FEATURES OF GROUND BEETLE ASSEMBLAGES (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE) IN DIFFERENT HABITAT TYPES IN THE VICINITY OF VELYKA DOBRON VILLAGE (TRANSCARPATHIAN LOWLAND)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58407/bht.2.26.7Keywords:
Carabidae, bioindicators, pitfall traps, habitat diversity, Transcarpathian LowlandAbstract
Purpose of the work. The aim of the study was to investigate the species composition and assemblage structure of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in the vicinity of Velyka Dobron village (Transcarpathian Lowland, Ukraine) and to compare the fauna of five habitat types: forest, meadow, arable field, orchard, and the riparian zone of a melioration canal.
Methodology. Field investigations were conducted in 2023–2025 using pitfall trapping with Barber traps. Collected specimens were identified to species level and analysed using species richness, abundance, the Shannon index, dominance index, Buzas–Gibson’s evenness, and Chao-1. Correspondence Analysis (CA), SIMPER analysis, and cluster analysis based on the Morisita similarity index were used for descriptive comparison of the assemblages.
Scientific novelty. This is the first comparative study of ground beetle assemblages in different habitat types in the vicinity of Velyka Dobron using multivariate analytical methods. The results supplement current knowledge of the Carabidae fauna of the Transcarpathian Lowland and clarify local patterns in the distribution of the most abundant species within a mosaic agricultural landscape.
Conclusions. A total of 203 ground beetle individuals belonging to 19 species and 13 genera were recorded in the investigated habitats. The highest species richness and abundance were found in the orchard habitat (14 species, 90 individuals), whereas the lowest species richness was recorded in the forest habitat (3 species, 19 individuals). The highest Shannon index value was observed in the meadow habitat (H′ = 2.008), while the highest dominance index was recorded in the riparian zone of the melioration canal (D = 0.5072). The greatest Morisita similarity was found between the meadow and arable field habitats (0.928), whereas the lowest similarity was recorded between the forest habitat and the riparian zone of the canal (0.017). These results indicate differences in species composition, abundance, and structural parameters of ground beetle assemblages among the investigated habitats.
Downloads
References
Bray, J. R., & Curtis, J. T. (1957). An ordination of the upland forest communities of southern Wisconsin. Ecological Monographs, 27(4), 325–349. https://doi.org/10.2307/1942268
Clarke, K. R. (1993). Non-parametric multivariate analyses of changes in community structure. Australian Journal of Ecology, 18(1), 117–143. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.1993.tb00438.x
Forsythe, T. G. (1983). Biology of the ground beetle. Springer.
Hammer, Ø., Harper, D. A. T., & Ryan, P. D. (2001). PAST: Paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontologia Electronica, 4(1), 1–9.
Hůrka, K. (1996). Carabidae of the Czech and Slovak Republics. Kabourek.
Ködöböcz, V. (2007). Az Északkeleti-Alföld futóbogár-faunája (Coleoptera: Carabidae) és állatföldrajzi kapcsolatai. PhD dissertation, University of Debrecen, Debrecen.
Löbl, I., & Smetana, A. (Eds.). (2003). Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera. Volume 1: Archostemata–Myxophaga–Adephaga. Apollo Books.
Lövei, G. L., & Sunderland, K. D. (1996). Ecology and behavior of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Annual Review of Entomology, 41, 231–256. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.en.41.010196.001311
Luff, M. L. (2007). The Carabidae (ground beetles) of Britain and Ireland. Royal Entomological Society.
Morisita, M. (1959). Measuring of interspecific association and similarity between communities. Memoirs of the Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Series E (Biology), 3, 65–80.
Putchkov, A. V. (2011a). Ground beetles of the tribe Carabini (Coleoptera, Carabidae) of the fauna of Ukraine. Vestnik Zoologii, 45(3), 209–232.
Putchkov, A. V. (2011b). Ground beetles of the Ukraine (Coleoptera, Carabidae). ZooKeys, 100, 503–515. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.100.1545
Putchkov, A. V. (2018). Fauna and ecology of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in transformed ecosystems of Ukraine. Baltic Journal of Coleopterology, 18(1), 15–28.
Putchkov, A. V., Brygadyrenko, V. V., & Markina, T. Y. (2019). Ground beetles of the tribe Carabini (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in the main megapolises of Ukraine. Vestnik Zoologii, 53(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.2478/vzoo-2019-0001
Пучков, А. В., & Різун, В. Б. (2015). Жужелицы трибы Trechini (Coleoptera, Carabidae) фауны Украины. Український ентомологічний журнал, 1–2(10), 14–32.
Rainio, J., & Niemelä, J. (2003). Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) as bioindicators. Biodiversity & Conservation, 12(3), 487–506. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022412617568
Retezár, I., & Szél, G. (2022). The genus Carabus in the Carpathian Basin (Coleoptera, Carabidae): Systematics, faunistics and iconography. Second, revised edition. ArtEnto.
Rizun, V. B. (2003). Ground beetles of the Ukrainian Carpathians. State Museum of Natural History, NAS of Ukraine.
Rizun, V. B. (2012). Biodiversity and ecological peculiarities of Carabidae (Coleoptera) in forest ecosystems of the Ukrainian Carpathians. Proceedings of the State Natural History Museum, 28, 143–154.
Thiele, H. U. (1977). Carabid beetles in their environments. Springer.
Turin, H., Penev, L., & Casale, A. (2003). The genus Carabus in Europe: A synthesis. Pensoft Publishers.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Дорина Чома, Леoнард Іллар, Cтепан Коложварі
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
