Changes in ground beetle diversity and community composition in age structured forests (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

We examined diversity, community composition, and wing-state of Carabidae as a function of forest age in Piedmont North Carolina. Carabidae were collected monthly from 396 pitfall traps (12×33 sites) from March 2009 through February 2010, representing 5 forest age classes approximately 0, 10, 50, 85, and 150 years old. A total of 2,568 individuals, representing 30 genera and 63 species, were collected. Carabid species diversity, as estimated by six diversity indices, was significantly different between the oldest and youngest forest age classes for four of the six indices. Most carabid species were habitat generalists, occurring in all or most of the forest age classes. Carabid species composition varied across forest age classes. Seventeen carabid species were identified as potential candidates for ecological indicators of forest age. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) showed separation among forest age classes in terms of carabid beetle community composition. The proportion of individuals capable of flight decreased significantly with forest age.     

The effects of pitfall trap diameter on ant species richness (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and species composition of the catch in a semi-arid eucalypt woodland

Abstract Ants play an important role in Australian biodiversity and environmental impact assessments, with pitfall-trapping being the principal sampling method. However, the relationship between trap diameter and ant species catch has not been investigated in the context of survey design. Using four different trap diameters, each at a density of one trap per 100 m2, the present study asks three questions: (i) given an equal number of traps, do traps with larger diameters catch more species than smaller-diameter traps?; (ii) do traps with small diameters bias against large or rare species?; (iii) for equal area of the trap mouth, do small but more numerous traps catch more species than fewer but large traps? A total of 84 species were sampled within the 1600 m2 study site, with numbers of species for trap diameters of: 18mm (46 species), 42mm (56 species), 86mm (62 species) and 135mm (64 species). At equal trap density, 18 mm traps caught significantly fewer species than larger traps. Traps of 86 mm and 135mm were no more efficient than 42mm traps. Only 86mm and 135mm traps caught all species > 10mm in length (6 species). For equal area of the trap mouth, small traps were more efficient than large traps. Differences in the catch of the different-sized traps were due primarily to different capture rates of the rare species (40 species): 18mm traps caught 25% of rare species, 42 mm caught 41%, 86 mm caught 44% and 135 mm caught 52%. The role of rare ant species in environmental impact studies is discussed.     

Trait-specific response of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) to forest fragmentation in the temperate region in Korea

The objective of this study was to examine the trait-specific response of ground beetles in terms of abundance, species richness, and composition for habitat fragmentation in temperate forests. In addition, we examined how different ecological groups and species of ground beetles responded to environmental variables. During middle May to early November in 2013, ground beetles were sampled using pitfall traps in 27 sites (18 patches and 9 continuous forests) in central Korea. A total of 51 species were identified from 17,845 ground beetles in the 27 study sites. Continuous forests had generally higher abundance and species richness of ground beetles than forest patches. Canonical correspondence analysis for ground beetles was significant, and the proportion of variance explained by environmental variables, such as patch size, elevation, organic matter (C), and soil moisture and pH, was 43.61%. In addition, species composition of ground beetles in continuous forests was grouped distinctively away from those in medium and small-sized patches. In conclusion, both small (1.1–9.6 ha) and medium patches (12.8–51.2 ha) were failed to preserve similar ground beetle biodiversity compared to continuous forests. However, our study revealed that medium-sized forest patches clearly had higher conservation value for forest specialist ground beetles than small-sized forest patches irrespective of forest type.     

The influence of matrix and edges on species richness patterns of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in habitat islands

Aim The aim of this study was to analyse whether, and how, the inclusion of habitat specialists and edge‐preferring species modifies the species–area relationship predictions of the island biogeography theory for an insect group (ground beetles, Coloptera: Carabidae) living in natural fragments. Species–habitat island area relationships applied to terrestrial habitat islands can be distorted by the indiscriminate inclusion of all species occurring in the fragments. Matrices surrounding terrestrial habitat fragments can provide colonists that do not necessarily distinguish the fragment from the matrix and can survive and reproduce there. Edge‐preferring species can further distort the expected relationship, as smaller fragments have larger edge:core ratios. Location Nineteen forest fragments were studied in the Bereg Plain, Hungary, and SW Ukraine. This area contains natural forest patches, mainly of oak and hornbeam, and supports a mountain entomofauna. Methods Ground beetles (Carabidae) present in the 19 forest patches were categorized into generalists, forest specialists and edge‐preferring species. We analysed the relationship between species richness and fragment area using species richness in the different categories. Results The assemblages contained a high share of generalist species (species that occur also in the surrounding matrix). Forest patch size and the number of generalist species showed a marginally significant negative relationship, indicating that generalist species were more important in smaller patches. Forest specialist species richness was correlated positively with patch area. Edge‐preferring species were shown to influence the species–area relationship: the number of edge‐preferring species increased with the edge:area ratio. Main conclusions Both generalist and edge‐preferring species can considerably distort the species–area relationship. Island biogeography theory can be applied to habitat islands only if the habitat islands are defined correctly from the viewpoint of the target species.     

The relationship between the ventral nerve cord,body size and phylogeny in ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

The ventral nerve cord in the family Carabidae (considered in the widest sense! exhibits variations in the degree of fusion of thoracic and abdominal ganglia. There are usually three discrete thoracic ganglia and between one and seven discrete abdominal ganglia, the number differing between tribes. Of the 44 tribes and 177 species examined, 38 tribes contained species showing no differences in the degree of ventral nerve cord consolidation. However, the remaining six tribes showed variations in the degree of ventral nerve cord consolidation between genera (Lebiini, Cychrini, Nebriini, Scaritini, Licinini and Brachinini), whilst one genus showed variations between species (Leistus, Nebriini). No variation in ventral nerve cord consolidation was observed in conspecifics. The degree of ventral nerve cord consolidation is inversely proportional to overall body length. With respect to phylogeny, the degree of consolidation of the nerve cord docs not consistently support the traditional Carabinae-Harpalinae subfamily division. However, the Harpalinae always have four or less discrete abdominal ganglia (with the sole exception of the Broscinij, whilst the Carabinae exhibit almost the whole range of variations. Thus the Harpalinae (or the major pari of it) may be a monophyletic group, but this is not true of the Carabinae. Trends in the degree of ventral nerve cord consolidation for the various tribes were noted, and phylogenetic implications were evaluated wherever possible.     

A comparison of diversity and species composition of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) between conifer plantations and regenerating forests in Korea

Ground beetles were collected by pitfall trapping to compare their species richness between conifer plantations (14 sites) and regenerating forests (14 sites) and among forest ages and to examine how different functional groups responded to forest type, forest age, patch size, elevation, and geographic location in terms of abundance and richness. Ground beetles were collected from middle August to late October, 2008. A total of 34 species were identified from 3,156 collected ground beetles. Individual-based rarefaction curves showed greater species richness in regenerating forests, especially in 40–50-year-old forests, than in conifer plantations. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that patch size and elevation were major predictors of species richness and/or abundance of forest specialists, brachypterous species, and large- and medium-bodied species. A multivariate regression tree indicated that patch size and elevation were major predictors of assemblage structure. Although our results suggest that maintaining forest areas adjacent to agricultural landscapes may be essential to preserve ground beetle assemblages irrespective of forest types, further study is necessary to clarify the effects of habitat quality and amount on ground beetles in forests.     

Ground beetles (Coleoptera,Carabidae) of the Hanford Nuclear Site in south-central Washington State

In this paper we report on ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) collected from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and Hanford National Monument (together the Hanford Site), which is located in south-central Washington State. The Site is a relatively undisturbed relict of the shrub-steppe habitat present throughout much of the western Columbia Basin before the westward expansion of the United States. Species, localities, months of capture, and capture method are reported for field work conducted between 1994 and 2002. Most species were collected using pitfall traps, although other capture methods were employed. Trapping results indicate the Hanford Site supports a diverse ground beetle community, with over 90% of the 92 species captured native to North America. Four species collected during the study period are newly recorded for Washington State: Bembidion diligens Casey, Calosoma obsoletum Say, Pseudaptinus rufulus (LeConte), and Stenolophus lineola (Fabricius). Based on these data, the Site maintains a diverse ground beetle fauna and, due to its size and diversity of habitats, is an important repository of shrub-steppe biodiversity.     

The impact of forest cutting on the diversity of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in the southern Appalachians

Abstract. 1. Carabid beetles were sampled by means of pitfall traps on several clearcut areas and in adjacent forests.
2. A hierarchical analysis of diversity revealed a significant increase in the within-genus component of species diversity after forest cutting.
3. This trend in intrageneric diversity was obscured, with respect to total species diversity, by a nonsignificant reduction in diversity at the generic level.
4. The increase in the within-genus component of species diversity following forest cutting was consistent with the hypothesis that disturbance of a cornmunity can disrupt processes of competitive exclusion.     

Carabidae diversity along an altitudinal gradient in a Peruvian cloud forest (Coleoptera)

Carabid beetles were sampled at five sites, ranging from 1500 m to 3400 m, along a 15 km transect in the cloud forest of Manu National Park, Perú. Seasonal collections during a one year period yielded 77 morphospecies, of which 60% are projected to be undescribed species. There was a significant negative correlation between species richness and altitude, with the number of carabid species declining at the rate of one species for each 100 m increase in altitude. The majority of species (70.1 %) were restricted to only one altitudinal site and no species was found at more than three of the five altitudinal sites. Only one genus, Pelmatellus (Tribe Harpalini), was found at all five sites. Active (hand) collections yielded approximately twice as many species per individuals collected than passive (pitfall trap) collections. This study is the first systematic sampling ofcarabid beetles of a high altitude gradient in the cloud forests of southeastern Perú and supports the need to conserve the zone of extremely high biodiversity present on the eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes.     

Effects of reflective groundcovers on ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) cropping systems

Reflective groundcovers are management tools used in temperate regions where light can be a limiting factor to crop productivity. Although their effects on crops have been extensively studied, little is known about their ecological impacts on ground‐dwelling organisms. Theoretically, reflective groundcovers add structural complexity to the system and thus have the potential to create refuges for ground‐dwelling invertebrates. At the same time, groundcovers can create abiotic conditions underneath them that could potentially cause declines in the abundance and richness of ground‐dwelling invertebrates. During the summers of 2006 and 2007, white, woven, reflective polymer groundcovers were placed in two red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) cropping systems (organic and conventional) in south‐eastern New Brunswick to assess their effects on ground beetle richness, activity density and overall assemblage structure. A total of 8723 ground beetles belonging to 23 species were collected using pitfall traps. In contrast with the combined effects of cropping systems and sampling years, the use of a groundcover accounted for a small proportion of the variance in trap catches and caused little change in ground beetle richness, activity density and overall assemblage structure. Based on these results, we suggest that reflective groundcovers constitute promising management tools to increase light environment quality in row crops without being detrimental to ground beetle species that may contribute to pest suppression.     

Phylogenetic diversification patterns and divergence times in ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Harpalinae)

Background  

Harpalinae is a species rich clade of carabid beetles with many unusual morphological forms and ecological interactions. How this diversity evolved has been difficult to reconstruct, perhaps because harpalines underwent a rapid burst of diversification early in their evolutionary history. Here we investigate the tempo of evolution in harpalines using molecular divergence dating techniques and explore the rates of lineage accumulation in harpalines and their sister group.     

大步甲的分子系统与进化模式

大步甲主要分布于北半球,全世界大约有1000余种。因大步甲后翅退化,不能飞行,其移动能力和扩散范围都受到很大程度的限制,因此,容易产生地理隔离和遗传分化,从而成为研究物种分化和生物多样化的好材料。近年来,通过对大步甲分子系统的详细研究,不仅很大程度上解明了大步甲各分类群间的系统发育关系,而且对大步甲的系统演化过程和形态进化模式也有了较深的理解,获得了很多重要的见解。在此做一个简单的综述。     

Winter quarters of wetland ground beetles (Coleoptera,Carabidae) in South Scandinavia

Sites at various distances from eutrophic and mesotrophic lakes and fens on the island Öland in southern Sweden were systematically surveyed in summer (May–August) and autumn (late September–October) to elucidate the hibernation sites of wetland carabid beetles. Thirty-five of 47 wetland species were found in their winter quarters. In areas ≤50 m from the lakes and fens, the observed as well as the estimated number of hibernating wetland species was higher in mesic to dry sites than in wet or moist open sites. Very few overwintering beetles were detected far (≥120 m) from the water. There was no significant difference in the frequencies of macropterous and dimorphic (brachypterous) species and individuals hibernating close to, and more distantly from, water. Individuals of small species hibernated closer to water than larger ones. At least in Scandinavia, there is no convincing evidence that wetland species hibernate far away from water, migrating by flight. A considerable number of the species that were collected in their winter quarters are rare and red- listed in at least one of the Scandinavian countries. Winter quarters situated in mesic and dry meadows and woodland close to lakes and fens had the highest number of red-listed species. Therefore, it is of fundamental importance to protect such sites. Threats to the integrity of the current habitats are logging and various transformations of meadows, e.g. digging and removal of large objects such as stones. Cessation of grazing by cattle may also have a negative effect.     

Mites (Acari) phoretic on ground beetles (Coleoptera,Carabidae) in a southern taiga forest in the environs of Vologda

Ground beetles were captured in a mixed southern taiga forest near the city of Vologda, Russia, from March to September 2014 using different collection techniques. Of the 250 specimens of ground beetles belonging to 22 species, 109 beetles representing 11 species yielded 326 specimens of mites of the cohorts Gamasina (4 species), Astigmatina (5), and Heterostigmatina (1). Two mite species, Antennoseius pseudospinosus Eidelberg, 1990, a common species in the steppes of southeastern Europe, and Halodarcia incideta Karg, 1969, a polyzonal European hydrophile, are recorded in the taiga zone for the first time. Dorsipes dorsipes Regenfuss, 1968, a specialized parasite of beetles of the genus Carabus Linnaeus, 1758, is new to the fauna of Eastern Europe. An adult mite of the genus Stylochirus G. Canestrini et R. Canestrini, 1882 was found for the first time in a natural hibernating chamber in close contact with an overwintering ground beetle, in particular, a male of S. fimetarius (Müller, 1859) on Carabus granulatus Linnaeus, 1785. The most common mite to occur on ground beetles was Antennoseius bullitus Karg, 1969, which was found on 7 carabid species with the mean occurrence of 41% and comprised 68% of the total mite sample. Joint phoresy of 2–3 mite species was recorded on 12 specimens of ground beetles; in 5 cases the co-occurring mites were Antennoseius bullitus and Stylochirus fimetarius. Three dominant mite species (85% of the total mite sample) were mainly collected off three dominant carabid species (70% of the beetle sample), but individual mite species preferred different hosts.     

The use of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and spiders (Araneae) as bioindicators of sustainable forest management: A review

International and Canadian national and provincial level policy have proposed the use of criteria and indicators to examine the sustainability of renewable resource management. Species suitable as ecological indicators are those whose biology are sensitive to disturbance and therefore demonstrate a negative effect of management on the processes or functioning of the ecosystem. Ground dwelling invertebrates such as carabid beetles and spiders have strong potential as ecological indicators as they are readily surveyed in sufficient numbers for meaningful conclusions to be drawn, have a stable taxonomy and, at least in the case of ground beetles, are readily identified. They are good local scale indicators of ecosystem disturbance in forested landscapes at both the short and long time scales, responding to both clearcut logging and fire differently. Ground beetles and spiders in boreal Canada may not be good indicators of disturbance at landscape scales, as little response to the creation of forest edges and habitat fragmentation has so far been observed. We propose that these bioindicators be used as part of local-level validation monitoring to test hypotheses about disturbance impacts. In this way, bioindicators are used in a research setting to evaluate silvicultural practices, providing a rating of their sustainability for a given broad forest type grouping.     

The relationship between British ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) and land cover

Aims and methods Ground beetle and satellite‐derived land cover data from 1687 United Kingdom 10 km national grid squares were used to assess the relationship between species pool and cover data in Great Britain using fuzzy classification and constrained ordination. Results Ground beetle species pools classified into nine groups which were related to land cover variables using constrained ordination. There was a strong relationship between upland land cover and three ground beetle groups. Deciduous woodland, coastal and tilled land were associated with three other groups. Three further groups did not appear to be strongly associated with any particular cover, but differed in geographical position. Conclusion The distribution of species pools derived from the British national recording scheme at the 10 km scale was strongly related to satellite‐derived land cover data. There appears to be considerable potential for the use of a synthesis of land cover and ground beetle data in the monitoring of environmental change over a large, countrywide, area.     

Effects of pitfall trap size and sampling duration on collection of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in temperate forests

Pitfall trapping is a standard sampling method to compare the abundance or community structure of ground beetles. However, effects of sampling duration on biodiversity estimation of ground beetles according to different trap sizes have not been experimentally evaluated in temperate forests in Korea. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the interaction between trap sizes (SB, small‐sized bottle; MB, medium‐sized bottle; PC, plastic cup; PJ, plastic jar; PT, perforated type trap; FT, funnel‐type trap) and sampling duration (T1, 2 weeks × 2 sessions, 28 days; T2, 2 weeks × 4 sessions, 56 days; T3, 4 weeks × 2 sessions, 56 days) on estimation of ground beetle assemblages in Naejangsan National Park, a temperate forest in Korea. Funnel type and larger pitfall traps collected higher numbers of individuals and species than other trap sizes. Species composition of ground beetles was different by size of traps (SB, MB, and PC vs. PJ, PT, and FT). In particular, ground beetle composition in larger traps (PJ, PT, and FT) appeared to be influenced by environmental characteristics according to localities (e.g., soil characters and dominant tree species). These findings from our study support that pitfall trapping of ground beetles can be influenced by trap sizes per se as well as sampling durations and environmental characteristics. Thus, biodiversity monitoring in temperate forests should be conducted with long sampling duration (at least 28 days) using large‐sized traps (> 7.5 cm in diameter of trap mouthpart) considering expenses and study aims.