Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

The Effects of Thinning on Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Cerambycidae) in Bottomland Hardwood Forests

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Abstract - The responses of two groups of beetles, ground beetles (Carabidae) and longhorned beetles (Cerambycidae), to a partial cutting technique (thinning) applied to major and minor stream bottom sites in Mississippi were examined. Species diversity of ground beetles and longhorned beetles was greater in thinned stands than unthinned stands two years following thinning. Higher diversity of ground beetles in thinned stands was primarily attributable to the presence of species that prefer open, disturbed conditions. Longhorned beetles that use dead wood as larval host material dominated collections in thinned stands. Although the two beetle groups examined seemed to favor certain habitat conditions brought about by thinning, how other invertebrates (litter fauna, herbivores) respond will require additional investigation.

Citation

Warriner, Michael D.; Nebeker, T. Evan; Leininger, Theodor D.; Meadows, James S. 2002. The Effects of Thinning on Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Cerambycidae) in Bottomland Hardwood Forests. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–48. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. pp 569-573
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/3106