Open access publications in the SLU publication database

Abstract

One of the most endangered assemblages of species in Europe is insects associated with old trees. For that reason there is a need of developing methods to survey this fauna. This study aims at comparing three methods — window trapping, pitfall trapping and wood mould sampling — to assess species richness and composition of the saproxylic beetle fauna in living, hollow oaks. We have used these methods at the same site, and to a large extent in the same trees. Useful information was obtained from all methods, but they partially target different assemblages of species. Window trapping collected the highest number of species. Pitfall trapping collected beetles associated with tree hollows which rarely are collected by window traps and therefore it is profitable to combine these two methods. As wood mould sampling is the cheapest method to use, indicator species should preferrably be chosen among species which are efficiently collected with this method.