Substrate selection by Carabus clatratus (Coleoptera, Carabidae) and its consequences for offspring development.

Abstract

In insects, habitat selection should be most distinctly effected by females during oviposition, and this choice should directly affect the performance of the less mobile offspring stages. To date, this behaviour has been poorly investigated in carabid beetles. This study examines sexual differences in microhabitat selection as well as egg-laying behaviour and its consequences for offspring in the stenoecious beetle Carabus clatratus. Laboratory experiments with adults and different offspring stages were undertaken to test the impact of soil moisture and substrate type on microhabitat selection and immature fitness. Only females changed their substrate selection behaviour after copulation, revealing a distinct preference for wet peat for oviposition. Egg mortality was less than 7% under both wet and dry soil conditions. In contrast to other investigations, egg mortality in C. clatratus was therefore of minor importance. Larval mortality was also low, but mortality of third-instar larvae and the pupal stage increased strongly under dry conditions. Furthermore, beetles that developed under dry conditions showed a significantly higher proportion of exoskeleton deformations, and immature adults were smaller when reared under low moisture conditions. The importance of a strong oviposition site selection for wet peat to ensure sufficient moisture conditions for offspring in the stenoecious species C. clatratus is discussed.