Carabid beetle assemblages on urban derelict sites in Birmingham, UK

Brownfield sites are thought to support a minimum of 12–15% of Britain's nationally scarce and rare invertebrates. The amount of derelict land in Britain is set to decrease dramatically under current home-building and regeneration policies. There is therefore a pressing need for research into the potential importance of brownfield sites for invertebrates. In this study we sampled the carabid fauna of 26 sites, with ages varying between 2–20 years since their formation, to assess whether vegetation succession was an important determinant of invertebrate diversity the West Midlands of England. The work was carried out over the course of one growing season (in 1999), with concurrent surveys of the soil characteristics, vegetation type and land-use history. 63 carabid species were found including 2 nationally scarce species. The most species rich assemblages are found on early successional sites, which persist for 6 years on graded sites and up to 20 years on compacted substrates.     

Effects of agroecosystem diversification on natural enemies of soybean herbivores

This study evaluated the effects of agroecosystem diversification through no-tillage and strip intercropping on the abundance of natural enemies of soybean (Glycine max Merrill) herbivores. Twenty-four plots (289 m² each) were arranged in a randomized complete block design for a 3 by 2 factorial experiment. Factors were cropping systems (corn monoculture, soybean monoculture, and strip intercropping of corn and soybean) and tillage systems (no-tillage and conventional tillage). Natural enemies were sampled during 1988, 1989 and 1990 by sweep net, suction net (D-Vac), pitfall traps and quadrat samples. Analyses of variance indicated that of 15 taxa analyzed, most foliage-inhabiting natural enemies were significantly more abundant in intercropping than in monoculture plots, whereas soil-inhabiting natural enemies had higher numbers in no-tillage plots than conventional tillage plots. Therefore, the results support the theory of greater abundance of natural enemies in more complex agroecosystems. Better environmental conditions in diversified treatments was the possible reason for these results. Corn in intercropping plots provided shade, reduced wind speed, alternate food, and possibly higher humidity and lower temperatures for soybean natural enemies. A similar effect was likely cuased by the stubble and weeds, in no-tillage plots.     

Carabid beetle diversity and distribution in Boston Harbor Islands national park area (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

As part of an All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory in Boston Harbor Islands national park area, an inventory of carabid beetles on 13 islands was conducted. Intensive sampling on ten of the islands, using an assortment of passive traps and limited hand collecting, resulted in the capture of 6,194 specimens, comprising 128 species. Among these species were seven new state records for Massachusetts (Acupalpus nanellus,Amara aulica,Amara bifrons, Apenes lucidulus, Bradycellus tantillus, Harpalus rubripes and Laemostenus terricola terricola-the last also a new country record; in passing we report also new state records for Harpalus rubripes from New York and Pennsylvania, Amara ovata from Pennsylvania, and the first mainland New York records for Asaphidion curtum). For most islands, there was a clear relationship between species richness and island area. Two islands, however, Calf and Grape, had far more species than their relatively small size would predict. Freshwater marshes on these islands, along with a suite of hygrophilous species, suggested that habitat diversity plays an important role in island species richness. Introduced species (18) comprised 14.0% of the total observed species richness, compared to 5.5% (17 out of 306 species) documented for Rhode Island. We surmise that the higher proportion of introduced species on the islands is, in part, due to a higher proportion of disturbed and open habitats as well as high rates of human traffic. We predict that more active sampling in specialized habitats would bring the total carabid fauna of the Boston Harbor Islands closer to that of Rhode Island or eastern Massachusetts in richness and composition; however, isolation, human disturbance and traffic, and limited habitat diversity all contribute to reducing the species pool on the islands relative to that on the mainland.     

No correlation between the diversity and productivity of assemblages: evidence from the phytophage and predator assemblages in various cotton agroecosystems

Biodiversity research has shown that primary productivity increases with plant species number, especially in many experimental grassland systems. Here, we assessed the correlation between productivity and diversity of phytophages and natural enemy assemblages associated with planting date and intercropping in four cotton agroecosystems. Twenty-one pairs of data were used to determine Pearson correlations between species richness, total number of individuals, diversity indices and productivity for each assemblage every five days from 5 June to 15 September 2012. At the same trophic level, the productivity exhibited a significant positive correlation with species richness of the phytophage or predator assemblage. A significant correlation was found between productivity and total number of individuals in most cotton fields. However, no significant correlations were observed between productivity and diversity indices (including indices of energy flow diversity and numerical diversity) in most cotton fields for either the phytophage or the predator assemblages. Species richness of phytophage assemblage and total individual numbers were significantly correlated with primary productivity. Also, species richness of natural enemy assemblage and total number of individuals correlated with phytophage assemblage productivity. A negative but not significant correlation occurred between the indices of numerical diversity and energy flow diversity and lower trophic-level productivity in the cotton-phytophage and phytophage-predator assemblages for most intercropped cotton agroecosystems. Our results clearly showed that there were no correlations between diversity indices and productivity within the same or lower trophic levels within the phytophage and predator assemblages in cotton agroecosystems, and inter-cropped cotton fields had a stronger ability to support the natural enemy assemblage and potentially to reduce phytophages.     

Carabid beetle condition,reproduction and density in winter oilseed rape affected by field and landscape parameters

The carabid beetles Amara similata and Poecilus cupreus are abundant in Central European winter oilseed rape (OSR) fields and potential antagonists of OSR pests. Therefore, they were investigated in 29 OSR fields relative to the influence of field and landscape parameters on their nutritional condition, reproductive potential and activity density. Nutritional condition was measured by a condition factor (CF). Fecundity of female beetles was expressed by the number of ripe oocytes in the ovaries. Activity density comprised the number of individuals caught with pitfall traps during their peak of reproductive period. Soil productivity and pest abundance (as a proxy of local prey availability) were considered as field parameters. Landscape parameters comprised the distance to the next fallow and the percentage of crop area around each study field. In eight of ten cases, pest abundance proved to be the most important factor explaining carabid characteristics, indicating that P. cupreus and A. similata consume insect pests in OSR fields. Pest abundance influenced the CF of both species and sexes positively. Oocyte numbers of A. similata were negatively related to the distance to the next fallow. Oocyte numbers of P. cupreus tended to increase with increasing pest abundance. Activity density of female A. similata was negatively influenced by soil productivity. Activity density of male A. similata and of female and male P. cupreus was negatively influenced by pest abundance. When analysing exclusively the influence of severe OSR pests (Meligethes aeneus, Ceutorhynchus napi and Dasineura brassicae), abundance of larval M. aeneus and C. napi was most important in explaining the CF and activity density of male A. similata, and male and female P. cupreus. M. aeneus and C. napi could be an essential prey for the carabids studied which may reduce the pests, thereby contributing to the protection of OSR from pest herbivory.     

化学除草剂对农田生物群落的影响

从直接作用和间接作用两个方面,在个体、种群和群落3个水平上综述了化学除草剂对农田植物、动物和微生物群落的影响,并提出了今后需要加强研究的几个问题(1)残留在作物和杂草植株内的除草剂及其代谢产物通过食物链和生物富集作用对农田动物群落各级消费者造成的影响;(2)非作物生境使用化学除草剂对毗邻作物生境天敌群落的影响,以及作物生境使用除草剂对邻近非作物生境天敌群落的影响;(3)由除草剂长期使用引起的杂草群落演替、多样性下降、地表覆盖物和地下生物量减少对土壤动物和微生物群落的物种组成、分布、丰富度及其生态功能的影响;(4)化学除草剂与杀虫剂和化肥等其他农用化学品对农田生物群落的联合作用。     

农田生物多样性与害虫综合治理

在现代农田生态系统中 ,人类为了满足自身的需要 ,通常把自然界的植物群落改造成大面积种植单种特定的作物 ,人为地排除其他植物种类的竞争以提高作物的产量。由于单一化的作物不断取代自然植被 ,降低了农田的物种和生境多样性 ,结果导致农田生态系统的不稳定和害虫问题的更加恶化。影响农田生物多样性的因素很多 ,如地理位置、气候类型、环境条件、作物品种、种间关系、人类的栽培活动等。根据现有的生态学原理和研究成果 ,人类可以通过采用适当的措施来恢复和强化农田生物多样性 ,提高天敌的控制潜能 ,减少害虫发生的可能性 ;这些措施包括合理安排混作的时空格局 ,通过轮作进行间断性耕种 ,对多年生作物采用地面覆盖植被 ,利用不同品种以提高作物的遗传多样性 ,等等。在设计农田生物多样性的管理策略时 ,必须同时考虑当地气候、地理 ,植被 ,作物 ,土壤等因素的变化 ,因为在特定的生境条件下 ,这些因素可能增加或减少害虫发生的机会     

农田非作物生境调控与害虫综合治理

就害虫综合治理的研究而言,农田生态系统可以区分出作物生境和邻近作物的非作物生境。昆虫从作物生境迁移到非作物生境,与作物生境缺乏食物或受人类栽培活动干扰而引起的自然迁移、转换寄主和寻求庇护场所有关。许多研究表明,与特定作物田块相联系的植被类型和结构可影响害虫及其天敌迁居的种类、数量和时间。因此,我们可以通过改变大田周围非作物生境的植被组成及特征来调控农业生态系统中害虫与天敌的相互关系,提高天敌对害虫的控制效能。由于景观的空间格局对节肢动物的生物学特性有直接或间接的影响,所以,以景观为单元要比以同类作物的田块为单元更加适于害虫综合治理的研究和实施。在现代农业景观区域内重新引入和相嵌一些非栽培植物或廊道,可为众多有益节肢动物的繁殖、取食和避害提供多种类型的非作物栖境。     

山东省农业生态系统能值分析

为了更好地评价山东省农业种植业对太阳能资源的利用情况和山东省农业的可持续发展状况,用能值分析方法对山东省农业生态系统的能值投入产出状况、环境承载情况和生态系统运行效果进行了定量分析.结果表明:山东农业生态系统的能值投入中,无偿利用的环境能值贡献率、不可更新的工业辅助能值贡献率和可更新的有机能值贡献率分别为21.0%、54.5%和24.5%;净能值产出率为5.31,环境承载力为6.42,能值密度为7.22×1011sej·m-2;基于能值分析的可持续发展指数为1.52.经分析,山东省农业生态系统能值产出效率相对较高,整体运行状况处于较好水平,但仍处于石油农业发展阶段,应引起关注.为促进山东省农业的可持续发展,应调整能值投入结构,加大农业科技的研究和推广力度,逐步减少石化能源的投入比例.     

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the ground beetle Carabus problematicus (Coleoptera,Carabidae)

Six microsatellite loci were isolated from the ground beetle Carabus problematicus. The polymorphism ranged from two to 17 alleles and observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.137 to 0.676 and 0.147 to 0.710, respectively.     

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the ground beetle Carabus nemoralis (Coleoptera,Carabidae)

We isolated and characterized 10 microsatellite loci in the ground beetle Carabus nemoralis (Coleoptera, Carabidae), an ubiquist species largely distributed in Europe. Polymorphism ranged from 3 to 12 alleles on the 30 individuals from the same locality examined.     

Carabid beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) richness and functional traits in relation to differently managed grasslands in the Alps

Species richness, composition, and functional traits of carabid beetle assemblages (Coleoptera: Carabidae) were studied in relation to different grassland management. Carabid beetles were sampled during the summers 2008 and 2009 by 165 traps located in 11 sites in the central-eastern Italian Alps. Using mixed effect models to account for potential spatial bias, we found that mown grasslands had significantly more species, a lower proportion of wingless species and a lower proportion of species with long larval development than grazed and natural grasslands. Within grazed and mown grasslands, neither cattle density nor number of cuts had any significant effect neither on species richness nor on any of the traits. The influence of grassland management can be summarised as follows: (1) grazing does not change community structure and functional traits compared to natural grasslands; (2) mowing negatively affects the carabid beetle assemblages; (3) the intensity of grazing and of cutting may not affect the structure of species assemblages of ground beetles. Our results support the hypothesis that agroecosystem practices in alpine grasslands influence carabid beetle communities. Specifically, the species with traits typical of undisturbed habitats (low dispersal abilities and long larval development) are more sensitive to perturbations (e.g. cutting). Our suggestion for agricultural and environmental planning and for conservation schemes is that the preservation of natural grasslands (e.g. forest gaps) and the implementation of grazing should be promoted during the planning of agroecosystem mosaics.     

Introduced and native ground beetle assemblages (Coleoptera: Carabidae) along a successional gradient in an urban landscape

According to the intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH), species diversity should be higher at sites with intermediate levels of disturbance. We tested this hypothesis using ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) collected in pitfall traps from sites that varied in time since last disturbance. This successional gradient was embedded in an urban landscape near Montreal, Quebec. We predicted that diversity in young forests and old fields would be higher than in agricultural fields and old forests. Fifty-five species (2932 individuals) were found in 2003 and 46 species (2207 individuals) in 2004. In both years, species richness was highest from traps placed in agricultural fields. We collected nine introduced species; these had higher catch rates than the native species in both years (64.8% of total catch). When introduced species were removed from the Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling ordination analysis, the assemblages from agricultural fields were less distinct compared to those of the other habitats, suggesting the introduced fauna is important in structuring carabid assemblages from the agricultural fields. Introduced species may play a significant role in the community composition of ground beetles in urban landscapes, and their influence may be the cause of the lack of support found for the IDH.     

道路网络对景观生态风险的影响——以云南省红河流域为例

道路网络扩展既影响周围的景观格局,也对生态过程造成直接或间接的影响。以云南省红河流域为研究区域,利用GIS和RS技术,进行格网划分,从空间上分析道路对景观格局和土壤侵蚀的影响,并通过基于景观格局和过程的景观生态风险指数计算,分析道路网络扩展影响下的景观生态风险规律。结果表明:红河流域道路周围景观类型以耕地、林地和草地为主,其中林地和草地的格局风险指数随着距离道路的增加而减少,受道路影响显著;一级路、三级路和四级路缓冲区内土壤侵蚀量随着距离道路的增加而减少,三四级路分布广泛,更容易发生土壤侵蚀;道路密度和基于景观格局和过程的景观生态风险指数在空间分布上具有一定的相关性。     

Floral species richness,structural diversity and conservation value of vanilla agroecosystems in Madagascar

Agricultural landscapes provide financial livelihoods for farming communities in rural areas. However, such agroenvironments can significantly impact the local floral biodiversity and introduce harmful invasive species to the ecosystem. Despite the prominence of plantations throughout the tropics, their effects on local flora are limited to only a few specific cash crops and geographical regions. Here, we compared the species richness and structural diversity of vegetation in natural forest fragments and three types of vanilla plantation within the Sava region of north-east Madagascar ranging from those within or adjacent to existing forests, to intensively cultivated plantations. We recorded data on plant species abundance, diameter at breast height and canopy cover within multiple sites of each habitat. We used abundance data to calculate species richness indices, and we compared these metrics between habitats. Forested habitats contained a significantly higher floral species richness, structural diversity and more endemic and regionally native species than nonforested, anthropogenic vanilla plantations. However, our results suggest that the high floral species richness and structural diversity of natural forests can be partially achieved in vanilla plantations, depending on the site's management regime; traditionally managed vanilla plantations located close to natural forests can support diverse floral communities. These encouraging findings for plant conservation and sustainable agroforestry in Madagascar suggest that that newly created vanilla plantations and already existing nonforested plantations should endeavour to follow the more traditional forested approach to enhance the future sustainability and promote floristic diversity.     

Carabid beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) conservation in New Zealand

An overview of carabid beetles in the New Zealand conservation context is provided. Processes for threatened species recovery within the New Zealand Department of Conservation are outlined, and the Department’s two major beetle-related recovery documents (The Conservation Requirements for New Zealand’s Nationally Threatened Invertebrates, and The Carabid Beetle Recovery Plan) are discussed. A subjective consideration of the merits and drawbacks of both the documents, and the systems that support them, is presented, along with an option for the way forward for threatened species conservation in New Zealand.     

Morphological traits as predictors of diet and microhabitat use in a diverse beetle assemblage

We explored how morphological traits can complement phylogenetic information to extend our predictions of the ecology of a diverse beetle assemblage. We analysed ten morphological traits from an assemblage of 239 species from 35 families, and identified three axes of morphological variation that were independent of body length: (1) relative robustness; (2) relative appendage length; and (3) relative abdomen length. The trait associations defining these axes of morphological variation did not change after adjusting for family‐level phylogeny. We detected significant differences in morphological variation across the beetle assemblage according to diet and microhabitat use, and these patterns were only partially influenced by family membership. Further analysis within dominant families showed that species of Carabidae, Curculionidae, Scarabaeidae and Staphylinidae had greater body length in open versus tree litter microhabitat, and species of Carabidae and Curculionidae had greater relative robustness, but shorter relative appendage length, in open versus tree litter microhabitat. Although it is clear that family‐level phylogeny and morphology share some explanatory power for predicting the diet and microhabitat use by beetles, we demonstrate that body length, robustness and appendage length are correlated significantly with microhabitat use when comparing members of the same family. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 102 , 301–310.     

Eucamaragnathus desenderi, a new ground beetle species from Africa (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

Eucamaragnathus desenderisp. n., a new ground beetle species of the tribe Hiletini, is described from eastern and southern Africa and dedicated to the recently deceased Belgian carabidologist Konjev Desender. The new taxon is known so far from localities in Zambia (Mukuku, southeast of Mansa) and in South Africa (Bothaville, south of Klerksdorp). The new species belongs to the Eucamaragnathus castelnaui group and is characterized by shape of pronotum, smooth or sparsely punctate pronotal transverse impression, characters of male genitalia and elytral striae continued to the apex. Illustrations of the habitus, the median lobe and its internal sac and several other morphological features are presented. An updated identification key to the African Eucamaragnathus species is given.     

The ground beetle fauna of ancient and recent woodlands in the lowlands of north-west Germany (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

In north-west Germany the ground beetle fauna was investigated using pitfall traps at 79 sampling sites in ancient woodlands and recent woodlands (with and without direct contact to old stands). Two woodland types were considered: The Quercion robori-petraea-woodlands (oak-beech-type) on mainly sandy soils and the Stellario-Carpinetum-woodlands (hornbeam-type) on mainly loamy soils. The number of recorded ground beetle species inhabiting exclusively or predominantly woodlands in the investigation area is significantly higher in ancient stands of both woodland types than in recent ones. No statistically substantiated relation between habitat size (both about 1800 and in 1990) and the number of characteristic woodland ground beetle species could be ascertained. Carabus glabratus and Abax parallelus show a distinct focus in ancient woodlands. Significantly more records of Carabus violaceus and Abax parallelepipedus are known from ancient woodlands than from recent ones. Twelve of the 16 ground beetle species, for which no difference in the colonisation of ancient and recent woodlands was ascertained, are macropterous. Half of the eight brachypterous woodland species is exclusively or predominantly found in ancient woodlands, suggesting that power of dispersal is an important factor which determines the species number in woodland fragments of different age.