Land use changes and landscape degradation in central and eastern europe in the last decades: Epigeic invertebrates as bioindicators of landscape changes

Abstract

The division of communities of epigeic beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Staphylinidae) based on indicative taxonomical groups and the index of epigeic beetles used for evaluation of human impact on communities are presented in this paper. In the Czech Republic, the indicative classification of the main epigeic taxonomical groups was made according to ecological characteristics and sensitivity to human influence. This paper also presents long-term monitoring of epigeic beetles from 1869 to 2003 in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, and information about invasive species. A brief comment on land use changes and landscape degradation is also included.