Dead wood modifies mobility of ground beetles

During the period from the 1st to 31st July 2013, individuals representing large species of Carabus hortensis and Carabus violaceus were captured in 3 fenced plots with dead wood and 3 fenced control plots, marked and subsequently released (CMR method). The study revealed that the average time spent by large carabids in the plots with the dead wood was significantly longer than the time spent by them in the control plots. Furthermore, the catch rate of marked individuals representing the small species of Pterostichus oblongopunctatus was higher in the plots with dead wood than in the control plots. The study has proved in a quantifiable way that the presence of dead wood has a positive effect on the carabid fauna.