Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Differences in surface-dwelling beetles of grasslands invaded and non-invaded by goldenrods (Solidago canadensis, S. gigantea) with special reference to Carabidae

  • ORIGINAL PAPER
  • Published:
Journal of Insect Conservation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We evaluated surface-dwelling Coleoptera with special reference to ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) using pitfall traps across fourteen stands of grasslands invaded and non-invaded by invasive goldenrods (Solidago canadensis L. and S. gigantea Ait.) over a 3 year period. We analysed differences in assemblages of invaded and non-invaded grasslands and tested responses of surface-dwelling beetles and carabids to invasion of goldenrods. We identified 29 Coleoptera families and 91 Carabidae species. Solidago invaded grasslands showed significantly higher activity-abundance of rove and carrion beetles and supported greater diversity and significantly higher evenness of surface-dwelling Coleoptera and the number of sampled families and individuals was higher too. We found lower taxonomic richness and significantly lower activity-abundance of carabids across goldenrods stands. Several less common Carabidae species and significantly higher representation of stenotopic brachypterous habitat specialists were also observed within invaded stands. We confirmed that differences in plant cover connected with invasion of goldenrods, soil moisture and abandonment of invaded habitats are the driving mechanisms of changes in surface-dwelling Coleoptera and ground beetles assemblages composition across Solidago invaded grasslands. Overall, changes of grassland biotopes connected with invasion of goldenrods significantly alter Coleoptera families and Carabidae assemblages, but not necessarily reduce diversity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Brom J, Procházka J, Rejšková A (2009) Evaluation of functional properties of various types of vegetation cover using remotely sensed data analysis. Soil Water Res 4:49–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapuis-Lardy L, Vanderhoeven S, Dassonville N, Koutika L-S, Meerts P (2006) Effect of the exotic invasive plant Solidago gigantea on soil phosphorus status. Biol Fertil Soils 42:481–489

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cvachová A, Gojdičová E (2003) Regulation for invasive plant species removal. SOPSR, COPK Banská Bystrica (in Slovak)

  • de Groot M, Kleijn D, Jogan N (2007) Species groups occupying different trophic levels respond differently to the invasion of semi-natural vegetation by Solidago canadensis. Biol Conserv 136:612–617

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ernst CM, Cappuccino N (2005) The effect of an invasive alien vine Vincetoxicum rossicum (Asclepiadaceae) on arthropod populations in Ontario old fields. Biol Invasions 7:417–425

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiala K et al (1999) Partial monitoring system-soil: mandatory statutes, 1st edn. SSCRI Bratislava (in Slovak)

  • Gerber E, Krebs Ch, Murrell C, Moretti M, Rocklin R, Schaffner U (2008) Exotic invasive knotweeds (Fallopia spp.) negatively affect native plant and invertebrate assemblages in European riparian habitats. Biol Conserv 141:646–654

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goslee SC, Urban DL (2007) The ecodist package for dissimilarity-based analysis of ecological data. J Stat Softw 22:1–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Gu W, Sang W, Liang H, Axmacher JC (2008) Effects of Crofton weed Ageratina adenophora on assemblages of Carabidae (Coleoptera) in the Yunnan Province, South China. Agric Ecosyst Environ 124:173–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hammer O, Harper DAT, Ryan PD (2001) PAST: palaeontological statistics software package for education and data analysis, PAST version 2.17c. Palaeontol Electron 4:9

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansen AK, Ortega YK, Six DL (2009) Comparison of ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) assemblages in Rocky Mountain savannas invaded and un-invaded by an exotic forb, spotted knapweed. Northwest Sci 4:348–360

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herrera AM, Dudley TL (2003) Reduction of riparian arthropod abundance and diversity as a consequence of giant reed (Arundo donax) invasion. Biol Invasions 5:167–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Humbert JY, Ghazoul J, Walter T (2009) Meadow harvesting and their impacts on field fauna. Agric Ecosyst Environ 130:1–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hůrka K (1996) Carabidae of the Czech and the Slovak Republics, illustrated key. Kabourek, Zlín

  • Hůrka K (2005) Beetles of the Czech and the Slovak Republics. Kabourek, Zlín

  • Hůrka K, Veselý P, Farkač J (1996) The usage of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) for the environmental quality assessment. Klapalekiana 32:15–26 (in Czech)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ishitani M, Kotze DJ, Niemela J (2003) Changes in carabid beetles assemblages across an urban-rural gradient in Japan. Ecography 26(2003):481–489

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jakobs G, Weber E, Edwards PJ (2004) Introduced plants of the invasive Solidago gigantea (Asteraceae) are larger and grow denser than conspecifics in the native range. Divers Distrib 10:11–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalarus K, Skórka P, Nowicki P (2013) Resources in two contrasting habitat types raises different challenges for the conservation of the dryad butterfly Minois dryas. J Insect Conserv 17:777–786

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kappes H, Lay R, Topp W (2007) Changes in different trophic levels of litter-dwelling macrofauna associated with giant knotweed invasion. Ecosystems 10:734–744

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koutika L-S, Rainey HJ, Dassonville N (2011) Impacts of Solidago gigantea, Prunus serotina, Heracleum mantegazzianum and Fallopia japonica invasions on ecosystems. AEER 91:73–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Magura T, Tóthmérész B, Molnár T (2004) Changes in carabid beetle assemblages along an urbanisation gradient in the city of Debrecen, Hungary. Landsc Ecol 19:747–759

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oksanen J, Guillaume Blanchet F, Kindt R, Legendre P, Minchin PR, O’Hara RB, Simpson GL, Solymos P, Henry M, Stevens H, Wagner H (2013) Vegan: community ecology package. R package version 2.0-7. http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=vegan/

  • R Development Core Team (2011) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. ISBN 3-900051-07-0. http://www.R-project.org/

  • Rainio J, Niemelä J (2003) Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) as bioindicators. Biodivers Conserv 12:487–506

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siemann E (1998) Experimental tests of effects of plant productivity and diversity on grassland arthropod diversity. Ecology 79:2057–2070

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skórka P, Lenda M, Tryjanowski P (2010) Invasive alien goldenrods negatively affect grassland bird communities in Eastern Europe. Biol Conserv 143:856–861

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Small EC, Sadler JP, Telfer MG (2003) Carabid beetle assemblages on urban derelict sites in Birmingham, UK. J Insect Conserv 6:233–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Šustek Z (1981) Some sequences of geographical distensions of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and their ability to permeate into the ecosystems of urbanized landscape. Rep Dep Geogr ČSAV 18:30–40 (in Czech)

    Google Scholar 

  • Šustek Z (1994) Several consideration about using pitfall traps for epigeic insect sampling. Text-book from workshop “research of forest reservations”. Czech institution for nature monitoring and reservation in Brno and Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno 73–80 (in Czech)

  • Šustek Z (2004) Characteristics of humidity requirements and relations to vegetation cover of selected Centra-European Carabids (Col., Carabidae). In: Polehla P (ed) Evaluating of the condition and the developent of the forest geo-biocoenoses. Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology Mendel University in Brno, Department of the Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology, Geobiocoenological script 9:210–214 (in Czech)

  • Ter Braak CJF, Šmilauer P (2002) CANOCO reference manual and CanoDraw for Windows User’s guide. Sftw. For Canonical Community Ordination (version 4.5). Microcomputer Power, Ithaca, New York, p 500

  • Topp W, Kappes H, Rogers F (2008) Response of ground-dwelling beetle (Coleoptera) assemblages to giant knotweed (Reynoutria spp.) invasion. Biol Invasions 10:381–390

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang S, Fu BJ, Gao GY, Yao XL, Zhou J (2012) Soil moisture and evapotranspiration of different land cover types in the Loess Plateau, China. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 16:2883–2892

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weber E, Jakobs G (2005) Biological flora of central Europe: Solidago gigantea Aiton. Flora 200:109–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We appreciate the methodical assistance of Lukáš Čížek from the Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre AS CR, v.v.i. We also would like to thank to Dr. Tim Shreeve for revising the English text and to anonymous referees for very careful review of our paper, and for the comments, corrections and suggestions. The research was supported by University of Prešov in Prešov Grant agency for PhD. students and young researchers.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Beáta Baranová.

Appendix

Appendix

See Tables 5, 6.

Table 5 List and representation of Coleoptera families in the non-invaded and Solidago invaded grasslands in Eastern Slovakia during 2010, 2011 and 2012
Table 6 Representation of Carabidae species and their relative abundance in the non-invaded and Solidago invaded grasslands in Eastern Slovakia during 2010, 2011 and 2012

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Baranová, B., Manko, P. & Jászay, T. Differences in surface-dwelling beetles of grasslands invaded and non-invaded by goldenrods (Solidago canadensis, S. gigantea) with special reference to Carabidae. J Insect Conserv 18, 623–635 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-014-9666-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-014-9666-0

Keywords

Navigation