Boundaries in ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and environmental variables at the edges of forest patches with residential developments.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Few studies of edge effects on wildlife objectively identify habitat edges or explore non-linear responses. In this paper, we build on ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) research that has begun to address these domains by using triangulation wombling to identify boundaries in beetle community structure and composition at the edges of forest patches with residential developments. We hypothesized that edges are characterized by boundaries in environmental variables that correspond to marked discontinuities in vegetation structure between maintained yards and forest. We expected environmental boundaries to be associated with beetle boundaries.

Methods

We collected beetles and measured environmental variables in 200 m by 200 m sampling grids centered at the edges o

SUBMITTER: Davis DE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5764035 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature