Influence of a deer carcass on Coleopteran diversity in a Scandinavian boreal forest: a preliminary study

We tested the effect of a large ungulate carcass on boreal forest biodiversity by contrasting the local abundance and diversity of Coleoptera around a roe deer Capreolus capreolus carcass and in a control plot, between 8 August and 3 September 2003, in southern Norway. The two plots differed both in occurrence and richness of species, which were almost double at the carcass plot, although the diversity indices were similar. The higher evenness of the control plot compensated for its lower number of species, probably because the carcass plot was a disturbed area, colonized by many species, which were represented by few individuals. The number of beetles captured each day correlated positively with temperature at the control plot, but not at the carcass plot, indicating that the presence of an abundant and concentrated resource increased the local activity of Coleoptera. The carcass is likely to create a particular microclimate, which could partly buffer against extremes of air-temperature variation. These preliminary results indicate that ungulate carcasses have a significant ecological impact, which should be further investigated to improve the management and restoration of European boreal forest ecosystems.