The investigation of ground beetles shape (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and its relationship to the species structure of vegetation in a mixed forest (by the example of the Pustynsky sanctuary, Nizhny Novgorod Region)

This paper is devoted to the investigation of the relationship between the body shape of the imago of ground beetles and the structure of vegetation layers in the mixed boreal forest located in the State Natural Biological Sanctuary «Pustynsky», Nizhny Novgorod Region. The materials were collected in the July 2019. 23 sampling sites were established. Vegetation was described at each site and ground beetles were sampled. Representatives of 8 carabid genera were found (Amara, Calathus, Carabus, Cymindis, Harpalus, Notiophilus, Pterostichus, Synuchus). Ground beetles shape analysis was carried out with methods of geometric morphometry. As a result of the analysis, a morphospace was formed. The analysis of shape variability was carried out, which showed that interspecific variability prevailed over intraspecific variability. The relationship between ground beetles shape and species structure of vegetation layers was carried out with a multivariate redundancy analysis. We did not find statistically significant influence of the structure of tree and shrub layers on ground beetles shape, but found the impact of the herb layer. A more heterogeneous herbaceous layer is preferred by species with a body shape characteristic of zoophages, and simplification of the structure of herbaceous vegetation leads to the prevailing of mixophytophages shape.