Abstract
Within the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV),some lands cleared of bottomland hardwood forests have the potential to return to forest as a result of private sector and government interests in Populus cultivation. Specifically, monoculture plantings of eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartr.) represent an important component of many recent afforestation efforts in the region. The impact establishment of such monocultures will have on native insect communities in the LMAV is relatively unknown. To evaluate this, beetle (Coleoptera) diversity, abundance, and functional distribution were examined within an intensively managed eastern cottonwood plantation and nearby bottomland hardwood forest in southeastern Arkansas. Beetles were sampled in both settings over the summer of 2000 using Malaise traps. When compared to the heterogeneous bottomland hardwood forest, the beetle morphospecies assemblage collected from the plantation was one characterized by lower species diversity and a depauperate xylophagous and fungivorous beetle fauna. Over half of all beetles trapped in the eastern cottonwood plantation were species considered to be economic pests of Populus.
Recommended Citation
Warriner, Michael D.; Nebeker, T. Evan; and Tucker, Steven A.
(2002)
"Beetle Diversity in an Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartr.) Plantation and Adjacent Bottomland Hardwood Forest in Southeastern Arkansas,"
Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 56, Article 32.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol56/iss1/32
