This study evaluates the effects of forest management practices on the species richness, abundance and diversity of ground-dwelling beetles in northern hardwood and hemlock forests. Beetle samples from even and uneven-aged managed forests were compared to those from old growth forests. Many insects serve as critical link species that regulate ecosystem processes, such as microbial growth rate and decomposition, recycling of soil nutrients, consumption of plant biomass, and pollination. They are also an important food source to insectivorous vertebrates and parasites.
Insects exhibit a relatively high degree host plant, microhabitat, and microclimate specialization.
Many insects have narrow microhabitat requirements including resource heterogeneity, moisture, light and temperature. Many insects are poor dispersers, making them unable to escape from habitat disturbance. This is especially true of insects of stable ecosystems such as old growth forests. Insects are especially suitable monitoring indicators due to their short generation times and the short time required for sampling. The high degree of habitat specialization and limited dispersal ability of insects can provide early detection of habitat changes over a fine enough scale to aid in the design of nature reserves.