Beetle biodiversity in forest habitats in Laos depends on the level of human exploitation

Abstract

Coleopteran diversity was compared between more and less disturbed lowland evergreen deciduous forests located in Phou Phanang National protected area, Lao PDR. Using window traps and pitfall traps and collecting beetles from March until December 2018, a total of 6243 specimens were obtained. The number of morphospecies found in the less disturbed forest was significantly higher as compared to the more disturbed forest. Slightly more morphospecies were found in the window traps compared to pitfall traps and a significantly higher number of morphospecies were found in the wet season (June and September collections), compared to the dry season (March and December collections). Similarly, more than twice as many specimens were found in the less disturbed forest, compared to the more disturbed forest and also again more were found in the wet season, in particular predators. The data presented here indicate that so far largely undisturbed forests in Lao PDR need to be better protected from human exploitation such as logging.