Body size changes in ground beetle assemblages – a reanalysis of Braun et al. (2004)'s data

Abstract.  1. Data in Braun et al .'s (2004) recent paper on size trends in ground beetles (Carabidae) are re-analysed, after re-classifying the species according to feeding categories.
2. When ground beetles are classified as predatory species, mixed feeders or herbivores, and evaluated separately, the size trends indicate group-specific differences. Most of these do not support the efficiency-specialisation hypothesis.
3. Taxonomic groups rarely fit into one ecological category and ecological analyses should explicitly consider this hurdle.