DOI: 10.5061/dryad.wdbrv1629
title: Data from: The effects of prescribed fire severity and time post-burn on beetle assemblages in a temperate deciduous forest

description: Fire is increasingly used as a management tool in temperate deciduous
 forests, but the effects of fire on arthropods in these systems remain
 unclear. Here, we used flight-intercept traps to sample beetle assemblages
 (Coleoptera) in portions of a temperate deciduous forest of eastern North
 America subjected to either a higher-severity burn, a lower-severity burn,
 or no burn. We collected beetles immediately following the burns and for
 up to two years post-burn. Average (±SE) beetle abundance did not differ
 between the higher-severity (45 ± 13) and lower-severity (55 ± 26) burns,
 but was 2x higher in the burned sites vs. the unburned site (25 ± 6).
 Likewise, traps in the two burned sites captured a similar number of
 beetle species (17 ± 0.5 and 15 ± 0.5, respectively), and more species
 than in the unburned site (12 ± 0.4). These patterns were consistent over
 time post-burn in all sites. Beetle composition also consistently differed
 between the burned and unburned sites; bark and ambrosia beetles
 (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) were the most abundant groups in the burned
 sites. Species turnover (beta diversity) was highest in the unburned site.
 Eleven species were associated with specific combinations of burn
 treatment and time post-burn. The results suggest that fire severity and
 time post-burn play key roles in structuring local beetle assemblages, and
 that longer fire intervals (&gt;3 years) are required to facilitate
 recovery. Measuring beetle responses to fire in temperate deciduous
 forests improves our understanding of the effects of disturbance-based
 management on local biodiversity.
description: # Data from: The effects of prescribed fire severity and time post-burn on
 beetle assemblages in a temperate deciduous forest Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.wdbrv1629](10.5061/dryad.wdbrv1629) ## Description of the
 data and file structure The effects of prescribed fire severity and time
 post-burn on beetle assemblages in a temperate deciduous forest ### Files
 and variables #### File: Beetle_Data.csv **Description:**  ##### Variables
 * collection_date: Date at which trap contents were collected (mm/dd/yy) *
 collection_year: Calendar year at which trap contents were collected
 (yyyy) * burn_date: Date at which the burn took place (mm/dd/yy) *
 days_post_burn: Number of days between a collection event and the burn
 date (days) * Time_post_burn_years: Number of years between a collection
 event and a burn (0: year of burn; 1: 1 year post-burn; 2: 2 years
 post-burn) * trap_number: Unique trap number assigned to a specific trap
 for each collection year * status: Status of forest (burned or unburned) *
 beetle_family: Family for each collected beetle species * feeding_guild:
 feeding guild classification for each sampled beetle species *
 beetle_species: Species of collected beetle * beetle_abundance: Number of
 collected individuals for each beetle species * treatment: Forest
 treatment (higher-severity, lower-severity, or unburned) *
 treatment_trap_number_collection_year: Concatenated treatment,
 trap_number, and collection_year columns. Used to isolate specific traps