Eur. J. Entomol. 94 (1): 97-104, 1997
The effect of temperature on the activity of Carabidae (Coleoptera) in a fallow field
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In 1992-1994, the activity of ground surface arthropods was investigated on a fallow field divided into small plots with different regimes of weed management. Daily operated pitfall traps were placed in a transect across the field. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of temperature on the magnitude of total arthropod catches. The pooled catches of all arthropod species were poorly correlated with temperature since its effects were damped by differences in timing of peak abundance of the species. To compensate for the effect of this variation groups of species with similar patterns of annual variation of abundance were selected. The regressions of pooled catch on average daily temperature were then calculated for periods of their peak occurrence when changes of their abundance and/or behaviour were minimum. Seven abundant carabid species were selected and regressions calculated for periods of April 20-May 13 (Bembidion lampros, Harpalus tardus, Poecilus cupreus), June 25-July 25 (H. tardus, P. cupreus), and August 8-September 9 (Amara convexiuscula, H. affinis, H. distinguendus, Pseudoophonus rufipes). By this procedure a significant effect of temperature on carabid activity was shown, similar for different species groups and periods. The catch size increased in the average by 6.3 percentage points per 1°C increase of average temperature. Using this temperature/catch size relationship daily catches of several species were recalculated on a standard temperature of 20°C. This procedure decreased the variation of daily catches by 5-31%. The decrease was proportional to the variation of daily temperatures during the period of sampling.
Keywords: Carabidae, temperature, activity, abundance, seasonal dynamics, pitfall traps, weather, thermoregulation, predation
Accepted: January 22, 1996; Published: March 10, 1997 Show citation
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