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ViewAttendees 7

10-Minute Paper

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

SysEB: Diagnostics, Ecology, and Monitoring

It’s been a hard day's night and I’ve been looking for a log: Patterns of diel activity for saproxylic beetles

Tuesday, November 7, 2023
11:00 AM – 11:12 AM ET
Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Potomac 5-6
In-Person
The diurnal or nocturnal activity of an organism or community has important implications on food webs, plant-pollinator networks, pest management, and land management. Diel activity in insects is an understudied aspect of entomology vital to understanding ecosystem dynamics. We investigated diurnal and nocturnal insect activity by deploying ethanol-baited flight intercept traps at dawn and dusk in two forest types in the southeastern United States. In a mixed hardwood forest, we found seven beetle species associated with diurnal activity and two beetle species associated with nocturnal activity. In a longleaf pine forest, there was greater insect biomass and higher beetle diversity collected at night. We also found six species associated with diurnal activity and eight species associated with nocturnal activity. Ordinations revealed that diurnal and nocturnal beetle communities had areas of overlap but were largely distinct. As insect biodiversity continues to face potentially existential threats (habitat degradation, invasive species, artificial light pollution, etc.), this ecological knowledge is increasingly valuable to insect conservation.