Těžba lesního porostu ovlivňuje fenotyp živočichů: případová studie fluktuující asymetrie u střevlíka Notiophilus rufipes (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Abstract

We compared the rate of variability in the size of different body parts among three different treatments created by forest management (i.e. clearing, pole-stage stand, ecotone) in the Podyji National Park (Czech Republic). In order to describe changes, we used bioindicative values of the Carabidae (Coleoptera) with the example of Notiophilus rufipes (Curtis, 1829). We conducted fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of ten important metrical traits (e.g. antennal segments, length and width of third palpomer of the labial palpus). We found that specimens have sex specific association to FA of second antennal segment. The interaction of sex and treatment negatively affects the distribution of FA in polestage stand. We revealed that males had higher level of FA in pole-stage stand than females. Ecotones are zones where individuals from diverse habitats interact. Model of FA, with set sex as random effect, have positive association to litter and negative association to Collembola. This research contributes to forest management strategies by demonstrating how human-induced interventions influence eco-evolutionary link between stress and disturbance. The research suggests that for forest management, forest openings in thermophilic oak stands could support phenotypic variation in rare epigeic species.