Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) as biodiversity indicators for age structure in Piedmont forests

This study examined the diversity, community composition, and wing state of Carabidae as a function of forest age and identified eighteen species as potential ecological indicators for forest age. Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) are typically ground-dwelling, generalist predators. Carabids were collected monthly through pitfall traps from March 2009 through February 2010 from 33 sites representing 5 forest classes approximately 0, 10, 50, 85, and 150 years old. 2,568 individuals were collected, representing 30 genera and 63 species. Carabid species diversity, as measured by six diversity indices, was significantly different between the oldest and youngest forest age classes for some but not all of six diversity indices. Although most carabid species can be considered generalists, occurring in all or most of the forest age classes, carabid species composition still varied significantly across classes. The results of non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) ordination both show a clear separation of forest age classes in terms of beetle community composition. Eighteen carabid species were identified as potential candidates for ecological indicators of forest age. The proportion of individuals capable of flight decreased with forest age.