Landscape patterns of species-level association between ground-beetles and overstory trees in boreal forests of western Canada (Coleoptera, Carabidae).

Spatial associations between species of trees and ground-beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) involve many indirect ecological processes, likely reflecting the function of numerous forest ecosystem components. Describing and quantifying these associations at the landscape scale is basic to the development of a surrogate-based framework for biodiversity monitoring and conservation. In this study, we used a systematic sampling grid covering 84 km(2) of boreal mixedwood forest to characterize the ground-beetle assemblage associated with each tree species occurring on this landscape.

High levels of green-tree retention are required to preserve ground beetle biodiversity in boreal mixedwood forests.

Recovery of biodiversity and other ecosystem functions to pre-disturbance levels is a central goal of natural disturbance-based approaches to ecosystem management. In boreal mixedwood forests, green-tree retention has been proposed as an alternative approach to traditional clearcutting that may minimize initial displacement of species assemblages and speed recovery of the biota. Here we evaluated the effectiveness of six levels of dispersed greentree retention for conservation of ground beetle biodiversity in four boreal mixedwood cover types that span a gradient of stand development following wildfire.

Effect of foliage proximity on attraction ofChoristoneura occidentalis andC. retiniana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) to pheromone sources.

Pheromone-baited traps located close to both host and nonhost crowns were more attractive than traps located between crowns for bothC. occidentalis Freeman andC. retiniana (Walsingham) at both 10 m and at 1.