Species composition and ecological structure of ground beetle communities (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in reclaimed rock dumps in the south of Western Siberia

Coal mining has a strong negative impact on the environment. It transforms natural landscapes into technogenic ones with high rock embankments and deep depressions, i.e., dumps and quarries. Such areas are good model sites for studying primary successions. Using the example of the Krasnobrodsky coal mine, this paper investigates the ecological and faunal structure of the ground beetle communities which inhabit the rock dumps of various ages in the forest-steppe zone in the south of Western Siberia. A total of 125 ground beetle species from 38 genera were collected. It was also established that fresh dumps were quickly populated by ground beetles. The basis of the taxocene is formed by species with high ecological plasticity, confined to anthropogenic biotopes. According to the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), ground beetle communities in dumps differ from native reference ecosystems. The Jaccard similarity index between 2- and 7-year-old dumps was 54%, while for the control zone and the site at the foot of the 25-year-old dump, this value was 68%. During 35 years of succession, the species composition of carabidocenoses varied, while the species abundance and dynamic density decreased (r = -0.78, p < 0.001). A wide range of life forms has been established for ground beetles. This indicates the active development of ecological niches, formed in technogenically transformed territories. This study demonstrates that the time interval of 35 years used for consideration is insufficient for recovering ground beetle communities to a climax state, typical to the ecosystems of a corresponding forest-steppe zone.