TY - JOUR

T1 - Population ecology of the rare carabid beetle Carabus variolosus (Coleoptera : Carabidae) in North-west Germany

AU - Matern, Andrea

AU - Drees, Claudia

AU - Aßmann, Thorsten

AU - Meyer, Hartmut

N1 - Funding Information: Acknowledgements We thank T. Huk and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on the manuscript. We also thank the ABU Soest, the Arnsberg Forestry Office, the Westphalian Museum of Natural History, especially H. Terlutter, and K. Hannig for supporting this work. The authorities are thanked for issuing permits. This research was supported by a grant from the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) to A. M.

PY - 2008/12/1

Y1 - 2008/12/1

N2 - The declining European ground beetle Carabus variolosus, an indicator of undisturbed woodland brooks and swamps, is listed in the EU Species and Habitats Directive. Little is known about this flightless and endangered beetle, apart from its distribution range and habitat stenotopy. We present the results of a 2-year mark-release-recapture study on two neighbouring populations in Germany, which investigated basic parameters of population ecology that may be influential in the persistence of the beetle. Extremely small population sizes were the key findings. Since population densities corresponded to those of typical Carabus species, the size of the habitats was most probably the limiting factor. The risk of heavy losses during offspring development and hibernation may be alleviated by the considerable proportion of C. variolosus reproducing in more than 1 year. The fact that we did not recapture any marked specimens from the neighbouring population suggests a very limited dispersal power. The results imply a high vulnerability of the species, provide basic methodological information for an implementation of the EC Directive and for further research, and highlight the necessity to enlarge populated habitats.

AB - The declining European ground beetle Carabus variolosus, an indicator of undisturbed woodland brooks and swamps, is listed in the EU Species and Habitats Directive. Little is known about this flightless and endangered beetle, apart from its distribution range and habitat stenotopy. We present the results of a 2-year mark-release-recapture study on two neighbouring populations in Germany, which investigated basic parameters of population ecology that may be influential in the persistence of the beetle. Extremely small population sizes were the key findings. Since population densities corresponded to those of typical Carabus species, the size of the habitats was most probably the limiting factor. The risk of heavy losses during offspring development and hibernation may be alleviated by the considerable proportion of C. variolosus reproducing in more than 1 year. The fact that we did not recapture any marked specimens from the neighbouring population suggests a very limited dispersal power. The results imply a high vulnerability of the species, provide basic methodological information for an implementation of the EC Directive and for further research, and highlight the necessity to enlarge populated habitats.

KW - Biology

KW - Ancient woodland

KW - Extinction risk

KW - Flood plain forest

KW - Natura 2000

KW - Population size

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=53549114183&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/c945a3d8-708b-333c-83f9-6b1250f7f61f/

U2 - 10.1007/s10841-007-9096-3

DO - 10.1007/s10841-007-9096-3

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 12

SP - 591

EP - 601

JO - Journal of Insect Conservation

JF - Journal of Insect Conservation

SN - 1366-638X

IS - 6

ER -