Biodiversity at Linnaeus birthplace in the parish of Stenbrohult, southern Sweden. 3. Red-listed wood-beetles

Wooded pasture and older forest with dead trees, about 10% of an area of 3000 ha in the central part of the parish of Stenbrohult, was inventoried for wood-living beetles in 1985-2002. In the study areas Carl Linnaeus was born in 1707, and he spent his summers there until 1728. All standard methods for finding wood-beetles were used, including many window traps and 170 wood mould samples. As a new method, from 1992 and later, fragments in wood mould in hollow trees were collected and determined to species in the laboratory. We found 74 red-listed wood-beetles, including 13 threatened species (categories EN and VU). The highest numbers of threatened wood-beetles were found on properties owned by the church or by the largest landowners. This was because old (>150 years), southern deciduous trees were largely absent on small farm properties. Recorded habitats in the study area for the red-listed species are given. Old hollow oaks Quercus robur, beeches Fagus sylvatica, small-leaved limes Tilia cordata, elms Ulmus glabra and big dead birches Betula spp. were the most important substrates for threatened species in the study area. These substrates, mainly old living trees but also standing dead trees, are also crucial habitats for species listed as possibly globally threatened and found in the study area: Corticeus fasciatus, Ptenidium gressneri, Plectophloeus nitidus, Oxypoda arborea, Gnorimus nobilis, Ampedus hjorti, Athous mutilatus, Procraerus tibialis, Xylophilus corticalis, Grynocharis oblonga, Cryptophagus fuscicornis, C. labilis, Latridius brevicollis, Mycetophagus populi, Hypulus quercinus. Mycetochara axillaris. Phloeophagus lignarius and P. thomsoni. Threats to the long-term survival of the red-listed species are discussed. The need for rapid habitat restoration to lower the "extinction debt" is stressed. This is especially urgent for features that have declined most since Linnaeus time, e.g. old sun-exposed oaks and other southern deciduous trees. The number of big dead spruces has probably increased in recent decades, and therefore species dependent on spruce are unlikely to be part of the extinction debt

Biology and distribution of chafers (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) living in hollow trees in Sweden.

We review the ecology and distributions of the chafers Liocola marmorata (F.), Gnorimus nobilis (L.) and Gnorimus variabilis (L.) in Sweden based on museum and several large private collections. These species live in hollow deciduous trees, in Sweden especially in oaks. The former and recently documented localities are shown on maps. More than 100 years ago, all the species as well as their habitats were more common in Sweden than today. One problem when interpreting old finds is that hollow trees do not seem to have been examined by entomologists, except during the last 50 years. However, Gnorimus nobilis, which often visits flowers, was frequently found in former times. In the province of Skane, which has been most intensively studied among Swedish provinces, the number of known localities for Gnorimus nobilis has decreased from 13 before 1975 to 6 after that year, despite more intensive studies during the last 25 years. Of the studied species, Liocola marmorata has had the largest contraction of its range in Sweden. It has disappeared from the southwestern part, but occurs still in many localities in the provinces of Ostergotland and Uppland. In Uppland, the absence of Osmoderma eremita, which has a similar niche, may decrease the competition in tree hollows and favour L. marmorata. Gnorimus varibilis has a preference for sun-exposed oaks, and can live in downed dead trees long after the trunk has fallen. It has been found at about 30 localities in Sweden during the last 25 years. We suggest that Gnorimus variabilis is a globally threatened species and that Sweden has a strong responsibility to preserve this species. There are still seven localities in southeastern Sweden where all three species as well as Osmoderma eremita occur. All these localities harbour a high number of threatened saproxylic beetles. We discuss the chafers living in hollow trees as indicator species and propose conservation measures for them. The highest priority should be given to increase the survival rate and number of very old trees, especially oaks, in and near stands which inhabit the species and contains a large number of suitable hollow trees

Differential Response to Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy and Clinical Outcomes According to QRS Morphology and QRS Duration

ObjectivesThe goal of this study was to examine the relative impact of QRS morphology and duration in echocardiographic responses to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and clinical outcomes.BackgroundAt least one-third of all patients treated with CRT fail to derive benefit. Patients without left bundle branch block (LBBB) or patients with smaller QRS duration (QRSd) respond less or not at all to CRT.MethodsWe retrospectively assessed baseline characteristics, clinical and echocardiographic response, and outcomes of all patients who received CRT at our institution between December 2003 and July 2007. Patients were stratified into 4 groups according to their baseline QRS morphology and QRSd.ResultsA total of 496 patients were included in the study; 216 (43.5%) had LBBB and a QRSd ≥150 ms, 85 (17.1%) had LBBB and QRSd <150 ms, 92 (18.5%) had non-LBBB and a QRSd ≥150 ms, and 103 (20.8%) had non-LBBB and QRSd <150 ms. Echocardiographic response (change in ejection fraction) was better in patients with LBBB and QRSd ≥150 ms (12 ± 12%) than in those with LBBB and QRSd <150 ms (8 ± 10%), non-LBBB and QRSd ≥150 ms (5 ± 9%), and non-LBBB and QRSd <150 ms (3 ± 11%) (p < 0.0001). In a multivariate stepwise model with change in ejection fraction as the dependent variable, the presented classification was the most important independent variable (p = 0.0003). Long-term survival was better in LBBB patients with QRSd ≥150 ms (p = 0.02), but this difference was not significant after adjustment for other baseline characteristics (p = 0.15).ConclusionsQRS morphology is a more important baseline electrocardiographic determinant of CRT response than QRSd

Ceruchus chrysomelinus (Coleoptera, Lucanidae), a disappearing virgin forest relict species?

The lucanid beetle Ceruchus chrysomelinus Hochenwarth inhabits forests with a high density of moist red-rotten logs of both coniferous and deciduous trees. This habitat is very rare in Swedish forests of today and so is the species in itself. There are no recent records from the Swedish provinces of Skane, Halland, Vastergotland, Ostergotland and Halsingland, but new localities have recently been found on the island of Oland and in the provinces Sodermanland and Vastmanland. Palaeoentomological studies in southern Smaland indicate that the species was significantly more common 1 000 - 2 000 years ago than at present. In the few remaining large old-growth forests in northern and central Europe the species seems to be one of the most numerous wood beetle species, but it is probably dependent on a continuous supply of suitable logs at the landscape scale. At the majority of the present Swedish localities the number of suitable logs is low and the surrounding environments are unsuitable. Several sites with suitable habitat in the province of Uppland seem to be lacking the species, although populations exist only 1-2 km away. This could be explained by a low dispersal propensity. The largest populations now occur in Uppland at the lower part of River Dalalven and around Lake Vallen. During the last 25 years (1975-1999) Ceruchus chrysomelinus has been found on 10 localities outside of Uppland. We propose that the species can be used as an indicator species of forests with high conservation value