Eur. J. Entomol. 117: 56-67, 2020 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2020.006

Long term changes (1990-2016) in carabid beetle assemblages (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in protected forests on Dinaric Karst on Mountain Risnjak, CroatiaOriginal article

Željka JAMBROŠIĆ VLADIĆ1, Lucija ŠERIĆ JELASKA2
1 Architectural, Natural Science and Mining School Varaždin, Hallerova aleja 3, 42000 Varaždin, Croatia; e-mail: z.j.vladic@gmail.com
2 University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Rooseveltov trg 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; e-mail: slucija@biol.pmf.hr

Carabids, as well-known bioindicators, have been used to study the long term changes that have occurred in their communities in the Dinaric Alps. This study involved eight sites in the protected forests of the Risnjak National Park in the years 2015 and 2016 of which three were previously studied in 1990 and 1991. A total of 9, 521 individual ground beetles belonging to 17 genera and 33 species were collected. Species diversity and community composition, including percentages of species grouped according to their habitat preferences, body size, wing morphology, preferred moisture and temperature were used to compare the sites sampled in 1990 and 1991 and resampled in 2015 and 2016. Even though this study was carried out in protected forests within the National Park with minimal anthropogenic pressure and the fact that available climatic data didn't show any significant change in climate over the last 25 years, there was a reduction in the abundance of specialist species and increase in the spread of generalist species. Furthermore, the lower abundance of a mountain specialist and endemic species, Pterostichus variolatus, and the lack of mountain specialists Molops alpestris, Pterostichus unctulatus and Trechus croaticus in the catches indicate the importance of further monitoring of these mountain forest ecosystems and for a well-timed and appropriate conservation approach.

Keywords: Coleoptera, Carabidae, climatic changes, elevation gradient, endemic species, repeated study, community composition, Croatia

Received: June 20, 2019; Accepted: December 17, 2019; Published online: February 7, 2020  Show citation

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JAMBROŠIĆ VLADIĆ, Ž., & ŠERIĆ JELASKA, L. (2020). Long term changes (1990-2016) in carabid beetle assemblages (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in protected forests on Dinaric Karst on Mountain Risnjak, Croatia. EJE, 117, Article 56-67. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2020.006
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