Specific features of the life cycle of Pterostichus melanarius (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in mosaic floodplain meadows

Abstract

Some features of the spatial and temporal distribution of Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger, 1798) in a mosaic of meadow floodplain landscape, as well as its habitat and interannual variations of its life cycle, are discussed. In the studied landscape, P. melanarius preferred flooded meadows of the medium and low levels that were residential for this species during three years of research. In most habitats, the annual life cycle was successively replaced by the facultative and then by the obligate biennial life cycle, primarily due to interannual variations in the hydrological and temperature regimes. The transformation of the life cycle and redistribution of individuals between adjacent habitats appear to determine the interannual fluctuations in the abundance of P. melanarius. The age heterogeneity of the local populations also contributes to maintaining the total abundance at a relatively stable level.