Diversity of click beetles in managed nonnative coniferous and native beech stands: Consequences of changes in the structural and species composition of tree stands in Central Europe

The natural composition of forests has undergone significant changes over recent centuries.A closer-to-natural tree species composition has long been perceived as key to a high biodiversity.We investigated the impact on communities of click beetles(Elateridae)caused by changes in the tree species composition of spruce monocultures compared to reference sites of recently unmanaged natural beech forests.To collect data,passive interception traps were distributed within managed spruce stands of different age classes and natural beech forests of various developmental stages.The beetle species richness was slightly but not significantly higher in the beech forests.The saproxylic species group was significantly more common in the spruce stands,whereas the group of nonsaproxylic species was significantly more abundant in the beech stands.In the commercial stands,the significantly highest species richness was in the clearings(0–10-year-old stands),and at this forest age class,the vast majority of the beetle species occurred in the spruce stands.In the developmental stages of the natural forest,a slightly higher beetle richness was found at the disintegration stage.The study results suggested that different tree species compositions and stand structures affect the communities of click beetles and substantially change their species composition and thus their response to external influences.Therefore,management of stands using diverse silvicultural systems is recommended for creating diverse ecological niches in forests.

The distribution patterns and temporal dynamics of carabid beetles(Coleoptera:Carabidae)in the forests of Jiaohe,Jilin Province,China

Carabid beetles,predatory insects,are abundant in forests and sensitive to environmental changes.The distribution patterns and diversity of carabid beetles in several natural forests were studied to provide a basis for evaluating the importance of a forest in the protection of carabid beetle diversity.Carabids were captured by pitfall traps during their seasonal activity from 2012 to 2013 in a poplar-birch forest,ash-walnut forest and broad-leaved Korean pine forest.A total of 5252 individuals,representing 21 species,were collected.Carabid abundance was highest in the broad-leaved Korean pine forest and lowest in the ash-walnut forest.Carabus billbergi Mannerheim and Pterostichus pertinax(Tschitscherine)were the dominant beetle species in each stand.Carabus canaliculatus Adams was dominant in the poplar-birch and ash-walnut forests,and Leistus niger Gebler was dominant in the ash-walnut forest.The carabids were affected differently by stand factors.C.billbergi and P.pertinax was positively correlated with mean DBH.C.canaliculatus and L.niger were not positively correlated with any stand factors.The broad-leaved Korean pine forest with greater age,large DBH and thick leaf litter fostered a high diversity of carabid species.The main yearly activity period for most carabids was during July.Different carabid species responded differently to seasonality,and the activity period of several species was relatively late(August)in the year.

Effect of spot burning of logging residues on the properties of mountain forest soils and the occurrence of ground beetles(Coleoptera, Carabidae)

We investigated the relationships between dehydrogenase activity and the physicochemical properties of mountain soils over three and five years from Norway spruce(Picea abies L. Karst) logging residue spot burning and the occurrence of epigeic carabid beetles. Six study sites were utilised, including18 study plots(nine plots in a mixed coniferous mountain forest site and nine plots in a mixed broadleaf mountain forest site), with five replicate pitfall traps at each site located in southern Poland.Soil samples from the organic horizon were taken for p H, organic carbon, nitrogen, base cation content,acidity and dehydrogenase activity determination.Carabid beetles were monitored in weekly intervals during the period of July to August 2016. The burning of logging residues led to modified soil properties,especially the dehydrogenase activity. In all the tested variants, the activity was higher in soil samples after the burning in comparison to the control variants. We show no positive correlation between dehydrogenase activity and the number of carabid specimens. The preferences of dominant predatory hygrophilous carabids to acid habitats with weakly decomposed organic matter were proven. Simultaneously, the soil organic matter content was positively related to the carabid abundance. The significant impact of forest site conditions and the date of logging residue burning on the number of caught specimens were confirmed. In contrast, no relationships between the species richness, species diversity, mean individual biomass and spot burning effect were found. This work supports the recommendation of spruce fine woody debris utilisation by spot burning on mountain regions with rich habitats presenting moderate wet conditions and small land falls.

Check list of water beetles recorded from Changbai Mountain area

The water beetles recorded from Changbai Mountain are listed. Amphizoa sinica Yu & Stork and Ametor scabrosus (Horn) are distributed only in Changbai Mountain area. The habitat of water beetles in each locality is described.

Damage Characteristics and Control Techniques of Longhorn Beetles in Coffee Garden

Coffee longhorn beetles are major trunk-boring pests of coffee trees,which are widely distributed in most areas of China.The biological characteristics,damage characteristics,life history and control techniques of two species of coffee longhorn beetles are reported in this paper.

Biorational control methods for protection of stored grain legumes against bruchid beetles

Bruchid beetles such as Callosobruchus maculatus are known to the storage pests of grain legumes and cause tremendous damage. The main method to protect from them is chemical insecticides or fumigants. But, they would cause some problems such as environmental pollution, hazard to health. So, it is necessary to develop the grain legumes protection methods or systems using less chemical insecticides or fumigants from the perspective of integrated pest management (IPM). In this paper, I review the works of legumes grain protection methods without chemical insecticides or fumigants especially for the natural parasitoids, essential oils and other methods recently developed.

Comparative Characterization of the Ladybird Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from Hazara University, Garden Campus, Mansehra, Pakistan

The ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) have great economic importance as natural enemies. Three hundred individuals belonging to 6 genera and 7 species of the subfamily, Coccinellinae and the tribe, Coccinellini was collected during March-May, 2011 from 3 study sites of Hazara University, Garden Campus, Mansehra, Pakistan. They were reported maximum (83.3%) from residential area and minimum (8%) from administration area. All collected species have glabrous hair on their slightly elongated or rounded bright colored body. The seven-spotted ladybug, Coccinella septempunctata (Linnaeus) has maximum (average: 6.7 ± 0.77 cm;n = 15) and Adalia tetraspilota (Hope) has minimum (average: 4.2 ± 0.15 cm;n = 14) body length. Moreover, transverse ladybird, Coccinella transversalis (Fabricius) has maximum (average: 4.8 ± 0.35 cm;n = 10) and Oenopia sauzeti (Mulsant) (n = 9) or adonis ladybird, Hippodamia variegate (Goeze) (n = 10) has minimum (3.1 cm) body width. Except six-spotted zigzag ladybird, Menochilus sexmaculatus (Fabricius) (n = 12), all collected species have black head, varied but attractive and dark in color pronotum and elytra, black scutellum except in fifteen-spotted ladybird, Harmonia dimidiate (Fabricius) (n = 10) which was brownish. The ventral side of body of A. tetraspilota was dark brown, however, C. septempunctata, C. transversalis, H. variegate and O. sauzeti were black;moreover, H. dimidiata was brownish-orange;further, M. sexmaculatus was brown. It is concluded that ladybird beetles of HU have great diversity. Their further studies have been needed for education and awareness.

Response of ground beetles(Coleoptera:Carabidae)to forest gaps formed by a typhoon in a red pine forest at Gwangneung Forest,Republic of Korea

In Korea, damaging typhoons related to climate change have increased steadily since the 1990s. Red pine （Pinus densiflora） forests in Gwangneung Forest were greatly disturbed by typhoon Kompasu in 2010. A survey was carried out to clarify differences in ground beetle （Coleoptera： Carabidae） communities between forest gaps and undamaged forests. Ground beetles were sampled using pitfall traps from early May to late October 2011. Vegetation changes, litter layer, organic matter layer, and soil conditions were also measured. A total of 1035 ground beetles of 32 species were collected. Contrary to our expectation, species richness, abundance, and community structure of the ground beetles in forest gaps were similar to those in undamaged forests. Species richness and abundance of habitat type were also similar. However, species diversity and estimated species richness in forest gaps were significantly higher than in undamaged forests. These findings suggest that forest gaps formed by a typhoon did not lead to great change in ground beetle communities.

Photosynthetic traits and antioxidative defense responses of Pinus yunnanensis after joint attack by bark beetles Tomicus yunnanensis and T.minor

Bark beetles Tomicus yunnanensis and T.minor are two important pests of Pinus yunnanensis and can cause massive death of pine trees.In this study,we examined several traits related to photosynthesis in P.yunnanensis and their relationship with antibiotic defense responses after joint attack by the two bark beetles at the shoot and the trunk stages.When shoots were attacked by the beetles,the abundance of chlorophylls,carotenoids,and the rates of net photosynthesis(Pn)and transpiration(E)decreased in needles,while the levels of superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde remained unchanged in both needles and phloem.The activity of peroxidases also remained unchanged in needles,but increased in phloem.The activity of catalases increased in both needles and phloem.When trunks were attacked by the bark beetles,chlorophyll abundance,Pn,E,and antioxidative enzyme activities all declined,and the declines were more pronounced than in the attacked shoots.A decrease in protein concentrations was also observed in needles and phloem from the attacked pines.Attack on shoots by the bark beetles suppressed host defense and provided a favorable environment for larval growth and development,resulting in long-term decline of pine growth potential.The results suggest that attacks on trunks by beetles caused more severe damage to host trees than attacks on shoots.

Occurrence of Carabid Beetles in the Phenological Stages of Weedy Plants

In the current study, we investigated the relationship between the abundance of carabid species (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and the phenological stages of weedy plants growing in edge habitats. A survey of carabid beetles was conducted in edge habitats between forest fragments and soybean/corn crops or orange orchards in five sites located in northeastern S?o Paulo state, Brazil, from November 2005 to May 2008. Beetles were captured with pitfall traps, and multiple regression analysis was used to determine the carabid species that prevailed on each of the phenological stages of weeds. In total, 1115 individuals, representing 26 genera and 52 species, were captured. Selenophorus species, mainly Selenophorus seriatoporus Putzeys, Selenophorus sp.4, Helluomorphoides squiresi (Chaudoir), Tetragonoderus laevigatus Chaudoir, Athrostictus sp.1 were abundant during the reproductive phenological stages of weedy plants, which suggests that these carabid species might prefer to feed on the seeds of weedy plants.

Factors that affect the assembly of ground-dwelling beetles at small scales in primary mixed broadleaved-Korean pine forests in north-east China

Disentangling the relative roles of environmental and spatial processes in community assembly is a major task of community ecology.It is necessary to uncover this question at multiple spatial scales;however,the relative importance of spatial and environmental processes on ground-dwelling beetle assembly at a small scale is still unclear.Based on two permanent plots(each 300 m)located in primary mixed broadleaved-Korean pine forests,the topographic,soil,and plant factors were collected,and the spatial variables(MEMs,distancebased Moran’s eigenvector maps)were calculated.A redundancy analysis(RDA)was used to evaluate the influence of topographic,soil,and plant variables on ground-dwelling beetle compositions.A variation partitioning analysis was used to quantify the relative contributions of environmental and spatial processes on the assembly of ground-dwelling beetles.The results of the RDA reported that the soil,plant,and topographic variables affected Staphylinidae and Silphidae beetle compositions in both plots.According to the results of variation partitioning,pure soil and plant variables were important for the assembly of Silphidae beetles in the LS plot.The contributions of pure topographic,soil,and plant variables were significantly lower than those of pure spatial variables.The contributions of pure spatial variables were significant for the assembly of Staphylinidae and Silphidae beetles in both plots.In addition,the relative importance of environmental and spatial processes was not significantly changed after including more environmental variables and the unexplained variations.Finally,this study suggests that both spatial and environmental variables are important for the assembly of ground-dwelling beetle communities,while pure spatial variables are more important than pure environmental variables at a small scale(300 m).

Composition and distribution of ground-dwelling beetles among oak fragments and surrounding pine plantations in a temperate forest of North China

In this study, we compared ground-dwelling beetle assemblages （Coleoptera） from a range of different oak fragments and surrounding conifer plantations to evaluate effects of forest size and surrounding matrix habitat in a temperate forest of north China. During 2000, beetles were sampled via pitfall traps within two large oak fragments （ca. 2.0-4.0 ha）, two small oak fragments （ca. 0.2-0.4 ha） and two surrounding matrices dom- inated by pine plantations （〉4 ha） in two sites of different aspects. Overall, no significantly negative effects from forest patch size and the surrounding matrix habitat were detected in total species number and abundance of ground-dwelling beetles. However, compared with small oak patches or pine plantations, more species were associated with an affinity for at least one large oak patch of the two aspects. Multivariate regression trees showed that the habitat type better determined the beetle assemblage structure than patch size and aspect, indicating a strong impact of the surrounding matrix. Linear mixed models indicated that species richness and abundance of all ground-dwelling beetles or beetle families showed different responses to the selected environmental variables. Our results suggest that more disturbed sites are significantly poorer in oak forest specialists, which are usually more abundant in large oak fragments and decrease in abundance or disappear in small fragments and surrounding matrix habitats. Thus, it is necessary to preserve a minimum size of forest patch to create conditions characteristic for forest interior, rather than the more difficult task of increasing habitat connectivity.

A Single-legged Robot Inspired by the Jumping Mechanism of Click Beetles and Its Hopping Dynamics Analysis

The click beetle can jump up with a hinge when it is on the dorsal side.This jumping mechanism is simple and suitable as an inspiration for designing a simple,small,and reliable hopping robot.We report a single-legged robot inspired by the jumping mechanism of click beetles.It is 85 mm high,60 mm long,and 41 mm wide,and weighs about 49 g.The robot has good hopping performance that the hopping height is about 4 times-4.3 times of its body height.It is capable for rescue missions that require to enter enclosed spaces through cracks and narrow channels.In addition,hopping dynamics of the robot is important to understand its jumping mechanism and improve the robot’s hopping performance.But existing dynamic study does not complete the analysis including all stages in the hopping which are pre-hopping,take-off,and air-flying.We propose the decomposition method to study dynamics of the three stages separately,and synthesize them with related parameters.The dynamic synthesis of multi-motion states in a hopping cycle of the single-legged hopping robot is implemented.The hopping performance and dynamic synthesis theory of the robot are verified by simulations and experiments.Our study helps lay the foundation for design and hopping control of simple hopping robot systems.

Early response of understory vegetation to the mass dieback of Norway spruce in the European lowland temperate forest

Spruce-dominated forests are commonly exposed to disturbances associated with mass occurrences of bark beetles.The dieback of trees triggers many physical and chemical processes in the ecosystem resulting in rapid changes in the vegetation of the lower forest layers.We aimed to determine the response of non-tree understory vegetation to the mass dieback of Norway spruce(Picea abies)in the first years after the disturbance caused by the European spruce bark beetle(Ips typographus)outbreak.Our study area was the Białowieża Biosphere Reserve covering the Polish part of the emblematic Białowieża Forest,in total 597km^(2).The main data source comprised 3,900 phytosociological relevés(combined spring and summer campaigns)collected from 1,300 systematically distributed forest sites in 2016–2018–the peak years of the bark beetle outbreak.We found that the understory responded immediately to mass spruce dieback,with the most pronounced changes observed in the year of the disturbance and the subsequent year.Shade-tolerant forest species declined in the initial years following the mass spruce dieback,while hemicryptophytes,therophytes,light-demanding species associated with non-forest seminatural communities,as well as water-demanding forest species,expanded.Oxalis acetosella,the most common understory species in the Białowieża Forest,showed a distinct fluctuation pattern,with strong short-term expansion right after spruce dieback,followed by a gradual decline over the next 3–4 years to a cover level 5 percentage points lower than before the disturbance.Thus,our study revealed that mass spruce dieback selectively affects individual herb species,and their responses can be directional and non-directional(fluctuation).Furthermore,we demonstrated that the mass dieback of spruce temporarily increases plant species diversity(α-diversity).

Applying an Improved Dung Beetle Optimizer Algorithm to Network Traffic Identification

Network traffic identification is critical for maintaining network security and further meeting various demands of network applications.However,network traffic data typically possesses high dimensionality and complexity,leading to practical problems in traffic identification data analytics.Since the original Dung Beetle Optimizer(DBO)algorithm,Grey Wolf Optimization(GWO)algorithm,Whale Optimization Algorithm(WOA),and Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO)algorithm have the shortcomings of slow convergence and easily fall into the local optimal solution,an Improved Dung Beetle Optimizer(IDBO)algorithm is proposed for network traffic identification.Firstly,the Sobol sequence is utilized to initialize the dung beetle population,laying the foundation for finding the global optimal solution.Next,an integration of levy flight and golden sine strategy is suggested to give dung beetles a greater probability of exploring unvisited areas,escaping from the local optimal solution,and converging more effectively towards a global optimal solution.Finally,an adaptive weight factor is utilized to enhance the search capabilities of the original DBO algorithm and accelerate convergence.With the improvements above,the proposed IDBO algorithm is then applied to traffic identification data analytics and feature selection,as so to find the optimal subset for K-Nearest Neighbor(KNN)classification.The simulation experiments use the CICIDS2017 dataset to verify the effectiveness of the proposed IDBO algorithm and compare it with the original DBO,GWO,WOA,and PSO algorithms.The experimental results show that,compared with other algorithms,the accuracy and recall are improved by 1.53%and 0.88%in binary classification,and the Distributed Denial of Service(DDoS)class identification is the most effective in multi-classification,with an improvement of 5.80%and 0.33%for accuracy and recall,respectively.Therefore,the proposed IDBO algorithm is effective in increasing the efficiency of traffic identification and solving the problem of the original DBO algorithm that converges slowly and falls into the local optimal solution when dealing with high-dimensional data analytics and feature selection for network traffic identification.

Demographic histories of three predatory lady beetles reveal complex patterns of diversity and population size change in the United States

Predatory lady beetles (Coccinellidae)contribute to biological control of agri- cultural pests,however,multiple species frequently compete for similar resources in the same environment.Numerous studies have examined ecological interactions among the native North American convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens)and two intro- duced species,the seven-spotted lady beetle (Coccinella septempunctata)and the Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis),in agricultural fields and described multiyear population dynamics.However,the evolutionary dynamics of these interacting species of predatory beetles are uncharacterized.We utilize publicly available multilocus genotype data from geographically disjunct populations of these three species to estimate demography across North American populations.Coalescent analyses reveal (1)a recent (4-5years)decline (>12 fold)in microsatellite effective population size ofH.convergens,while expanding (mutation scaled growth rate in 1/u generations =2910,SD =362)over evolutionary time scales,(2)a massive (>150 fold),and very recent,effective population size decline in Ha. axyridis,and (3)population size growth (mutation scaled growth rate =997,SD =60)over recent and evolutionary time scales in C.septempunctata.Although these estimates are based on genetic data with different mutation rates and patterns of inheritance (mitochondrial versus nuclear),these dynamic and differing population size histories are striking. Further studies of the interactions of these predatory lady beetles in the field are thus warranted to explore the consequences of population size change and biological control activities for evolutionary trajectories in North America.

Using dung beetles to evaluate the effects of urbanization on Atlantic Forest biodiversity

We used dung beetles to evaluate the impact of urbanization on insect biodi- versity in three Atlantic Forest fragments in Londrina, Parana, Brazil. This study provides the first empirical evidence of the impact of urbanization on richness, abundance, compo- sition and guild structure of dung beetle communities from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We evaluated the community aspects （abundance, richness, composition and food guilds） of dung beetles in fragments with different degrees of immersion in the urban matrix using pitfall traps with four alternative baits （rotten meat, rotten fish, pig dung and decaying ba- nana）. A total of 1 719 individuals were collected, belonging to 29 species from 11 genera and six Scarabaeinae tribes. The most urban-immersed fragment showed a higher species dominance and the beetle community captured on dung presented the greatest evenness. The beetle communities were distinct with respect to the fragments and feeding habits. Except for the dung beetle assemblage in the most urbanized forest fragment, all others exhibited contrasting differences in species composition attracted to each bait type. Our results clearly show that the degree of urbanization affects Atlantic Forest dung beetle communities and that the preservation of forest fragments inside the cities, even small ones, can provide refuges for Scarabaeinae.

Book Review:Longhorned Woodboring Beetles(Coleoptera:Cerambycidae and Disteniidae):Primary Types of the Smithsonian Institution(edited by S.W.Lingafelter et al.,Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press,Washington D.C.,USA.2014,390 pages)

This book was written by five authors. I had met two of them, the first and third author. The first author, Steven Wayne Lingafelter, is a research entomologist with the Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA, based at the Smithsonian Institution＇s National Museum of Natural History. He has specialized on longhomed woodboring beetles for almost three decades and currently specializes on the Neotropical fauna.

Potential use of Clerodendrum capitatum extracts and its formulation for control of three major stored product beetles

Objective:Insecticidal activity of Clerodendrum capitatum extracts against the stored product insect pest,Sitophilus oryzae(L.),Rhyzopertha dominica(F.),and Tribolium castaneum(Herbst)were investigated.Materials and Methods:Hundred grams of C.capitatum powder was sequentially extracted with a series of solvents of increasing polarity in a Soxhlet apparatus and the extracts were concentrated on rotary evaporator to make it solvent free and the residue dissolved in a known volume of methanol and the solution was assayed for insecticidal activity by the fumigant toxicity.Hexane extract which showed maximum activity was selected for the preparation of herbal formulation and for its insecticidal properties and phytotoxicity.The herbal formulation obtained from leaves of C.capitatum was investigated by GCMS and GC/FID.Results:Clerodendrum capitatum ethyl extract had a very strong repellent activity to adults of all three major stored grain insects and was significantly repellent at a 1.58 mg/cm^(2).The hexane extract(oil)had high fumigant activity with LC_(50) values in the range between 25 and 32μg/L.A total of 14 components representing 97.8%of the formulation were identified and the main compounds in the formulation were found to be 2-Heptanone,3-methyl(33.9%)and Hexahydrofarnesyl acetone(25.3%)followed by 3-Dodecen-1-al(10.2%)and 8-Methyl-1-undecene(4.9%).Further,herbal formulation was found to be highly toxic to mixed age cultures of all three major stored grain insect pests which recorded 80%-90%mortality at dose of 200μg/L in 24 h exposure,where as 100%mortality achieved at dose of 200μg/L in 72 h exposure,respectively.Conclusion:The results indicate that extracts and formulation of C.capitatum has the potential to be developed in to a natural insecticide or repellent for controlling of stored product beetles.

Coupling between elytra of some beetles: Mechanism, forces and effect of surface texture

Lightweight materials, structures and coupling mechanisms are very important for realizing advanced flight vehicles. Here, we obtained the geometric structures and morphologies of the elytra of beetles and ascertained its coupling zone by using the histological section technique and SEM. We set up a three-dimensional motion observing system to monitor the opening and closing behaviour of elytra in beetles and to determine the motion mechanism. We constructed a force measuring system to measure the coupling forces between elytra. The results show that elytra open and close by rotating about a single axle, where the coupling forces may be as high as 160 times its own bodyweight, the elytra coupling with the tenon and mortise mechanism, surface texture and opening angle between elytra heavily influence the coupling forces. These results may provide insights into the design mechanism and structure for future vehicles of flight.