Habitat choice of some field-inhabiting carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) studied by recapture of marked individuals |
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Authors: | HENRIK WALLIN |
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Affiliation: | Department of Plant and Forest Protection, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden |
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Abstract: | ABSTRACT. - 1 Habitat choice of some field-inhabiting carabid beetles was studied in the field, and included the adult-overwintering Bembidion lampros Herbst, Pterostichus cupreus L. and Agonum dorsale Pontoppidan, and the larval-overwintering Trechus secalis Paykull, Pterostichus melanarius Illiger, P.niger Schaller and Harpalus rufipes De Geer. These were compared to the forest-inhabiting and adult-overwintering species, Carabus nemoralis Müller.
- 2 Marked beetles were released in the centre of a circular enclosure which was placed on the edge between a cereal field and a wood. The direction of movement in this circle was compared with that in a control circle placed entirely in the cereal field.
- 3 In the field/wood circle, adult-overwinterers and the larval-overwin-terer H.rufipes choose to move into the cereal field. The majority of T.secalis. P.melanarius and C.nemoralis, however, moved into the wood, while P.niger exhibited no preference.
- 4 In the field circle, adult-overwinterers moved towards the more sun-exposed parts of the circle, whereas the movements of larval-overwin-terers were random.
- 5 Some species-specific characteristics considered important for habitat choice by these carabid beetles, and the relevance of these characteristics for their dispersal behaviour are discussed.
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Keywords: | Habitat choice orientation cereal fields field edges Carabidae |
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