Regional Monitoring of Natural Environment 2002, No 3, 75-81
STRUCTURE OF GROUND BEETLE COMMUNITIES IN SERWIS FOREST RANGE OF ŚWIĘTOKRZYSKI NATIONAL PARK AT TWO DISTANT TIME–POINTS
Stanisław Huruk, Alicja Huruk
Summary
The paper presents the results of studies carried out in the Serwis range within the Świętokrzyski National Park in 1982–1983 and then repeated on the same study sites in 1994–1995. Four of the sites were set up in a typical fir stand (variant I) and another four in a strongly transformed fir stand with pine as a dominant (variant II). It was found that all parameters used to describe the communities had changed. Fewer individuals were captured compared to the first study, (the number of species captured in the “variant II” stand had also decreased). The main eudominant had also changed as A. carinatus had replaced E. secalis, which was eudominant in the first study. New dominant species also appeared and mean community biomass increased. Major changes to ecological structure included an increase in the share of large zoophages, which were assuming dominant or co– dominant positions within the communities. A zoogeographical analysis revealed decreasing shares of widely distributed species, and increasing shares of those occupying narrower geographical ranges. The time of peak activity of communities also shifted, from September in the first study to June. Environmental conditions were found to have improved by the time of the second study as was the structure of the communities under study. These observations suggest that ground beetles may function as bioindicators of the condition of the habitat where they live.
