Spatiotemporal patterns of ground beetle diversity (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in a Ramsar wetland (Chott Tinsilt) of Algeria

Authors: CHERINE AMRI, SOUAD NEFFAR, NADIA OUCHTATI, HAROUN CHENCHOUNI

Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the biodiversity and structure of the Carabidae community living at the edges of a Ramsar wetland in northeastern Algeria, as well as to analyze the effect of environmental variables on this Carabidae community. The study site included two stations (T1, T2). From November 2016 to October 2017, the carabidofauna was sampled fortnightly using pitfall traps. The structure and diversity of the beetle community were measured using nonparametric indices, i.e. species richness, diversity indices, accumulation curves, and similarity analysis. Generalized linear mixed effects models (GLMM) were applied to examine the spatiotemporal variation of species abundance, and to test the effects of edaphic variables and vegetation cover on the variation of beetle abundance and species richness. In total, 1121 individuals were caught, belonging to 42 species, 24 genera, and 12 subfamilies; most of the species belonged to the subfamily Harpalinae (33.33%). GLMM demonstrated that abundance of Carabidae varied significantly between the stations and over the months studied. GLMM also showed significant effects of environmental factors on the abundance and species richness of the community. An important taxonomic diversity of the ground beetle community was found, which is highly related to environmental variables.

Keywords: Biodiversity, Carabidae, environmental factors, Ramsar wetland

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