Eur. J. Entomol. 121: 369-373, 2024 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2024.039

Small canopy gaps do not affect the predation pressure on large ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in a managed forestCarabidological special issueOriginal article

Jana RŮŽIČKOVÁ ORCID...1, 2, Andrea HARNOS ORCID...3, Zoltán ELEK ORCID...3, 4, *
1 HUN-REN-ELTE-MTM Integrative Ecology Research Group, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary; e-mail: jr.tracey@seznam.cz
2 Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
3 Department of Biostatistics, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, István utca 2, 1078 Budapest, Hungary; e-mails: harnos.andrea@univet.hu, zoltan.elek2@gmail.com
4 HUN-REN-DE Anthropocene Ecology Research Group, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary

Continuous cover forestry is a silvicultural system designed to mimic natural forest dynamics and maintain the structure of uneven-aged semi-natural forests. One of the key steps in this approach is to create small gaps in the canopy by logging small groups of trees or individual trees. In gap-cutting, the main goal is to determine the optimal shape and size of these gaps in order to ensure spontaneous natural regeneration of the major tree species in the canopy. Yet, it remains relatively unknown how various arthropods respond to such forestry practices. Carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) play an important role as predators of various small invertebrates and their predators are mostly vertebrates. The interactions between carabids and their predators might change due to shifts in the distribution of patches of suitable habitat as a result of forest management. Here, the aim was to determine whether gaps in the canopy of two different sizes (small vs. large) and shapes (circular vs. elongated) can affect the predation pressure on large carabids in a Hungarian oak-hornbeam forest. Using 3D-printed decoys of the largest common carabid in the area, Carabus coriaceus, placed in each of the four gap treatments and control plots, the seasonal, diurnal, and treatment-specific aspects of predation pressure was estimated. This revealed no significant effects of any of the variables included in this study, which indicates that predation pressure in undisturbed controls located in closed forests and small canopy gaps did not differ significantly. Creating gaps in the canopy by felling few trees seems to be a good strategy for maintaining the forest ecological network with minimal disruption compared clear-felling large areas.

Keywords: 3D-printing, artificial prey, carabids, forest management, Hungary, gap-cutting, predation

Received: June 24, 2024; Revised: October 9, 2024; Accepted: October 9, 2024; Published online: November 6, 2024  Show citation

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RŮŽIČKOVÁ, J., HARNOS, A., & ELEK, Z. (2024). Small canopy gaps do not affect the predation pressure on large ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in a managed forest. EJE, 121, Article 369-373. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2024.039
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