When to sample in an inaccessible landscape: a case study with carabids from the Allgäu (northern Alps) (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

By

Harry, Ingmar
Drees, Claudia
Hofer, Hubert
Assmann, Thorsten

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2011

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

100

Pages

255-271

Subjects

Carabidae , mountain ecosystems , Phenology , pitfall traps , sampling effort

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.100.1531

 

Abstract

While pitfall trapping is generally accepted as the standard method for sampling carabid beetles, this method has rarely been used in mountain ecosystems, mainly due to the high labour intensity it involves. As part of a research project in the German Alps, we investigated the phenologic appearance of adult carabid beetles in mountain ecosystems along with the consequences of possible reductions in sampling periods. Our results show that an early activity peak among carabids is predominant in mountain ecosystems. However, there are differences among species: the main group of species showed the highest activity directly after snow melt, a second group showed a delayed activity peak and a small third group had no clear peak at all. Based on this study, we recommend two fortnightly sampling periods as a minimum for a sampling programme: one immediately after snow melt, and a second sampling period after a pause of two weeks.