ISSN:
1570-7458
Keywords:
Poecilus cupreus
;
Carabidae
;
satiation
;
habitat-management
;
reproduction
;
sex-ratio
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract In a 8 ha field the availability of food and the reproduction of the most abundant carabid beetlePoecilus cupreus L. (Carabidae, Coleoptera) was compared between a strip-managed area (cereal area subdivided by strips of weeds and wild flowering herbs) and a conventionally treated cereal area. Data on phenology, biometry, quantity of the gut content and egg production were collected during the main reproduction period (April–July). Females were found to be significantly larger and heavier in the strip-managed area than in the control area. The higher weight (corrected for size) indicated better feeding conditions in the strip-managed area, which was confirmed by having better filled crops. The state of egg development and the numbers of eggs in the ovaries indicated a prolongation of the reproduction period in the strip-managed area, whereas females caught in the cereal area contained significantly fewer ripe eggs. The results of egg-laying tests in the laboratory showed the same trend but did not confirm any significant differences because of a high rate of individual variation. All measurements from females point to a higher availability of food in the strip-managed area and to an enhanced reproductive potential at this site. For males, on the other hand, the results did not reveal such a uniform trend.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02382379
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