Sample coverage standardization ranks species richness of saproxylic beetles across European tree genera
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Aims In forest ecosystems, tree species composition and diversity are fundamental drivers of biodiversity and many species are closely associated to specific tree species as hosts. Saproxylic diversity across tree species may be shaped by interactions between ecological and environmental factors, such as resource availability. However, a throughout and unbiased quantification of diversity across tree species is missing. We investigated patterns an drivers of saproxylic beetle diversity across European tree gnera while accounting for differences in sampling effort. Location Europe Methods We used a large dataset, of 25 studies, comprising 500,000 deadwood-dependent beetles, representing 1041 saproxylic beetle species, sampled from 29 tree genera. We accounted for sampling effort by estimating diversity using coverage-based standardization across Hill numbers. We than used linear models to identify drivers of saproxylic beetle diversity across tree genera and assessed differences in community composition using Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS). Additionally, the most abundant beetle families were identified for a subset of 14 genera. Results Quercus supported the highest richness of infrequent, frequent, and highly frequent species, while Fagus exhibited the highest observed (unstandardized) species richness. Beetle communities were less differentiated when focusing on infrequent species, whereas tree genera were separated when focusing on frequent and highly frequent species. In addition, we found that resource availability and maximum tree height best predicted infrequent beetle diversity, whereas resource availability was the main driver of frequent species. In contrast, the same analyses for unstandardized data indicated postglacial occurrence as an important factor for infrequent species. Main conclusions Although resource availability supported the species–area hypothesis , standardized data revealed higher richness on smaller trees, partly contradicting this pattern. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for sampling bias and promoting tree diversity, particularly oaks, to sustain saproxylic beetle diversity.
Authors: Ronja Hausmann, Anne Chao, Romain Angeleri, Christophe Bouget, Antoine Brin, Cristiana Cocciufa, Anika Gossmann, Martin M. Gossner, Elena Haeler, Jonas Hagge, Marit L. Hertlein, Joakim Hjältén, Peter Kriegel, Thibault Lachat, Laurent Larrieu, Anna L. M. Macagno, Oliver Mitesser, Claudio Sbaraglia, Sebastian Seibold, Sebastian Vogel, Sebastian Zarges, Jörg Müller, Simon Thorn
Institutions: University of Würzburg, National Tsing Hua University, University of Bern, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, Ecole d'Ingénieurs de PURPAN, Dynamiques et écologie des paysages agriforestiers, Université de Toulouse, Organizzazione per la Tutela Forestale, Ambientale e Agroalimentare, Arma dei Carabinieri, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Austrian Research Centre for Forests, Nordwestdeutsche Forstliche Versuchsanstalt, University of Göttingen, Czech Academy of Sciences, Biology Centre, Technische Universität Dresden, Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz, Centre National de la Propriété Forestière, Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana University, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Universität Ulm, Hochschule Osnabrück, Bavarian Forest National Park, Philipps University of Marburg
Language: English
Subfield: Insect Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7214729626