Dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) assemblages in the western Italian Alps: benchmark data for land use monitoring.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Traditional agro-pastoral practices are in decline over much of the Alps (MacDonald et al. 2000), leading to shrub and tree encroachment, and this represents one of the main threats for the conservation of alpine biodiversity, as many plant and animal species are dependent on the presence of semi-natural open habitats. However, quantifying this environmental change and assessing its impact on biodiversity may be difficult, especially in the context of sparse historical survey data. The accessibility of contemporary data about local biodiversity surveys in general, and indicator taxa in particular, is an essential consideration for planning future evaluations of conservation status in the Alps and for conservation plans that use ecological indicators to monitor temporal c

SUBMITTER: Tocco C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5136653 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature