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Renewable energies are a major tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. Among renewables, solar parks are a key technology and their expansion will strongly increase in the future. Hence, there is a great need for research regarding their impact on biodiversity. In this study, we investigated the importance of three solar parks in northern Germany as habitat for carabid beetles. More specifically, we determined how habitat characteristics (temperature, vegetation structure), species richness, activity densities and carabid beetle assemblages vary between different locations within solar parks: areas under solar panels "UNDR", gaps between panel rows "BTW" and areas at the edge of solar parks "EDGE". We found that UNDR strongly differed from BTW/EDGE in terms of habitat conditions, species richness and activity densities of carabid beetles. UNDR mainly provided habitat for a species- and individual-poor subset of species already present in BTW/EDGE and made only a small contribution to the total species richness of the investigated solar parks. BTW and EDGE, on the other hand, differed only slightly. Thus, the narrow gaps between the panel rows were of similar importance as a habitat for carabid beetles as the edge areas. Overall, the investigated solar parks—and thus also the more species-rich areas EDGE and BTW—almost exclusively provided habitat for widespread and common non-threatened generalists, while species of conservation concern were extremely rare. Implications for insect conservation: The low importance of UNDR for carabid beetles should be considered when assessing the biodiversity value of solar parks, since a large proportion of these facilities is covered with solar panels. Between panel rows and at the edge of solar parks, larger areas should be kept free from construction with solar panels in order to provide habitats for carabid beetles and other species groups. More research should be conducted on how to further improve solar parks for carabid beetles and overall biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we describe Coarazuphium aulerisp. n. Until now, the species occurred in a single limestone cave, located at Nobres municipality (state of Mato Grosso – Central-Western Brazil). The new species comprises an apterous species from the genus Coarazuphium with the complete absence of hindwings, eyes are composed of very reduced eyes-scars, depigmentation and ommatidia are not evident. We also provide an updated key for species identification of Coarazuphium from the most recently published one. We followed the criteria of IUCN and classified the species as Critically Endangered – CR, IUCN criteria B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii), since the species has a restricted geographical distribution; estimated occurrence length <100 km2; population in few locations and with a continued decline in area, extent, and quality of habitat. According to Brazilian law, the existence of a critically endangered species places the Lagoa Azul cave as one of maximum relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing urbanisation and intensified agriculture lead to rapid transitions of ecosystems. Species that persist throughout rapid transitions may respond to environmental changes across space and/or time, for instance by altering morphological and/or biochemical traits. We used natural history museum specimens, covering the Anthropocene epoch, to obtain long‐term data combined with recent samples. We tested whether rural and urban populations of two ground beetle species, Harpalus affinis and H. rufipes, exhibit spatio‐temporal intraspecific differences in body size. On a spatial scale, we tested signatures of nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes enrichments in different tissues and body components in recent populations of both species from urban and agricultural habitats. For body size examinations, we used beetles, collected from the early 20th century until 2017 in the Berlin‐Brandenburg region, Germany, where urbanisation and agriculture have intensified throughout the last century. For stable isotope examinations, we used recent beetles from urban and agricultural habitats. Our results revealed no spatio‐temporal changes in body size in both species' females. Body size of H. rufipes males decreased in the city but remained constant in rural areas over time. We discuss our findings with respect to habitat quality, urban heat and interspecific differences in activity pattern. Although nitrogen isotope ratios were mostly higher in specimens from agricultural habitats, some urban beetles reached equal enrichments. Carbon signatures of both species did not differ between habitats, detecting no differences in energy sources. Our results indicate that increasing urbanisation and intensified agriculture are influencing species' morphology and/or biochemistry. However, changes may be species‐ and sex‐specific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with other desert habitats, desert dunes are relatively rich in species, some of which are unique to such habitats. To better understand the interspecific interactions among species in the dunes, their ecology, and their behavior, we studied the habitat use of Stenodactylus petrii. This species is common in desert dunes in Israel and North Africa, and it is a mesopredator, interacting with both its predators and prey, thus affecting populations of both higher and lower trophic levels. We performed an experiment to see whether these animals spend more time in vegetated or open habitats. Our experiment demonstrated that S. petrii individuals moved twice faster out of open dune areas than out of microhabitats simulating desert vegetation. Yet, observations of the gecko's tracks suggest that it is similarly present in open areas and around bushes, necessitating further studies. We also reveal that this nocturnal species is more active earlier in the night than later, and more active in late summer (August) than earlier (June–July). We examined which other co‐occurring animals are active together with the studied gecko in time or space. The spatial and temporal activity patterns of S. petrii are negatively correlated with the activity patterns of gerbils, suggesting that their activity time and microhabitat preference differ. The spatial activity pattern of S. petrii is positively correlated with Tenebrionid ground beetles, suggesting a shared microhabitat preference. However, neither the temporal nor the spatial activity of the gecko is correlated with that of vipers, which are its potential predators. Future studies of S. petrii's natural history are important to understand how expected habitat change (e.g. dune stabilization) should affect it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural intensification and expansion has been suggested to be a major driver of the loss of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. Recent studies have shown that landscape‐level effects in addition to on‐site management are of significant importance for insect declines.We here compared carabid beetle (Coleoptera, Carabidae) assemblages of wet meadows among three pairs of highly fragmented 'modern' and less fragmented 'traditional' agricultural landscapes, using pitfall trapping.Taxonomic diversity and abundance of Carabidae did not differ between modern and traditional landscapes, whereas the proportions of brachypterous, large‐bodied, and habitat specialist species were lower in modern compared to traditional landscapes.These results suggest that landscape type affects functional rather than taxonomic carabid beetle diversity, based on species turnover.To preserve functional diversity in agricultural landscapes, conservation strategies should consider the landscape level in addition to on‐site management, by securing connectivity between remnants of semi‐natural habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active grassland restoration requires soil disturbance by harrowing or plowing prior to seeding to create favorable conditions for plant germination. Yet, it is still unknown if these soil interventions are detrimental to the local ground‐dwelling invertebrate fauna. We evaluated how ground beetle (Carabidae) and spider (Araneae) communities, two important grassland bioindicators, respond to three common grassland restoration methods, differing in soil disturbance intensity and seed application method. The study was carried out in 47 extensively managed mesic meadows using a before‐after‐control‐intervention design. It was applied at the field scale and replicated 12 times across selected Swiss lowland sites. We did not detect any significant differences in abundance and species richness of ground beetles and spiders between restored and control meadows 1 year after restoration. At the community level we observed a slight shift towards a preference for wetter habitat (for both invertebrate groups), and restored meadows harbored a smaller weighted mean body size of spiders than control meadows. The latter was mainly driven by a higher abundance of some small pioneer species typically found in frequently disturbed habitats, notably in arable fields. Our results suggest that 1 year after restoration action, the ground‐beetle and spider communities recovered almost entirely to their predisturbance state, indicating that, with respect to above ground‐dwelling invertebrates, harrowing or plowing can be applied when restoring plant species‐poor grasslands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fragmentation of landscapes and habitats has been identified as the main driver of biodiversity loss. Ecological corridors may support the conservation of biota in fragmented landscapes due to enhanced habitat connectivity. We conducted a study in order to assess the potential of a linear woodland landscape element along a railway line as ecological corridor using carabid beetles as indicators. The results showed that for some forest species the studied woodland strip has potential as an ecological corridor. Trophy and soil acidity were most often significantly correlated with parameters and species, but width of the woodland strip and distance from the forest site were of highest importance for the formation of the whole carabid assemblages. The results of our study provide with information regarding rules for the construction of woodland strips as ecological corridors. Management strategies should integrate such areas in concepts of sustainable regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parathlibops brunki sp. nov. from Malaysia (Borneo: Sarawak) and P. dostali sp. nov. from Malaysia (Perak) are described, illustrations of habitats and aedeagus of the species are provided and the new species are distinguished from the similar taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: As one of the most diverse and economically important families on Earth, ground beetles (Carabidae) are viewed as a key barometer of climate change. Recent meta‐analyses provide equivocal evidence on abundance changes of terrestrial insects. Generalizations from traits (e.g., body size, diets, flights) provide insights into understanding community responses, but syntheses for the diverse Carabidae have not yet emerged. We aim to determine how habitat and trait syndromes mediate risks from contemporary and future climate change on the Carabidae community. Location: North America. Time period: 2012–2100. Major taxa studied: Ground beetles (Carabidae). Methods: We synthesized the abundance and trait data for 136 species from the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) and additional raw data from studies across North America with remotely sensed habitat characteristics in a generalized joint attribute model. Combined Light Detection and RAnging (LiDAR) and hyperspectral imagery were used to derive habitat at a continental scale. We evaluated climate risks on the joint response of species and traits by expanding climate velocity to response velocity given habitat change. Results: Habitat contributes more variations in species abundance and community‐weighted mean traits compared to climate. Across North America, grassland fliers benefit from open habitats in hot, dry climates. By contrast, large‐bodied, burrowing omnivores prefer warm‐wet climates beneath closed canopies. Species‐specific abundance changes predicted by the fitted model under future shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP) scenarios are controlled by climate interactions with habitat heterogeneity. For example, the mid‐size, non‐flier is projected to decline across much of the continent, but the magnitudes of declines are reduced or even reversed where canopies are open. Conversely, temperature dominates the response of the small, frequent flier Agonoleptus conjunctus, causing projected change to be more closely linked to regional temperature changes. Main conclusions: Carabidae community reorganization under climate change is being governed by climate–habitat interactions (CHI). Species‐specific responses to CHI are explained by trait syndromes. The fact that habitat mediates warming impacts has immediate application to critical habitat designation for carabid conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the species richness of (meta‐)communities emerge from changes in the relative species abundance distribution (SAD), the total density of individuals, and the amount of spatial aggregation of individuals from the same species. Yet, how human disturbance affects these underlying diversity components at different spatial scales and how this interacts with important species traits, like dispersal capacity, remain poorly understood. Using data of carabid beetle communities along a highly replicated urbanization gradient, we reveal that species richness in urban sites was reduced due to a decline in individual density as well as changes in the SAD at both small and large spatial scales. Changes in these components of species richness were linked to differential responses of groups of species that differ in dispersal capacity. The individual density effect on species richness was due to a drastic 90% reduction of low‐dispersal individuals in more urban sites. Conversely, the decrease in species richness due to changes in the SAD at large (i.e., loss of species from the regional pool) and small (i.e., decreased evenness) spatial scales were driven by species with intermediate and high dispersal ability, respectively. These patterns coincide with the expected responses of these dispersal‐type assemblages toward human disturbance, namely, (i) loss of low‐dispersal species by local extinction processes, (ii) loss of higher‐dispersal species from the regional species pool due to decreased habitat diversity, and (iii) dominance of a few highly dispersive species resulting in a decreased evenness. Our results demonstrate that dispersal capacity plays an essential role in determining scale‐dependent changes in species richness patterns. Incorporating this information improves our mechanistic insight into how environmental change affects species diversity at different spatial scales, allowing us to better forecast how human disturbance will drive local and regional changes in biodiversity patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas provide diverse resources with the least disturbance in a habitat that favours insect species belonging to different guilds to coexist and contribute to the ecosystem processes. Whereas agricultural landscapes are expected to affect the distribution patterns of insect fauna. To understand the species composition and abundance of the agricultural landscape, we explored insect fauna in Deva Vatala National Park (DVNP), Bhimber (Azad Kashmir), and associated croplands of Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan. We explored the diversity of insect orders, families, and species. Fortnightly surveys were conducted during 2017-2019. We sampled insects by handpicking, using sweep nets, light traps, and pitfall traps. The specimens were identified by using taxonomic keys. We recorded a total of 239 insect species representing 10 orders and 69 families from both habitat types. Data showed significant differences in community composition at species, family, and order levels. Overall insect orders and families demonstrated significant differences (p< 0.05) in either abundance or richness or both between the two types of habitats. Coleoptera was the dominant insect order with 15 families and 71 species with a relative abundance of 14.20 %. Among families, Scarabaeidae (dung beetles), Carabidae (ground beetles), and Coccinellidae (ladybird beetles) showed greater species richness in DVNP. Similarly, we also noted 12 families and 54 species of Coleoptera with a relative abundance of 14.20 % in the croplands of Gujrat. The overall greater abundance of insect orders was observed in DVNP. The study concludes that both habitats share insect diversity though variations in species richness of different groups differ significantly. Protected areas adjacent to croplands have the potential to contribute immensely to biodiversity conservation and the provision of ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study aimed to determine i the gut microbiome could be used as an indicator of an organism's health or the health of the population using the Chlaenius pallipes (Carabid beetle) as a model organism from the terraced paddy fields and the large-sized paddy fields. The composition of the gut bacterial community associated with habitat types. Gut bacterial community of C. pallipes differed in diversity, similarity, and composition between the habitat conditions. Additionally, food resource quality derived from the stable nitrogen isotope ratio was significantly correlated with richness of the gut bacterial community. We investigated whether the gut bacterial community of Chlaenius pallipes could represent the health conditions of individuals or populations based on where these beetles inhabit. Considering the ecological traits of the species, the gut bacterial communities of carabid populations inhabiting stable or unstable habitats were compared. Food resource quality (δ15N) and morphological shape, especially body and wing size, may be significant factors that directly or indirectly affect the gut bacterial community of carabid beetles. Firmicutes (51.7%) and Proteobacteria (36.3%) were the predominant phyla in the gut bacterial community of C. pallipes. A significant difference in the gut bacterial community structure was observed between organisms inhabiting unstable and stable habitats in this study. Wing size, as estimated by centroid size, was correlated with differences in the gut bacterial community composition of the species. Even if a factor is not strong enough to determine the survival of carabid beetles, the composition of the gut bacterial community can change. We found that although each individual has a large variation in the gut bacterial community composition, the gut bacterial community can be used to evaluate the condition of each habitat through consistent investigation. Habitat assessment based on changes in the number of carabid beetle species and their composition requires relatively long-term research; however, the gut bacterial community of carabid beetles can help identify short-term environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the communities of soil-surface Coleoptera (Carabidae et Tenebrionidae) in the mountain hollows of Altai (Kurai and Chuya) and Tuva (Ulug-Khem and Ubsu-Nur; the arid western sector and the more humid eastern sector have been studied in the latter). Collections were made in the same habitats at intervals of about 60 years: in 1962–1963 and in 2018–2020. Climate change patterns over this period have been analyzed. In general, the climate of the characterized steppe hollows retains sharply continental features, with negative mean annual temperatures, moisture deficit, and a high frequency of fluctuations of all parameters. The average annual temperatures and the annual precipitation (during the last 10–20 years) have increased in all regions. These changes are most sharply pronounced in the Ulug-Khem hollow, creating the background for a reduction in aridity of environmental conditions. Over 60 years, the number of beetles of the studied taxa has changed several times, sometimes by more than an order of magnitude. At the same time, the number of representatives of the more xerophilic Tenebrionidae family decreased, while the number of the more mesophilic Carabidae increased. The proportions of tenebrionids in different habitats in 2018–2020 decreased significantly in comparison to the 1960s in almost all cases. More beetle species with a more northern or broader (polyzonal and/or trans-palaearctic) distribution are becoming more common in the Tuva hollows. Such species are found in both humid and arid regions. These changes in species compositions and soil-dwelling beetle communities may reflect mitigating climatic conditions due to some increase in precipitation in the studied region. The mean values of the indices of species diversity and evenness do not differ in general for the previous and current states of ecosystems. There are also no reliable differences for total species richness and total abundance. However, there are noticeable interannual differences for some diversity indices calculated for the Altai ecosystems in 2018 and 2020. This may indicate that differences between the overall diversity indices of ground beetle communities in dry and wet years overlap the long-term trend caused by climate change, and populations of species with different life strategies respond quickly to these changes without losing the overall structural complexity of the animal population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The next chapter is devoted to conservation problems, published research related to conservation in general and carabids specifically is discussed here with examples on Dutch pitfall data but also on the experience of Central Europe. This produced the fundamental classification of habitats, named HAB1, that was used in an atlas of the Dutch ground beetle fauna (H. Turin. Carabid beetles are experimented environmental and ecological indicators in the sense of McGeoch, e.g., for ecosystem disturbance, forest management and fragmentation, and agricultural intensification, and exhibit a fine tuning of habitat preferences. [Extracted from the article]

This paper provides an analysis of the rare and important Natura 2000 species Carabus zawadzkii in terms of its ecological niche, conservation status and relationship with other Carabus species in carabid assemblages. Published sources are inconsistent in defining the habitats in which this species occurs. Therefore, a large part of this paper is dedicated to identifying the relationship of Carabus zawadzkii with particular non-forest habitats based on field research conducted in 2011-2013. The results revealed an unexpected affinity of this species for non-forest habitats in addition to the know relationship with forest habitats. Further analysis, using additional field data collected over the period 2013-2021, also focused on the assessment of the current conservation status of this rare species. Overall, the population of this species seems stable; however, to improve its conservation status it requires particular management measures. Important conservation measures include periodic extensive mowing of mountain hay meadows. This species' seasonal dynamics provides important information for nature conservationists. It is important to carry out research on this species in May, when it is most active. Presented results provide the most comprehensive overview of the ecological preferences and occurrence of this important and very rare Carpathian species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of studies have investigated spatial and temporal patterns in species richness and assemblage composition in mountain ecosystems along altitudinal gradients. Small mammals have been successfully used as indicators of environmental health and as proxies of biodiversity. However, information about the composition and distribution of species assemblages in the mosaic of habitat and rocky landform types at a high altitude is still lacking for most of the mountain regions. Through the use of live traps and camera trapping, we described the small mammal community living above the treeline of the Western Dolomites (Italian Alps), investigating the species richness, abundance of individuals and community composition in relation to topographic, micrometeorological, mesohabitat, and biological correlates. A total of five species and 50 individuals were sampled, analysed, and released. At the extremes of the analysed altitudinal range (i.e. 1900 vs 2900 m a.s.l.), community composition was completely different and species richness was related to elevation, steepness, and vegetation cover. At the same time, the taxonomic distinctness of ground-dwelling arthropods (namely carabid beetles and spiders), a proxy of habitat complexity, showed higher values in areas with a greater small mammal species richness. We found a positive effect of steepness and rocky landform type "carsism" on the number of captured individuals, showing the importance of the availability of shelters and underground burrows for the sampled species. As a confirmation of the altitudinal shift for these species in relation to the ongoing climate change, we detected a negative impact of sub-surface ground temperature on small mammal abundance during the monitoring period. In conclusion, small mammals represent an excellent model for understanding the evolutionary processes of ecosystems, population dynamics under changing environmental conditions, and habitat vulnerabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Body size is a key trait linked to other life history traits and influences several individual‐, community‐ and ecosystem‐level characteristics, processes, functions and services. Ecological and evolutionary body size responses at the intra‐ and inter‐specific level to thermal geographic gradients (e.g. latitudinal or altitudinal ones) are widely studied. Whether this temperature‐size relationship remains true for community‐wide body size is still largely unknown. Location: Northern temperate region. Taxon: Ground beetles (Carabidae). Methods: We assessed the temperature‐size relationships using data from 11 northern temperate locations, spanning 25 latitudinal degrees. Furthermore, we quantified the effects of potential competing factors, such as body size and habitat preference of carabid assemblages and sub‐assemblages along urbanisation gradients, as well as the urban heat island (UHI) effect on this relationship. Results: We found significant negative relationship between the community‐wide mean body size and the geographical latitude (converse Bergmann cline) for the whole ground beetle assemblage and the sub‐assemblages of large‐bodied species. This relationship was stronger in the urban localities than in rural ones. For the sub‐assemblages of small‐sized species, the relationship was not significant. We found significant negative relationship between the community‐wide mean body size and the latitude for the sub‐assemblages of both the non‐forest and the forest species, and these became stronger in the urban habitats. Main Conclusions: Our results highlight the leading role of the individual body size and the UHI effect in determining the community‐wide body size–latitude relationship in ground beetles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reports the presence of several Carabus species found in South Denmark in July 2021. Apart from specific species information, the habitats are also briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semi-natural grasslands are biodiverse ecosystems that support many threatened species, but they require management interventions to maintain their habitat characteristics. Although many semi-natural calcareous grasslands historically were grazed, mowing is often used as a substitute disturbance when livestock access is not feasible. Mowing may have different effects on vegetation than grazing, but it is unclear if these differences cause changes in animal diversity or grasslands' ability to support endangered species. We studied carabid beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) assemblages in semi-natural calcareous grasslands in southern Germany managed with either different intensities of grazing or by mowing. There were no differences in overall activity density, richness, or functional trait diversity of carabid beetles between management methods, but mowing reduced threatened species richness and their proportions in the assemblages. Grazing intensity, measured by livestock faeces density, had little effect on carabid assemblages. The benefits of grazing for threatened species were most apparent in small sites, indicating that using grazing management to conserve endangered beetle species may be particularly important where habitat area is limited, even though these are the sites most likely to use mowing management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Beneficial insect numbers have sharply declined in recent years, and these declines negatively impact (1) food crops due to reduced pollination services, and (2) wildlife and birds due to reduced food sources. In part, agricultural intensification and habitat fragmentation have led to these declines. In the United States, one conservation effort is the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which provides financial assistance for replanting agricultural land to restored habitat to improve environmental health and quality. Common CRP grassland restorations are CP2 ("native grass" seed mix) and CP25 ("rare and declining habitat" seed mix). We examined the response of ground beetles, a group that is important for wildlife, to CRP restoration and management across three grassland habitats, and 108 sites. We examined two restoration types (CP2, CP25), and the grazing or absence of grazing by cattle. Our findings indicate that ground beetle communities are not negatively impacted by moderate levels of cattle grazing. Additionally, we found that cattle grazing might have positive effects on ground beetle abundance, biomass, and diversity in tallgrass habitats. The positive impact of cattle grazing may provide an additional incentive for CRP restorations that would enhance beneficial insect populations. Grasslands in North America have declined by over 70% since industrialization of settlements due to the conversion of natural habitats to cropland and urban centers. In the United States, the federally supported Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was created to improve water quality, reduce soil erosion, and increase native habitats for wildlife. Within these restored grasslands, ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) are a keystone invertebrate group that fill several crucial niches and may serve as bioindicators of successful land management strategies. To understand the impact of land management on ground beetles, we examined carabid beetle community responses to a grazing treatment and two plant restoration treatments with low and relatively high initial plant diversity over two field seasons. We used pitfall traps at 108 CRP sites across a 63.5 cm precipitation gradient, encompassing three grassland types. Overall, grazing and restoration treatment did not have detectable effects on carabid abundance, biomass, or diversity. Carabid communities, however, responded differently to grazing within grassland types—all three community measures increased in response to grazing in tallgrass sites only. Our short-term study suggests that moderate levels of cattle grazing do not negatively affect carabid communities and might have positive effects on abundance, biomass, and diversity in tallgrass regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural intensification has caused a simplification of agricultural landscapes, accompanied by increasing field sizes and a reduction of non-crop habitats. To mitigate negative impacts of intensification, it is necessary to understand to what extent different non-crop habitats contribute to the maintenance of biodiversity in agroecosystems. Here, we compared the taxonomic diversity of three beetle families among four habitat types—wheat fields, grassy field margins, wildflower-sown areas under power poles, and permanent grassland fallows, in an agricultural landscape in western Germany. Carabidae were caught by pitfall trapping, Chrysomelidae and Curculionidae by suction sampling. We found surprisingly little variation among habitat types, though the rarefied species number tended to be higher in grassland fallows and field margins than under power poles and in wheat fields. Nevertheless, species assemblages differed substantially among habitat types. In Carabidae, grassland fallows were dominated by hygrophilous species with poor dispersal ability as opposed to all other habitat types being dominated by open landscape species with high dispersal ability. In Chrysomelidae and Curculionidae, power pole islands differed from the other habitat types with predominantly open landscape species, whereas wheat fields and grassland fallows were clearly dominated by eurytopic species. Our results thus highlight the need for a combination of different conservation measures for enhancing the functional diversity of beetle assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saproxylic weevils and edaphic beetles of some relict forests of north-western Italy were analysed to determine the role of the age of the forests, their isolation and the degree of naturalness of the patches within each forest on the composition of litter-associated communities. Ten species of saproxylic weevils were found. The communities showed variation among the various forests, and were mainly dependent on the age of the forest and their connectivity; the degree of naturalness did not influence species richness or abundance, but apparently had an effect on some more specialized taxa that were only present in the patches with highest degree of naturalness. No saproxylic weevils were found in a relatively recently established forest, demonstrating their difficulty in colonizing newly formed habitats isolated from other forests. The edaphic beetles (usually predators belonging to Carabidae and Staphylinidae) proved to be more abundant, were also present in the recently established forest and occurred in quite large numbers in some deteriorated patches too. Saproxylic weevils and edaphic predatory beetles thus provide different information on the environmental quality of the forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at clarifying species composition and ecological structure of the ground beetles associated with oilseed rape fields during flowering, ripening and post-harvest, as well as pastures adjacent to them. Field work was carried out in 2017. Pitfall traps (5 in each site) were set in 20 sampling sites in the Transylvania region, Cluj County. A total of 8,151 individuals were collected (7,576 in rapeseed fields and 575 in pastures) belonging to 82 species from 29 genera. The richest tribes were Harpalini (25 species), Zabrini (12 species), Pterostichini (10 species), and Carabini (9 species). The most species-rich were the genera Harpalus (13 species), Amara (11 species), Carabus and Ophonus (8 species each). The most abundant species in the rape fields were Poecilus cupreus (1,760 ind.), Brachinus explodens (1,500 ind.), Brachinus elegans (1206 ind.), and Anchomenus dorsalis (875 ind.). The most abundant in the grasslands were Pterostichus hungaricus (101 ind.), Calathus fuscipes (74 ind.), Harpalus caspius (67 ind.), and Cylindera germanica (64 ind.). The species found only in rape fields were 36 while 13 species were exclusive to pastures; 34 species were discovered in both types of habitats. The investigation acquired some new data on carabid diversity in Romania, including two new country records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reports several Carabus species, found during a field trip in October 2021 in The Netherlands. Following information about the species concerned, the habitats these species were found are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reintroduction of grazing to counteract insect decline will lead to an increase of semi-open habitats. Semi-open habitats are highly heterogeneous, consisting of a mosaic of patches of trees or shrubs embedded in a matrix dominated by dwarf shrubs or grasses. Despite a lack of evidence, structural heterogeneity is expected to allow many species to co-occur, making semi-open habitats appear highly valuable for invertebrate conservation. We studied ground beetles in eight sites in two landscapes of Central Europe each encompassing semi-open, open, and forest habitats. Rapid response to environmental change and limited dispersal abilities make ground beetles an excellent model taxon to evaluate the effectiveness of such conservations measures. In both studied landscapes, ground beetle assemblages in semi-open habitats tended to be distinct and intermediate between those from the forest and open habitats. Species richness and functional diversity in semi-open habitats were similar to open habitats at site level. The majority of species entered the semi-open habitats, except for most threatened species, yet, few species were exclusively associated with semi-open habitats. We conclude that the continuous presence of many species in semi-open habitats likely results from mass effects rather than habitat heterogeneity per se. Our findings underline the conservation value of the existing forest, heathland, and grassland habitats over semi-open habitats which can, however, function as dispersal habitats and increase landscape connectivity. Strategies aiming at promoting semi-open habitats to counteract insect decline should target enhancing connectivity rather than the creation of habitats only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural rivers offer riparian habitats to many highly specialised, rare, and endangered insect species and are extremely important for ecosystem services. In the past, these ecosystems have been heavily degraded by anthropogenic use and run the risk of losing their favourable ecological conditions. For this reason, restoration measures are urgently needed and strongly demanded politically as well as legally, for instance, through the European Union Water Framework Directive. This is also important because nowadays, we are confronted with increasing insect declines. Using a Before‐After‐Control‐Impact approach, we studied the effects of a riverbank restoration (complete removal of a large gravel embankment) on carabid assemblages of riparian habitats along the Mulde River in central Germany in 2017 and 2019. We collected 86 species in three site types (managed, natural, and restored) by pitfall trapping and found numerous species of conservation concern. Our analyses showed that the percentage of species of conservation concern was significantly higher after restoration in restored compared to managed sites. Furthermore, after restoration, the percentage of indicator species for natural sites increased significantly in restored sites while the abundance of indicator species characteristic for managed sites decreased in these sites. Species assemblage composition significantly changed in response to restoration approaching near‐natural conditions. The creation of habitat mosaics with open gravel and sand patches as well as the re‐establishment of river dynamics were likely the most significant drivers for restoration success. We were able to show how important the restoration of riparian habitats is to promote populations of endangered, rare, and specialised species. Our results highlight that positive effects of a river restoration measure can be observed after a relatively short time. Ground beetles can thus be viewed as early indicators for restoration success, but we see a need for long‐term monitoring to evaluate long‐term effects reliably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildflower areas are a popular agri-environment scheme to counteract agro-biodiversity loss. Yet, their benefits are controversially discussed. Since inconsistent benefits may be owed to landscape context and temporal dynamics, we applied a multi-year study to unravel effects of permanent and transient habitats on ground-dwelling arthropods in wildflower areas and cereal fields. Across three consecutive years, we studied activity density, species richness and community composition of rove beetles, carabid beetles and spiders in ten pairs of wildflower areas and cereal fields along independent gradients of proportions of permanent semi-natural habitats or transient wildflower areas. Arthropod responses to the proportions of permanent semi-natural habitats often followed a hump-shaped pattern, whereas transient wildflower areas seemed to drive linear responses. An interactive effect on rove beetle richness in wildflower areas implies that benefits were highest either at intermediate proportions of permanent semi-natural habitats or at lower proportions, but with additional availability of transient wildflower areas or in landscapes with low proportions of permanent semi-natural habitats, but high proportions of wildflower areas. However, ground-dwelling arthropod activity density or species richness did not systematically increase over the three study years. Our results suggest that both permanent and transient habitats differ in how they affect biodiversity, possibly due to different temporal continuity and resource diversity. Benefits of permanent semi-natural habitats seemed highest at an equilibrium between an increasing resource-related species pool and an increasing diversity dilution, whereas benefits of transient wildflower areas seemed to increase with resource complementarity and connectivity at the landscape scale. Nevertheless, both habitats seem to complement each other and considered in concert, seem to be most effective in promoting benefits of wildflower areas to ground-dwelling arthropods at intermediate landscape complexity. The substantial variation in diversity patterns among years with weather extremes, suggests that optimizing benefits of wildflower areas requires further multi-year studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biodiversity conservation value of urban green spaces depends in part on design and management. The importance of habitat quality and complexity to species diversity has led to the suggestion that habitat design elements—varied substrate, greater plant diversity, logs or stones—would support invertebrate diversity on green roofs. To evaluate this possibility, we conducted pit-fall trap sampling on three green roofs of simple design (intended primarily for stormwater management), three habitat roofs, and five ground-level green spaces, in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. Beetles (Coleoptera) were sampled as representatives of total invertebrate diversity. Diversity was compared using sample coverage and Hill numbers to account for differences in sample intensity and fundamental differences in species diversity. Both habitat roofs and ground sites consisted of just over 20% native species, while stormwater roofs had about 5% native species, all of which were considered pests. We collected a greater abundance of beetles on the ground compared to roof sites like others have shown. However, when sample completeness is taken into account, habitat roofs had greater Shannon diversity compared to both ground and stormwater roof sites. Habitat roofs had the fewest dominant species representing 5% or more of total abundance, but also the lowest percent of species represented by singletons (27%). These results indicate that green roofs can support different beetle communities compared to those present at ground-level urban green spaces; our results also support previous findings that biodiverse design can reliably increase green roof diversity compared to more simply designed roofs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An annotated checklist of ground beetles in the family Carabidae from the state of Sonora in Mexico is presented with notes including number of specimens examined, municipios, habitat, vegetation, elevation, and collection dates. The checklist includes 388 taxa, of which 270 are described taxa (included are 19 subspecies and 1 hybrid) and 118 are unnamed morphospecies, in 92 genera representing 35 tribes. Dot maps display where specimens were collected. Three new species are described, with corrected keys and images: Calathus mcclevei, new species (type locality: Mexico, Sonora, Municipality of Yécora, 10 km south of Yécora, ca. 28.278° N 108.926° W); Calathus tigrinus, new species (type locality: Mexico, Sonora, Municipality of Nacozari de García, Rancho El Tigre, 28.3 km (by air) WNW Bavispe, Sierra El Tigre, 30.58988° N 109.20811° W); and Amblygnathus balli, new species (type locality: Mexico, Sonora, Municipality of Fronteras, Rancho Capulín, 23.5 km (by air) WSW Fronteras, Sierra Buenos Aires, 30.76167° N 109.82361° W). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rediscovery of the rare and endangered species Carabus (Hygrocarabus) variolosus is reported after its last record from 1909. The only known locality (Stara Planina Mts, Varshets Town) was confirmed. New records at similar habitats in the region could be expected in the future, based on extensive surveys with the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the functional trait approach can facilitate the understanding of mechanisms that underline community responses to habitat alteration, only a few studies used this way on exploring the structure of insect assemblages compared to taxon‐based analyses. We compared the descriptive power of medium‐term effects (2014–2018) of forestry treatments in a temperate managed oak‐dominated forest on taxon‐ vs. trait‐based descriptors of ground beetle assemblages. The treatments included rotation forestry (partial preparation cutting, clear‐cutting, retention‐tree group, and mature closed forest as control) and continuous cover forestry (gap cutting) operations. The species composition was only slightly influenced by the treatments; on the ordination biplot, the control, retention tree group, and clear‐cutting treatments formed relatively homogeneous groups, well separated from each other, while the others were scattered randomly in the ordination space. Over time, the species richness decreased in all treatments, but it was higher in the retention tree group treatment than in others in 2016 and 2017. The activity density also declined between years, but an immediate mass effect was revealed after the implementation of treatment types especially in the control, gap, and preparation cuts. We found that assemblages in the clear‐cutting and retention‐tree group had similar characteristics: high functional diversity; more open‐habitat, generalist, and omnivore species and fewer carnivore species; while those in the control, gap, and preparation cutting groups had the opposite: lower functional diversity, more forest species, and more carnivorous species. Our findings will demonstrate that the simultaneous use of the two approaches will allow the most articulate understanding of the status of ground beetles assemblages in managed forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Ground beetles (Carabidae, Coleoptera) are one of the most species-rich and well-studied insect families. However, the number of published datasets is disproportionately low against the biodiversity of this group. According to GBIF, only a fifth of the percentage of all published data covers ground beetles. This article describes a sampling-event dataset providing primary data on ground beetles collected in urban and suburban habitats in Kaluga, a typical central Russian city. We surveyed habitats of different land-use types and the extent and intensity of anthropogenic influence: yards, gardens, quarries, small urban woodlands, grasslands and riparian habitats. Carabids were collected by pitfall traps during most of the vegetative season (mostly from late April - early May to at least early October) for 13 seasons between 1994 and 2015. In total, the dataset contains 189 carabid species and 79,091 specimens. The dataset provides information about species composition and abundance, habitat distribution, seasonal and long-term dynamics of carabid beetles in environments of different degrees of urbanisation. New information This dataset is the first sampling-event dataset about carabids in various urban habitats published through GBIF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surveys for the Shorter Rainforest Ground-beetle, Nurus brevis Motschulsky (listed as endangered in New South Wales), were undertaken in rainforest habitat in the Lismore-Richmond Range region in north-east New South Wales. Four new populations were found, taking the number of extant populations from five to nine and extending the northern, southern and western range limits. The Richmond Range is central to the conservation of the species, containing most of the total population of the ground-beetle, as well as most of the potential habitat. The surveys located 979 active burrows along the range in five populations from Pademelon Road (Richmond Range National Park) in the north to Pennefathers Road (Cherry Tree State Forest) in the south. Nurus brevis has a highly disjunct distribution, with the four other known populations approximately 50 km east of the Richmond Range in the Lismore-Bungabee area. These four populations are relatively small and disjunct. A range of potential threats were identified, including over-abundant Australian Brush-turkeys, weed invasion, Cane Toads, stormwater run-off and flying-fox camps. Eight of the nine known N. brevis populations are in reserves and the single population on private property is managed for conservation by the current landowner. Nurus brevis appears to be relatively secure in the Richmond Range, however management intervention may be required to maintain the eastern populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, there is increasing interest in tree planting, leading to many country‐level commitments to reforestation. In the UK, current commitments would achieve 17% forest cover by 2050, with the highest rates of forest expansion expected in Scotland. Forest expansion with native trees is expected to increase biodiversity, particularly woodland specialist species, and associated ecosystem services. Despite this, data on biodiversity changes over the early stages of reforestation are sparse, particularly for upland areas in Scotland where opportunities for forest expansion are greatest.We collected data on the response of plants, carabid beetles and birds to native reforestation and grazing exclusion, using sites reforested over the last 30 years in the Scottish Highlands. Biodiversity in ungrazed, reforested sites was compared to unforested controls and mature native forest, both grazed and ungrazed.Mean bird species richness in reforested plots (4.4 [95% CI: 3.2, 5.9]) was higher than in unforested plots (0.8 [0.5, 1.3]), but lower than in mature forest plots (7.0 [5.4, 8.3]). In contrast, there was no systematic difference in plant or carabid beetle species richness in reforested, unforested or mature forest plots, or between grazed and ungrazed plots for the species richness of any groups. Woodland specialist bird and plant species were found in the reforested plots, and richness of woodland specialist bird species was predicted to reach levels in mature forest c. 36 years after reforestation.Species assemblages differed across habitat categories. For birds and plants, species assemblages in reforested sites were intermediate to unforested and mature sites. For carabid beetles, the assemblages in mature and reforested sites were comparable and differed from unforested sites. Grazing did not strongly influence species assemblages.Policy implications. We show that woodland specialists colonise reforested sites and species assemblages transition towards those found in the target habitat within the first 30 years of reforestation with native species. Native forest should be prioritised in Scotland's future forest expansion targets, given that mature native forest is scarce and fragmented in the Scottish Highlands and that the ultimate gain from native forest expansion may accrue over long time‐scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural and seminatural components of agricultural landscapes play a key role in maintaining a high level of biodiversity. Being the Po Valley one of the most human‐dominated and intensively cultivated landscapes in Europe, we investigated the effect of no‐crop habitats on carabid richness and composition and evaluated the role of tree row as corridor for forest carabid dispersion. Carabids were sampled with 70 pitfall traps arranged in 35 sampling plots along three parallel transects (80, 100, and 140 m long) and encompassing five different habitats: tree row, tree row edge, grassland, forest edge, and forest. We found 5,615 individuals belonging to 55 species. Despite the similarity in species richness, all the habitats investigated showed a peculiar and distinct species assemblage. The main distinction was between the "open habitat" cluster composed of grassland and tree row edge and the "forest" cluster composed of forest, tree row, and forest edge. We found that forest species are able to penetrate the grassland matrix up to 30 m from the forest edge and that a distance of no more than 60 m between tree row and forest can allow the passage of up to 50% of the forest species. Beyond this distance, the grassland matrix becomes a barrier, preventing them from reaching other suitable habitats. Our findings confirm the importance of maintaining different types of natural habitats to significantly increase biodiversity in an intensively cultivated agroecosystem and demonstrated the role of linear elements as a corridor and "stepping stones" for many forest species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural biodiversity and associated ecosystem functions are declining at alarming rates due to widespread land use intensification. They can only be maintained through targeted landscape management that supports species with different habitat preferences, dispersal capacities and other functional traits that determine their survival. However, we need better understanding whether short‐term measures can already improve functional diversity in European agroecosystems.We investigated spatio‐temporal responses of bees (solitary bees, bumblebees and honey bees), hoverflies, carabid beetles and spiders to newly established grassland strips in Lower Austria over 3 years, and along a distance gradient to old grasslands. Specifically, we asked if new grasslands, compared to old grasslands and cereal fields, serve as temporal dispersal habitat or corridor, and how species‐specific traits affect dispersal patterns. Using a trait‐based functional diversity approach, we investigated year and distance effects for nine selected key traits per taxon (e.g. body size, feeding guild and habitat preferences).Our results show that the functional diversity of predators and pollinators (i.e. functional richness and evenness), as well as community‐weighted means of selected key traits in new grasslands significantly differed from adjacent cereal fields, but only slowly adjusted to adjacent old grasslands. These effects significantly decreased with increasing distance to old grasslands for carabids and spiders, but not for mobile bees and hoverflies.Synthesis and applications. Over 3 years, newly established grassland strips supported larger sized and actively foraging/hunting species in the agricultural landscape. Adjacent crops likely benefit from such measures through enhanced functional diversity and related ecosystem services. However, our results also suggest that 3‐year period is too short to enhance the occurrence of pollinators and epigeic predators in new grasslands. Agri‐environment measures need to be complemented by the conservation of permanent habitats to effectively maintain species and functional diversity. Our findings should be acknowledged by European policy and agricultural decision makers for the design of more effective agri‐environment schemes, taking into account trait‐dependent species responses to land use change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spoil heaps arising from mineral ore mining and smelting are a potential source of air, water and soil's metalliferous contamination. However, the importance of such man-made sites as biodiversity refuge for rare or endangered species is assuredly undoubted, as the natural habitats are in decline. It is questionable, how potential risk elements, including heavy metals and metalloids released into the environment of spoil heaps, affect this phenomenon, since just the soil fauna representatives are in close contact with contaminants. Surface-dwelling soil macrofauna, with special emphasis on the carabids, were surveyed at spoil heaps within two metal post-mining areas in Eastern Slovakia. Contents of potential risk elements, including heavy metals and metalloids, were determined in substratum and selected invertebrate taxa too. Iron and aluminium dominated in substratum at both localities, where the environmentally most hazardous elements As, Cd, Cu, Pb and especially Hg exceeded permissible limits. The highest concentrations of Al and Fe were also found in the invertebrates. Regarding Zn, Cd and Sb, soil macrofauna representatives figured as their macro-concentrators. Our results indicate that metal post-mining spoil heaps have the potential to offer suitable habitats, especially for psammophilous species and groups preferring sites with the bare soil and sparse vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tiger beetles are a popular, widely studied group of charismatic insects that are a flagship taxon for insect conservation. Five species are currently listed in the United States as Federally Endangered or Threatened, two others have recently been delisted, and many more are listed by individual states. To date, the status of some of these species has been improved or their decline slowed by various conservation strategies. In this article, we review the background and the recent conservation activities for all federally listed tiger beetle species. These species have lost much of their historic habitat and remain at risk because of continuing impacts from vegetation encroachment of native or invasive plants, water-level changes, and other human-related activities. Conservation efforts are limited because for most species there is little or no potential habitat remaining, even following restoration activities. Effective strategies have included long-term monitoring of population size and research activities, acquisition and protection of occupied sites, methods for controlling vegetation encroachment to improve habitat quality, and recent efforts with translocations using beetles from existing populations or from captive rearing. Because tiger beetle life histories are similar, successful management and research methods for any one species can be applicable to others. This presents an opportunity to coordinate taxon-level conservation for all U.S. species through cataloged information and conservation leadership [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolutionary histories of alpine species are often directly associated with responses to glaciation. Deep divergence among populations and complex patterns of genetic variation have been inferred as consequences of persistence within glacier boundaries (i.e., on nunataks), while shallow divergence and limited genetic variation are assumed to result from expansion from large refugia at the edge of ice shields (i.e., massifs de refuge). However, for some species, dependence on specific microhabitats could profoundly influence their spatial and demographic response to glaciation, and such a simple dichotomy may obscure the localization of actual refugia. In this study, we use the Nebria ingens complex (Coleoptera: Carabidae), a water‐affiliated ground beetle lineage, to test how drainage basins are linked to their observed population structure. By analysing mitochondrial COI gene sequences and genome‐wide single nucleotide polymorphisms, we find that the major drainage systems of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California best explain the population structure of the N. ingens complex. In addition, we find that an intermediate morphotype within the N. ingens complex is the product of historical hybridization of N. riversi and N. ingens in the San Joaquin basin during glaciation. This study highlights the importance of considering ecological preferences in how species respond to climate fluctuations and provides an explanation for discordances that are often observed in comparative phylogeographical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Aim: Urbanization profoundly changes environments, ecosystems and biodiversity. The urban heat island (UHI) effect represents one of the most consistent human‐induced environmental change in urbanized areas. Recently, it was observed that the UHI causes community‐wide shifts towards species with smaller body sizes in urban communities of ectotherms due to increased metabolic costs. We here assembled a large dataset of published data of geographically distant carabid communities collected along urbanization gradients to examine whether we could confirm this consistent change in body size distribution. Location: Rural and urban forests at 11 northern temperate locations, spanning 25 latitudinal degrees. Time period: 2002–2018. Major taxa studied: Species of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Methods: We evaluated size distribution changes using community‐weighted mean body sizes of ground beetles collected from similarly vegetated rural and urban habitats between 2002 and 2018. We separately examined the UHI effect on the various sub‐assemblages of the carabid community. Results: When analysing the entire dataset, we could not detect any clear trend in the community body size mean, with urban communities showing similar values to those sampled in rural areas. However, the sub‐assemblage of forest habitat specialists consistently displayed a significant shift towards smaller species from rural to urban habitats. The inconsistent trend at the community level was likely due to the influx into urban habitat fragments of non‐specialist species. The UHI effect also had a significant influence but only on the forest specialist sub‐assemblage. Main conclusions: Our results indicated that forest‐specialist species were most affected by the UHI as a powerful urbanization‐related environmental filter, whereas this effect was not evident for the overall community. Urban management practices should aim to minimize the intensity of urbanization‐related environmental filters such as the UHI, to enable habitat specialists to survive in habitat fragments under urbanized conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near-natural rivers and riparian ecosystems can represent biodiversity hotspots harbouring many highly specialised, rare and endangered species. During the past centuries, these habitats have been heavily degraded by anthropogenic use, and therefore river restoration is one of the most striking fields of action that is legally defined by the European Union Water Framework Directive. Successful restoration depends on realistic and specified targets that should be defined beforehand and founded on status quo surveys. We present a comparison of carabid beetle communities in riparian habitats of natural and managed river sites of the Mulde River in the Biosphere Reserve Middle Elbe. This endeavour is part of a unique multi-level revitalisation project. Pitfall trapping in 2016 and 2017 yielded 111 carabid species with many species of conservation concern in natural and managed habitats. However, Simpson diversity and functional diversity were lower in the latter. Both habitats harboured specific species assemblages with characteristic indicator species. Additionally, the trap location on slip-off slopes or cut banks was a significant driver of species composition. Our results indicate high ecological development potentials for the Mulde River, but restoration should consider differences between slip-off slopes and cut-off banks. We postulate that future restoration will foster population increases as well as a wider distribution of rare and endangered riparian habitat specialists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study, concerning the epigeic fauna of carabid beetles (Coleoptera; Carabidae), was conducted in the north-east of Poland, in an area which is part of the Dąbrówka Forest Subdistrict and has been included in the "Small water retention program for the Province of Warmia and Mazury in 2006-2015". The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of the water retention implemented within the framework of the above program on assemblages of ground beetles. These insects are highly sensitive to any anthropogenically induced transformations. This analysis was based on the interactions among the analyzed insects caused by changes occurring in their habitat. During the 3-year study, 5,807 specimens representing 84 species were captured. The water storage had a significant influence on the structure of the Carabidae assemblages. Before the earthworks were constructed for the project, the beetle assemblages had comprised a large group of xerophilous species, whereas after the small retention reservoirs had been created, an increase in the contribution of hygrophilous species was noticed. The results indicate that the retention works cause alterations in the water and environmental conditions of the habitats, and thereby effect changes in the composition of Carabidae assemblages. Moreover, modification in water relations within a habitat causes long-term changes in the structural and functional diversity of the beetles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite two centuries of research in European subterranean habitats, which resulted in descriptions of numerous obligate subterranean beetle species, the role of ecological differentiation in speciation of subterranean beetles remains understudied. Discovery of a new genus and a species of Alpine subterranean Trechini beetles, Petraphaenops unguiculatus gen. & sp. nov. , enables us to question the reasons for its morphological and ecological divergence. Multilocus, time-calibrated phylogeny and extensive morphological analyses were used to place the evolution of the species in a temporal and palaeogeographical framework. Set within the phylogeny of Alpine Trechini, the new genus is shown to have split from its sister-genus, Aphaenopidius , by the end of the Pliocene. The timeline of the split between these closely related genera corresponds to the onset of major orogenetic events in the southern Calcareous Alps. The orogeny dynamics, coupled with simultaneous diversification of subterranean habitats, presumably initiated ecological speciation and morphological diversification of this highly troglomorphic subterranean trechine genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In lowland areas, carabid beetles show diurnal or nocturnal activity patterns depending on habitat type. However, the diel activity patterns of carabid beetles in alpine areas are poorly understood. We conducted fi eld studies in the alpine area of Mt. Hakusan in central Japan to determine the diel activity patterns of carabid beetles according to habitat type and ground surface temperature. Using baited pitfall traps, we collected samples every three hours over a 24-hour period in the summers of 2015 and 2016 in Pinus scrub, snowbed, and fellfield sites. In both years, the numerically dominant species were Pterostichus janoi Jedlicka, 1952 in the Pinus scrub, Bembidion sp. in the snowbed, and Bembidion sp. and Colpodes xestus (Bates, 1883) in the fellfield. Carabid beetles on alpine Hakusan showed activity patterns that varied depending on habitat type or ground surface temperature. Bembidion sp. showed diurnal activity patterns in the snowbed but nocturnal activity patterns in the fellfield when the diurnal temperature range was large. However, this species was active throughout the day and night in these habitats when the diurnal temperature range was small. By contrast, P. janoi in the Pinus scrub and C. xestus in the fellfield were mainly active nocturnally in both years, regardless of temperature fl uctuations. Because alpine areas are generally characterized by harsh and changeable climates, some alpine carabids such as Bembidion sp. are probably adapted to show versatile activity patterns in response to changeable microclimatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the community index of the ground beetles (IKS) the quality status of 4 habitat types in 6 localities of, Stolické vrchy and Juhoslovenská kotlina basin (The Southern Part Of Central Slovakia) were evaluated. In the 2015-2017 period we noticed 2,379 individuals (1,030 ♂,349 ♀belonging to 52 species. Friedman's test showed a significant difference in IKS values in years 2015-2017 between study areas. By calculating IKS we found a greater number of adaptable species in areas with lower habitat disturbance (quality class III) compared to higher disturbance (quality class I), where eurytopic species predominated. We predicted an increase in IKS values for 2020 and 2022 for the habitats including meadow (area 1), nitrophilous waterside vegetation (areas 2, 6) and a decrease for pasture habitat (area 3), nitrophilous waterside vegetation (area 4) and fallow field (area 5) using the regression polynomial and exponential distribution models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Composition of plants and saproxylic beetles assemblages co-varied with habitat variables. • The contribution of habitat variables to species composition inertia was relatively weak. • Forest subgroups showed weaker relationships with habitat variables than did full-taxa. • We found seven habitat thresholds above which species richness was significantly higher. To encourage forest managers to use biodiversity indicators in their work, providing environmental variables that depict species habitats, have well-calibrated and strong relationships with biodiversity and are easy to routinely record would be a step forward. The Index of Biodiversity Potential (IBP) is a rapid habitat assessment method widely used in France. It uses ten variables that indicate potential habitat for forest-dwelling species and is easy for forest managers to implement during their day-to-day activities. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the indicator power of these IBP variables at the stand scale, i.e. their capacity to co-vary with empirical species richness and composition data for nine taxa. The data were obtained from 487 plots set up in 19 forested areas in France. Taxonomic data focused on corticolous lichens, corticolous and saproxylic bryophytes, polypores, saproxylic beetles, ground beetles, hoverflies, birds, bats and vascular plants. For the latter five taxa, we built subgroups of forest-specialist species. The IBP variables were recorded on 1-ha circular plots centered on the sampling point used to record taxonomic data. We explored the relationships between the IBP variables and species composition/richness of nine taxa at the stand scale. Furthermore, we searched for threshold values for all the significant relationships found between species richness and the IBP variables. Variations in the species composition of vascular plants and saproxylic beetles, and to a lesser extent, polypores, bats and lichens, were significantly related to habitat variations (ranked according to the Procrustes significance level). The contribution of the IBP variables to the total inertia of species composition was about 18.7% on average. The IBP variables had a lower number of significant relationships with species richness than with species composition. Unexpectedly, the forest subgroups mainly showed fewer significant relationships with habitat variables than did the full-groups, both for species richness and composition. We highlighted seven significant thresholds in the habitat variables above which species richness was significantly higher. Finally, we recommend that forest managers (i) routinely use a rapid habitat assessment such as the IBP, (ii) orient silvicultural practices to ensure conservation of autochtonous tree species, large logs and different types of aquatic habitats above the thresholds highlighted in this study, and (iii) periodically complete a biodiversity assessment at the forest scale by recording taxonomic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of species' habitat associations is important for biodiversity conservation and spatial ecology. The original phi coefficient of association is a simple method that gives both positive and negative associations of individual species with habitats. The method originates in assessing the association of plant species with habitats, sampled by quadrats. Using this method for mobile animals creates problems as records often have imprecise locations, and would require either using only records related to a single habitat or arbitrarily choosing a single habitat to assign. We propose and test a new weighted version of the index that retains more records, which improves association estimates and allows assessment of more species. It weights habitats that lie within the area covered by the species record with their certainty level, in our case study, the proportion of the grid cell covered by that habitat. We used carabid beetle data from the National Biodiversity Network atlas and CEH Land Cover Map 2015 across Great Britain to compare the original method with the weighted version. We used presence‐only data, assigning species absences using a threshold based on the number of other species found at a location, and conducted a sensitivity analysis of this threshold. Qualitative descriptions of habitat associations were used as independent validation data. The weighted index allowed the analysis of 52 additional species (19% more) and gave results with as few as 50 records. For the species we could analyse using both indices, the weighted index explained 70% of the qualitative validation data compared to 68% for the original, indicating no accuracy loss. The weighted phi coefficient of association provides an improved method for habitat analysis giving information on preferred and avoided habitats for mobile species that have limited records, and can be used in modelling and analysis that directs conservation policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]