Variability of Assemblage Structure and Body Sizes in the Ground Beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) Along an Anthropogenic Impact Gradient

Abstract

Carabus communities of the industrial, habitual and recreational zones in a large industrial center (Nizhnekamsk City, Republic of Tatarstan) were examined. 31 species were revealed, and the highest abundance and diversity was in the recreational zone (23 species). Similar species (Carabus cancellatus Illiger, 1798, Pterostichus niger Schaller, 1783 and Pterostichus oblongopunctatus Fabricius, 1787) predominated in the industrial and recreational zones, while Pterostichus versicolor Sturm, 1824 prevailed in the habitual zone. The dynamic density of beetles was 12.1, 7.5 and 16.4 per 10 trapnights in the industrial, habitual and recreational zone, respectively. Discriminant analysis has shown significant differences of the carabids in the recreational zone from those in the other two zones ones by structure and dynamic density. In addition, multidimensional analysis has revealed differences of the carabid communities in conifer, deciduous and meadow biotopes. Urbanization also affects the morphometric structure of ground beetle populations. We chose two species – Pterostichus melanarius Ill., 1798 and P. niger as objects for morphometric analysis, because they had been included as model ones into the project on carabid morphometric variation on Research Gates. The body sizes of P. melanarius were smaller in the recreational zone than in the industrial one. By the morphometric structure, the populations of the species were similar in both zones explored. The beetles of P. niger increased in body size from the industrial zone to the recreational ones. The morphometric structure of populations of this species was similar in the habitual and recreational zones and differed significantly in the industrial one. Such traits as the pronotum width and the distance between eyes contributed much into discrimination.