A test for the adequacy of bioindicator taxa: are tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) appropriate indicators for monitoring the degradation of tropical forests in Venezuela?

摘要

Indicator species can be a valuable tool for conservation research. Their use has been divided in two categories: inventory studies and monitoring studies. Tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) have been identified as appropriate indicators for inventory studies: here their value is tested as potential bioindicators for monitoring habitat degradation in Venezuela. The general habitat associations were analysed of 47 of the 51 species of this insect family known to occur in Venezuela. The assemblage patterns of forest-floor dwelling species associated with contiguous forest patches of primary and secondary forest were also analysed at two sites. At the family level, tiger beetles occupied most of the major habitat types of Venezuela, but individual species tended to be restricted to one or two habitats. Forest-floor species assemblages changed significantly with the degree of forest disturbance, and each stage of disturbance was characterized by a particular subset of species. Species associated with intermediate levels of disturbance showed larger habitat breadth than those located at the extremes of the spectrum. The results of this study, therefore, provide evidence that supports the use of tiger beetles as bioindicators for monitoring thedegradation and regeneration of tropical forests.