Fine-scale drivers of beetle diversity are affected by vegetation context and agricultural history

dc.contributor.authorRoss, Catherine
dc.contributor.authorBarton, Philip
dc.contributor.authorMcIntyre, Sue
dc.contributor.authorCunningham, Saul
dc.contributor.authorManning, Adrian
dc.date.accessioned2021-06-22T23:45:32Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.date.updated2020-11-23T10:32:53Z
dc.description.abstractEnvironmental gradients have been shown to affect animal diversity, but knowledge of fine-scale drivers of insect diversity is, in many cases, poorly developed. We investigated the drivers of beetle diversity and composition at different microhabitats, and how this may be mediated by past agricultural activities. The study was undertaken in temperate eucalypt grassy woodland near Canberra, south-eastern Australia, with a 200-year history of pastoral land use. We sampled beetles using pitfall traps at three microhabitats (open grassland, logs and under trees). We analysed the effects of soil properties, vegetation structure, and plant composition on beetle composition, and compared beetle responses among the microhabitats. We found that microhabitat was a strong determinant of the way beetle communities responded to their environment. Soil nutrients (C, N and P) were the strongest drivers of beetle species richness, abundance and composition at open and log microhabitat, however vegetation structure (tree basal area) was more important for beetle richness, abundance and biomass under trees. We also found significant differences in beetle composition among distinct ground-layer plant communities at log and tree microhabitat. We show that prior agricultural land use, particularly fertilization, has altered soil and plant communities, and that these effects continue to flow through the system affecting beetle assemblages. These findings have implications for future management of microhabitat structures in temperate grassy woodlands with a history of agricultural use.en_AU
dc.description.sponsorshipThis research forms part of the Mulligans Flat– Goorooyarroo Woodland Experiment (Australian Research Council Linkage LP0561817, LP110100126, LP140100209), a partnership between The Australian National University, the Australian Capital Territory Government and James Cook University. Catherine Ross was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship, and an additional scholarship top-up from the ARC (LP140100209). Adrian Manning was supported by an ARC Future Fellowship (FT100100358). Philip Barton was supported by an ARC Discovery Early Career Research Award (DE150100026). Heloise Gibb assisted with the initial study design. Insects were collected under ACT Government licence-to-take (LT2007279) with the assistance of Kim Pullen (CSIRO), Nicki Munro and Steve Holliday (ANU), and identified with the assistance of Rolf Oberprieler and Adam Slipinski (CSIRO). The plant survey was funded though the National Heritage Trust Program (Project 18150) and the Caring for our Country Initiative (Project 2705) with the support of the ACT Natural Resource Management Council. Jeff Wood, Claire Foster and Ding Li Yong assisted with statistical analysis.en_AU
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_AU
dc.identifier.issn1442-9985en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/237897
dc.language.isoen_AUen_AU
dc.publisherWileyen_AU
dc.relationhttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP0561817en_AU
dc.relationhttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP110100126en_AU
dc.relationhttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP140100209en_AU
dc.relationhttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT100100358en_AU
dc.rights© 2017 Ecological Society of Australiaen_AU
dc.sourceAustral Ecologyen_AU
dc.titleFine-scale drivers of beetle diversity are affected by vegetation context and agricultural historyen_AU
dc.typeJournal articleen_AU
local.bibliographicCitation.issue7en_AU
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage843en_AU
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage831en_AU
local.contributor.affiliationRoss, Catherine, College of Science, ANUen_AU
local.contributor.affiliationBarton, Philip, College of Science, ANUen_AU
local.contributor.affiliationMcIntyre, Sue, CSIROen_AU
local.contributor.affiliationCunningham, Saul, College of Science, ANUen_AU
local.contributor.affiliationManning, Adrian, College of Science, ANUen_AU
local.contributor.authoremailu4437087@anu.edu.auen_AU
local.contributor.authoruidRoss, Catherine, u4524334en_AU
local.contributor.authoruidBarton, Philip, u4437087en_AU
local.contributor.authoruidCunningham, Saul, u4593341en_AU
local.contributor.authoruidManning, Adrian, u4006250en_AU
local.description.embargo2099-12-31
local.description.notesImported from ARIESen_AU
local.identifier.absfor060202 - Community Ecologyen_AU
local.identifier.absseo960806 - Forest and Woodlands Flora, Fauna and Biodiversityen_AU
local.identifier.ariespublicationa383154xPUB7515en_AU
local.identifier.citationvolume42en_AU
local.identifier.doi10.1111/aec.12506en_AU
local.identifier.scopusID2-s2.0-85025479519
local.identifier.uidSubmittedBya383154en_AU
local.publisher.urlhttps://www.wiley.com/en-gben_AU
local.type.statusPublished Versionen_AU

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