Introduction
Longhorned beetles, or cerambycids, are important species in temperate forest ecosystems, due to their feeding impacts on trees. Many cerambycids feed on dead wood and therefore assist in the decomposition of dead trees in forest ecosystems. Saproxylic cerambycids (dead wood dependent) and other saproxylic beetles are thought to be useful indicators of forest biodiversity1. We were interested in testing the hypothesis that larger forests have greater cerambycid species diversity than smaller forests in NW Ohio, a highly fragmented landscape in terms of forest ecosystems.
Methodology
Three types of traps (Lindgren funnel trap, Intercept Panel trap, and Window trap) were set up in each of 8 forests in northwestern Ohio. 95% ethanol was used to attract beetles (Figure 1–Figure 3).
We started collecting beetles in early June, and we continued to collect them until early October (Figure 4).
We put the traps into 8 different forest areas. Four forests were large (>100 hectares) and four forests were classified as small (<20 hectares).
Figure 1. Intercept Panel trap used for capturing Cerambycid beetles.
Figure 2. Lindgren Funnel trap used for capturing Cerambycid beetles.
Figure 3. Window trap used for capturing Cerambycid beetles.
Figure 4. Examples of Cerambycids species that was caught in the 8 forests sampled.
Strophiona nitens (top left), Gaurotes cyanipennis (top right) Urographus fasciatus (bottom left) and Microgoes oculatus (bottom right).
Author contributions
Daniel M. Pavuk set the traps, collected the beetles, identified the beetles to species, and performed the statistical analysis. Andrea M. Wadsworth assisted with the collection of the beetles and sorting the beetles.
Competing interests
No competing interests were disclosed.
Grant information
This research was supported by funds provided by The Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green Ohio.
Acknowledgements
We thank Mr. John Jaeger, Director of Natural Resources, Toledo, Metroparks, and Mr. Chris Smalley, Stewardship Director, Wood County, OH, Parks, for permission to do research in their parks and preserves. Thanks also to Dr. Jeff Holland, Purdue Univ., for his advice and suggestions on this research project.
This work was previously presented as a poster (PS 90-42) at the Ecological Society of America Annual meeting 2012.
Faculty Opinions recommendedReferences
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Holland JD:
Sensitivity of Cerambycid indicators to definition of high diversity.
Biodivers Conserv.
2007; 16(9): 2599–2609. Publisher Full Text
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