Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2026

Technique for Studying Arthropod and Microbial Communities within Tree Tissues
Published on: November 16, 2014
Changes in ground beetle diversity and community composition in age structured forests (Coleoptera, Carabidae)
Kathryn N Riley1, Robert A Browne
1Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC. U.S.A.
Abstract:
We examined diversity, community composition, and wing-state of Carabidae as a function of forest age in Piedmont North Carolina. Carabidae were collected monthly from 396 pitfall traps (12×33 sites) from March 2009 through February 2010, representing 5 forest age classes approximately 0, 10, 50, 85, and 150 years old. A total of 2,568 individuals, representing 30 genera and 63 species, were collected. Carabid species diversity, as estimated by six diversity indices, was significantly different between the oldest and youngest forest age classes for four of the six indices. Most carabid species were habitat generalists, occurring in all or most of the forest age classes. Carabid species composition varied across forest age classes. Seventeen carabid species were identified as potential candidates for ecological indicators of forest age. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) showed separation among forest age classes in terms of carabid beetle community composition. The proportion of individuals capable of flight decreased significantly with forest age.
Related Concept Videos
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift
Soil Microbial Ecology
Ecological Succession
Ecological Disturbance
Diversity of Protists III

