Data for: Specialist carabids in mixed montane forests are positively associated with biodiversity-oriented forestry and abundance of roe deer

The ongoing transition within forest management towards more
biodiversity-oriented practices, such as close-to-nature forestry and
retention forestry, may benefit forest fauna such as forest-specialized
ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). However, it remains unclear how
forest carabids are jointly affected by these practices in Central
European montane forests, which host particularly sensitive,
range-restricted carabid species, and where biodiversity-oriented forestry
is widely applied. Moreover, roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), the most
common large herbivore in these forests, is intensively managed to reduce
browsing pressure, but it is yet unknown how this may affect carabids,
alongside the effect of silviculture. On 66 1-ha plots in the Black Forest
region of Germany, we sampled carabids with pitfall traps, measured roe
deer abundances using camera trapping, and measured several structural
variables directly related to close-to-nature and retention practices, as
well as variables describing microclimate and landscape-level forest
cover. We found that the carabid assemblage was dominated by forest
specialists, with little influence from fragmentation of the surrounding
forest. Higher broadleaf share (and canopy cover for montane specialists)
was correlated with higher carabid activity-density. Increasing stand
maturity (and lying deadwood volume for montane specialists), was
correlated with higher species richness. Plots with higher roe deer
abundances showed higher carabid richness and activity-density. Assemblage
composition changed along the altitudinal gradient, and both richness and
activity-density increased with elevation. Thus, carabid communities,
including montane specialists and several species of conservation
interest, stand to benefit from close-to-nature and retention practices,
if applied throughout the altitude range of montane forests. Forest
carabids may additionally profit from maintaining higher roe deer
abundances, but further research is needed to understand this causal link,
as well as to weigh the costs and benefits of deer culling for forest
biodiversity.