Photo: André Goulet

Ground beetles, which numerous species make up the large family Carabidae, are often used as indicators of biodiversity. Their population dynamics are widely used in Europe and western North America to assess the quality of forest management from the standpoint of biodiversity maintenance.

In a recent study conducted by researchers at the Canadian Forest Service, the Université du Québec à Montréal, the University of Alberta and the University of Jyväskalä, the use of ground beetles as indicators of forest disturbances was evaluated on a local and regional basis through 10 large-scale forestry studies carried out across Canada. The researchers studied the impacts of various forestry practices on insect populations, ranging from clearcutting to gap harvesting, ground scarification, and even forest fire.

In this research, 152 species of ground beetles were identified, including 16 dominant species and 12 species that are distributed throughout Canada. The researchers noted that populations vary considerably with the type of forest cover (coniferous or deciduous) in which they are found. These results suggest that ground beetles are more effective indicators of forest management practices within the context of individual studies than at the regional or national level.