The impact of abandoned kaolin quarries on macromycetes (Fungi: Basidiomycota, Ascomycota), carabid beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae), and spider (Araneae) assemblages

0569119 - BC 2024 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Walter, J. - Hradská, I. - Kout, J. - Bureš, J. - Konvička, Martin
The impact of abandoned kaolin quarries on macromycetes (Fungi: Basidiomycota, Ascomycota), carabid beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae), and spider (Araneae) assemblages.
Biodiversity and Conservation. Roč. 32, č. 4 (2023), s. 1437-1449. ISSN 0960-3115. E-ISSN 1572-9710
Institutional support: RVO:60077344
Keywords : post-mining sites * biodiversity * threatened species
OECD category: Biodiversity conservation
Impact factor: 3.4, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-023-02561-7

Post-mining sites represent important secondary refuges for invertebrates as well as for fungal species, often providing biodiversity hotspots in homogenous landscapes. Our study focuses on assemblages of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), spiders (Araneae), and macromycetes (Fungi: Basidiomycota, Ascomycota) in abandoned kaolin quarries and their immediate surroundings in the Pilsen region, Czech Republic. We studied mined and unmined sites and the impact of past mining, the vegetation composition of the sites, cover of herb and tree layers, and the amount of dead wood on the target groups. In total, we confirm the occurrence of 54 carabid beetle, 147 spider, and 139 macromycetes species, including several Red-listed species across the given groups. Carabid beetles and spiders, as well as the all Red-listed species, tend to prefer early successional open habitats. The fungal species displayed affinity to dead wood. Our results indicate that not only the invertebrates, but also macromycetes species prefer open post-mining sites, which are a substitute for endangered habitats such as natural wetlands or xerophilic grasslands.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0349839