Increasing temperature may compensate for lower amounts of dead wood in driving richness of saproxylic beetles

• DOI: 10.1111/ecog.00908
• Publication Date: 2014-10-06T05:44:04Z
• Authors: Jörg Müller; Herve Brustel; Antoine Brin; Heinz Bussler; Christophe Bouget; Elisabeth Obermaier; Ina M. M. Heidinger; Thibault Lachat; Bernhard Förster; Jakub Horak; Jiří Procházka; Frank Köhler; Laurent Larrieu; Ulrich Bense; Gunnar Isacsson; Livia Zapponi; Martin M. Gossner
• Keywords: Dead Wood

Global warming and land‐use change are expected to be additive threats global diversity, which insects contribute the highest proportion. Insects strongly influenced by temperature but also require specific habitat resources, thus interaction between two factors is likely. We selected saproxylic beetles as a model group because their life cycle depends on dead wood, highly threatened land use. tested extent higher temperatures compensate for negative effects of low amounts wood beetle species richness (Temperature–Dead compensation hypothesis) both macroclimate topoclimate scale (north‐ south‐facing slopes). analyzed 1404 flight‐interception trap catches across Europe test dead‐wood amount richness. To experimentally our findings from activity data, we additionally reared 80 bundles initially exposed at high elevations. At scale, in 20 forest stands north‐facing slopes one region. On macroscale, positively affected total independently, was significantly negative, indicating compensation. scales irrespective method, decreased with decline. Our observation that increasing compensates lower has important implications. First, managers production forests should adapt enrichment strategy site‐specific conditions. Second, an increase will least partially poor conditions forests. Such perspective contrasts general assumption reinforcing impacts loss biodiversity, it corroborated recent range expansions species.