry for the Environment (Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare) and authorized us to carry out the research within the integral reserve. Marco Bardiani, Fabio Mazzocchi, Emma Minari, and Liana Fedrigoli, belonging to the Centro Nazionale Biodiversità Forestale “Bosco Fontana” di Verona, for their help on trap design and forest structure surveys. Marco Sutti for his help in collecting environmental variables. We thank all the experts who helped us with beetle determination: Maurizio Pavesi, Michele Zilioli, and Fabrizio Rigato form the Natural History Museum of Milan; Paolo Audisio; Giuseppe Carpaneto; Giuseppe Platia; Gianfranco Salvato; Fabio Penati; Paolo Cornacchia; Enzo Colonnelli; Claudio Canepari; Carlo Pesarini; Wolfgang Rucker. I also thank Nicklas Jansson for his suggestions on saproxilic beetle ecology at the beginning and during this research project, and Pietro Milanesi for the statistical analysis suggestions and for reviewing the final version of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. DSTA - Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pavia, Via A. Ferrata 9, 27100, Pavia, Italy

    Francesca Della Rocca, S. Stefanelli & G. Bogliani

  2. Université de Strasbourg, IPHC, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087, Strasbourg, France

    C. Pasquaretta

  3. CNRS, UMR7178, 67037, Strasbourg, France

    C. Pasquaretta

  4. Centro Nazionale per lo Studio e la Conservazione della Biodiversità Forestale “Bosco della Fontana” di Verona, Corpo Forestale dello Stato, Verona, Italy

    A. Campanaro

  5. Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “Charles Darwin”, Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy

    A. Campanaro

Authors
  1. Francesca Della Rocca
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S. Stefanelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. C. Pasquaretta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A. Campanaro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. G. Bogliani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francesca Della Rocca.

Appendix

Appendix

See Tables 5 and 6.

Table 5 List of the saproxylic species collected
Full size table
Table 6 Parameter estimates of fixed effects for selected models
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Della Rocca, F., Stefanelli, S., Pasquaretta, C. et al. Effect of deadwood management on saproxylic beetle richness in the floodplain forests of northern Italy: some measures for deadwood sustainable use. J Insect Conserv 18, 121–136 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-014-9620-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-014-9620-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation