The impact of logging roads on dung beetle assemblages in a tropical rainforest reserve.

ABSTRACT: The demand for timber products is facilitating the degradation and opening up of large areas of intact habitats rich in biodiversity. Logging creates an extensive network of access roads within the forest, yet these are commonly ignored or excluded when assessing impacts of logging on forest biodiversity. Here we determine the impact of these roads on the overall condition of selectively logged forests in Borneo, Southeast Asia. Focusing on dung beetles along > 40 km logging roads we determine: (i) the magnitude and extent of edge effects alongside logging roads; (ii) whether vegetation characteristics can explain patterns in dung beetle communities, and; (iii) how the inclusion of road edge forest impacts dung beetle assemblages within the overall logged landscape. We found that while veg

SUBMITTER: Edwards FA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5239768 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature