Biodiversity of carabid beetles in different types of forest in the region of Abruzzo, Italy

This study examines different forest types and biodiversity characteristics in the Abruzzo region (Central Italy), within a landscape delineated by diverse large forests. Historically, agro-pastoral activities have altered the region's mountains ecosystems, leading to a decrease in forest cover and associated species. A significant reforestation campaign was run from the middle of the 19th century to the end of the 19th, primarily using italic black pine, aimed to remedy these changes. This research focuses on assessing the biodiversity of different forest types: oak, beech, and conifer compared by the diversity of Carabidae, Coleoptera. Carabid beetles were selected as bioindicators due to their sensitivity to environmental changes and ease of sampling. The study involved placing pitfall traps in various forest types to collect and determine Carabidae diversity in each habitat. This study, which should highlight the importance of these often-neglected taxa in maintaining ecosystem health, also aimed to integrate arthropod conservation into ecosystems management activities and into rewilding dynamics studies. The results of this study are preliminary. It is the first time when forests of this region are explored in that way, studying the combination of the vegetation with forest structure and related carabid species. This study fits into a broader context of studies dedicated to these issues involving various taxa from the various kingdoms of living beings.
In our study, a Generalized Linear Model (GLM) will be used to analyse the relationship between beetle Richness and Abundance and the various forest characteristics (i.e.: forest types and structure, necromass, vegetation and estimated age). GLM will also be used to analyse the activity/density ratio, to provide a more accurate representation of beetle populations, since richness and abundance can be biased by the degree of activity of certain species.