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Short Spatiotemporal Fire History Explains the Occurrence of Beetles Favoured by Fire

Per Milberg¹, Karl-Olof Bergman¹, Nicklas Jansson¹

¹IFM Biology, Conservation Ecology Group, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden.

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|October 25, 2024

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View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Conservation burns are crucial for threatened forest species. This study found that fire-favored beetles thrive when prescribed fires are frequent, close in space (within 2 km), and recent (within 2-3 years).

Area of Science:

Ecology
Conservation Biology
Forestry

Background:

Northern European forest fires have decreased, threatening fire-favored species.
Prescribed burning is a conservation tool, but optimal parameters are unknown.
Understanding fire history effects is vital for effective species recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze the impact of recent fire history (12 years) on beetle communities.
To determine suitable fire frequency, size, and landscape placement for conservation burns.
To compare the response of fire-favored beetles to non-fire-favored and saproxylic species.

Main Methods:

Beetles were sampled using smoke attraction traps at 21 forest sites across a 10,000 km² region.
A novel spatiotemporal connectivity measure was developed to assess fire history.

Keywords:

Coleoptera conservation burns forest fire pyrophilic

Statistical analysis compared beetle presence/abundance with fire connectivity.

Main Results:

Both the number of species and individuals of fire-favored beetles significantly increased with connectivity to previous fires.
Non-fire-favored and saproxylic beetle groups showed no significant response to fire connectivity.
Optimal connectivity indicated beetles respond to fires within a 2 km range up to 2-3 years post-fire.

Conclusions:

Fire-favored beetle populations benefit from spatially and temporally proximate fires.
Prescribed fires should be implemented close in space and time to existing or recent fires.
This research provides crucial data for optimizing conservation burn strategies to support threatened insect species.