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In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, 80 species of rove beetles were recorded between 1992 and 2020. Distribution and abundance of various species are discussed. Five species are new to the fauna of the federal state: Atheta aquatilis (Thomson, 1867), A. clientula (Erichson, 1839), A. sodermani Bernhauer, 1931, Paederus caligatus (Erichson, 1840) and Xantholinus elegans (Olivier, 1795). For selected rare species, the community of accompanying species is characterized from sieve samples of most varied habitats or structures. A comparison of the species inventory proves the ecological value of wet to dry habitats, and shows the effort that needs to be made to register both the current species inventory of the area and its changes in time. The complexity of this task lies, on the one hand, in an expansion of the range of species and, on the other hand, in a simultaneous disappearance of species, mainly caused by the loss of various habitat types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African rainforest is severely impacted by human activities, ranging from resource collection, selective logging to fragmentation and scale deforestation. Consequently, large mammal communities occurring therein are strongly modified. Here, we present a study conducted in Taï National Park (TNP), which characterises the spatial distribution and differential response of seven duiker species to human activities. Based on extensive survey data recorded between 2005 and 2015, we used a maximum entropy modelling approach for predicting duiker species distribution and a hierarchical clustering approach to identify potential subgroups in the duiker community. The seven duiker species clearly differed in their spatial distribution, with Cephalophus dorsalis and Philantomba maxwellii being the most common and widely distributed with no clear response towards gradients of impact from human activities. In contrast, Cephalophus ogilbyi, Cephalophus jentinki, Cephalophus sylvicultor and Cephalophus zebra showed increasing responses towards anthropogenic impact gradients, with the latter two being particularly sensitive. These duikers are not found in areas of illegal human activities. The restricted distribution of Cephalophus niger seems artificial and may indicate species misidentification. The strong spatial signature of human activities in the duiker community of TNP is of concern. Effective park management, including extensive ranger patrols, is vital for ensuring the persistence of this unique duiker community in West Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Signals of species interactions can be inferred from survey data by asking if some species occur more or less often together than what would be expected by random, or more generally, if any structural aspect of the community deviates from that expected from a set of independent species. However, a positive (or negative) association between two species does not necessarily signify a direct or indirect interaction, as it can result simply from the species having similar (or dissimilar) habitat requirements. We show how these two factors can be separated by multivariate logistic regression, with the regression part accounting for species-specific habitat requirements, and a correlation matrix for the positive or negative residual associations. We parameterize the model using Bayesian inference with data on 22 species of wood-decaying fungi acquired in 14 dissimilar forest sites. Our analyses reveal that some of the species commonly found to occur together in the same logs are likely to do so merely by similar habitat requirements, whereas other species combinations are systematically either over- or underrepresented also or only after accounting for the habitat requirements. We use our results to derive hypotheses on species interactions that can be tested in future experimental work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]