Effect of larch admixture on forest litter beetle (Coleoptera) communities diversity and number of carabid individuals in mixed coniferous habitats of Lithuania

Tamutis V, Sklodowski J. 2012. Wplyw wprowadzenia modrzewia na roznorodnose i liczebnose chrzaszczy sciolkowych w borach mieszanych na terenie Litwy. Sylwan 156 (8): 581-592. During winter time, beetle individuals were collected from soil samples taken from a Scots pine culture, an old-growth Scots pine forest, and a European larch culture and old-growth. The following research questions were put forward: (1) Does an admixture of larch in the forest stand contribute to increase in species diversity as well as the numbers of beetle individuals hibernating in the forest litter? (2) Does an admixture of larch in the forest stand result in an increased proportion of beetle species potentially pests for the forest trees, in the carabid communities? We analyzed data with use PCA, Ward method. The first question should be answered positively. The second question should be answered negatively. The analyses of beetle fauna overwintering in the forest litter as carried out in this paper confirmed the purposefulness of larch introduction as an admixture in pine stands in Lithuania.