The carabid communities on peat and upland grasslands in northern England

Abstract

During a two year period 13498 individuals of 66 species of carabids were taken from 44 sites on peat and upland grasslands over an altitude range of 11‐847 m in the north of England. The similarities between the carabid faunas of each site have been assessed using a modified form of the Sørensen's Index and the sites clustered according to their similarities. Five carabid communities on peat and three on mineral soils have been identified and the more abundant species have been used to characterise them. Peat Community I occurs on dry heath and is characterised by peat associated species such as Trichocellus cognatus and Bradycellus ruficollis together with widespread open habitat species such as Pterostichus madidus, Notiophilus aquaticus, Calathus melanocephalus and Nebria salina. Peat Community II is found on areas where dry heath and deep wet peat are adjacent and is characterised by the species already mentioned together with typical wet habitat species such as Pterostichus diligens, P. nigrita, Patrobus assimilis. Agonum fuliginosum. Peat Community III is found on blanket bog and is characterised by the wet habitat species in the absence of the species present on the dry heath. Peat Community IV found on the lowland oligotrophic mires is characterised by the small number of species present and the addition of Pterostichus niger and Agonum ericeti to the few wet habitat species present. Peat Community V, on the scarp slope of Dun Fell, consists of the wet habitat species of Peat Community III together with Pterostichus madidus. Nebria salina, Notiophilus aquaticus and Calathus melanocephalus.Grassland Community I, on the fell tops, is characterised by the presence of Nebria gyllenhali, Notiophilus germinyi and Patrobus assimitis. Grassland Community II and III are less clearly defined but Grassland Community II may be present on wetter sites than III and is characterised by the presence of Pterostichus nigrita, P. diligens and P. strennus together with Notiophilus biguttatus. N. aquaticus, Pterosfichus madidus and Patrobus afrorufus. Grassland Community III consists of the latter group of species together with Nebria salina, Calathus melanocephalus and Notiophilus aestuans. The number of grassland sites studied was small and there may be further communities on the upland grasslands.