Ground-dwelling true bugs (Heteroptera) in afforested fields

Former agricultural lands may host peculiar biota, because agriculture activities have changed the physical, chemical and biological features of the soil; however, biodiversity in afforested fields is poorly known. The aim of this study was to investigate the diversity of ground-dwelling true bugs (Heteroptera) in early successional afforested fields in central Finland. We used a large-scale field experiment, in which agricultural land had been afforested 25 years ago by planting monocultures of birch, pine and spruce trees. Pitfall traps caught a total of 224 heteropteran individuals representing 20 species. The community was numerically dominated by Lygaeidae, Drymus brunneus being the mo…