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We re-examined the knowledge on the relationships between fauna and forest management in Italy. We focused our attention on Vertebrates, including small mammals (Rodents and Soricomorphs), bats, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and on carabid and saproxylic beetles. We found that nearly all groups respond in accordance with Angelstam's scheme of the traditional forestry cycle, with open habitat specialists followed by generalists and forest specialists when pristine conditions have been attained, though with some differences for some taxa. In all groups, some forest "superspecialists" or old growth indicators could be found, in (sub)Mediterranean forests some carabid beetles could be defined as "dendrophilous," i.e. associated with the presence of old trees. Poplar plantations are poor substitutes for native forests, as well as exotic conifers. We propose a model for an ideal forest structure that may efficiently preserve the faunal components, at the microscale level this coincides with the structure of an unmanaged old growth forest stand, marked also by a deep and humus-rich soil layer. Some caveats at the landscape scale have dealt with in relation to the size of the designed area, in order to avoid fragmentation effects. A sustainable harvesting scheme has indicated in the "systemic silviculture" proposed by Ciancio and other scientists.

Heavy metal contamination is recognized worldwide as a serious threat to human health and wildlife, and reducing their emissions is a priority of international and EU actions. Due to its persistence, high bioaccumulation tendency, and toxicity properties, lead (Pb) is one of the heavy metals of greatest concern. Even at low concentrations, lead induces various clinical and subclinical conditions in both humans and animals, and it has been included in the priority list of hazardous substances. In the present study, we used zebrafish's early stages as a model, given their well-acknowledged predictive value in the risk assessment of chemicals. This study was designed to investigate the morphological and morphometric alterations induced by Pb during zebrafish's early development and disclose the putative effects stage- and/or dose-dependent. We examined injuries induced by two environmentally relevant and extremely low concentrations of Pb (2.5 μg/L and 5 μg/L) during two exposure windows: early (between 1 and 7 dpf) and late (between 2 and 8 dpf). We clearly demonstrated that the incidence and severity of morphological abnormalities increased with increasing Pb dose and exposure time in both early and late-exposed groups. Furthermore, we revealed that malformation severity was significantly higher in the early exposed group than in the late exposure group at all exposure times and for both tested doses, thus highlighting the high sensitivity of zebrafish during the initial stages of development. The information presented in this paper emphasizes the effectiveness of morphological biomarkers in unveiling threatening situations and supports the role of zebrafish embryos and larvae in risk assessment and environmental monitoring.

Carabid community features have been studied from 53 forest and open habitat stands along a 70 km topographical profile from the western to the eastern coast of Calabria, Southern Italy. At regional (geographic) scale species diversity changes are easier to understand if climax habitats (forests) are dealt with separately from other open habitats, and especially from azonal ones. At landscape-ecological scale a new “three layer” model to organize species biodiversity data is proposed, based on the introduction of a new level, the η-diversity, between α and γ, that corresponds to the ecotopes. These are seen as geomorphic units guesting more animal communities strictly related each other also by syndynamic links. The results of a study on three ecotopes of the Sila Greca “pilot landscape” are reported, and compared to other animal and plant taxa. The distribution of some population- and life history traits of carabid beetles, as time of larval development and dispersal power, show that the ecotopes could be considered important “adaptation” units within the landscape.

The molecular analysis of predation through specific DNA amplification has been utilized extensively over the last decade, and has been shown to be fast and effective. However, it is necessary to evaluate the prey detectability half-life if we are to correctly infer the relevance of particular predators to particular pests and to accurately model the effect of biocontrol. We present here the design and analysis of a set of primers to amplify olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae) DNA in predator gut contents, allowing fast evaluation of the digestion time. We modified the existing protocol by solubilizing the prey DNA directly from the gut, and we applied this modified protocol to demonstrate that Pterostichus melas, one of the most common carabids in olive groves in Italy, feeds on B. oleae pupae. After feeding carabids with a single pupa, traces of the pest were found to be detectable more than 20 h after ingestion. This method could also be applied to other predators to evaluate trophic interactions of the olive fruit fly. The relevance of generalist predation to the mortality of the pupal stage of B. oleae is of great economic interest since B. oleae causes serious damage during olive production, reducing the commercial value of olive oil and table olives.

The European Carabidologists' Meeting (ECM) is a scientific meeting where researchers from Europe and other countries discuss their work about the main topics of ecology, biogeography and evolution, to foster a sense of community among researchers with a common background on carabid beetles, and to promote collaborations. The 19th ECM is organized by the “Parco Naturale di Paneveggio - Pale di San Martino”, and by the Dept. of Biology Ecology and Earth Sciences of the Calabria University, and will be held on Monday 16 th to Friday 20 th September 2019 in the town of Fiera di Primiero, Italy. The main theme of the Meeting is "Carabids in extreme environments". Carabidae as model organisms was the topic of the discussion when several researchers met in Wijster (The Netherlands) in 1969, giving rise to the tradition of the European Carabidologists' Meetings. Since then a lot of people joined the carabidologists "family", producing sound science, not restricted to carabids' study. Traditionally the ECM is a place where to present new/old ideas, hypotheses not yet tested, preliminary results or relevant discoveries and participants are strongly encouraged to present original research, not yet published. As usual, the proceedings of the 19th ECM will be published, as peer reviewed full papers, in a scientific journal. Three plenary talks characterise the 19th ECM. The first is on "Global warNing: what we know and what we should know about carabid beetles in high altitude habitats", and it is followed by talks on different aspects of the biology of carabids in extreme environments. The second plenary is on a long-debated topic of carabidology, i.e. "A standardized European trapping protocol – perspectives for long-term studies". The third plenary gives a scientific perspective of the carabidologists work: "Progress and knowledge gaps in carabidology – a bibliometric analysis of the last 50 years". Two workshops close the days of Tuesday and Thursday. The first is entitled "What to do with the standardized trapping method?" and it may give prompts to develop joint projects in carabidology. During the second workshop "IUCN Red List of European Ground Beetles", a badly needed field of application for carabid research will be discussed. The Scientific Board is composed of: Assmann Thorsten, Leuphana University (Germany); Brandmayr Pietro, University of Calabria (Italy); Di Giulio Andrea, University of Roma Tre (Italy); Fattorini Simone, University of L'Aquila (Italy), Gobbi Mauro, MUSE Museo delle Scienze (Italy); Lovei Gabor, Aarhus University (Denmark ); Plantagenest Manuel, Agrocampus-Ouest (France); Saska Pavel, Crop Research Institute (Czech Rep.); Šerić Jelaska Lucija, University of Zagreb (Croatia); Serrano José, University of Murcia (Spain); Sklodowski Jaroslaw, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (Poland); Spence John, University of Alberta (Canada); Venn Stephen, University of Helsinki (Finland ). Seventy people registered for the Meeting, coming from 22 regions depicted in Fig. 1, where it is possible to see that the ECM is a scientific agorà attracting not only European scientists. Forty two talks and thirty three posters were scheduled.

The role of carabids (Coleoptera: Carabidae) for pest control service in perennial crop systems has been scarcely investigated. We addressed this knowledge gap exploring activity patterns and traits of adult carabids dwelling olive orchard agroecosystems as potential natural enemies of third instar larvae and pupae of Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae). Olive orchard supported a well-structured carabid assemblage, whose species phenologies revealed a temporal overlapping within the pest cycle. The assemblage of adjacent woody semi-natural habitats is more of conservation interest, but may play a weaker role in B. oleae control provisioning. We suggest the identification of carabids main traits for B. oleae conservation biological control as a cost-effective strategy for addressing future attention and resources only to those predators that satisfy basic requirements. This research may open new scenarios on management interventions to both conserve predators and encourage alternative approaches against olive orchards pest.

The impact of agricultural practices and soil management on the communities of arthropods living in the agricultural landscape is acknowledged as a critical issue by the literature, and it needs to be better investigated to improve the ecological sustainability of agriculture. In the present study, we aimed to study how soil management affect carabid species distribution in one of the most typical agroecosystem of the Mediterranean region, i.e. the olive grove. In South Italy olive plantations feature different types of soil management, from tillage to half- or full-cover cropping. Species distribution has been examined for a total of 10,189 individuals and 62 species collected from 17 sites. Notably from our analysis we have observed that three factors (climax vegetation, soil features and soil management) explained half of the data variability. The composition of species groupings mirrors both bioclimatic conditions (climax vegetation) and soil features, especially watering, while soil management affects the species distribution, with different intensity from site to site. Eleven species have been recognized as the most abundant in the different facets of the studied olive groves and consequently designated as characteristics of the olive agroecosystem. The species traits of the sampled species have been weighted for a compelling evaluation of the effects of agricultural management on biodiversity, showing uniform traits distribution when coping with the ecological factors that characterize the different plantation facets. We have found that carabid beetles can be used as model organisms for studying the effects of agricultural practices. Our study suggests that the interaction of man-induced trasformation with the natural background of the olive agroecosystem may be difficult to disentangle, so that such complexity must be taken into account when carabid beetles are expected to provide an ecosystem service for good agricultural practices.

Orophilous species are often unable to escape the consequences of climate change because mountains are surrounded by unsuitable habitats. Among them, several endemic species belonging to the genus Erebia Dalman (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae) can be considered as key species to assess the risk of biodiversity loss of mountain habitats. The aim of this paper is to measure changes that have occurred in the altitudinal distribution of Erebia cassioides on the Pollino Massif (Southern Italy) during the last 37 years. Sixteen sites sampled in 1975 have been resampled after about three decades (2004, 2012). In 1975 56 % of the sampled population inhabited sites above and 44 % sites below the treeline, while in 2004 and 2012 99 % of the population were observed above the treeline. Furthermore, we observed an uphill shift of 180 m in the barycentre altitude of the species distribution and an unexpected increased density of the population above the treeline which led to a range reduction coupled to population increase of E. cassioides. This pattern contrasts with the usually observed one that couples habitat reduction to population decreasing. The reason for the observed pattern is unclear, but the implication for conservation strategies could be important if confirmed for other species. In fact, during coming decades local extinctions as a consequence of climate change might be fewer and more delayed than expected, and relict populations of cold adapted species could be preserved for a longer time span within optimal habitat refugia.

Very little is known about the changes of ground beetle assemblages in the last few decades in the Alps, and different responses to climate change of animal populations living above and below the treeline have not been estimated yet. This study focuses on an altitudinal habitat sequence from subalpine spruce forest to alpine grassland in a low disturbance area of the southeastern Dolomites in Italy, the Paneveggio Regional Park. We compared the ground beetle (Carabidae) populations sampled in 1980 in six stands below and above the treeline (1650-2250 m a.s.l.) with those sampled in the same sites almost 30 years later (2008/9). Quantitative data (species richness and abundance) have been compared by means of several diversity indexes and with a new index, the Index of Rank-abundance Change (IRC). Our work shows that species richness and abundance have changed after almost 30 years as a consequence of local extinctions, uphill increment of abundance and uphill shift of distribution range. The overall species number dropped from 36 to 27, while in the sites above the treeline, species richness and abundance changed more than in the forest sites. Two microtherm characteristic species of the pioneer cushion grass mats, Nebria germari and Trechus dolomitanus, became extinct or showed strong abundance reduction. In Nardetum pastures, several hygrophilic species disappeared, and xerophilic zoophytophagous elements raised their population density. In forest ecosystems, the precipitation reduction caused deep soil texture and watering changes, driving a transformation from Sphagnum-rich (peaty) to humus-rich soil, and as a consequence, soil invertebrate biomass strongly increased and thermophilic carabids enriched the species structure. In three decades, Carabid assemblages changed consistently with the hypothesis that climate change is one of the main factors triggering natural environment modifications. Furthermore, the level of human disturbance could enhance the sensitivity of mountain ecosystems to climate change.

Background and purpose : The approaches to the impact of climate change on carabid beetles are highly differentiated. We review here most studies that tried to compare past situations with present time conditions that may concern ground beetle species, populations and phenology, area and upslope shifts. Both epigean and hypogean domains have taken in consideration and, whenever possible, all time scales addressed by the authors. Materials and methods : The methods adopted vary in relation to the time scale. Geo-period studies cover the largest time lapse, and compare Plio-Pleistocene fossil species assemblages with present ones. Further approaches concern long-term observations based on museum materials and the response of carabids to climate or man-conditioned habitat changes. Primarily devoted to the understanding of climate change impacts on communities are the space-for-time and the time-per-time approach, that imply the comparison of year samples collected in the same site after some decades. Other long-term studies are devoted to the phenology changes. The impact on cave dwelling carabids has studied by recording the new taxa discoveries during the last two centuries. Results : Geo-period studies reveal strong area expansions restrictions or local extinctions of presently living ground beetles. The old idea of a stability of taxonomic status of such beetles seems to give way to a more dynamic vision of speciation events during the Quaternary, as suggested by recent population genetics studies on Trechines and some Carabus species. Long term studies based on museum materials reveal population and area declines of large and brachypterous species of open lands, but the climate responses are difficult to disentangle from anthropogenous habitat and landscape modifications. The space-for-time approach focuses especially glacier forelands but seems promising also in forecasting species declines starting from climate gradients in forests. The time-for-time (time lapse) monitoring of ground beetle assemblages has adopted so far in Mediterranean mountains and Dolomites. It reveals that in the last three decades a strong uphill shift has observed especially in open land assemblages. In the Dolomites local extinctions and decline of species’ diversity has recorded around or above the tree line. The long-term monitoring of carabids in defined habitats provides extremely rich databases that can be useful in explain the relationships between climate change, population decline or increase and species phenology. Hypogean obligate troglobitic carabids revealed to be extremely sensitive to global warming, as testified by the continuous appearance of new highly evolved taxa that concentrate in the periods of fastest temperature rise of the last century. Conclusions : Epigean and hypogean carabid beetles are excellent and “multitask” indicators of climate change. Moreover, their response time to climate changes seems to be shorter than for plants. Key words: space-for-time monitoring, time-per-time, species decline, extinction, species assemblages, phenology, global warming impact, long-term monitoring

A living organism is part of a perceived “spatial configuration” (i.e., an eco-field) when it changes the properties of the medium in which it lives. This happens because species evolve strategies to tackle ecological constraints; these strategies appear as species traits (physiology, morphology, behavior), and species traits affect environmental features. On the basis of species traits, data on carabid beetles from different habitats in two widely separated regions of Italy were analyzed in order to test the eco-field idea. The results revealed that the underlying environmental factors influencing the distribution of species traits over different habitats are anthropogenic disturbance, and stable vs. unstable stages of ecological succession. This approach, based on eco-field and species traits, has potential power in studies in which it is more important to emphasize ecological similarity than taxonomical heterogeneity.

The carabid beetle species assemblages (14 sample sites) of a 238 ha urban oak forest in Trieste, Italy, studied in 1983–84 with pitfall traps, were compared with an historic list of 57 species hand collected by entomologists in the same forest before it was logged in 1944.Trap data have been improved by hand collections to get a species list as complete as the historic one. Multivariate analysis was used to group the sites (14 plus the historic list) into three assemblages of brooks, clearings and forests. After the Second World War logging, the secondary ecological succession resulted in a lower species number, with a trend to a new equilibrium. Some important forest specialists, such as Laemostenus venustus, have been lost. Human pressure and recolonisation by carabids are still occurring. The in situ extinction of ground beetles near the end of the last century reached values between 57 and 64% of the species historically recorded. Consequently, urgent restoration measures are required for waterside habitats, forest and land management, to maintain small open areas or clearings. The study of carabid species assemblages and habitat affinities seems a useful tool for adaptive management of forests affected by human activities, because changes in carabid species number and type can be easily related to human disturbance.

Background and purpose. Species traits have been extensively used by botanists to describe, group and rank species according to their functions. Recently, the multi-trait approach has been extended also to the animal assemblages. There is now growing evidence that interspecific traits-variability can have significant effects on community dynamics and ecosystem functioning. The aim of our study was to describe how the carabid species traits change in relation to an altitudinal sequence of habitat types. Materials and methods. In this paper we weighted the species traits (dispersal power, diet, reproductive rhythm, chorology) of the Carabid beetles assemblages in nineteen sites in the Dolomites along an altitudinal sequence of habitat types (1000-2250 m a.s.l.). Carabids have been sampled by means of pitfall traps. Results. Species richness, activity density and species traits were not, or weakly, correlated with elevation, while they showed to be linked to the habitat type. Species traits, as taxa, showed to be not uniformly distributed along the sequence, with brachypterous species concentrated in high-altitude or climax environments mainly, and regional endemic species prevailing in high-altitude environments. Macropterous species with zoospermophagous species were found to increase with anthropogenic environmental disturbance. Conclusions. The species traits analysis enabled us to shift the research focus from the taxonomic level to a biological more comprehensive level, opening the way for drawing more general ecologic models. Moreover it was possible to make inferences about the most successful carabid strategies in order to advance hypotheses on the historical colonization processes in the Alps. Keywords: Alps, Carabidae, ecological succession, mountain ecosystems, species traits.

We studied carabid beetle assemblages found in riparian black alder forests in the Sila plateau (Southern Apennines). These carabid assemblages are characterized by a high incidence of endemic small-sized, low dispersal, highly stenotopic (hygrophilic), and trophycally specialized species. To evaluate the influence of anthropogenic disturbance on these insects, we compared carabid assemblage of an old undisturbed forest (65-170y, wilderness landscape) with that of a younger, partly grazed stand (40-60y, cropland landscape). The carabid assemblage of the disturbed stand was characterized by a higher number of species, but showed a lower incidence of zoophagous specialists and brachypterous beetles, with many species probably coming from an adjacent cropland. However, the disturbed stand maintains almost 80% of the core species found in the older forest, which suggests that these insects are not particularly sensitive to disturbance factors represented by periodic wood harvesting and extensive cattle grazing., Fragmenta Entomologica, Vol. 47 No. 1 (2015)

This paper is an attempt to outline a protocol for animal diversity census and evaluation aimed for areas in view of landscape planning of territories of hundred square kilometres and more, that may work utilising different faunal groups and be anyway useful at various scales. Many papers are addressed to elaborate tools for landscape planning starting from biodiversity evaluation and butterflies are often utilised because of their sensitivity to landscape modifications. In this work, the biodiversity evaluation has been performed using three hierarchically linked landscape units at micro-, meso- and macroscale. Being species diversity values often inadequate to define the conservation interest of a landscape portion, more importance has been given to which species compose the species assemblages. A community vulnerability Index was coded and used for evaluating potential consequences of human disturbance on butterfly assemblages. Forty-four year samples were gained by visual census in the Sila Greca, Southern Italy, on an area of approximately 520 square kilometres. During 5 years work, 2,535 specimens and 94 species were recorded, equal to 75.8% of the whole Calabrian fauna. Four vulnerability levels have been established and used for mapping butterfly assemblage vulnerability in the area, starting from a vegetation map. Species richness was found somewhat contradictory at micro-scale, where the community vulnerability Index gives a sounder approach. S diversity gives a more reliable picture of naturalness at meso-scale, a level we identified with the “ecotope”. At this more “geomorphic” scale level, biological functions reflected by butterfly assemblages revealed to be clearly linked to seral processes. Similarity analysis results show that the ecotope species richness, here called “eta-diversity”, could be an useful measure of zoological landscape (faunation) potentialities.

The biogeographical peculiarity of a given geographical area is directly linked to the number of its endemic species. This paper aims to formulate an index directly linked to the biogeographical peculiarity of an area. A graphical model and an index of the biogeographical peculiarity are proposed, based on a cumulative sum (i.e., including all the amounts that were added previously). An example of the computations is proposed, based on the number of different types of geographical ranges (i.e., chorotypes) characterizing two different ecosystems; their biogeographical peculiarity of was evaluated on the basis of presence versus absence of carabid species. Both the graphical model and the index mirrored the different faunistic compositions of the ecosystems, because the index reached a higher value where more endemic species have been found. Our investigation has found a new method for evaluating the biogeographical peculiarity of a given area or biota in a simple way. The index could be used for either conservation biogeography (e.g., monitoring of biotic homogenization) or for theoretical studies integrating ecology and biogeography.

We investigated the extent of poleward shifts in the distribution range of Agonum viridicupreum due to climate change in the western Palaearctic. Species' records were obtained from extensive literature sources as well as from collections, and consistent amateur entomologists' recordings. Within the general geographic range of the species, we analyzed in detail two parts of both, the northern and southern distribution range boundaries: (1 and 2) north-western Germany (leading or high-latitude edge), (3) Israel and (4) southern Italy (rear or low-latitude edge). Temporal changes in the occurrence data of the species indicated a northward shift of the leading edge of a minimum of 100 km within the last 50 to 100 years. In contrast, according to the data gathered, the rear edge has not changed during the last decades. Further studies are needed in order to fully understand the underlying mechanisms of the different behaviour of leading and rear range edges of Agonum viridicupreum in the current context of global change. Despite our incomplete understanding, chronosequences of the occurrence of the given species have the potential to optimize climate niche modelling to predict trends in the distribution range in the future. We investigated the extent of poleward shifts in the distribution range of Agonum viridicupreum due to climate change in the western Palaearctic. Species' records were obtained from extensive literature sources as well as from collections, and consistent amateur entomologists' recordings. Within the general geographic range of the species, we analyzed in detail two parts of both, the northern and southern distribution range boundaries: (1 and 2) north-western Germany (leading or high-latitude edge), (3) Israel and (4) southern Italy (rear or low-latitude edge). Temporal changes in the occurrence data of the species indicated a northward shift of the leading edge of a minimum of 100 km within the last 50 to 100 years. In contrast, according to the data gathered, the rear edge has not changed during the last decades. Further studies are needed in order to fully understand the underlying mechanisms of the different behaviour of leading and rear range edges of Agonum viridicupreum in the current context of global change. Despite our incomplete understanding, chronosequences of the occurrence of the given species have the potential to optimize climate niche modelling to predict trends in the distribution range in the future.

Carabid beetles are widespread in all terrestrial environments of the world and it is thought that they originated from the tropics (Erwin 1979). They have complex evolutionary pathways; taxon-specific cul-de-sacs have been found in tropical forest canopies, in the tundra and in the mountains, where carabids are an important part of the animal diversity (Holdhaus 1954; Mani 1968). Their ability to colonise isolated environments is well documented (Darlington 1943; Lindroth 1949;Den Boer 1977; Den Boer et al. 1980). Carabid assemblages have been studied by several authors in European mountains; most importantly, in the Alps (Franz 1943,1950; Janetschek 1949; Schmolzer 1962; Amiet 1967; Christandl-Peskoller and Janetschek 1976; Lang 1975; De Zordo 1979a,b; Chemini and Werth 1982; Focarile from 1973, 1975a,b, 1976a,b; Brandmayr and Zetto Brandmayr 1988). However, little is known about their biogeography, a fundamental of insect conservation, in the Mediterranean (Balletto and Casale 1991). In other European mountain chains, studies on carabids in the alpine zone are few, with the exception of Norway and Finnish Lapland (Forsskahl 1972)

Our knowledge of alpine invertebrate taxa is rather patchy. Some insect groups, such as the Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Arenaea, are far better documented (Chaps. 13–17) than are, for example, soil-dwelling organisms (e.g. Broil 1998). The need for a coordinated approach to providing a comprehensive inventory of the biological richness of alpine areas in Europe has been highlighted in several recent works (e.g. Nagy 1998;Nagy et al. 1998).

As part of a LIFE-Nature project promoted by the Pollino National Park, the semi-open mountain pastureland of the Pollino karstic massif has been studied. The most important habitats in terms of nature conservation have been found at lower altitudes in the Stipa austroitalica garigues, that are composed of a very complex mosaic of successional habitats ranging from open grassland to more or less mature forest. Cattle grazing and burning seem to be the most effective rejuvenation factors and both are helpful in maintaining high biodiversity levels in birds (many lark species), butterflies and Carabid beetles (some quantitative data are presented for invertebrates). Vegetation features, relationships with land use and possible management in relation to faunal conservation are discussed.

Human activities cause changes in the equilibrium between natural and agricultural landscape owing to the unforeseeable and confused expansion of the urban environment. Ecological indicators well correlated with the natural value of the environment, such as carabid beetles, are useful to manage it. Carabid coenoses have been used in an ecological study of the Karst landscape, with the purpose of assessing the impact related to the building of the “Elettra” synchrotron research laboratories, and suggesting some environmental improvements in the surrounding areas, so as to counterbalance, on the whole, the loss of natural value caused by the buildings.

The solution of a problem through technological innovation results in the creation of a new “space” for a new problem. This “spiral” evolution of human welfare has probably been primed (beginning from the modern age?) by the shift of every-day tools from a usage-value as survival instruments to a usage-value as profit instruments. The development of a new, man made, urban environment, and its unforeseeable and chaotic growth, led to changes in the equilibrium between natural and agricultural landscapes (Figure 1). Human activities cause a disturbance of the environment that can be either manifest immediately, or quantifiable only after long periods (storing effect). In the first case immediate monitoring equipment can be applied, but in the second case the assessment of human impact on the environment is often burdensome in terms of time and resources spent in research. Hence it follows that there is a need to find indicators of disturbance that are present in the study area and that can be measured quickly. Plants and animals answer to this need. It is likely that Clements with his “Plant indicators” (1920) was one of the first scientists who considered living organisms as test tools for the “health condition” of the environment (bioindicators). This point of view is now widely accepted, e.g. in Spellerberg (1991), who takes into account the importance of the integrating properties of living organisms for biological monitoring.

BIOGEOGHAPHIA - vol. X/// - 1987 Biogeografia delle Alpi Sud-Orientali Aspetti zoocenotici e biogeografici dei popolamenti a Coleotteri Carabidi nella fascia alpina delle Vette di Feltre (Belluno) PIETRO BRANDMAYR - ROBERTO PIZZOLOTTO Dz'jmrz‘z'77zem‘o dz‘ Ecologziz deZZ’U72z'z2ersz'tzi della Calzzbrzkz SUMMARY Species and abundance structure of the Carabid communities populating the alpine belt of the «Vette cli Feltre» (Belluno) has been studied. In this prealpine mountain range the timber line is considerably lowered in height as the result of cutting of the wood by man, and because of the thick cloud cover of the area. For these reasons the timber line is durably stabilized at 1600 m a.s.l. Flora and fauna of the «Vette» show a pronunced endemic character, because the zone was only marginally affected by glacial phenomena. In the glacial circus «Busa delle Vette» 13 vegetation stands have been sampled by pit-fall traps set down in the following vegetal associations (between brackets the abbreviation used in the figures): Alyrsetu/22 ovire/zsix (A0), Se3leI'i0-Ca/‘icefz//21 re/71p.eavz'rezztzLr (SC), A(lezz0r- tyli glabrzz.e-Hemclee/zzm poll!/1/am‘ (A~I-I), Adeuoxlylio/I (Ad), Cort:/relz/I21 zmi/1‘/:I[o/1’ (Cm); two large crevic- es (dia) of the calcereus bedrock have also been sampled. Traps have been emptied every 20 days, beginning in June 1983 and ending in July 1984. Plant covering and soil-evolution ratio have been pointed out as the main factors regulating the carabid distribution (see Fig. 3 in which the stands are ordered on increasing vegetal cover and soil maturity). The «mosaic morphology» of the landscape, where many different habitat types are side by side, causes a clear «edge-effect» among the carabid communities; for this reason there is also a remarkable continuity among them. This effect is suggested by the dendrogram structure in Fig. 2 and by the Fig. 7, in which the activity density variation of some indicator species is represented through a coenocline. The following carabid groupings have been recognized and named by means of their characterizing species. In Fig. 4 we also tried to reconstruct the syndynamic relations among them . The Pterastic/ms rc/Jzzrc/912' and Trz'c/2022':/J/mi /e/mu//Jz'—grouping is the settler of detritus slopes, poor in vegetal conver and with a primitive soil (litic soil). Many endemic species of Southeastern Alps are present in this grouping. In the alpine belt it developes into the Carabux bert0lz';zz'z' and Amara a1pe.tm'r—gr., the climax grouping of alpine grass mats (Se5lerz'o—CaI'icettI/7/ re/I/perzjire/ztz'r) with high plant covering and rendzina— or brown soil. In the subalpine 'belt the communities evolve into the «tall herbs» grouping characterized by Tn’:/Jotz'c/mur Zaevicollzr and Pterorric/.mx josep/Ji. This carabid community occupies humid places with very developed Adenostyliazz vegetation. Forest species are dominant and it represents the carabid association most widerspread in the «Busa delle Vette» in its past, nonanthropogenous condition. Also the transitional grouping of the Ade22oi'tyli—Henzcleetz1//1 pallitzia/zi would have been of greater impor- tance in the glacial and preglacial landscape of the «Vette», owing to its richness in endemites (Tzzp/'2z0pz‘e— rz/5 placzkiz/r) and habitat specialists. Concerning biogeography, we found that the euriendemites of Southeastern Alps and the species localized in the «massif de refuge» areas are largely prevailing. Furthermore, endemic species (Is, Ie, I categories) tend to concentrate in primitive soils, while species with broader distribution area become of importance with the going on of the pedogenesis. The environmental preferences of Pterortic/1115 xc/Jarc/Jli have been described, and a connection with the 1700 mm line of rainfall and its distribution in Eastern Alps has been suggested (fig. 8). Interesting connections between zoo- and phytoendemisms have been discussed, especially between Pt. :5/msc/J11q and Alyrrzzm oijirezzre, Tapilzopterz/5 placidu: and Heracleum pyremzz'cm71 ssp. p0lZizzz't1Izm7z. 713