The suitability of two forest biotopes (oak and hornbeam-beech forests) for occupation by D. nitedula in Daghestan, Russia is considered. Biotopes have been characterized according to 11 parameters. All 11 vegetation parameters were significantly different between study areas. The indices of D. nitedula success in the studied biotopes demonstrated that numbers were higher in an oak forest than in a hornbeam-beech forest. Estimates of microhabitat distribution showed that D. nitedula individuals prefer to live in shrub associations and in areas with young trees in both biotopes. The body weight of adults and reproduction rate were similar in both biotopes. We concluded that in situation when the body weight and reproduction rates of individual D. nitedula were similar but the numbers of species in the both forest biotopes significantly differ, the structure of woody-shrub vegetation becomes a significant factor.
We examined the occurrence of carabid beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) at the edges of oak (Quercus pyrenaica) and beech (Fagus sylvatica) forests in León, NW Spain. Pitfall traps were used to collect beetles from April to October 2002, and leaf litter cover and depth were measured. Traps were placed at three distances (0, 50 and 100 m) from the edges of eight forest patches. A total of 5436 carabids belonging to 43 species were collected. We found no statistically significant edge effect at the carabid assemblage level, i.e. the number of species and individuals was not higher at the edge compared to the forest interior. However, individual species were affected by distance from the edge. Five of the 14 species analysed responded predictably to the edge, three of them statistically significantly so. Four species did not respond in the predicted direction, two of them statistically significantly so. We found a considerable difference between forest types in terms of carabid assemblage composition and response to the edge. Oak forests were species richer and beech forests had a higher number of individuals. These differences were probably due to small-scale habitat heterogeneity in the oak forest patches, caused by man, and the homogeneous structure of beech forests. Leaf litter appeared to be one possible factor influencing the distribution of some species from the interior to the edge of forests.
Wild boar population structure was studied in two well-preserved forests of western Iberian Peninsula, one located in a typically Mediterranean zone (vegetation mainly holm oak Quercus ilex and various tall-shrubs species), and the other in a more Atlantic area (mainly oak Q. pyrenica but with abundant cork oak Q. suber in some places). Data were colleted during hunts in monterías’ area between the 1994/95 and 2000/2001 hunting seasons (October to February). 972 hunted wild boars were sexed and aged in the field, using growth patterns and tooth attrition. The mean age of hunted wild boars differed in the two zones. 2.11 years old in holm oak forest, and 1.78 years old in oak forest. This difference may result from shurb cover density and its effect on hunting dog, efficiency in rooting out wild boar. However, mean age was similar other zones of Europe. Proportionately more females were taken than males demonstrate the usefulness of Mediterranean hunting in contributing to management and conservation.