Dynamics of pyrophilous carabids in a burned pine forest in Central Sweden

Carabid beetles were studied during two years following a large (450 ha) wildfire in 1999 in Tyresta National Park, close to Stockholm. The fire varied in flame-height and generally burned deep into the soil. Most of the trees were killed irrespective of vegetation type. The vegetation varied from pine-dominated dry forests on bedrock to pine-birch wet forests on bogs with deep peat soils. The beetles were collected in pitfall traps placed at six sites along a 1.2-km line-transect from the unburned forest (control) to the centre of the burned area. Two of the sites in the centre of the area differed in fire behaviour. One was burned by crown-fire and the other was slightly burned with regard to burning depth. More than 1300 carabid beetles belonging to 41 species were collected. The pyrophilous Sericoda quadripunctata Deg. and Pterostichus quadrifoveolatus Letz. became dominating from spring, 2000. S. quadripunctata gradually increased its abundance towards the centre of the burned area, and was most common at the crown-fire site.