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FOREST GROUND BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE) ON A BOREAL ISLAND: HABITAT PREFERENCES AND THE EFFECT OF EXPERIMENTAL REMOVALS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

Kyle Apigian  and
Nathaniel T. Wheelwright
Kyle Apigian
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, United States 04011
Nathaniel T. Wheelwright*
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, United States 04011
*
1 Author to whom all corresponding should be addressed (E-mail: [email protected]).
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Abstract

We used pitfall trapping to measure the species richness and relative abundance of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in four forest habitats on Kent Island, a 80-ha island in the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada. Sixteen species of ground beetles representing 11 genera were identified in the forested habitats on Kent Island; the relative paucity of ground beetle species may be a result of the island’s harsh climate, dense colonies of breeding seabirds, and isolation from the mainland. Estimates of ground beetle population densities on Kent Island ranged from 50 000 to 250 000/ha. Most ground beetle species were trapped in all habitats and appeared to be habitat generalists. In a series of experiments in which we removed all ground beetles trapped daily over a 3-week period in two experimental plots, ground beetle densities remained as high as in a control plot; other ground beetles quickly moved into the experimental plots to replace beetles that had been removed. The density of ground beetles was highest in intact forest and large forest patches; in contrast, the density of invertebrates other than ground beetles (i.e., possible prey or competitors of ground beetles) was highest in open habitats and isolated forest patches, where ground beetles were less common. Removing ground beetles from experimental plots did not result in an increase in the density of other invertebrates.

Résumé

Nous avons utilisé des pièges à fosses pour mesurer la richesse en espèces et l’abondance relative des carabes (Coleoptera : Carabidae) dans quatre habitats forestiers de l’île Kent, une île de 80 ha dans la baie de Fundy, Nouveau-Brunswick, Canada. Seize espèces appartenant à 11 genres ont été capturées dans ces habitats; la pauvreté relative des carabes résulte probablement des conditions climatiques rigoureuses de l’île, de la présence de colonies importantes d’oiseaux de rivage reproducteurs et de l’isolement loin du continent. Des estimations des densités des populations de carabes dans l’île ont donné des chiffres allant de 50 000 à 250 000/ha. La plupart des espèces ont été capturées dans tous les habitats et semblent être des généralistes quant à l’habitat. Au cours d’une série d’expériences, nous avons procédé au retrait de tous les carabes recueillis chaque jour pendant 3 semaines dans deux parcelles; après le retrait, les densités de carabes étaient tout aussi élevées que dans une parcelle témoin car d’autres carabes sont venus remplacer les carabes retirés. La densité des carabes était maximale dans les forêts intactes et les grands boisés; en revanche, les invertébrés autres que les carabes (i.e., des proies ou des compétiteurs potentiels des carabes) abondaient dans les habitats ouverts ou les petits boisés isolés où les carabes étaient moins communs. Le retrait des carabes n’a pas entraîné d’augmentation de densité des autres invertébrés.

[Traduit par la Rédaction]

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 132 , Issue 5 , October 2000 , pp. 627 - 634
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 2000

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