Tree biomass, carbon stock characteristics and ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) diversity in the Uzungwa Scarp Forest Nature Reserve, Tanzania

• Published in: Environmental management (New York) Vol. 71; no. 1; pp. 190 - 200
• Main Authors: Mwambala, Anna N., Nyundo, Bruno A., Kalumanga, Elikana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Anthropogenic factors; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Beetles; Biodiversity; Biomass; Carabidae; Carbon; Carbon sequestration; Climate change; Climate change mitigation; Clusters; Coleoptera; Deforestation; Diameters; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Emissions control; Environment; Environmental Management; Escarpments; Forest conservation; Forest degradation; Forest management; Forestry Management; Forests; Height; Insects; Nature Conservation; Nature reserves; Pitfall traps; Plant species; Species diversity; Statistical analysis; Tanzania; Trees; Tropical forests; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Wildlife conservation; Tanzania; Tree Carbon stock; Tree biomass; Ground beetles; Uzungwa
• ISSN: 0364-152X; 1432-1009
• DOI: 10.1007/s00267-022-01733-5

Reducing carbon emission from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) has drawn attention and remain one of the main options for climate change mitigation. However, the extent to which conservation for carbon may enhance biodiversity conservation in both disturbed and relatively undisturbed (control) environment remain unclear in most forest types. The extent to which anthropogenic disturbances affect carbon stock and ground beetle diversity is also far from clear. This paper addressed these knowledge gaps using data based on ground beetles, carbon stock in live trees and tree species sampled in Uzungwa Scarp Nature Forest Reserve (USNFR). All trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 5 cm were measured for height and DBH in twelve clusters of 1 ha in size. In the same clusters, ground beetles were sampled using pitfall traps, active night search and active day search. The species diversity of ground beetles differed significantly between control sites and disturbed sites (
p
 < 0.05). The mean total biomass and carbon stock in live trees were high in disturbed sites (323.72 t/ha) when compared to control sites (289.72 t/ha) but the difference was not statistically significant (
U
 = 14,
p
 > 0.05). Carbon in live trees and ground beetle diversity showed a weak positive correlation, while richness and abundance showed weak negative in control sites. Results show that REDD+ related activities in a tropical forest may enhance ground beetle diversity and carbon stock if ground beetles conservation is explicitly taken into account. Thus forest conservation planning that pursues both carbon storage and ground-dwelling invertebrate diversity is recommended.