DIVERSITY AND THE MAIN ECOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE ... · ecosistemele Masivului Ceahlău ( gol...
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Analele Ştiinţifice ale Universităţii „AL. I. CUZA” Iaşi, s. Biologie animală, Tom LII, 2006
DIVERSITY AND THE MAIN ECOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS
OF THE SPECIES OF CARABIDAE (COLEOPTERA,
CARABIDAE) FROM NEAMŢ COUNTY
MIRCEA VARVARA1 and FULGA ZUGRAVU2
1 “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University, Faculty of Biology, Iaşi. [email protected]
2 Liceul Industrial, Roman
Abstract. The present paper is a synthetic one dealing with the epigeic ground beetles found in the Neamţ
County. It presents the alpha diversity of ground beetles from seven sites (coniferous forests from the Ceahlău
Mountain, deciduous forest from Gădinţi locality, maize crops from two sites) , the variation of the relative
abundance of ground beetles, the Shannon index, the evenness, the main ecological requirements of the species
and the general characteristics of the coenoses of ground beetles.
Keywords: Coniferous, deciduous forests, maize crops, alpha diversity, relative abundance, Shannon index,
evenness, main ecological requirements
Rezumat. Diversitatea şi principalele cerinţe ecologice ale speciilor de carabidae (Coleoptera, Carabidae)
din judeţul Neamţ. Lucrarea prezentă este o sinteză asupra cunoaşterii speciilor de carabide epigee din
ecosistemele Masivului Ceahlău ( gol sub alpin, pădurea de conifere, pădurea de foioase ), Pădurea de foioase
Gâdinţi şi ecosistemul culturii de porumb judeţul Neamţ. Pentru colectarea materialului s-a folosit metoda
clasică de colectare, câte 12 capcane Barber în stationare.De asemenea, s-a folosit metoda colectării cu mâna pe
bază de efort egal. Alpha diversitatea a variat între 17 şi 19 specii (în cultura de porumb ) şi 18-23 (pădurea de
foioase Gâdinţi). Indicele Shannon a avut valori între 2,35 -3,19 (cultura de porumb ) si 2,60 -3,65 ( pădurea de
foioase Gâdinţi ). Echitabilitatea a avut valori între 54 % şi 78 % ( cultura de porumb ) şi între 62 % şi 80 % (.
pădurea de foioase Gâdinţi). Cenozele de carabide , în ce priveşte principalele cerinţe ecologice, se caraterizează
prin predominarea speciilor cu reproducere în primăvara, mezofile, cu preferinţe pentru biotopul de pădure,
zoofage, distribuite preponderent geografic în Palearctic, vest Palearctic.
Cuvinte cheie: păduri de conifere, foioase, cultură de porumb, diversitate alfa, abundenţă relativă, indice
Shannon, echitabilitate, cerinţe ecologice principale
Introduction
Environment, biotope (substratum and climatic regime) have a determinant
character on the composition and evolution of biocoenoses, the species being linked with
the biotope through their ecological valences.
Neamţ County is located in the central-eastern part of Romania, covering a
surface of 5890 square Km (2.5 % of the Romania’s area). The main relief of the county
are as follows: Mountains (western part of the county), hills and Subcarpathian
Depressions (central part), plateau and low alluvial plains (eastern part). The limits of
altitude of the county range from 169 m (in the Siret’s River meadow) to 1907 m (Toaca
peak,the Ceahlău Mountain). As a consequence, Neamţ County has a rich ecodiversity.
In accordance with the forms of relief of the county, the following climates are differentiated. A mountain climate; a climate of the Subcarpathian areas; a plateau
climate, a plain and river meadow climate at the altitude of 170 m. Soil and vegetation
features, topoclimates, pedoclimates and phytoclimates are differentiated according to the
climate and the specific site. Temperature and humidity as well as their extreme values
have a strong influence on the distribution, development and structure of vegetation and
the fauna of arthropods.
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The average annual temperature ranges between 2 - 7 C degrees (in the mountain
climate); between 7 and 8 C degrees (in the Subcarpathian climate) and between 7 - 9 C degrees in the plateau climate.
The average annual precipitation also depends on the relief. It varies over from
1000 litres per square meter in the mountain climate, 600 – 700 in the Subcarpathian
climate, 550-700 in the plateau climate and between 450 to 600 litres in the climate of the
plains and river meadows.
Within the ecological conditions of the Neamţ County, results on the ecological
aspects concerning the epigeic fauna of carabidae were published by: Varvara and Brudea
(1999), Varvara and Popescu (1999), Varvara and Zugravu (2004). Mândru and
collaborators (1979) published a paper with faunistic character on the fauna of the
Ceahlău Massif.
The purpose of this paper is to present a synthesis on the alpha diversity of
epigeic ground beetles, the variation of their relative abundance, the Shannon index and evenness, and to have a general view on the main ecological requirements at the level of
individuals and coenoses.of Carabidae.
Material and Methods
Time and places of collection. The material of ground beetles was collected
from several ecosystems: Subalpine zone; coniferous and deciduous forests; agricultural
crops.Thus,from the Subalpine plateau Dochia, 1600 metres altitude (1992, 1994, 1995),
from the Ceahlău Massif: coniferous forests, and mixed beech forest, altitude 800 metres,
sites: Izvorul Muntelui and Durău (1994, 1995, 1996); the coniferous forest from the site
Fântânele, altitude 1400m (1992, 1994, 1995, 1998); the beech forest from the site Dealul
Frasinului, altitude 600 m. (1994, 1995); the spruce fir forest from the site Potoci (1994, 1995); the deciduous forest from Gâdinţi, altitude 190 metres (1991, 2000,2001);the
maize crops from Târgul Neamţ (1998 ) and Săbăoani (1999).
Collecting method. The soil pitfall traps method is the most used for the purpose
of faunistic, taxonomic and ecological samplings because they function continuously a
delimited period of time, and the pitfall traps can be used simultaneously in several
stations.
The pitfalls were used with preserving liquid and protection from precipitation:
12 pitfalls were used in each site. In this way, the collection of material had a statistic,
objective basis. The pitfalls were functional from May to September. The collecting of the
ground beetles was made once a month.
In the Ceahlău Massif with its varied ecosystems, the method of hand collecting
was used on the basis of equal effort, two –three hours for a person at the site of the ecosystem. The material was searched for under stones (Dochia Plateau), the bark of the
fallen trees, and in the litter (Durău, Fântânele).
At the Izvorul Muntelui, 30 pitfall traps were used for five days in the first
decade of the month of July (1994, 1995, 1996).
In the Gâdinţi forest and Săbăoani and Târgul Neamţ crops in each established
site, 12 pitfall traps were used. In fact, we used as pitfalls, canisters of 800 millilitres – 1
litre capacity , 12 cm in diameter and 10 cm in height. The pitfalls were placed in a
relevant surface for the respective ecosystem, arranged on three rows, each row containing
four soil pitfalls. The distance between rows and pitfalls was 5-6 metres. As preservation
liquid a solution of 3 % formalin was used, which assured a good preservation of the
material till its sampling. The soil pitfalls were functional uninterruptedly in ecosystems from May to
September each year.
The collectings were made twice a month, to a total of nine collectings each year.
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The nomenclature of the species was used according to Freude et al., 1974.
To characterize the coenoses of ground beetles from those ecosystems mentioned above, referring to reproduction season, preferences for moisture, biotopes, food regime,
geographical distribution, we used our personal observation in the field and information
from the literature, (Turin et al., 1991; 2003), (Neculiseanu, 2003), (Šustek, 2000). I also
used some information and verifications received from Šustek and Neculiseanu, 2003.
The aim of this paper is to present a synthesis of the confirmed existence of the
species of Carabidae in our researches in the Neamţ County, from a number of
ecosystems, and to characterise the coenoses of ground beetles ecologically (reproduction
period, preference for moisture, biotopes, food regime and geographical distribution).
Results
Our data are expressed in tables and histograms.
Table 1. Relative abundance of the species of carabids in some ecosystems from Neamţ County and
the presence of the other species marked with +.
Name of species 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Cicindela germanica (L.) 10 - - - - - - 10
2 Calosoma inquisitor (L.) - - - - - + - +
3 Carabus coriaceus ( L.) - - 35 84 123 1 3 246
4 C. variolosus (L.) - - - - - + - +
5 C. glabratus ( Paykull) - - 6 39 18 4 - 67
6 C. ullrichi (Germar) - - 22 2 12 - - 36
7 C. violaceus (Illiger) - 9 - - - 24 1 34
8 C. irregularis (F.) - - - - - 3 - 3
9 C.auronitens escheri
(Palliardi)
- - - - - 26 - 26
10 C. cancellatus (Illiger) - - 70 25 124 - - 219
11 C. granulatus ( L.) - - - - - + - +
12 C.intricatus (L.) - - - - - - + +
13 C. scabriusculus (Oliv.) 237 174 - - - - - 411
14 C. arvensis (Herbst) - - - - 14 2 - 16
15 C. problematicus holdhausi (
Born)
- - - - - 4 1 5
16 C. obsoletus ( Sturm) - - - - - - + +
17 C. convexus (F.) - - 2 36 21 - - 59
18 C. excellens - 78 63 35 50 - - 226
19 C. silvestris (Panzer) - - - - - - + +
20 C. linnei (Panzer) - - - - - 215 - 215
21 Cychrus semigranosus
(Palliardi)
- - - 3 14 5 10 32
22 C. caraboides ( L.) - - - - - 7 - 7
23 Leistus piceus (Frölich) - - - 4 - 1 - 5
24 L.rufomarginatus (Duft). - - 1 - 3 - - 4
25 Nebria gyllenhali (Schönherr)
- - - - - 1 - 1
26 N. brevicollis ( F.) 3 - - 4 - - - 7
27 Notiophilus biguttatus (F.) - - 1 - - 3 2 6
28 N. palustris (Duft.) - - 7 - - - - 7
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Name of species 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
29 Clivina fossor ( L.) - 18 - - - - - 18
30 Bembidion lampros (Herbst) - - - - - 3 - 3
31 Bembidion sp. - 118 - - - - - 118
32 Anisodactylus signatus
(Panzer)
20 - - - - - - 20
33 A.binotatus ( F.) - - - - - 2 - 2
34 Metophonus punctatulus
(Duft.)
- - 8 - - - - 8
35 Pseudophonus rufipes ( De Geer)
536 281 3 28 12 3 4 867
36 P.griseus (Panzer) 2 - - - - - - 2
37 Harpalus calceatus (Duft) 5 - - - - - - 5
38 H. aeneus (F.) 11 30 - - - 5 - 46
39 H. distinguendus (Duft.) 163 14 - - - - - 177
40 H. latus ( L.) - - 32 - - 5 - 37
41 Poecilus cupreus ( L.) 26 117 - - - - - 143
42 P. versicolor ( Sturm) 1 - - - - - - 1
43 Trichotichnus laevicollis
(Duft.)
- - - - - 15 - 15
44 Pterostichus aethiops
(Panzer)
- - - - - 5 - 5
45 Pt.foveolatus (Duft.) - - - - - 34 3 37
46 Pt.melanarius( Illig.) 59 188 - 6 3 - - 256
47 Pt.melas( Creutz.) - - 5 17 9 - - 31
48 Pt. diligens (Sturm) - - - - - 1 - 1
49 Pt. unctulatus (Duft.) - - - - - 53 - 53
50 Pt.ovoideus (Sturm) - 13 2 - - - 2 17
51 Pt.niger (Schaller) - - - - 1 4 12 17
52 Pt. pilosus (Host) - - - - - 15 - 15
53 Pt.oblongopunctatus (F.) - - 19 - - 21 - 40
54 Stomis pumicatus (Panzer) - - 1 - - - - 1
55 Molops piceus (Panzer) - - 86 52 82 2 26 222
56 Abax schüppeli ( Palliardi) - - - - - - 13 13
57 A.parallelepipedus( Pil. –
Mitt)
- - 37 59 64 21 122 303
58 A. carinatus ( Duft.) - - 1 16 30 - - 47
59 A.parallelus (Duft.) - - 34 13 50 10 85 192
60 Calathus fuscipes (Goeze) 37 29 - - - - 3 69
61 C. ambiguus (Paykull) - 2 - - - - - 2
62 C.micropterus( Duft.) - - - - - 35 - 35
63 C. melanocephalus (L.) - - - - - 8 - 8
64 Dolichus halensis (Schaller) 6 9 - - - - - 15
65 Agonum sexpunctatum (L.) - - - - - 3 - 3
66 A. nigrum (Dejean) - - - - - 3 - 3
67 A.moestum (Duft.) + +
68 A. dorsalis (Pontoppidan) 4 11 - - - - - 15
69 Amara aulica ( Panzer) 1 - - - - - - 1
70 A. similata (Gyllenhal) 2 - 78 - - - - 80
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Name of species 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
71 A. famelica (Zimmermann) - - - - - 2 - 2
72 Amara sp. 6 35 - 4 - - - 45
73 Chlaenius nitidulus
(Schrank)
1 - - - - - - 1
74 Platynus assimilis (Paykull) - - 1 - - 3 - 4
75 Licinus hoffmannseggi
(Panzer)
- - - - - 6 - 6
76 Brachinus crepitans ( L.) - 5 - - - - - 5
77 B. explodens (Duft.) 1 - - - - - - 1
78 Aptinus bombarda ( Illiger) - - 33 505 224 - 17 779
No.of species 20 17 23 18 18 43 15
No. of individuals 1131 1131 547 932 854 555 304
Shannon Index 2.35 3.19 3.65 2.60 3.32
Evenness % 54 78 80 62 79
Legend 1. Maize crop, Săbăoani; 2.Maize crop , Târgul Neamţ; 3. Gâdinţ forest, 1991; 4.Gâdinţ
forest, 2000; 5. Gâdinţ forest, 2001; 6. Ceahlău Mountain;.7 Surroundings of the Potoci Biological Station; 8.Total
α diversity. The numerical value of the alfa diversity is connected to the
conditions in biotope. The values of this kind of diversity range according to the type of
ecosystems. In our context, 17 – 19 species (maize crops, Săbăoani, 1999;Tărgul Neamţ, 1999); 18 –23 species (deciduous forest, Gădinţi , 2001, 1991).
The concrete biological system which carries all hierarchical superior taxonomic
characters is the specimen.
The number of individuals of a species is in correlation with its biomass, the
position in the trophic chains of the trophic levels and the position in the zoological scale.
The number of individuals of insects is huge because they have a small biomass and are
parasited and eaten by several kinds of animal groups.
The notion of relative abundance is used in the scientific research of Ecology.
The relative abundance is the total number of individuals belonging to a species from a
biotope, collected by scientific methods.
The relative abundance of epigeic ground beetles is quite variable due to biological and ecological reasons.The species with high relative abundance in the maize
crops are: Carabus scabriusculusv, Pseudophonus rufipes, Harpalus distinguendus,
Poecilus cupreus . Pterostichus melanarius.
The percentage of species collected in comparison with all the collected
individuals is the dominance of a species. Ecologically, the dominance of a species
expresses the influence of that species in coenosis or biocoenosis by its percentages.
Shannon index. The values of the Shannon index within the maize crops ranged
between 2.35 (Săbăoani) to 3.19 (Târgul Neamţ). For the deciduous forest from Gâdinţi,
the Shannon index ranged between 2.60 (Gâdinţi, 2000) to 3.65 (Gâdinţi, 1991) We
mention that the values of this index recorded by us are normal variations of this index,
being known that the normal variation limits of this index are from 1.50 to 3.50.
Evenness. Evenness of a coenosis is the measure which shows how equally the relative abundances of the species are. The values of this index for the maize crops are
between 54 % and 78 %; for the Gâdinţi forest, 62 % and 80 %.
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Table 2. Main ecological requirements of the species of Carabidae in some ecosystems from Neamţ County.
Name of species 1 2 3 4 5
1 Cicindela germanica Sp M St,Cr. Z Wp
2 Calosoma inquisitor Sp M F Z E
3 Carabus coriaceus A M F Z E
4 C. variolosus Sp H F Z E
5 C. glabratus A M F Z Es
6 C. ullrichi Sp M F Z CE
7 C. violaceus A M F Z Wp
8 C. irregularis Sp M F Z E
9 C.auronitens escheri Sp M F Z Carp
10 C. cancellatus Sp M F,Cr Z Pa
11 C. granulatus Sp M-H F,Ols Z Pa
12 C. intricatus Sp M F Z E
13 C. scabriusculus Sp M St,Cr Z EstE
14 C. arvensis Sp M F Z Pa
15 C. problematicus S M Suba Z Carp
16 C. obsoletus Sp M F Z Md
17 C. convexus Sp M F Z Pa
18 C. excellens Sp M F,Cr Z EstE
19 C. silvestris Sp M F Z CE
20 C. linnei S M F Z E
21 Cychrus semigranosus Sp M F Z SestE
22 C. caraboides Sp M F Z E
23 Leistus piceus A M F Z CE
24 L.rufomarginatus A M-H F Z CE
25 Nebria gyllenhali A M F Z Hl
26 N. brevicollis Sp M F Z Ec
27 Notiophilus biguttatus Sp M Eu Z Pa
28 N. palustris Sp M F Z Wp
29 Clivina fossor Sp M Rip Z Pa
30 Bembidion lampros Sp M Cr Z Hl
31 Anisodactylus signatus Sp M Cr P Pa
32 A.binotatus Sp M St P Wp
33 Metophonus punctatulus A X St P Wp
34 Pseudophonus rufipes A M+X Cr P Wp
35 P. griseus A M-X Cr P Pa
36 Harpalus calceatus A M-X St P Pa
37 H. aeneus Sp M-X Cr P Pa
38 H. distinguendus Sp M St,Cr P Pa
39 H. latus A M F,St P Pa
40 Poecilus cupreus Sp M Cr Z Wp
41 Trichotichnus laevicollis Sp H F Z Md
42 Poecilus versicolor Sp M Cr Z Wp
43 Pterostichus aethiops Sp M F Z E
44 Pt.foveolatus Sp M F Z Es
45 Pt.melanarius Sp M F,St,Cr Z Es
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Name of species 1 2 3 4 5
46 Pt.melas Sp M F Z Em
47 Pt. diligens Sp M Cr Z Es
48 Pt. unctulatus Sp M F Z E
49 Pt.ovoideus Sp M F Z Ec
50 Pt.niger Pl M Eu Z Pa
51 Pt. pilosus S M F Z CE
52 Pt.oblongopunctatus Sp M F Z Pa
53 Stomis pumicatus Sp M F Z Em
54 Molops piceus Sp M F Z E
55 Abax schüppeli Sp M F Z CE
56 A.parallelepipedus Sp M F Z E
57 A. carinatus Sp M F Z E
58 A.parallelus A M F Z E
59 Calathus fuscipes A M Eu Z Wp
60 C. ambiguous A M-X St.Cr Z Wp
61 C. micropterus A M F Z Es
62 C. melanocephalus A,Sp M Eu Z Pa
63 Dolichus halensis A M Cr Z Pa
64 Agonum sexpunctatum Sp M-H F Z Pa
65 A. nigrum Sp H F Z E.as.
66 A. moestum Sp M-H Eu Z Es
67 A. dorsalis Sp M-H Cr Z Wp
68 Amara aulica Sp M Cr P Wp
69 A. similata Sp M F,St P Pa
70 A. famelica Sp M F P Es
71 Chlaenius nitidulus Sp H F,Ri Z Wp
72 Platynus assimilis Sp M-H F Z Pa
73 Licinus hoffmanseggi S H F Z CE
74 Brachinus crepitans Sp M-X F,St Z Wp
75 B. explodens Sp M-X F,St Z Em
76 Aptinus bombarda Sp M F Z CE
Legend 1.= Reproduction season; 2.= Moisture preference ;3.= Biotope preference ; 4.= Food regime ; 5. = Zoogeographical distribution. Sp. = Spring; A. = Autumnal ; S = Summer ; Pl. = Plastic ; M. = Mesophilous ; M-H. = Mesohygrophilous ; M-X. =Mesoxerophilous ; H. = Hygrophilous; F. = Forest ; St. = Steppe ; Eu. = Eurytopic ; Ols. = Open landscape; Cr. = Crops; Rip. = Riparious; Suba.= Subalpine; Z. = Zoophag ; P = Pantophag ; Wp. = West-Palearctic ; Pa. = Palearctic ; E. = European ; Em .= Euromediterranian ; Ec. = Eurocaucasian ; Es.= Eurosiberian ; CE.= Central European ; EstE. = East- European; SestE. = South-East-European; E.as. = Euro-asiatic; Hl. = Holarctic, Carp.=
Carpathian
Table 3. Reproduction seasons of the ground beetles in some ecosystems from Neamţ County.
1 2 3 4 5 6
No.species 54 4 16 1 1 76
% of total 71.05 5.26 21.05 1.32 1.32 100.00 1 = Spring; 2 = Summer; 3 = Autumnal; 4 = Autumnal-Spring; 5 = Plastic; 6 = Total species
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71.05
5.26
21.05
1.32 1.32
1 2 3 4 5
Figure 1. Percentage representation of the reproduction seasons of the carabids (classes) in some ecosystems from Neamţ County. (Legend in Tab. 3).
Table 4. Moisture preferences of the species of Carabidae in some ecosystems from Neamţ County.
1 2 3 4 5 6
No. of species 5 57 6 7 1 76
% of total 6.58 75.00 7.89 9.21 1.32 100.00. 1.= Hygrophilous; 2.= Mesophilous ; 3.= Mesohygrophilous; 4. = Meso-xerophilous;5.= Xerophilous; 6 =Total species
6.58
75
7.89 9.21 1.32
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
%
1 2 3 4 5
Figure 2. Percentage representation of the moisture preferences of the ground beetles in some
ecosystems from Neamţ County (Legend in Table no 4).
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Table 5. Biotope preferences of the species of ground beetles in some ecosystems from Neamţ County.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
No.species 41 4 4 1 1 11 3 4 1 1 5 76
% of total 53.95 5.26 5.26 1.32 1.32 14.47 3.95 5.26 1.32 1.32 6.58 100.00
1.= Forest; 2.= Forest,steppe; 3.= Forest, crops; 4.= Forest, open land scape,5.= Forest, ripicolous; 6. = Crops; 7.= Steppe ; 8. = Steppe, crops ; 9.= subalpine plateau ; 10.= Ripicolous; 11. = Euritopic .12 = Total species
53.95
5.26 5.26 1.32 1.32
14.47
3.95 5.26 1.32 1.32 6.58
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Figure 3. Percentage representation of the biotope preferences of the species of carabids in some
ecosystems from Neamţ County (Legend in Tab. 5).
Table 6. The trophic regime of the species of Carabidae in some ecosystems from Neamţ County.
1 2 3
No. species 64 12 76
% total 84.21 15.79 100.00 1. = Zoophags; 2.= Pantophags; 3.= Total species
84.21
15.79
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
%
1 2
Figure 4. General trophic regime of the species of Carabidae in some ecosystems from Neamţ
County (Legend in Tab. 6).
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Mircea Varvara and Fulga Zugravu
Table 7. Numerical and percentage Geographical distribution of the species of Carabidae in some ecosystems from Neamţ County.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 No.species 16 19 2 13 8 2 5 7 2 1 2 1
% of total 21.05 25.00 2.63 17.11 10.53 2.63 6.58 9.21 2.63 1.32 2.63 1.32
1. Westpalearctic; 2. Palearctic; Holarctic; 4. European; 5. Central-European; 6. East-European; 7. Euromediterranean; 8. Eurosibirian; 9.Eurocaucasian; 10. South-East-European; 11. Carpathian; 12. Euro-asiatic.
21.05
25
2.63
17.11
10.53
2.63
6.58
9.21
2.63 1.32 2.63 1.32
0
5
10
15
20
25
%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Figure 5. Percentages of the geographical distribution of the species of Carabidae in some
ecosystems from Neamţ County (Legend in Tab. 7).
Discussions
The life of arthropods, as ectothermic organisms in the environment, is
influenced by the ecological factors (abiotic and biotic) in unity with their valences. In
nature, there is unity and interaction; all the ecological phenomena are positively or
negatively correlated. Food, temperature, moisture are variable ecological factors of the
environment influencing the activity, the number and distribution of ground beetles in
their biotope. As we have collected the material quantitatively we could classify the species
into classes as concerns the reproduction period, the preferences for moisture, biotope,
food and geographical distribution which show the spectrum of classes and the general
tendencies. On the basis of the ecological principle, laws and notions and personal
researches in the field, we are able to predict the dominant feature of a spectrum of a
factor (for example, preference for moisture), but in what extent, it depends on the
concrete ecological context.
As for the reproduction season of ground beetles collected from the ecological
conditions of the two main ecosystems (forest and maize crop), the 76 species are grouped
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into five classes: Spring, summer, autumnal, autumnal –spring and plastic species (Tab. 3
and Fig. 1). As expected from other observation, two classes are dominant: Spring and
autumnal species. Thus, 54 (71.05 %) species of those 76 are spring species, and 16
species (21.05 %) are autumnal species. In Suceava County, 70 % of species (in forests)
and 71 % (in agroecosystems) have the reproduction period in spring (Varvara, 2006).
The second dominant class is the class of autumnal species: 16 species (21.05 %)
have the reproduction season in autumn. These findings are the result of the natural
selection, and the interaction of ecological factors.
As concerns the moisture requirements, we have grouped the species into five
classes:Hygrophilous, hygromesophilous, mesophilous, mesoxerophilous and xerophilous
species.( Tab. 4 and Fig. 2). The most dominant class is the class of mesophilous species,
in percentage of 75 % (57 species).The mesophilous species of Carabidae are also
dominant in the ecosystems of Suceava County, but in other proportion ( Varvara, 2006). Referring to preferred biotopes (Tab. 5, Fig. 3), the spectrum of the preferred
biotopes of the species collected is wider. According to our material, we have classified
the species into 11 classes. The forest species are well represented: 41 species (53.95%)
live in forest ecosystems. After the forest species, the crop species are also dominant, that
is, 11 species (14.47 %).The euritopic species have a percentage of 6.58 %.The other eight
groups of species had percentages under six per cent. The samples collected from the two
main ecosystems explain the predominance of the forest and crop species. The presence of
the other eight groups is explained by the fact that the biotope is not uniform because of
the microrelief and vegetation .In the same biotope live both species with many
individuals (eudominant, dominant and subdominant) and species with few
individuals(recedent and subrecedent). In the Republic of Moldavia, Neculiseanu (2003, p. 88) has classified the fauna
of Carabidae, according to food, into six groups: zoophags, phytophags, mixozoophags
,mixophytophags, parasitoids, mixozoophagous parasitoids.
We classified our material into two groups: Zoophagous and pantophagous
species. The zoophagous species are dominant followed by the pantophagous species. Of
those 76 species, 64 species (84.21 %) are zoophagous species. In the Republic of
Moldavia Neculiseanu (2003) shows that the zoophagous species are predominant. This
fact is confirmed by our present research and others (Varvara, 2004, 2006).
As concerns the geographical distribution of the species of Carabidae found by
us within the Neamţ County, the results are presented in Tab. 7 and Fig. 5. The species of
ground beetles collected by us belong to 11 zoogeographical regions: 19 species (25.00
%) are Palearctic, 16 species (21.05%) are Westpalearctic, 8 species (10.53 %) are Central-European, 7 species (9.21 %) are Eurosibirean, and five species (6.58 %) are
Euromediterranean. Other four groups of species (Holarctic, East-European,
Eurocaucasian, Carpathian) have low percentage, 2.63 % each. In his work (Neculiseanu,
2003, p. 91) the author drew the conclusion that in the Republic of Moldavia, the fauna of
carabidae is predominantly formed of Eurosibirean, European, Palearctic,
Euromediterranean, Westpalearctic and Mediterranean species.
Conclusions
Alpha diversity of epigeic ground beetles in Neamţ County has ranged between
18 and 23 species in the deciduous forest (Gâdinţi) and 17-19 species in the maize crops.
The Shannon index had values between 2.60 and 3.65 in the deciduous forest (Gâdinţi ) and 2.35-3.19 (maize crops).
Evenness had values between 62 % -80 % (deciduous forest); 54% – 78% (maize
crops)
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Mircea Varvara and Fulga Zugravu
71.05 % of the species have their reproduction season in spring and 21.05 % of
species are autumnal ones. 53.95 % of the species are forest species as preferred biotope and 14.47 % of the
species are living in crops
75.00 % of the species are mesophilous
25.00 % of the species are Palaearctic species, 21.05 % are Westpalaearctic
species, 17.11 % are European species and 6.58 % are Euromediterranean species.
Aknowledgements The translation of this text from Romanian into English was made by the author
and checked up by Gheorghiade Antoanela, English teacher. The authors thank for her
help and are pleasantly indebted for her kind attitude.
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