Subcortical beetle communities of Georgia
Brownell, Kayla Amber
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I studied the population and community ecology of bark and woodboring beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, and Curculionidae) and their predators (Coleoptera: Cleridae and Trogossitidae) in the Piedmont region of Georgia. Specifically, I assessed the responses of these beetle taxa to prescribed burning, their seasonal phenology, responses to semiochemicals, and species composition in forested and urban areas. A total of 112,949 Ips spp. and 6,200 predatory beetles were trapped over a year. The effects of immediate or short-term prescribed burning on these beetle populations were negligible indicating resilience to low-intensity disturbances. Around nurseries and warehouses, 4,093 adults representing 103 species of bark and woodboring beetles were trapped. Exotic species dominated these sites (comprising 60% of catches and 13% of species richness). Greater numbers and species of bark beetles were trapped at nurseries than warehouses, and their communities were distinct. Responses of beetles to semiochemical lures and their phenology patterns were highly species-specific.