Ecology and conservation of blue ground beetles: from microhabitat use to landscape connectivity

蓝地甲虫的生态和保护：从微生境利用到景观连通性

• 批准号: 2400122
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2400122
• 关键词: Ecology; conservation; blue; ground; beetles

The charismatic Blue ground beetle Carabus intricatus is the largest and one of the rarest species of ground beetle in the UK with a very restricted distribution, mostly on Dartmoor. However, relatively little is known about its biology, particularly specific (micro-)habitat requirements, population size and structure and foraging ecology. Such knowledge is essential in order to be able to implement successful conservation practices to boost populations. Key questions that will be addressed include: How do Blue ground beetles utilize available habitat? Does this vary across years and different woodland sites? Do different life stages have different habitat requirements? How does the utilization of habitat change seasonally and why? How large are populations and how are they structured (sex, age)? How well connected/fragmented are these populations? How much competition is there between large carabid species? How important are climatic variables such as temperature, rainfall and humidity and food availability in explaining Blue ground beetle behaviour and ecology? Field survey work of Blue ground beetles and key prey species (tree slugs Lehmannia marginata, in particular) in conjunction with microhabitat surveys will be conducted at two or more sites (likely to be Dendles wood and Bovey Valley woods) during spring and summer over three years. Beetles encountered will be captured and given a unique ID then released as part of a mark-release-recapture study to estimate population sizes and determine population structure (sex and age). Furthermore we plan to use radio-tracking to complement the survey and microhabitat work to assess movements of adult blue ground beetles in spring and summer as well as foraging ecology. In addition to fieldwork in spring and summer survey data will also be collected during the winter to determine microhabitat preferences and characteristics of overwintering sites used by adult Blue ground beetles. The data collected will help inform vital decisions about how to manage existing woodland habitat within the NNRs including the extensiveness of grazing, the dead wood resource and any new sustainable management techniques by identifying key factors that determine Blue ground beetle habitat use and preferences, population characteristics and likely impediments to population expansion. It will help create a resilient Dartmoor landscape and establish what scale of woodland habitat restoration and new connections are needed to help build that 'resilience'.

魅力十足的蓝色地甲虫 Carabus intricatus 是英国最大、最稀有的地甲虫物种之一，分布非常有限，主要分布在达特穆尔。然而，人们对其生物学知之甚少，特别是特定的（微）栖息地要求、种群规模和结构以及觅食生态。为了能够实施成功的保护实践以增加种群数量，这些知识至关重要。将解决的关键问题包括：蓝地甲虫如何利用可用的栖息地？这是否随年份和不同林地而变化？不同的生命阶段有不同的栖息地要求吗？栖息地的利用如何随季节变化？为什么？人口有多少以及他们的结构如何（性别、年龄）？这些人群的联系/分散程度如何？大型步甲物种之间的竞争有多大？温度、降雨量、湿度以及食物供应等气候变量在解释蓝地甲虫的行为和生态方面有多重要？蓝地甲虫和主要猎物物种（特别是Lehmannia marginata 树蛞蝓）的实地调查工作将与微生境调查相结合，在春季和夏季在两个或多个地点（可能是 Dendles wood 和 Bovey Valley woods）进行超过 3 年。年。遇到的甲虫将被捕获并给予一个唯一的 ID，然后作为标记-释放-重新捕获研究的一部分被释放，以估计种群规模并确定种群结构（性别和年龄）。此外，我们计划使用无线电跟踪来补充调查和微生境工作，以评估成年蓝地甲虫在春季和夏季的运动以及觅食生态。除了春季和夏季的实地考察外，还将在冬季收集调查数据，以确定成年蓝地甲虫的微生境偏好和越冬地点的特征。收集的数据将通过确定决定蓝地甲虫栖息地使用和偏好、种群特征的关键因素，帮助为有关如何管理 NNR 内现有林地栖息地的重要决策提供信息，包括放牧范围、死木资源和任何新的可持续管理技术。以及人口扩张可能遇到的障碍。它将有助于创造一个有弹性的达特穆尔景观，并确定需要多大规模的林地栖息地恢复和新的连接来帮助建立这种“弹性”。