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A global synthesis on pyroentomology and a special focus on ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) community and functional trait responses to prescribed fire severity

Year: 2021
Type: dissertation
Abstract: In the field of pyroentomology, there is a mix of conflicting positive and negative results on how insect communities respond to fires. Many studies show that fires benefit certain taxa, but in contrast, many other studies show that fires can detriment that same taxa. Thus, I conducted a systematic literature search and meta-analyses for butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera), bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea), and ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and report how each taxa's richness and abundance responded to overall fire and 16 different fire and site characteristics (e.g., severity, seasonality). Additionally, I conducted field work in the New Jersey Pinelands to study how different prescribed fire severities impacted surface active ground beetle taxonomic richness, abundance, and community composition, as well as functional richness and functional community composition. The results from the meta-analyses across 100 studies and 445 effects showed that each taxon responded differently between each other from overall fire, and within taxa, their richness and abundance varied from different fire and site characteristics. Furthermore, I did not find any fire and site characteristics that decreased richness across taxa. Surprisingly, I also found that only 7% of pyroentomology studies quantified fire severity. For my ground beetle research in the NJ Pinelands, I collected 447 specimens represented by 18 genera of 23 species and 10 functional trait groups during 2017 and 2018 across our middle and high severity and unburned, control sites. My results showed that high prescribed fire severity decreased ground beetle abundance the first year of the fire, but recovered during the second year. I also found that middle and high prescribed fire severity had no detrimental effects on taxonomic and functional richness. Lastly, I found that both taxonomic and functional community compositions were unique by fire severity treatments and control, by year, and combining treatments and year together. In conclusion, aiming for high prescribed fire severity, at least in the NJ Pinelands, will benefit surface active ground beetles. Most importantly though, methodically quantifying fire severity will provide more accurate results within study, and thus, help solve the conflicting pyroentomology results between studies.
DOI: 10.17918/00000876
Language: English
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4283374629
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