Eur. J. Entomol. 121: 284-295, 2024 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2024.030

Xerothermophilous species of rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) in dry-warm habitats prefer their wetter nichesOriginal article

Andreas KLEEBERG ORCID...1, Udo STEINHÄUSER2, Gunnar LISCHEID ORCID...3, 4
1 Zum Alten Windmühlenberg 26, D-12524 Berlin, Germany; e-mail: a.g.kleeberg@t-online.de
2 Millionenweg 7, D-19395 Plau am See, Germany; e-mail: udosteinhaeuser@aol.com
3 Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Straße 84, D-15374 Müncheberg, Germany; e-mail: lischeid@zalf.de
4 University of Potsdam, Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24-25, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany

High temperatures that prevail at sun-exposed sites such as heaths, depressions, or on slopes, increase the risk of desiccation for rove beetles (Staphylinidae). Therefore, atmospheric and sub-atmospheric humidity determine the microclimates and thus habitat preference and activity of xerothermophilous species. In the nature reserve Marienfließ, a heathland in the south of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Northeast German Lowlands, air temperature and humidity were recorded year-round along a transect at 10 sites, i.e. where the vegetation was more dense and more humid than where the vegetation was sparse and it was drier, using data loggers placed in the litter layer that recorded the conditions every 30 min in 2021. Monthly visits were made to determine the biomass of vegetation, soil and litter properties, edaphic rove beetle fauna and total abundance and and that of individual species at 1 m2 sites. Statistical analysis of 365 diurnal cycles per site, with pronounced amplitude in air temperature and humidity, clearly delineated the cooler and more humid sites from warmer and drier ones. Between 10 and 22 of the 30 xerothermophilous species (73.3%), such as, e.g. Quedius persimilis Mulsant & Rey, 1876, Xantholinus gallicus Coiffait, 1956, Cousya longitarsis (Thomson, 1867) and Euaesthetus superlatus Peyerimhoff, 1937, were recorded only at the cooler and moist sites on the heath. Comparison of the abundances and distribution of species revealed that the xerothermophilous heath-dwelling and desiccation-prone species prefer rather constant environmental conditions, i.e. niches in cool and moist habitats on warm and dry heathland.

Keywords: Heathland, beetles, water loss, habitat preference, data logger, air temperature, humidity, Germany

Received: February 7, 2024; Revised: May 22, 2024; Accepted: May 22, 2024; Published online: July 18, 2024  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
KLEEBERG, A., STEINHÄUSER, U., & LISCHEID, G. (2024). Xerothermophilous species of rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) in dry-warm habitats prefer their wetter niches. EJE, 121, Article 284-295. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2024.030
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    Attachments

    Download fileS1.pdf

    File size: 242.93 kB

    References

    1. Amelung W., Blume H.-P., Feige H., Horn R., Kandeler E., Kögel-Knabner I., Kretzschmar R., Stahr K. & Wilke B.-M. 2018: Scheffer/Schachtschabel - Lehrbuch der Bodenkunde. 17., überarbeitete und ergänzte Auflage. Springer Spektrum, Berlin, Heidelberg, 749 pp. Go to original source...
    2. Assing V. 1993: Zur Bionomie von Xantholinus rhenanus Coiff. und anderen bodenbewohnenden Xantholininen (Col. Staphylinidae) in Nordwestdeutschland. - Zool. Jb. Syst. 120: 13-38.
    3. Assing V. 2009: On the Western Palaearctic and Middle Asian species of Ochthephilum Stephens, with notes on Cryptobium koltzei Eppelsheim (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae: Cryptobiina). - Linz. Biol. Beitr. 41: 397-426.
    4. Assing V. 2012: On the taxonomy and natural history of Oxypoda brachyptera and O. tarda (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae). - Beitr. Entomol. (Keltern) 62: 207-224. Go to original source...
    5. Assing V. 2018: Revision of the Cousya species of the West Palaearctic Region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae). - Integrative Systematics 1: 79-127. Go to original source...
    6. Assing V. & Schülke M. 2007: Supplemente zur mitteleuropäischen Staphylinidenfauna (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae). III. - Entomol. Bl. 102: 1-78.
    7. Assing V. & Schülke M. 2012: Die Käfer Mitteleuropas. In Freude H., Harde K.W., Lohse G.A. & Klausnitzer B. (eds): Die Käfer Mitteleuropas. Bd. 4. Staphylinidae I. Zweite neubearbeitete Auflage. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg, pp. 1-560.
    8. Benick G. & Lohse G.A. 1974: Staphylinidae 2. In Freude H., Harde K.W. & Lohse G.A. (eds): Die Käfer Mitteleuropas. Bd. 5. Goecke & Evers, Krefeld, 381 pp.
    9. Besuchet C. 1974: 24. Familie: Pselaphidae. In Freude H., Harde K.W. & Lohse G.A. (eds): Die Käfer Mitteleuropas. Bd. 5.Goecke & Evers, Krefeld, pp. 305-362.
    10. Boháè J. 1990: Numerical estimation of the impact of terrestrial ecosystems by using the staphylinid beetles communities. - Agrochem. Soil Sci. 39: 565-568.
    11. Bong L.-J., Neoh K.-B., Jaal Z. & Lee C.-Y. 2013: Influence of temperature on survival and water relations of Paederus fuscipes (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). - J. Med. Entomol. 50: 1003-1013. Go to original source...
    12. Bong L.-J., Wang C.-Y., Shiodera S., Haraguchi T.F., Itoj M. & Neoh K.-B. 2021: Effect of body lipid content is linked to nutritional adaptation in the acclimation responses of mesic-adapted Paederus to seasonal variations in desiccation stress. - J. Insect Physiol. 131: 104226, 9 pp. Go to original source...
    13. Deutschmann U. & Steinhäuser U. 2020: Die Schmetterlingsfauna des NSG "Marienfließ" in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern und Brandenburg (Lepidoptera). - Virgo 23: 36-67.
    14. Durner W. & Iden S.C. 2011: Skript Bodenphysikalische Versuche. Institut für Geoökologie, Abteilung Bodenkunde und Bodenphysik, TU Braunschweig, 34 pp. URL: http://www.soil.tubs.de/lehre/Bachelor-Labormethoden/2011/2011. Skript.Bodenphysik.pdf.
    15. DWD - German Meteorological Service 2022: URL: https://www.dwd.de/DE/klimaumwelt/cdc (data retrieval 5 Jan. 2022).
    16. Eisenbeis G. & Wichard W. 1999: Wasserhaushalt, Osmo- und Ionenregulation sowie Exkretion. In Dettner K. & Peters W. (eds): Lehrbuch der Entomologie. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, pp. 129-170.
    17. Franz H. & Besuchet C. 1971: 18. Familie: Scydmaenidae. In Freude H., Harde K.W. & Lohse G.A. (eds): Die Käfer Mitteleuropas. Bd. 3, Adephaga 2 - Palpicornia, Histeroidea, Staphylinoidea 1. Goecke & Evers, Krefeld, pp. 271-303.
    18. Frank J.H. & Thomas M.C. 2016: Rove Beetles of the World, Staphylinidae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). Univ. Florida, Inst. Food Agricult. Sci., Featured Creatures EENY 114, 8 pp.
    19. García M., Farinós G.P., Castañera P. & Ortego F. 2012: Digestion, growth and reproductive performance of the zoophytophagous rove beetle Philonthus quisquiliarius (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) fed on animal and plant based diets. - J. Insect Physiol. 58: 1334-1342. Go to original source...
    20. Grebennikov V.V. & Newton A.F. 2009: Good-bye Scydmaenidae, or why the ant-like stone beetles should become megadiverse Staphylinidae sensu latissimo (Coleoptera). - Eur. J. Entomol. 106: 275-301. Go to original source...
    21. Henneberg L. 2004: Biologie der Interaktion zwischen Koleopteren und agaricoiden Basidiomyzeten. PhD thesis, FB Biologie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, 363 pp.
    22. Hoffmann K.H. 1995: Stoffwechsel. In Gewecke M. (ed.): Physiologie der Insekten. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, pp. 1-67.
    23. Holland J.M., Thomas C.F.G., Birkett T. & Southway S. 2007: Spatio-temporal distribution and emergence of beetles in arable fields in relation to soil moisture. - Bull. Entomol. Res. 97: 89-100. Go to original source...
    24. Irmler U. 2012: Effects of habitat and human activities on species richness and assemblages of Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) in the Baltic sea coast. - Psyche 2012: 879715, 12 pp. Go to original source...
    25. Irmler U. & Gürlich S. 2007: What do rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) indicate for site conditions. - Faunist.-Ökol. Mitt. 8: 439-455.
    26. Irmler U. & Lipkow E. 2018: Effect of environmental conditions on distribution patterns of rove beetles. In Betz O., Irmler U. & Klimaszewski J. (eds): Biology of Rove Beetles (Staphylinidae) - Life History, Evolution, Ecology and Distribution. Springer, Cham, pp. 117-144. Go to original source...
    27. Ja³oszyñski P., Melke A. & Wi¶niewski K. 2018: Euaesthetus superlatus Peyerimhoff, 1937 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), kusak nowy dla Polski. - Acta Entomol. Sil. 26(10): 1-4.
    28. Jolliffe I. 2002: Principal Component Analysis. 2nd ed. Springer, New York, 488 pp.
    29. Kleeberg A. 2020: Faunistisch bemerkenswerte und für Mecklenburg-Vorpommern neue Arten der Kurzflügelkäfer (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). Teil 7. - Arch. Natur. Landesk. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 57: 35-63. Go to original source...
    30. Klimaszewski J., Brunke A., Work T. & Venier L. 2018: Rove beetles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) as bioindicators of change in boreal forests and their biological control services in agroecosystems: Canadian case studies. In Betz O., Irmler U. & Klimaszewski J. (eds): Biology of Rove Beetles - Life History, Evolution, Ecology and Distribution. Springer, Cham, pp. 161-181. Go to original source...
    31. Koch K. 1989: Die Käfer Mitteleuropas. Ökologie, Vol. 1. Goecke & Evers, Krefeld, 440 pp.
    32. Kohonen T. 2001: Self-Organizing Maps. Springer Series in Information Sciences, Vol. 30, 3rd ed. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 502 pp. Go to original source...
    33. Kratochwil A. & Schwabe A. 1984: Trockenstandorte und ihre Lebensgemeinschaften in Mitteleuropa: Ausgewählte Beispiele. In Metzner H. (ed.): Ökologie und ihre biologischen Grundlagen, Heft 6 (Ökosysteme III. Terrestrische Ökosysteme). University of Tübingen, pp. 1-84.
    34. Lincoln D.C.R. 1961: The oxygen and water requirements of the egg of Ocypus olens Müller (Staphylinidae, Coleoptera). - J. Insect Physiol. 7: 265-272. Go to original source...
    35. Lischeid G. 2009: Non-linear visualization and analysis of large water quality data sets: A model-free basis for efficient monitoring and risk assessment. - Stochast. Environ. Res. Risk Assess. 23: 977- 990. Go to original source...
    36. Lohse G.A. 1964: Staphylinidae 1 - Micropeplinae bis Tachyporinae. In Freude H., Harde K.W. & Lohse G.A. (eds): Die Käfer Mitteleuropas. Bd. 4. Goecke & Evers, Krefeld, 264 pp.
    37. Martin D. 2019: Die Spinnenfauna des Naturschutzgebietes Marienfließ (Anteil Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) (Arachnida: Araneae). - Virgo 22: 28-40.
    38. Müller H.J. 1991: Ökologie. 2. Auflage. Gustav Fischer, Jena, 178 pp.
    39. O'Donnell M. 2022: A perspective on insect water balance. - J. Exp. Biol. 225: 1-8. Go to original source...
    40. Ottesen S.P. 1996: Niche segregation of terrestrial alpine beetles (Coleoptera) in relation to environmental gradients and phenology. - J. Biogeogr. 23: 353-369. Go to original source...
    41. R Core Team 2022: R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, URL: https://www.R-project.org/
    42. Schaefer M. 2003: Wörterbuch der Ökologie. 4. Auflage. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg, Berlin, 385 pp.
    43. Schatz I. 2004: Die Kurzflügelkäfer (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) der Etsch-Auen (Südtirol, Italien) - Artenspektrum, Verteilung und Habitatbindung. - Gredleriana 4: 159-202.
    44. Schülke M. & Smetana A. 2015: Staphylinidae. In Löbl I. & Löbl D. (eds): Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera. Vol. 2. Hydrophiloidea - Staphylinoidea. I-XXV. Revised and updated ed. Brill, Leiden, Boston, pp. 304-1134.
    45. Sta¹iov S., Litavský J., Majzlan O., Svitok M. & Fedor P. 2021: Influence of selected environmental parameters on rove beetle (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) communities in Central European floodplain forests. - Wetlands 41: 115, 28 pp. Go to original source...
    46. Steinhäuser U. 2013: NSG Marienfließ - 20 Jahre Naturschutz auf einem ehemaligen Truppenübungsplatz. - Naturschutzarbeit in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 55: 1-13. Go to original source...
    47. Trekels H., Driesen M. & Vanschoenwinkel B. 2017: How do patch quality and spatial context affect invertebrate communities in a natural moss microlandscape? - Acta Oecol. 85: 126-135. Go to original source...
    48. Venables W.N. & Ripley B.D. 2002: Modern Applied Statistics with S. 4th ed. Springer, New York, 498 pp. Go to original source...
    49. Yan J. 2016: som: Self-Organizing Map. R package Version 0.3-5.1. URL: https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=som

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content