The effects of overwintering, sex, year, field identity and vegetation at the boundary of fields on the body condition of Anchomenus dorsalis (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Abstract

Body condition, in terms of body mass corrected for structural body size, represents an animal's energetic reserves and is an indicator of the health and fitness of an organism. This study investigates the variability in the body condition of the carabid beetle, Anchomenus dorsalis, in time and space at a small scale. The beetles were collected in four fields with two types of boundary (grassy and forest) near Prague-Suchdol in autumn 2009 and 2010 and in spring 2010 and 2011. Body condition was significantly affected by overwintering (the body condition of post-overwintering individuals collected in spring was worse than that of pre-overwintering individuals collected in autumn), sex (females were in better condition than males) and to a lesser extent by sampling year, field identity and several interactions, e.g., overwintering : sex (greater decrease in body condition during overwintering in males than in females), overwintering : year (difference in body condition between pre-overwintering and post-overwintering individuals was greater in 2009/2010 than 2010/2011). Type of boundary had no substantial effect on the body condition of A. dorsalis. This study shows the importance of sampling body condition several times a year for more than one season, which has rarely been performed to date.

Relative Importance of Sex, Pre-Starvation Body Mass and Structural Body Size in the Determination of Exceptional Starvation Resistance of Anchomenus dorsalis (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

“…dorsalis survived without food for twice as long as Merizodus soledadinus and Calosoma sayi [ 9 , 43 ]. The increase in post-overwintering body mass resulting from extensive feeding (average male mass increased by 26% and average female mass by 31%) confirms our previous findings that carabid beetles deplete their energy reserves during the overwintering period in temperate climates [ 32 ]. The body mass loss values reported for A .…”

“…This ground beetle reproduces in spring and early summer, similar to the majority of Central European carabid species. Its larval growth takes place during summer and adult beetles emerge in late summer and begin feeding to increase their energy reserves before overwintering [ 32 ]. Sexual size dimorphism and substantial variations in structural body size within each gender have been well documented for this species [ 33 , 34 ].…”

Sex-specific foraging response to interspecific interactions in carabid beetles

“…This may reflect physiological differences between the sexes, which might allow females to increase their mass more than males when food is available, storing energy as lipids, and thereby better manage periods of food shortage (Knapp, 2016;Yarwood et al, 2021). The foraging behaviour of female carabid beetles may therefore differ greatly from that of males, in order to maximize food intake when it is available (Sasakawa, 2010;Szyszko et al, 2004) and to achieve a better body condition than males prior to the overwintering period to maximize reproductive success in the following spring (Baranovská et al, 2014;Knapp and Saska, 2012;Lovei and Sunderland, 1996). In this experiment females may have sacrificed a potential food preference for safety by reducing their level of selectivity for seeds and accepting food of whatever quality in the central part of the arena where safety was perceived to be highest (Altendorf et al, 2001;Blubaugh et al, 2017;Lima and Dill, 1990;Pilakouta, 2009).…”

Systematic inventory of the colopterological population of the rice plants of Gharb (Morocco)

“…For the colopterological population, we can highlight a first group represented by the Coleoptera Hydrocanthares (C. atriceps, L. hyalinus, N. leavis, C. ambiguus, A. dorsalis and P.melanarius). They are described as excelent predators of aphids, leafhopper nymphs and stem borers which abound during this period, in addition to their preference for areas rich in aquatic vegetation and decomposing organic matter, particularly for representatives of the family Carabidae and the Dytiscidae [5,[23][24]. The second group is represented by the species L. oryzophilus, considered as phytophagous, devastating plants of rice [25] According to the Chrysomelid (L. octamaculata) compared to its highly polyphagous behavior [26], its presence at this stage would be related to the abundance of prey of all kinds at that time.…”