Diversity and species composition of beetles in the herb-shrub layer of a large isolated raised bog in Belarus

Abstract

Temperate zone peat bogs form isolated ecosystems relative to their surroundings. The aim of the work reported was to investigate the species composition and diversity of the field layer beetles of an undisturbed natural bog in Belarus. In total, 99 beetle species belonging to 13 families were sampled along transects, using a sweep-net. A specific complex of Coleoptera species was found. The results showed a low diversity and species richness of beetle assemblages and a high abundance of a small number of species. Among these species, the primary peat bog specialists were Cyphon kongsbergensis Munster, 1924, Cantharis quadripunctata (Müller, 1764), Plateumaris discolor (Herbst, 1795), Aphthona erichsoni (Zetterstedt, 1838) and Altica longicollis (Allard 1860), which are rare in central Europe. Both the abundance and the species richness of Coleoptera were highest in shrub habitat. General linear modelling results (GLM) indicated that vegetation characteristics strongly influenced beetle abundance and species richness in peat bogs, which is interpreted as a measure of heterogeneity.