Does native invertebrate diversity reflect native plant diversity? A case study from New Zealand and implications for conservation Original Research Article

An underlying assumption of ecological surveys which use rapid inventory techniques is that native invertebrate diversity will be reflected by native plant diversity. This supposition was tested by collecting Coleoptera from seven different habitats, which varied in the proportions of native and introduced plant species found within them. Pitfall traps were used to collect the beetles from a catchment on the South Coast of the lower North Island, New Zealand. A total of 150 beetle ‘species’ were found over a nine-month period. The native/introduced status of 127 of those species were determined; 114 were classified as native, and 13 as introduced. A positive trend was found between the percentage of native beetle species collected, and the percentage of native vegetation in the habitat under study. the sites with the greatest number of plant species (both native and introduced) contained the most beetle species, but modified habitats still showed high beetle diversity and should be considered for conservation purposes in some areas.