Patterns of carabid diversity in Finnish mature taiga

We studied the variation in carabid assemblages on mature Finnish taiga on three spatial scales: (1) among eight geographical areas in southern and central Finland, (2) on a regional scale among sampling sites within a 450-km2 study area, and (3) on a local scale among sampling sites within a 4-km2 study area. The total carabid sample included 21079 individuals of 49 species. Significantly more individuals and species were captured in the southern study areas than in the more northern ones. A positive correlation existed between species distribution and their abundance among study areas. Five species (ranked in descending order: Calathus micropterus, Pterostichus oblongopunctatus, Amara brunnea, Notiophilus biguttatus, Cychrus caraboides) were found in all the eight study areas. C. micropterus was the numerically dominant species, consisting 8—83% of the sample in the study areas. The second most abundant species, P. oblongopunctatus, constituted 6—36% of the sample. Our study provides baseline information about the composition of carabid assemblages in mature, coniferous boreal forest. This knowledge can be used in assessing effects of forestry practices upon the boreal biota.