Forests carabid beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) communities of the «Prypiat-Stokhid» National Nature Park

Carabid beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) communities of the «Prypiat-Stokhid» National Nature Park have been investigated in five types of forest in 2006 with using pitfall Barber traps method. 49 species from 25 genuses were registered. The highest carabid catchability were observed in wet alder and fresh hornbeam-oak forests and the lowest in dry pine and fresh oak-pine forests. Generally 4 carabid species prevailed: Pterostichus oblongopunctatus, Carabus hortensis, Oxypselaphus obscurus, Pterostichus niger. In the dry pine forest prevailed: Syntomus truncatellus, Broscus cephalotes, Harpalus flavescens, Pterostichus strenuus, Calathus erratus, Oodes helopioides. In the fresh oak-pine forest prevailed: Pterostichus oblongopunctatus, Agonum duftschmidi, Carabus violaceus, C. hortensis, Oodes helopioides, Pterostichus minor, P. niger. In the fresh hornbeam-oak forest prevailed: Pterostichus oblongopunctatus, Carabus hortensis, Oxypselaphus obscurus, Pterostichus niger, P. Nigrita. In the wet oak-pine forest prevailed: Pterostichus oblongopunctatus, Oxypselaphus obscurus, Pterostichus niger, Epaphius secalis, Pterostichus rhaeticus, Carabus arcensis, Pterostichus minor. In the wet alder forest prevailed: Pterostichus oblongopunctatus, Carabus hortensis, Oxypselaphus obscurus, Pterostichus niger, P. melanarius.

Modeling Sexual Differences of Body Size Variation in Ground Beetles in Geographical Gradient (The Case Study in Pterostichus oblongopunctatus Fabricius, 1787)

Concretizing the mechanisms of Bergmann rule, we found saw-tooth pattern in body size variation in ground beetle Pterostichus oblongopunctatus. We sampled beetles in 2010 – 2018 at the forest undisturbed plots on the broad territory in Russia. Investigating regions covered territory, extending to 3 degrees latitude and 19 degrees longitude. We measured six traits in every of 3294 caught individual. ANOVA showed that latitude, and sex affected significantly body size of the species studied. Mean values of each trait changed significantly from one studied region to another in females and males as well. Sexual size dimorphism in species was female-biased. We performed models in R to estimate the steepness of body size variation in both sexes. In overwhelming majority of cases that parameter was equal in both sexes. So the hypothesis, that male′s variation is steeper in latitude gradient was not confirmed.

Features of ground beetle (Coleoptera, Carabidae) assemblages in areas of meadow biocenosis with and without Sosnovsky’s hogweed (Heracleum sosnowskyi)

As a result of a study conducted in 2018, 41 species of ground beetles from 23 genera were identified in the Ushachsky District of the Vitebsk Region (Belarusian Lakeland) as a part of ground beetle assemblages of meadow biocenosis with clogging by the invasive Sosnovsky’s hogweed, whereas without clogging with hogweed 38 species from 21 genera were identified. Species Notiophilus biguttatus (Fabricius, 1779), Dyschiriodes globosus (Herbst, 1784), Bembidion quadrimaculatum (Linnaeus, 1761), Pterostichus oblongopunctatus (Fabricius, 1787), P. minor (Gyllenhal, 1827), P. nigrita (Paykull, 1790), Platynus assimilis (Paykull, 1790), P. krynickii (Sperk, 1835), Bradycellus caucasicus (Chaudoir, 1846), Ophonus laticollis (Mannerheim, 1825), Harpalus latus (Linnaeus, 1758), H. progrediens (Schauberger, 1922), Badister bullatus (Schrank, 1798) were recorded only in the biocenosis with clogging with hogweed. The species richness and the value of the biodiversity index of the ground beetle assemblages of the meadow biocenosis with clogging with hogweed were higher than these parameters of the ground beetle assemblages of the meadow biocenosis without hogweed. In the conditions of invasive hogweed thickets stratobionts boreholes dominated in the ground beetle assemblages (relative abundance 28.57 %), the participation of eurytopic (6 species, 20.37 %) and forest species (7 species, 12.01 %) was high, with a decrease in the share of participation meadow species (3 species, 1.37 %). For the biocenosis littered with hogweed, a high proportion of mesophiles (19 species, 52.44 %) was observed, against the background of a low proportion of mesogyrophils (9 species, 37.69 %).

Modeling the spatial distribution of marker species of ground beetles based on GIS technologies

Climate change and related changes in natural ecosystems are the most important international issues of the twenty-first century. In this regard, modeling the dynamics of plant and animal habitats based on the analysis of their relationships with climate parameters and environmental characteristics becomes an urgent task. Modeling the geographical distribution of species is not possible without geoinformation analysis, which allows you to identify both the boundaries of factors that affect the distribution of the species, and the features of its range. The paper presents the author’s addition to the existing method of ecological and geographical modeling based on GIS technologies that allow to visualize the dynamics of areas in a certain period of time and in connection with changes in bioclimatic parameters. Modeling the spatial distribution of two marker species of ground beetles makes it possible to extrapolate fragmentary data on specific locations over large territories. The created geoinformation models of the predicted areas revealed their changes for different climate scenarios for 2050 and 2070. Based on ecological and geoinformation modeling, it was found that the formation of the modern range of Zabrus tenebrioides is significantly influenced by the average daily temperature amplitude for each month, the maximum temperature of the warmest month and the minimum temperature of the coldest month. The distribution of Pterostichus oblongopunctatus is influenced by the average annual temperature, the average daily temperature amplitude for each month, and the average temperature of the driest quarter; the average temperature of the warmest quarter of the year and the amount of precipitation in the driest month of the year. The geoinformation analysis made it possible to identify the dependence of the number of points of species finds and the values of bioclimatic factors. Maps and graphs of the range of species comfort were created. The main trends of changes in the range of Pterostichus oblongopunctatus under changing climate conditions in the “soft” and “hard” scenarios are revealed. Under the influence of climate change, the area of habitats is reduced and their structure is changed.

Effects of undergrowth removal and edge proximity on ground beetles in urban boreal forests

Urban forests are regularly managed for human safety and aesthetic reasons, but they are crucial habitat for many species. Removals of undergrowth occur commonly in these forests, yet the ecological consequences of these operations are poorly understood. We sampled ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) along 20-m edge gradients in Finnish urban forests, in five stands treated 0.5−2.5 years earlier with undergrowth removal and in five untreated stands. We hypothesized that undergrowth removal and edge proximity would benefit opportunistic and open-habitat species, whereas shady-habitat species would be affected negatively. Diversity and evenness indices, open-habitat species and Carabus nemoralis responded positively, and forest species, Leistus terminatus and Pterostichus oblongopunctatus responded negatively, to the undergrowth removal. Edge proximity had little effect on carabids. Diversity and evenness indices, open-habitat species and Carabus nemoralis responded positively, and forest species, Leistus terminatus and Pterostichus oblongopunctatus responded negatively, to the undergrowth removal. Edge proximity had little effect on carabids. However, open-habitat carabids were less abundant and less speciose 10−20 m from than right at the edge. We conclude that, while managing urban forests, undergrowth removals should be avoided at sites that host rare or threatened forest-associated species.

Range of Pterostichus oblongopunctatus (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in conditions of global climate change

Using geodata technology, we conducted a bioclimatic modeling of the spatial distribution of the common palearctic ground beetle – Pterostichus oblongopunctatus (Fabricius, 1787). The range of comfort of the territories included in this species’ range was obtained. We used the data on 510 sampling points, obtained as a result of the authors’ field surveys and the data base of the GBIF global fund of biodiversity and 19 climatic parameters from the WorldClim open base and MaxEnt program. The results determined the factors which have the greatest impact on the current distribution of P. oblongopunctatus. The main climatic factors affecting the distribution of P. oblongopunctatus are average annual temperature, average 24-hour amplitude of temperature over each month, average temperature over the driest quarter, average temperature over the warmest quarter of the year, total of precipitations in the driest month of the year. We performed a prediction of possible change in the range by two scenarios (RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5) for 2050 and 2070. Using QGIS program, we estimated the areas of the species’ range, and compared them. According to the scenario RCP 2.6, by 2050, the range of the species will contract due to decrease in the territories with moderately continental climate, and by 2070, a restoration of the range would take place, for according to this scenario, the average annual temperature stabilizes. According to the scenario RCP 8.5, the range will contract by 2050 and will continue to decrease by 2070, for the concentration of CO2 continues to increase along with increase in average annual temperature. Climate changes can affect the life cycle of the beetle, its life expectancy and activity over the season. With changes in temperature, eggs and larvae of P. oblongopunctatus can be more vulnerable.