Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Patch size determines the strength of edge effects on carabid beetle assemblages in urban remnant forests

  • ORIGINAL PAPER
  • Published:
Journal of Insect Conservation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Habitat fragmentation due to urbanization is increasing rapidly worldwide. Although patch area and edge effect are both important determinants of species diversity and the number of individuals in fragmented landscapes, studies that tested interaction between two effects were limited. Here we examined the interaction between area and edge effects on species richness and the number of individuals of carabids in highly fragmented forests in Tokyo, central Japan. We surveyed carabids in each of 26 forest patches (1.1–121.6 ha) using pitfall traps set in both edge and interior zones. First, we correlated the edge-to-interior differences of both species richness and the number of individuals with patch area. Second, we examined the interaction between patch area and distance to the edge on species richness and the number of individuals using generalized linear models. We found a significant decrease in carabid species richness and the number of individuals in edge zones. The edge-to-interior differences in both species richness and the number of individuals were positively correlated with patch area. Model selection revealed the evident interaction effects between patch area and distance to the edge: higher number of individuals was predicted in only large interior zones. Our results indicated that carabid beetle assemblages were influenced by the interaction between area and edge effects. Thus, in urban areas where small forest remnants dominate, circularizing the shape of the forest patches to maximize the core areas may be the most feasible and realistic means to preserve biodiversity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bagliani M, Galli A, Niccolucci V, Marchettini N (2008) Ecological footprint analysis applied to a sub-national area: the case of the Province of Siena (Italy). J Environ Manag 86:354–364

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Báldi A, Kisbenedek T (1994) Comparative analysis of edge effect on bird and beetle communities. Acta Zoologica 40:1–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Banks-Leite C, Ewers RM, Metzger JP (2010) Edge effects as the principal cause of area effects on birds in fragmented secondary forest. Oikos 119:918–926

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barton K (2009) MuMIn: multi-model inference. In: R package version 0.12.0. http://r-forge.r-project.org/projects/mumin/

  • Bedford S, Usher M (1994) Distribution of arthropod species across the margins of farm woodlands. Agric Ecosyst Environ 48:295–305

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bender DJ, Fahrig L (2005) Matrix structure obscures the relationship between interpatch movement and patch size and isolation. Ecology 86:1023–1033

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnham KP, Anderson DR (2002) Model selection and inference: a practical information-theoretic approach. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Connor EF, McCoy ED (1979) The statistics and biology of the species-area relationship. Am Nat 113:791–833

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dearborn DC, Kark S (2009) Motivations for conserving urban biodiversity. Conserv Biol 24:432–440

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Devictor V, Julliard R, Jiguet F (2008) Distribution of specialist and generalist species along spatial gradients of habitat disturbance and fragmentation. Oikos 117:507–514

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diamond JM (1975) The island dilemma: lessons of modern biogeographic studies for the design of natural reserves. Biol Conserv 7:129–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ewers RM, Didham RK (2006) Confounding factors in the detection of species responses to habitat fragmentation. Biol Rev 81:117–142

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ewers RM, Didham RK (2007) The effect of fragment shape and species’ sensitivity to habitat edges on animal population size. Conserv Biol 21:926–936

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ewers RM, Didham RK (2008) Pervasive impact of large-scale edge effects on a beetle community. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 105:5426–5429

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ewers RM, Thorpe S, Didham RK (2007) Synergistic interactions between edge and area effects in a heavily fragmented landscape. Ecology 88:96–106

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fahrig L (2003) Effects of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 34:487–515

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher RJ, Ries L, Battin J, Chalfoun AD (2007) The role of habitat area and edge in fragmented landscapes: definitively distinct or inevitably intertwined? Can J Zool 85:1017–1030

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Franklin JF (1993) Preserving biodiversity—species, ecosystems, or landscapes. Ecol Appl 3:202–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fujita A, Maeto K, Kagawa Y, Ito N (2008) Effects of forest fragmentation on species richness and composition of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae and Brachinidae) in urban landscapes. Entomol Sci 11:39–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaston KJ (2010) Urban ecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Grimm NB, Faeth SH, Golubiewski NE, Redman CL, Wu JG, Bai XM, Briggs JM (2008) Global change and the ecology of cities. Science 319:756–760

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Iwasaki A, Ishii H (2005) Vegetation structure of fragmented shrine/temple forests in Southeastern Hyogo Prefecture –estimation of edge-effect distance and minimum conservation area–. Hum Nat 15:29–41

    Google Scholar 

  • Kareiva P, Watts S, McDonald R, Boucher T (2007) Domesticated nature: shaping landscapes and ecosystems for human welfare. Science 316:1866–1869

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koivula MJ, Vermeulen HJW (2005) Highways and forest fragmentation - effects on carabid beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae). Landsc Ecol 20:911–926

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lake Biwa Museum (2012) http://www.lbm.go.jp/emuseum/zukan/gomimushi/kamei_list.html. Accessed 22 Mar 2012

  • Laurance WF (1991) Edge effects in tropical forest fragments: application of a model for the design of nature reserves. Biol Conserv 57:205–219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laurance WF (2008) Theory meets reality: how habitat fragmentation research has transcended island biogeographic theory. Biol Conserv 141:1731–1744

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laurance WF, Yensen E (1991) Predicting the impacts of edge effects in fragmented habitats. Biol Conserv 55:77–92

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lemieux J, Lindgren BS (1999) A pitfall trap for large-scale trapping of Carabidae: comparison against conventional design, using two different preservatives. Pedobiologia 43:245–253

    Google Scholar 

  • Lomolino MV (1990) The target area hypothesis – the influence of island area on immigration rates of non-volant mammals. Oikos 57:297–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacArthur RH, Wilson EO (1967) The theory of island biogeography. Princeton University Press, Princeton

    Google Scholar 

  • Magura T (2002) Carabids and forest edge: spatial pattern and edge effect. For Ecol Manag 157:23–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magura T, Tothmeresz B, Molnar T (2001) Forest edge and diversity: carabids along forest-grassland transects. Biodivers Conserv 10:287–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magura T, Tothmeresz B, Molnar T (2008) A species-level comparison of occurrence patterns in carabids along an urbanisation gradient. Landsc Urban Plan 86:134–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malcolm JR (1994) Edge effects in central Amazonian forest fragments. Ecology 75:2438–2445

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murcia C (1995) Edge effects in fragmented forests: implications for conservation. Trends Ecol Evol 10:58–62

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peay KG, Bruns TD, Kennedy PG, Bergemann SE, Garbelotto M (2007) A strong species-area relationship for eukaryotic soil microbes: island size matters for ectomycorrhizal fungi. Ecol Lett 10:470–480

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rainio J, Niemelä J (2003) Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) as bioindicators. Biodivers Conserv 12:487–506

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ries L, Fletcher RJ, Battin J, Sisk TD (2004) Ecological responses to habitat edges: mechanisms, models, and variability explained. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 35:491–522

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russell GJ, Diamond JM, Reed TM, Pimm SL (2006) Breeding birds on small islands: island biogeography or optimal foraging? J Anim Ecol 75:324–339

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sota T (2002) The four seasons of carabid beetles: the evolution of life history and the species diversity. Ecological library 8. Kyoto University Press, Kyoto

  • R Development Core Team (2011) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, http://www.R-project.org

  • Tscharntke T, Brandl R (2004) Plant-insect interactions in fragmented landscapes. Annu Rev Entomol 49:405–430

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • United (2008) World Urbanization Prospects. The 2007 revision. United Nations, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Urban D, Keitt T (2001) Landscape connectivity: a graph-theoretic perspective. Ecology 82:1205–1218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vos CC, Stumpel HP (1995) Comparison of habitat isolation parameters in relation to fragmented distribution patterns in the tree frog (Hylea arborea). Landsc Ecol 11:203–214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woodroffe R, Ginsberg JR (1998) Edge effects and the extinction of populations inside protected areas. Science 280:2126–2128

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu JG, Hobbs R (2002) Key issues and research priorities in landscape ecology: an idiosyncratic synthesis. Landsc Ecol 17:355–365

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamaura Y, Kawahara T, Iida S, Ozaki K (2008) Relative importance of the area and shape of patches to the diversity of multiple taxa. Conserv Biol 22:1513–1522

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Y. Miyazaki for carabids identification and two anonymous referees for their invaluable comments on the early version of the manuscript. This study was funded by the Urban Green Tech Japan, and Fuji Film Green Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan

    Nozomi Kanno & Shinsuke Koike

  2. Division of Environmental Resources, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Nishi 9, Kita 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 080-8589, Japan

    Masashi Soga & Yuichi Yamaura

Authors
  1. Masashi Soga
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nozomi Kanno
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yuichi Yamaura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Shinsuke Koike
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Masashi Soga.

Appendices

Appendix 1

See Fig. 4.

Fig. 4
figure 4

Map of forest cover in 2010 (gray) and 26 sampling patches (black) in the Tama Newtown Development, Tokyo, Japan, and depictions of two habitat types from sites of three different sizes (SE small-edge, SI small-interior, ME-medium-edge, MI medium-interior, LE large-edge, LI large-interior)

Full size image

Appendix 2

See Table 3.

Table 3 List of 23 carabid beetle species observed in this study
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Soga, M., Kanno, N., Yamaura, Y. et al. Patch size determines the strength of edge effects on carabid beetle assemblages in urban remnant forests. J Insect Conserv 17, 421–428 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-012-9524-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-012-9524-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation