The pace of range expansion: a long-term study on the flightless ground beetle Carabus hortensis (Coleoptera: Carabidae)
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In: Journal of Insect Conservation, Vol. 22, No. 1, 01.02.2018, p. 163-169.
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The pace of range expansion
T2 - a long-term study on the flightless ground beetle Carabus hortensis (Coleoptera: Carabidae)
AU - Völler, Eva
AU - Boutaud, Estève
AU - Assmann, Thorsten
PY - 2018/2/1
Y1 - 2018/2/1
N2 - Range shifts are predicted for numerous species due to climate change, and therefore understanding species dispersal is more crucial than ever. For some species, their low dispersal capabilities may prevent them from reaching new, suitable habitats, thus threatening their survival. This is of particular concern for those ground beetles which are flightless and depend on a specific type of habitat. However, studies on ground beetle dispersal rates are rare. We investigated the shift in distribution range of Carabus hortensis in northwestern Germany over a span of 22 years. We found that this species disperses on average 127 m per year with low variation between years. Although C. hortensis’ movement (locomotory) activity is not different or lower than that found in similar ground beetles, its dispersal rate is rather low. We speculate that this slow range expansion may be due to a long individual development time from egg to teneral and suggest that in the face of climate change, conservation actions, like assisted migration, may be an option for such slow dispersing species.
AB - Range shifts are predicted for numerous species due to climate change, and therefore understanding species dispersal is more crucial than ever. For some species, their low dispersal capabilities may prevent them from reaching new, suitable habitats, thus threatening their survival. This is of particular concern for those ground beetles which are flightless and depend on a specific type of habitat. However, studies on ground beetle dispersal rates are rare. We investigated the shift in distribution range of Carabus hortensis in northwestern Germany over a span of 22 years. We found that this species disperses on average 127 m per year with low variation between years. Although C. hortensis’ movement (locomotory) activity is not different or lower than that found in similar ground beetles, its dispersal rate is rather low. We speculate that this slow range expansion may be due to a long individual development time from egg to teneral and suggest that in the face of climate change, conservation actions, like assisted migration, may be an option for such slow dispersing species.
KW - Carabus hortensis
KW - Dispersal rate
KW - Ground beetle
KW - Pitfall trapping
KW - Range expansion
KW - Biology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85040331529&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10841-017-0043-7
DO - 10.1007/s10841-017-0043-7
M3 - Journal articles
AN - SCOPUS:85040331529
VL - 22
SP - 163
EP - 169
JO - Journal of Insect Conservation
JF - Journal of Insect Conservation
SN - 1366-638X
IS - 1
ER -