Variation in Body Size and Body Shape in Ground Beetle Pterostichus melanarius Ill. (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

A B S T R A C T Research into large-scale ecological rules has a long tradition but has received increasing attention over the last two decades. Our knowledge of the determinants and mechanisms which shape spatial patterns in invertebrate traits is still limited. This study analyzes macroecological patterns in traits variation in P. melanarius (Coleoptera, Carabidae). Beetles were sampled in 1996 – 2008 in different regions of Russia and the plots differed in anthropogenic disturbance and type of habitats. We measured six morphometric traits of nearly 3000 specimens and used linear models and General Procrustes Analysis to investigate how different environmental factors contributed to the body size and shape variation. Our results showed that all environmental variables (region, anthropogenic disturbance, vegetation, landscape features) contributed significantly into the size and shape variation in P. melanarius. The significant Sex x Environmental Factors interactions indicated a divergence of sexual size and shape dimorphism in different regions and under different anthropogenic disturbance. Various traits in P. melanarius had different latitude gradients: variation of elytra length both in males and females followed converse Bergmann rule, variation of pronotum size had no any direction, variation of head size followed Bergmann rule.

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