Effects of nature management practice on carabid assemblages (Coleoptera :Carabidae) in a non-native plantation

The effects of nature management practice were studied in the Aggtelek Nati onal Park in Hungary, Central Europe. The management increased the recoloni sation of herbs, shrubs and trees of the native vegetation. Pitfall catches of carabid beetles from native oak-hornbeam forest were compared with thos e from managed and unmanaged non-native spruce plantations. The unmanaged p lantation had a very low number of individuals and low diversity many years after establishment. Carabid beetles were significantly more abundant, and species richness and diversity higher in the native forest and in the mana ged plantation. The carabid assemblage in the managed spruce plantation was similar to that of the native forest but strikingly different from that in the unmanaged plantation. Many deciduous forest species disappeared or dec reased significantly in abundance in the unmanaged plantation, and they app eared in high abundance only in the managed plantation and/or in the native forest. Multiple regression showed that the cover of the leaf litter was a significant factor explaining the abundance, species richness and diversit y of the carabid assemblages. Our results suggest that the planting of non- native spruce has a detrimental effect on carabid assemblages, and the natu re management practice that encourages the re-invasion of the native plant species and the reproduction of the leaf litter significantly contributes t o the re-establishment and maintenance of the diversity of carabid assembla ges in the studied area. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved .