Abstract
The aim of this paper is to increase understanding of the relative importance of the input of geographic and local environmental factors on richness and composition of epigaeic steppe beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae and Tenebrionidae) along a geographic (longitudinal/precipitation) gradient in the Inner Mongolia grassland. Specifically, we evaluate the associations of environmental variables representing climate and environmental heterogeneity with beetle assemblages. Beetles were sampled using pitfall traps at 25 sites scattered across the full geographic extent of the study biome in 2011–2012. We used variance partitioning techniques and multi-model selection based on the Akaike information criterion to assess the relative importance of the spatial and environmental variables on beetle assemblages. Species richness and abundance showed unimodal patterns along the geographic gradient. Together with space, climate variables associated with precipitation, water-energy balance and harshness of climate had strong explanatory power in richness pattern. Abundance pattern showed strongest association with variation in temperature and environmental heterogeneity. Climatic factors associated with temperature and precipitation variables and the interaction between climate with space were able to explain a substantial amount of variation in community structure. In addition, the turnover of species increased significantly as geographic distances increased. We confirmed that spatial and local environmental factors worked together to shape epigaeic beetle communities along the geographic gradient in the Inner Mongolia grassland. Moreover, the climate features, especially precipitation, water-energy balance and temperature, and the interaction between climate with space and environmental heterogeneity appeared to play important roles on controlling richness and abundance, and species compositions of epigaeic beetles.
Highlights
One of the primary goals of ecological surveys are to describe the diversity patterns of species along environmental or geographical gradients and unravel the assembly mechanisms that allow species to coexist across a landscape [1,2]
Insects represent the global majority of terrestrial organisms, and provide a powerful opportunity to study how species distributions are shaped along the geographic gradients [9,10,11,12,13]
To further elucidate how insect community structures change along spatial, temporal, and environmental distance, we assessed the shape of diversity patterns in epigaeic beetles inhabiting in temperate arid steppe ecosystems in North China, where detailed ecological analyses of large insect species assemblages are scant [15,16]
Summary
One of the primary goals of ecological surveys are to describe the diversity patterns of species along environmental or geographical gradients and unravel the assembly mechanisms that allow species to coexist across a landscape [1,2]. Often, these investigations lead to important understandings of how communities respond to global change [3,4]. To further elucidate how insect community structures change along spatial, temporal, and environmental distance, we assessed the shape of diversity patterns in epigaeic beetles inhabiting in temperate arid steppe ecosystems in North China, where detailed ecological analyses of large insect species assemblages are scant [15,16]
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