G. it. Ent., 9 (48): 143-153
December 31, 1998
Effect of soil characteristics on the composition
of ground beetle communities
in some deciduous oak coppices in western Spain
(Coleoptera: Carabidae)
by
JOSÉ M. SALGADO, MARÍA E. RODRÍGUEZ, JUAN F. GALLARDO
Abstract - Four plots of oak (Quercus pyrenaica Willd.) coppices in the "Sierra de Gata" mountains (province of Salamanca, Spain) were selected following a rainfall gradient. In these plots, ground beetles were captured by pitfall traps, counted and catalogued over six months (1990) in order to know their activities. Using multivariate methods, first, the affinities among plots were analysed, investigating the dynamics of ground beetle communities. Then, the preferential behaviour of these communities with respect to several soil variables (percentage of gravel, soil organic C, available P and Ca contents) were analysed.
