›› 2002, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (6): 785-793.

• RESEARCH PAPERS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Composition and seasonal dynamics of litterlayer beetle community in the Dongling Mountain region, North China

YU Xiao-Dong, LUO Tian-Hong, ZHOU Hong-Zhang   

  • Online:2002-12-20 Published:2002-12-20

Abstract: Composition and seasonal dynamics of litter-layer beetle community were investigated in the Dongling Mountain region (39°48'~40°02' N, 115°24'~115°36′E), 114 km to the west of Beijing, North China. Three areas containing 11 plots were selected to reflect the effects of vegetation, elevation and human disturbance on the beetle community. The first was Xiaolongmen, a lower-mountain area covered with well-protected woods, where 5 plots were surveyed, i. e. Pinus tabulaeformis plantation, Juglans mandshurica forest, Larix principis rupprechtii plantation, mixed deciduous broad-leaved forest and Quercus liaotungensis forest. The second was Liyuanling, an area of farmland abandoned 5 years ago and interspersed with some hills, where 3 plots were surveyed, i. e. Vitex negundo var. heterophylla shrubs, Prunus armeniaca var. ansu shrubs and Q. liaotungensis coppices. The third was an area of high elevation vegetation near the top of Dongling Mountain, where 3 plots were surveyed, i.e. Betula costata forest, Caragana jubata shrubs and meadows. The pitfall trap method was employed in this study. Field collections were made regularly, once each month during the growing seasons of 1999 and 2000.Of the beetles collected, the Carabidae, Staphylinidae, Chrysomelidea, Curculionidae, Tenebrionidae, Scarabaeidae and Elateridae were the dominant groups accounting for 83.36% of the total. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis based on 40 dominant species collected in 1999 gave similar results: the 11 plots could be roughly categorized into three groups, i. e. the shrubs in Liyuanling, forests and coppices in Xiaolongmen and Liyuanling, and alpine vegetation near the top of Dongling Mountain. This indicates that vegetation, elevation, and human disturbance may be important factors influencing the distribution of litter-layer beetles in the Dongling Mountain region. The activity of adult beetles peaked in June and July in Xiaolongmen and Liyuanling, with variation in the dominant group between different plots. Daily catches of beetles were higher in the Xiaolongmen area, especially in Larix principis rupprechti plantation and mixed broad-leaved forest. The Carabidae and Staphylinidae were abundant groups in forest plots in Xiaolongmen and Q. liaotungensis coppices in Liyuanling, peaking in July. The Tenebrionidae abounded in June and occurred mainly in shrubs and coppices in Liyuanling, and in Juglans mandshurica forest and Pinus tabulaeformis plantation in Xiaolongmen. The Elateridae showed similar seasonal changes as the Tenebrionidae, but more individuals were captured in Larix principis rupprechtii plantation than in Pinus tabulaeformis plantation. The Chrysomelidae reached peak abundance in June or August in Q. liaotungensis forest and coppices, and in April or May in other forest plots in Xiaolongmen. Most of the Curculionidae appeared in May and August in Vitex negundo var. heterophylla shrubs, from May to July in Pinus tabulaeformis plantation, in June and July in Larix principis rupprechtii plantation, and Q. liaotungensis forest and coppices. The Scarabaeidae were abundant in July in Vitex negundo var.heterophylla shrubs, Larix principis rupprechtii plantation and Pinus tabulaeformis plantation, but in June in Prunus armeniaca var. ansu shrubs. Among the litter-layer beetles examined, the activity of predatory species lagged behind that of hytophages by about one month.

Key words: litter layer beetles, species composition, seasonal dynamics, habitat, vegetation type