步甲作为指示生物的研究进展

步甲是鞘翅目的重要类群之一,几乎分布于所有陆生生境。步甲与环境关系密切,不少学者认为可将其作为指示生物。目前国外关于步甲作为指示生物的研究很多,内容主要集中在探索生态系统的可持续管理和对整体环境质量的评估,而国内关于步甲的研究主要是区系分类和群落多样性研究,很少关于步甲对环境的指示作用报道。因此,深入研究步甲与环境的相互关系,在此基础上进一步研究其指示作用并应用于生态环境监测和评估之中十分重要。文章对近年来国内外关于步甲作为指示生物的相关研究工作进行概括和总结,对步甲作为指示生物的优点、环境因子对步甲的影响、步甲对环境变化的响应等进行简要评述,同时讨论步甲作为指示生物的研究中存在的一些问题以及该研究领域的发展前景。     

Importance of closed landfills as green space in urbanized areas: ecological assessment using carabid beetles

In a closed landfill, we investigated the diversity and ecological characters of carabid beetles to understand the ecological importance of closed landfills that have the potential as a multi-functional habitat for improving biodiversity in urbanized areas. In addition, we studied the influence of environmental factors (vegetation structure, soil) on distribution and diversity of carabid beetles. A total of 92,495 individuals representing 15 carabid species were collected from the closed landfill. Although the species richness of carabid beetles recorded in the closed landfill was not higher than the other green spaces in the city, the closed landfill could sufficiently provides a stable habitat as a semi-natural area for carabid beetles. Soil pH, Na, and tall grass plant cover influenced carabid assemblage in the closed landfill. However, other environmental variables (e.g., K⁺, Na⁺, Mg²⁺, bare land cover, weedy cover, and tree cover) were not correlated with carabid species composition. It is implied that in the closed landfill, which is a highly modified engineered environment, other abiotic environmental (e.g., drainage, soil texture, leachate, and landscape context, etc.) and biotic factors (e.g., intra- and interspecific competition) may have affected carabid assemblage. Although artificial drainages are essential facilities for landfill management, they are a critical factor that affects the species inhabiting the landfill. However, carabid beetles seemed to randomly fall into the artificial drainage. For successful management of closed landfills, it is very important that minimize the intervention and that develop the ecological sensitively management method.     

火干扰对苍山云南松林步甲群落的影响

在云南省大理市苍山火烧迹地采用陷阱法初步研究了火干扰对苍山云南松林步甲群落的影响.其中未火烧迹地步甲群落由7属14种组成;火烧迹地步甲群落由6属8种组成,样地同多度没有显著差异.未火烧迹地步甲群落物种组成不同于火烧迹地,但部分火烧迹地与未火烧迹地接近;健步甲Carabus solidior是森林生境良好的指示物种(IndVal=0.9489,P=0.001).研究显示,火干扰已经改变了云南松林步甲群落组成,降低了步甲群落的多样性.     

Effects of narrow roads on the movement of carabid beetles (Coleoptera,Carabidae) in Nopporo Forest Park,Hokkaido

Forest-dwelling carabid beetles that have no flight ability were studied using mark-recapture methods in late-June to mid-October 2007. This study was done to determine the effects of narrow roads in Nopporo Forest Park, Hokkaido on carabid beetle movement and habitat use. The investigation was conducted at four sites: one site was an abandoned grassy road with a width of 3.5 m, two sites were gravel roads with widths of 3.5 and 4.5 m, and another site was an asphalt-paved road with a width of 4.5 m. A total of 3,580 individuals from six species of carabid beetles were collected using dry pit-fall traps, and recapture rates ranged from 6.1 to 36.2%. All examined roads acted as barriers against the movement of Leptocarabus arboreus ishikarinus. All roads, except the abandoned grassy road, acted as a barrier against Carabus granulatus yezoensis movement. Forest–roadside verge comparisons demonstrated that some carabid beetles avoid even narrow roadside verges. Harmful effects increase with increasing road width and both paved roads and narrow roads negatively affect the movement of carabid beetles inhabiting the bordering forest. Therefore, forest specialist beetles are influenced by a barrier effect that starts at the forest road verge, and this barrier effect may be exacerbated by vehicular traffic. Therefore, these barrier effects on carabid beetles should be considered when planning and implementing road construction and maintenance in forests.     

The effects of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) on the arthropod fauna of wheat fields in Chile

The role of carabid beetles in reducing populations of phytophagous insects has been an elusive subject. A field experiment was established on a commercial wheat crop (cv. Otto) with an area of 4.5 ha in Valdivia, Chile, during the spring and summer of 1996-1997. The field had been under a prairie system for two years, before wheat sowing (fertilization and a pesticide had been applied during crop development). Samples were taken at approximately monthly intervals. Carabid beetles were sampled with a grid of pitfall traps and other insects were sampled with a vacuum insect net and soil cores. The genera of the carabids found are of neotropical origin. Exclusion by polythene barriers, together with removal of carabid beetles using traps, was an effective technique for controlling carabid populations in a commercial wheat crop. A reduction in the number of carabid beetles was associated with an increase in the number of springtails and arachnids, and a decrease of agromyzid adults. Phytophagous insects, such as homopterans and lepidopterous larvae, were not affected by carabid exclusion and removal. The action of carabid beetles on the arthropod fauna can be extremely complex, due to its predatory activity at multitrophic levels.     

转植酸酶基因玉米对步甲群落动态的影响

本研究以陷阱法研究转植酸酶基因玉米及其亲本玉米在整个生长季节对地表步甲类群的影响。每个玉米品系设置6块样地, 两个玉米品系交替排列, 每个样地设置2个采样点, 共设置24个样点, 整个玉米生育期取样8次。本研究共采集步甲标本8 012头, 隶属于11属23种, 其中黄斑青步甲Chlaenius micans个体数量分别占个体总数的87.54%, 为玉米田内的主要常见物种, 蠋步甲Dolichus halensis、 后斑青步甲Chlaenius posticalis和单齿蝼步甲Scarites terricola个体数量分别占除黄斑青步甲之外所有步甲个体总数的34.77%, 31.16%和6.21%, 这些物种组成当地玉米田内的常见物种。步甲物种多样性与常见物种个体数量随季节变化明显, 且转植酸酶基因玉米与其亲本玉米田内步甲物种多样性和常见物种个体数量的季节变化趋势相似度较高。重复测量方差分析（Repeated ANOVA）结果表明, 转植酸酶基因玉米对步甲物种丰富度、 物种多度、 香农威纳多样性指数和均匀度指数均没有显著影响; 转植酸酶基因玉米田内的后斑青步甲个体数量明显增加, 但其他常见物种没有显著变化。基于非度量多维度（NMDS）的群落结构分析表明转植酸酶基因玉米与亲本玉米田内的步甲群落结构非常相似。本文结果表明转植酸酶基因玉米的种植对步甲物种多样性及常见物种没有明显影响。     

苜蓿邻作麦田地表步甲和蜘蛛种群动态及其对苜蓿刈割的响应

设计苜蓿-麦邻作与麦-麦邻作的农田界面捕食性天敌空间分布对比试验,在距离交接界面3、6、9、12、15、18、21、24和27 m处设诱集小区,采用陷阱法诱集调查地表步甲和蜘蛛种类与数量.结果表明: 不同界面麦田边缘地表步甲和蜘蛛物种多样性和多度都表现出一定的边际效应.苜蓿 麦界面15～18 m范围内边际效应明显,超过20 m, 边际效应逐渐消失.麦-麦界面的边缘效应明显弱于苜蓿 麦界面.苜蓿的刈割使苜蓿田中的天敌向邻作麦田迁移,苜蓿刈割后10 d内,邻作小麦田20 m内地表步甲和蜘蛛种类和个体数都有所增加,其中个体数的增长幅度大、速度快.绘制了苜蓿-麦界面地表步甲和蜘蛛的物种多样性和优势种(毛青步甲和星豹蛛)种群数量空间动态分布图,能直观地看出天敌由苜蓿向小麦田的迁移过程.     

Effects of metal contamination on the activity and diversity of carabid beetles in an ancient Pb-Zn mining area at Plombières (Belgium)

Carabid beetles were monthly sampled with pitfall traps in the ancient Pb-Zn mining area of Plombières during one year. Based on the total soil concentrations of lead, zinc, cadmium and copper, it was expected that zinc would probably have the most adverse effects on the populations. Activity and species richness of carabid beetles were, however, not significantly correlated with total zinc concentration nor with the water soluble and the calciumchloride extractable concentration. In fact, despite the high soil concentrations, carabid beetles did not seem to be affected in the study area. The apparent lack of effects at the high observed zinc concentrations is probably caused by the low bioavailability of zinc to the beetles in the litter of the study sites which was also reflected in the low observed water soluble zinc concentrations.     

Estimated density of four carabid beetle species in Mongolian oak and Korean red pine forest ecosystems on Baekdudaegan mountain range (Mt. Oade and Mt. Guryong) of South Korea

The estimation of animal population size is a primary field of interest for wildlife biologists, and such numerical estimation of wild animals is a very important factor in establishing national policy towards nature. Therefore, we performed this study to estimate the population density of carabid beetles preying on soil biota at the Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica) forests and Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) forests of two mountains, Mt. Odae and Mt. Guryong. We used the trapping web method with pitfall traps to collect the beetles. We calculated the estimated density of a total of four carabid beetle species in two specific regions and converted them to an estimated beetle population size within a certain area by using the study area. From our estimates, one beetle species, Leptocarabus seishinensis seishinensis L., displayed statistically significant results. Although there was no appreciable difference in the makeup of different carabid beetle species between the two forest communities, the population size of the beetle species was larger in Mongolian oak forests than in Korean red pine forests. The spatial distribution of carabid beetles by forest type did not show any preference for particular spots. Our results showed that carabid beetles did not have specific home ranges and that they were not density dependent. We expect to use the raw data to recognize the response of soil organisms to changes in the habitat environment and to track the patterns of change more accurately over long passages of time.     

Heavy metals in carabids (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

Carabid beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) are one of the most studied soil groups in relation to heavy metal (HM) accumulation and use for bioindication of environmental pollution. Accumulation of Zn and Cu in carabid beetles was species-, sex- and trophic group-specific. No differences were found in HM contents between omnivorous and carnivorous species. The use of carabid beetles as indicators of HM accumulation appears to be rather limited.     

Studies of adaptation of carabid beetles (Coleoptera,carabidae) to feeding on the Colorado potato beetle, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leptinotarsa decemlineata</Emphasis> say (Coleoptera,chrysomelidae) in Agrocenoses of potato and other crops

In 1979–2008, serological investigation of carabid beetles as predators of the Colorado potato beetle was carried out in the fields of potato and other Solanaceae crops in nine regions of Russia, Moldova, and Ukraine. The fraction of carabid beetles feeding on the pest in the potato, tomato, and egg-plant fields grows with the duration of the pest presence in the region and is proportional to its population density.     

Taxon specific response of carabids (Coleoptera,Carabidae) and other soil invertebrate taxa on invasive plant Amorpha fruticosa in wetlands

False indigo (Amorpha fruticosa L.) is an invasive exotic plant introduced to Europe in the early eighteenth century. Its spread has been rapid, particularly in disturbed wetland habitats, where it forms dense impermeable monospecific stands and modifies habitat conditions. The impact of A. fruticosa on native plant communities has been well analyzed, however knowledge concerning the possible effects on soil invertebrates and particularly carabid beetles is completely lacking. This study analyzed the impact of an A. fruticosa invasion on carabid beetles and other soil invertebrates. Soil fauna was sampled by pitfall traps at natural habitats, initially colonized by A. fruticosa, and habitats largely invaded by A. fruticosa. In total 2,613 carabid beetles belonging to 50 species and 72,166 soil invertebrates were collected. The invasion of A. fruticosa strongly affected the carabid beetle species composition, which clearly differed between all studied sites. Widespread euritopic carabid beetle species showed positive responses to A. fruticosa invasion, while the activity density of open habitat species strongly declined. Mean individual biomass was significantly higher at invaded sites due to increased incidence of large carabids (genus Carabus Linné, 1758). Carabid beetle activity density and abundance of soil invertebrates were considerably higher at invaded sites than in natural sites. Conversely, the impact of A. fruticosa on carabid beetle species richness and diversity was less pronounced, most likely due to immigration from adjacent habitats. Changes in carabid beetle species composition and abundance of soil invertebrates were most likely due to changes in vegetation structure and microclimate. The results suggest that A. fruticosa invasion considerably affected carabid beetles, an insect group that is only indirectly related to plant composition. Therefore, severe future changes can be expected in invertebrate groups that are closely related to plant composition, since A. fruticosa cannot be completely removed from the habitat and covers relatively large areas.     

Landscape effects on the thermotolerance of carabid beetles and the role of behavioral thermoregulation

Physiological thermotolerance and behavioral thermoregulation are central to seasonal cold adaptation in ectothermic organisms. For species with enhanced mobility, behavioral responses may be of greater importance in the cold stress response. Employing the carabid beetles as a study organism, the current study compared physiological thermotolerance and behavioral thermoregulation in carabid species inhabiting cereal fields in different landscape contexts, from fine grain heterogeneous “complex” landscapes to homogenous “simple” landscapes. Physiological thermotolerance was determined via measurement of the CT_min and chill coma temperature. Behavioral responses to cold temperature exposure were determined employing a purpose built arena, and thoracic temperature measured to estimate the efficacy of the behavior as a form of behavioral thermoregulation. Results revealed an influence of landscape composition on the cold tolerance of carabid beetles, although species differed in their sensitivity to landscape intensification. A reduced effect of landscape on the thermotolerance of larger carabid beetles was observed, thought to be the consequence of greater mobility preventing local acclimation to microclimatic variation along the landscape intensification gradient. Investigation into behavioral thermoregulation of the 3 largest species revealed burrowing behavior to be the main behavioral response to cold stress, acting to significantly raise carabid body temperature. This finding highlights the importance of behavioral thermoregulation as a strategy to evade cold stress. The use of behavioral thermoregulation may negate the need to invest in physiological thermotolerance, further offering explanation for the lack of landscape effect on the physiological thermotolerance of larger carabids.     

Predator feeding choice on conspicuous and non-conspicuous carabid beetles: first results

Insects use various types of behaviour, chemical defences, mimetic, aposematic or cryptic appearances as anti-predatory strategies. Among insects, carabid beetles of the genus Brachinus are distasteful prey because they discharge an irritating "cloud" of quinones when threatened. These beetles live in aggregations and adopt warning (conspicuous pattern) colours and chemicals to create a template that is easily learnt by predators. Another carabid beetle, Anchomenus dorsalis, mimics the colours and cuticular profile of Brachinus and is usually found in Brachinus aggregations. In this paper we report results from laboratory observations on feeding choice of the following natural predators - Crocidura leucodon (Insectivora: Soricidae), Ocypus olens (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) and Podarcis sicula (Reptilia: Lacertidae) - on carabid beetle species. Comparing the number of attacks of predators towards aposematic and non-aposematic prey, there was a statistically significant preference towards non-aposematic prey.     

Sodium regulation during dehydration of a herbivorous and a carnivorous beetle from African dry savannah

The sodium regulation of carnivorous carabid beetles of the genus Cypholoba and herbivorous tenebrionid beetles of the species Phrynocolus petrosus from dry savannah in East Africa was investigated while the beetles went through dehydration in the laboratory. In both species the water loss took place mainly at the expense of the extracellular fluid, and in both species the loss of extracellular water was accompanied by a loss of extracellular sodium. In the carabid beetles the sodium removed from the extracellular fluid was excreted from the body, while in the tenebrionids sodium was kept within the body. It is proposed that the different manners in which the two species handle their sodium reflect differences in their access to dietary water and sodium.     

Studying boundary effects on animal movement in heterogeneous landscapes: the case of Abax ater (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in hedgerow network landscapes.

Changes in movement possibilities of insect species can be a response to increasing heterogeneity in man made landscapes. We studied the movement of Abax ater (Coleoptera, Carabidae) between woody and cultivated areas in Brittany. Two woody habitats (woods and hedgerows) and two cultivated areas (cornfields and meadows) were considered. Quantifying the movement of the carabid beetle between woody and cultivated areas was done using Mark-Release-Recapture techniques. Marked individuals were released at the centre of circular enclosures (3 m in diameter), encompassing two adjacent habitats, one being wooded, the other cultivated. Individuals were recaptured at the edge of enclosures. Analysis of recaptures showed that flows of individuals from a given habitat to another were constant during the experiment. Flows can be summed up by a probability of move, which depends on the two adjacent habitats surrounding ecotone. When released in cultivated habitats, forest carabid beetles preferentially moved toward woody habitat, but in some enclosures the forest carabid beetles did not exhibited any preference between cultivated areas and woods. In these cases ecotones may include both woody and cultivated areas, and their functional width should be reconsidered. These conclusions were globally in agreement with knowledge about ecology of Abax ater, but ask for confirmation through replicates on different sites. Nevertheless, these results demonstrated the usefulness of the method and give new guidelines for the study of flows of carabid beetles through ecotones.     

Changes in carabid beetle assemblages across an urban-rural gradient in Japan

As part of the international Globenet project, carabid beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) were collected using pitfall traps from four urban, four suburban and four rural sites in Hiroshima City, Japan, during the 2001 summer season. In agreement with expectation, carabid abundance and species richness decreased significantly from rural to urban sites. Furthermore, no large, and only few individuals of medium-sized specialist species were collected from the urban environment, while many specimens of medium-sized and some large-sized specialist species were collected from the suburban and rural sites. Hiroshima city was characterised by medium-sized generalist carabids, while the suburbs and the rural environments were characterised by small-sized generalist beetles. These results did not apply at the species level. To summarise, we found a significant effect of urbanisation on the composition of carabid beetle assemblages in Hiroshima City. These changes were similar to those found in previous studies performed in Sofia (Bulgaria), Edmonton (Canada) and Helsinki (Finland). Thus, it appears that urbanisation has some similar and predictable effects on carabid assemblages in various parts of the world.     

北京东北旺农田景观步甲群落结构的时空动态比较

2000年5～10月在北京海淀区东北旺实验基地,采用陷阱法对林地、农田边界和农田3类生境共14个处理的步甲进行了取样。并在此基础上分析了不同生境和不同季节步甲科昆虫群落的动态分布特征。结果表明,林地和农田边界类生境相对于农田类生境拥有更多的步甲个体数和物种数;无论是优势种还是稀有种都趋向于在林地和边界处生活;边界对相邻农田步甲群落的多样性有积极影响;对边界进行适度的干扰(秋季翻耕)有利于提高步甲群落的个体数量;农田生境中灌溉、施肥和秸秆还田对农田中步甲群落的个体数量和物种数量的空间分布均无显著影响。此外,还结合步甲的时空分布特性对步甲受威胁状况进行了初步的分析。     

Effects of stream restorations on riparian mesohabitats,vegetation and carabid beetles

We investigated the effects of hydromorphological restoration measures (mainly the removal of bank fixations) on riparian mesohabitats, vegetation and carabid beetles by comparing 24 restored to nearby non-restored floodplain sections in Germany. Mesohabitats were recorded along ten equally-spaced transects, plant communities and riparian plant and carabid beetle species along three transects per section. Based on 18 indices including habitat and species diversity, taxonomic diversity and functional indices we compared the frequency and magnitude of changes following restoration, both for the overall dataset and for each site individually. Riparian habitat diversity doubled in restored sections compared to non-restored sections. The numbers of vegetation units and plant and carabid beetle species richness also doubled in restored sections, whereas changes in Shannon diversity were most pronounced for mesohabitats and riparian plants. Taxonomic diversity of carabid beetles decreased in restored sections reflecting post restoration dominance of riparian Bembidion species. Stress-tolerant pioneers of plant and especially carabid species benefit strongly from the re-establishment of open sand and gravel bars, while hygrophilous species, which also include non-riparian species, did not respond to restoration. We conclude that restoring river hydromorphology has almost generally positive effects on riparian habitats and riparian biodiversity. Riparian biota are thus well-suited indicators for the effects of hydromorphological restoration.     

Assessing ecological habitat structure from local to landscape scales using synthetic aperture radar

Ecological studies need accurate environmental data such as vegetation characterization, landscape structure and organization, to predict and explain the spatial distribution of biodiversity. Few ecological studies use remote sensing data to assess the biophysical or structural properties of vegetation to understand species distribution. To date, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data have seldom been used for ecological applications. However, these sensors provide data allowing access to the inner structure of vegetation which is a key information in ecology. The objective of this article is to compare the predictive power of ecological habitat structure variables derived from a TerraSAR-X image, an aerial photograph and a SPOT-5 image for species distribution. The test was run with a hedgerow network in Brittany and assessed the spatial distribution of the forest ground carabid beetles which inhabit these hedgerows. The results confirmed that radar and optical images can be indifferently used to extract hedgerow network and derived landscape metrics (hedgerow density, network grain) useful to explain the spatial distribution of forest carabid beetles. In comparison with passive optical remotely sensed data, VHSR SAR images provide new data to characterize vegetation structure and more particularly hedgerow canopy cover, a variable known to explain the spatial distribution of carabid beetles in an agricultural landscape, but not yet quantified at a fine scale. The hedgerow canopy cover derived from the SAR image is a strong predictor of the abundance of forest carabid beetles at two scales i.e., a local scale and a landscape scale.