Beetles, the most diverse group of insects, are often abundant in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Many species are under threat from human changes to natural environments, and some are valuable tools in conservation, because they respond rapidly to changes that occur. Knowledge of these responses, of both abundance and composition of assemblages, enable use of some beetles to monitor environmental changes. Beetles impinge on humanity on many ways: as cultural objects, desirable collectables, major pests and competitors for resources need by people, as beneficial consumers of other pests, and by ensuring the continuity of vital ecological processes. This book is the first major global overview of the importance of conservation of beetles, and brings together much hitherto scattered information to demonstrate the needs for conservation, and how it may be approached. It is a source of value to students, research workers, conservation biologists and ecosystem managers as an introduction to the richness and importance of this predominant component of invertebrate life.

Table of Contents:
Preface vii Acknowledgements x 1 Introduction 1 Beetles and conservation 1 Beetle extinctions and extirpations 5 Beetle diversity 7 Beetle recognition and identification 12 Sampling and surveying beetles for conservation 16 Studying rare species 28 Evaluating conservation status and significance 34 2 Practical Conservation: Basic Approaches and Considerations 43 Species importance 45 Planning for species conservation 53 Population structure and beetle dispersal 63 Beetle assemblages for conservation 68 3 Threats to Beetles: the Role of Habitat 72 Habitats 76 Habitats and resources in the landscape 87 Habitat gradients for beetles 101 Remnant habitat values: brownfield sites 107 Islands and island habitats 109 4 Collecting and over-collecting 117 Commercial collecting 118 Bycatch and collector responsibility 121 5 Alien species 122 Effects and interactions with native beetles and other organisms 122 Alien beetles as vectors 129 6 Pollution and Climate Change 131 Pollution 131 Climate change 133 7 Components of Beetle Species Conservation: Ex Situ Conservation 137 Ex situ conservation 137 New populations 140 Salvage or rescue operations 142 Releases 144 8 Threats or Management: the Conservation Manager’s Dilemma 147 Fire 153 Manipulating beetle populations 156 Habitat restoration 158 9 Conservation Lessons from Beetles 164 Water beetles 164 Ground beetles and tiger beetles 168 Dung beetles 176 Stag beetles 186 Jewel beetles 189 Ladybirds 189 Longhorn beetles 192 10 Concluding Thoughts 195 References 208 Index 233