First Records of Beetle Fauna (Insecta: Coleoptera) from Late Glacial Sediments of Lithuania: Novel Environmental Reconstructions Nick Schafstall, Miglė Stančikaitė, Romas Ferenca, Vaida Šeirienė Diversity, 2025 This study presents the first subfossil beetle (Coleoptera) records from Lithuania, from Late Glacial organic deposits. Bulk sediment samples were collected from the Pamerkiai and Zervynos Outcrops in SE Lithuania, and from the Ventė Outcrop at the eastern coast of the Curonian Lagoon, W Lithuania. Radiocarbon dating determined that the studied sediments accumulated between ~15,000–11,300 cal BP. The beetle assemblages (29–177 individuals per sample) consist of many cold-adapted species that are common from Late Glacial deposits in the British Isles, Southern Sweden, and continental Europe. True arctic species are absent from the assemblages, and it is likely that the Lithuanian beetle fauna was most similar to nearby southern regions (e.g., Poland) during the Late Glacial. Besides a variety of aquatic species and typical wetland species, many beetle species living in open environments and on sandy soils were identified. In almost all the samples, taxa associated with pine trees, willows, and birches were found, confirming previous reconstructions of a sparsely forested landscape during the climatic periods GI-1e–GI-1a (Bølling-Allerød). The species assemblages from the youngest samples, associated with GS-1 (Younger Dryas), indicate the disappearance of large aquatic macrophytes and decreasing temperatures in Southern Lithuania, but a persistence of trees in the region.
Divergent Trends in Insect Disturbance Across Europe's Temperate and Boreal Forests Tomáš Hlásny, Roman Modlinger, Jostein Gohli, Rupert Seidl, Paal Krokene, et al. Global Change Biology, 2025 Ongoing shifts in climate and land use have altered interactions between trees and insect herbivores, changing biotic disturbance regimes. However, as these changes are complex and vary across host species, insect taxa, and feeding guilds, they remain poorly understood. We compiled annual records of forest insect disturbance from 15 countries in temperate and boreal Europe, spanning the period from 2000 to 2022. The dataset comprises 1361 time series characterizing the dynamics of 50 herbivorous insects. We used this dataset to test whether insect disturbance has systematically changed during the 23‐year period across host trees and feeding guilds, whether it varies along latitudinal and climatic gradients, and whether synchrony exists among species in the same guild or among species sharing the same host. Since 2000, borer disturbance was predominantly concentrated on gymnosperms, while defoliators impacted gymnosperms and angiosperms more evenly. While 85.8% of gymnosperm disturbance was inflicted by a single species, Ips typographus , the majority of disturbances to angiosperms were caused by six different species. Borer impact on gymnosperms has increased in the 21st century, while defoliator impact has decreased across both clades. In contrast to diverging temporal trends, disturbance was consistently greater in warmer and drier conditions across feeding guilds and host types. We identified significant synchrony in insect disturbance within host types and feeding guilds but not between these groups, suggesting shared drivers within guilds and host types. Increasing insect disturbance to gymnosperms may catalyze adaptive transformations in Europe's forests, promoting a shift from historical conifer‐dominated management to broadleaved trees, which are less affected by insect herbivores. Our findings reveal a diversity of trends in insect herbivory, underscoring the need to strengthen monitoring and research in order to better understand underlying mechanisms and identify emerging threats that may not be apparent in currently available data.
Ten simple rules to bridge ecology and palaeoecology by publishing outside palaeoecological journals Nick Schafstall, Xavier Benito, Sandra O. Brugger, Althea L. Davies, Erle Ellis, et al. Plos Computational Biology, 2024 Owing to its specialised methodology, palaeoecology is often regarded as a separate field from ecology, even though it is essential for understanding long-term ecological processes that have shaped the ecosystems that ecologists study and manage. Despite advances in ecological modelling, sample dating, and proxy-based reconstructions facilitating direct comparison of palaeoecological data with neo-ecological data, most of the scientific knowledge derived from palaeoecological studies remains siloed. We surveyed a group of palaeo-researchers with experience in crossing the divide between palaeoecology and neo-ecology, to develop Ten Simple Rules for publishing your palaeoecological research in non-palaeo journals. Our 10 rules are divided into the preparation phase, writing phase, and finalising phase when the article is submitted to the target journal. These rules provide a suite of strategies, including improved networking early in the process, building effective collaborations, transmitting results more efficiently and cross-disciplinary, and integrating concepts and methodologies that appeal to ecologists and a wider readership. Adhering to these Ten Simple Rules can ensure palaeoecologists’ findings are more accessible and impactful among ecologists and the wider scientific community. Although this article primarily shows examples of how palaeoecological studies were published in journals for a broader audience, the rules apply to anyone who aims to publish outside specialised journals.
Development of high diversity beech forest in the eastern Carpathians Marion Lestienne, Eva Jamrichová, Niina Kuosmanen, Andrei‐Cosmin Diaconu, Nick Schafstall, et al. Journal of Biogeography, 2023 In recent decades, a surge in the number of significant and uncontrolled wildfires has occurred worldwide. Global warming may amplify this trend and threaten most ecosystems worldwide. Deciduous forests are characterized by high plant diversity, and understanding their long‐term dynamics is crucial to anticipate changes in these ecosystems during ongoing global warming. The aim of this study is to understand how European beech forests have colonized the inner Eastern Carpathians and how changes in fire regime and human activities have affected their biodiversity.
Late Glacial and Holocene records of tree-killing conifer bark beetles in Europe and North America: Implications for forest disturbance dynamics Nick Schafstall, Niina Kuosmanen, Christopher J Fettig, Miloš Knižek, Jennifer L Clear Holocene, 2020 Outbreaks of conifer bark beetles in Europe and North America have increased in scale and severity in recent decades. In this study, we identify existing fossil records containing bark beetle remains from the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (~14,000 cal. yr BP) to present day using the online databases Neotoma and BugsCEP and literature searches, and compare these data with modern distribution data of selected tree-killing species. Modern-day observational data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) database was used to map recorded distributions from AD 1750 to present day. A total of 53 fossil sites containing bark beetle remains, from both geological and archeological sites, were found during our searches. Fossil sites were fewer in Europe ( n = 21) than North America ( n = 32). In Europe, 29% of the samples in which remains were found were younger than 1000 cal. yr BP, while in North America, remains were mainly identified from late Glacial (~14,000–11,500 cal. yr BP) sites. In total, the fossil records contained only 8 of 20 species we consider important tree-killing bark beetles in Europe and North America based on their impacts during the last 100 years. In Europe, Ips sexdentatus was absent from the fossil record. In North America, Dendroctonus adjunctus, Dendroctonus frontalis, Dendroctonus jeffreyi, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae, Dryocoetes confusus, Ips calligraphus, Ips confusus, Ips grandicollis, Ips lecontei, Ips paraconfusus, and Scolytus ventralis were absent. Overall, preserved remains of tree-killing bark beetles are rare in the fossil record. However, by retrieving bulk material from new and existing sites and combining data from identified bark beetle remains with pollen, charcoal, tree rings, and geochemistry, the occurrence and dominance of bark beetles, their outbreaks, and other disturbance events can be reconstructed.
First Records of Beetle Fauna (Insecta: Coleoptera) from Late Glacial Sediments of Lithuania: Novel Environmental Reconstructions N Schafstall, M Stančikaitė, R Ferenca, V Šeirienė Diversity 17 (12), 820 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 2
Divergent trends in insect disturbance across Europe's temperate and boreal forests T Hlásny, R Modlinger, J Gohli, R Seidl, P Krokene, I Bernardinelli, ... Global change biology 31 (11), e70580 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 9
Paleolit českých zemí: proměny přírody, lidí a kultur JA Svoboda, I Horáček, J Horáčková, J Hošek, L Juříčková, M Macholán, ... Academia , 2025 2025.0
Ten simple rules to bridge ecology and palaeoecology by publishing outside palaeoecological journals N Schafstall, X Benito, SO Brugger, AL Davies, E Ellis, S Pla-Rabes, ... PLoS computational biology 20 (10), e1012487 , 2024 2024.0 Citations: 4
The absence of disturbances promoted Late Holocene expansion of silver fir (Abies alba) in the Bohemian Forest N Schafstall, H Svitavská-Svobodová, M Kadlec, M Gałka, P Kuneš, ... Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 635, 111950 , 2024 2024.0 Citations: 5
Assessing the effect of invasive organisms on forests under information uncertainty: The case of pine wood nematode in continental Europe N Schafstall, L Dobor, M Baldo, AM Liebhold, W Rammer, J Honkaniemi, ... Forest Ecosystems 11, 100226 , 2024 2024.0 Citations: 3
Development of high diversity beech forest in the eastern Carpathians M Lestienne, E Jamrichova, N Kuosmanen, AC Diaconu, N Schafstall, ... Journal of Biogeography 50 (4), 699-714 , 2023 2023.0 Citations: 14
Sub-fossil bark beetles as indicators of past disturbance events in temperate Picea abies mountain forests N Schafstall, N Kuosmanen, P Kuneš, HS Svobodova, M Svitok, ... Quaternary Science Reviews 275, 107289 , 2022 2022.0 Citations: 11
Integration of dendrochronological and palaeoecological disturbance reconstructions in temperate mountain forests N Kuosmanen, V Čada, K Halsall, RC Chiverrell, N Schafstall, P Kuneš, ... Forest Ecology and Management 475, 118413 , 2020 2020.0 Citations: 17
Changes in species composition and diversity of a montane beetle community over the last millennium in the High Tatras, Slovakia: Implications for forest conservation and … N Schafstall, N Whitehouse, N Kuosmanen, H Svobodová-Svitavská, ... Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 555, 109834 , 2020 2020.0 Citations: 14
Late Glacial and Holocene records of tree-killing conifer bark beetles in Europe and North America: Implications for forest disturbance dynamics N Schafstall, N Kuosmanen, CJ Fettig, M Knižek, JL Clear The Holocene 30 (6), 847-857 , 2020 2020.0 Citations: 18
Postglacial succession of caddisfly (Trichoptera) assemblages in a central European montane lake D Vondrák, NB Schafstall, P Chvojka, RC Chiverrell, N Kuosmanen, ... Biologia 74 (10), 1325-1338 , 2019 2019.0 Citations: 13
The role of beetle communities in past forest dynamics in a Norway spruce forest in the High Tatra Mountains, Slovakia N Schafstall, N Whitehouse, R Chiverrell, H Svoboda, J Holeksa, ... EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts, 1186 , 2018 2018.0
Opportunities for palaeoclimate research on Coleoptera in Northwestern Europe NB Schafstall 2012.0 Citations: 2
Late Glacial coleopteran Mutual Climatic Range temperature reconstructions from three sites in Lithuania N Schafstall, M Stančikaitė, V Šeirenė Available at SSRN 6727266 , 0
Reconstructing past disturbance dynamics in mountain spruce forests from fossil insect remains NB Schafstall
Data from: Late Glacial and Holocene records of tree-killing conifer bark beetles in Europe and North America: Implications for forest disturbance dynamics N Schafstall, N Kuosmanen, CJ Fettig, M Knižek, JL Clear
Marion Lestienne, Eva Jamrichová 2, 5, Niina Kuosmanen, Andrei-Cosmin Diaconu 4 N Schafstall, V Goliáš, G Kletetschka, V Šulc, P Kuneš
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Late Glacial and Holocene records of tree-killing conifer bark beetles in Europe and North America: Implications for forest disturbance dynamics N Schafstall, N Kuosmanen, CJ Fettig, M Knižek, JL Clear The Holocene 30 (6), 847-857 , 2020 2020.0 Citations: 18
Integration of dendrochronological and palaeoecological disturbance reconstructions in temperate mountain forests N Kuosmanen, V Čada, K Halsall, RC Chiverrell, N Schafstall, P Kuneš, ... Forest Ecology and Management 475, 118413 , 2020 2020.0 Citations: 17
Development of high diversity beech forest in the eastern Carpathians M Lestienne, E Jamrichova, N Kuosmanen, AC Diaconu, N Schafstall, ... Journal of Biogeography 50 (4), 699-714 , 2023 2023.0 Citations: 14
Changes in species composition and diversity of a montane beetle community over the last millennium in the High Tatras, Slovakia: Implications for forest conservation and … N Schafstall, N Whitehouse, N Kuosmanen, H Svobodová-Svitavská, ... Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 555, 109834 , 2020 2020.0 Citations: 14
Postglacial succession of caddisfly (Trichoptera) assemblages in a central European montane lake D Vondrák, NB Schafstall, P Chvojka, RC Chiverrell, N Kuosmanen, ... Biologia 74 (10), 1325-1338 , 2019 2019.0 Citations: 13
Sub-fossil bark beetles as indicators of past disturbance events in temperate Picea abies mountain forests N Schafstall, N Kuosmanen, P Kuneš, HS Svobodova, M Svitok, ... Quaternary Science Reviews 275, 107289 , 2022 2022.0 Citations: 11
Divergent trends in insect disturbance across Europe's temperate and boreal forests T Hlásny, R Modlinger, J Gohli, R Seidl, P Krokene, I Bernardinelli, ... Global change biology 31 (11), e70580 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 9
The absence of disturbances promoted Late Holocene expansion of silver fir (Abies alba) in the Bohemian Forest N Schafstall, H Svitavská-Svobodová, M Kadlec, M Gałka, P Kuneš, ... Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 635, 111950 , 2024 2024.0 Citations: 5
Ten simple rules to bridge ecology and palaeoecology by publishing outside palaeoecological journals N Schafstall, X Benito, SO Brugger, AL Davies, E Ellis, S Pla-Rabes, ... PLoS computational biology 20 (10), e1012487 , 2024 2024.0 Citations: 4
Assessing the effect of invasive organisms on forests under information uncertainty: The case of pine wood nematode in continental Europe N Schafstall, L Dobor, M Baldo, AM Liebhold, W Rammer, J Honkaniemi, ... Forest Ecosystems 11, 100226 , 2024 2024.0 Citations: 3
First Records of Beetle Fauna (Insecta: Coleoptera) from Late Glacial Sediments of Lithuania: Novel Environmental Reconstructions N Schafstall, M Stančikaitė, R Ferenca, V Šeirienė Diversity 17 (12), 820 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 2
Opportunities for palaeoclimate research on Coleoptera in Northwestern Europe NB Schafstall 2012.0 Citations: 2
Paleolit českých zemí: proměny přírody, lidí a kultur JA Svoboda, I Horáček, J Horáčková, J Hošek, L Juříčková, M Macholán, ... Academia , 2025 2025.0
The role of beetle communities in past forest dynamics in a Norway spruce forest in the High Tatra Mountains, Slovakia N Schafstall, N Whitehouse, R Chiverrell, H Svoboda, J Holeksa, ... EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts, 1186 , 2018 2018.0
Late Glacial coleopteran Mutual Climatic Range temperature reconstructions from three sites in Lithuania N Schafstall, M Stančikaitė, V Šeirenė Available at SSRN 6727266 , 0
Reconstructing past disturbance dynamics in mountain spruce forests from fossil insect remains NB Schafstall
Data from: Late Glacial and Holocene records of tree-killing conifer bark beetles in Europe and North America: Implications for forest disturbance dynamics N Schafstall, N Kuosmanen, CJ Fettig, M Knižek, JL Clear
Marion Lestienne, Eva Jamrichová 2, 5, Niina Kuosmanen, Andrei-Cosmin Diaconu 4 N Schafstall, V Goliáš, G Kletetschka, V Šulc, P Kuneš
