Biodiversity of ground beetles in young and old poplar stands

Abstract

Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) are a useful bioindicator group in forests in almost every part of the world. This thesis studied the biodiversity of carabid beetles in old and young age trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) stands to determine if there was a difference in species abundance and individual abundance. Six sites (three young age and three old age) in the Kenora/Rainy River district north of Nestor Falls, Ontario with a primarily poplar species composition were selected, and five pitfall traps were dug and placed in a seventy-five metre transect at each site. Samples were collected every two weeks from May 11th to August 17th, 2018 and identified to estimate species accumulation and individual abundance over a longer sampling period using EstimateS, a biodiversity estimation software. A difference in species accumulation and individual abundance over time was found between the two stand types. There was also a measured difference in the biodiversity of carabids between the two stand types. It was found that large scale disturbances such as forest harvesting had an effect on the species abundance of carabid beetles in young age poplar stands while the accumulation of biomass and familiar habitat found in old age poplar stands had an effect on the individual abundance of carabids. This data has not been documented in the mentioned district before and would provide information for future research or environment-based operations occurring in the area. This research can be used to map the distribution of carabid beetles in northwestern Ontario, specifically in the Kenora/Rainy River district.