Abstract
Knowledge of the dispersal ability of endangered species is crucial for developing effective, evidence-based conservation policies. Due to their limited dispersal abilities and specific habitat requirements, insects are among the animals most threatened by habitat fragmentation. We studied three populations of the highly endangered species of ground beetle, Carabus hungaricus, at three sites in Central Europe (Hungary and Czech Republic) using mark-release-recapture (MRR). The total catch of 574 pitfall traps set at the three sites was 6255 individuals. Depending on the site, the percentage recaptured was 13-32%. Average and maximum distance moved by individuals of both sexes at each of the sites ranged between 47-132 and 207-1104 m, respectively. The probability of the movements following an inverse power function (IPF) for the two sexes did not differ, but did differ among sites. Probability of dispersing for distances >100 m differed by an order of magnitude between sites, most likely because of differences in how the samples were collected. Despite the fact that individual beetles are able to move over distances in the order of kilometres, the high fragmentation of their habitats is likely to prevent them from colonizing most uninhabited habitat patches. Therefore, the conservation of this threatened ground beetle could be improved by adopting and implementing a policy of assisted dispersal. Our results from three study sites also provide an interesting illustration of the variability in the estimates of the probability of dispersal obtained using MRR.
Highlights
Animal dispersal is a crucial biological trait that allows individuals to colonise new habitats, locate mating partners, food and other resources (Clobert et al, 2004; Bowler & Benton, 2005)
Our study showed that adults of C. hungaricus are active and mobile beetles frequently moving for tens to hundreds of meters
The short distance movements are the most common, individuals are able to cross distances in magnitude of kilometers as estimated by the inverse power function (IPF) as well as demonstrated by the distances covered by individual beetles at Pouzdrany steppe
Summary
Animal dispersal is a crucial biological trait that allows individuals to colonise new habitats, locate mating partners, food and other resources (Clobert et al, 2004; Bowler & Benton, 2005). Due to combination of their limited dispersal abilities and specific habitat requirements, insects are among the animals most threatened by habitat fragmentation (Ewers & Didham, 2005). Increasing interest in biodiversity conservation, i.e. safeguarding occurrence of species in a fragmented landscape Petit et al, 2001) requires knowledge on their dispersal abilities. Improved analytical tools allow to study the dispersal of various model organisms (Petit et al, 2001; Ulrich & Zalewski, 2007) in different landscapes (Van Dyck & Baguette, 2005; Bonte et al, 2006; Sander et al, 2006; Campagne et al, 2009). The answers are highly important for delimitation of conservation areas, or for deciding between reintroduction and relying on spontaneous colonisation in restoration programmes (e.g. Schultz, 1998; Maes et al, 2004)
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