Liu Shengdong, Tong Jiaqi, Xu Mingfeng, Meng Qingfan, Shi Ying, Zhao Hongrui, Li Yan
Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function of Changbai Mountains, Beihua University, Jilin 132013, China.
Insects. 2024 Sep 11;15(9):688. doi: 10.3390/insects15090688.
The environment of mountain ecosystems can change greatly in short distances as elevation increases. The effects of elevation change on the distribution and body size of carabid beetles were investigated at elevations of 750-2600 m in the Changbaishan Nature Reserve (Northeast China). The richness and abundance of carabid species decreased significantly as elevation increased. However, the change trends are different in forests and tundra. In the broad-leaved Korean pine forest and coniferous forest at low elevations, carabid beetle species have high richness and abundance. The community composition of carabid beetles was significantly different at different elevations and among different vegetation types. Some species only occurred at specific elevations. There were fewer indicator species in high-elevation areas, but Dejean, Horratovich and Kirschenhofer were mainly found in high-elevation areas. The average body size of species in the carabid beetle community was negatively correlated with elevation. The sizes of the larger Adams and Morawitz were negatively correlated with elevation. Their body sizes decreased obviously in the tundra at elevations above 2000 m. Changes in vegetation types at high elevations affect the distribution and body sizes of beetles along the elevation gradient. Some large carabid species may be smaller at high elevations where a unique insect fauna has developed. The body size and distribution range of the carabid may be the factors that affect body size reduction at high elevation. Although some high-elevation species also occur in low-elevation areas, the protection of species diversity in high-elevation areas should be emphasized in the context of global climate change. The results illustrate the mechanisms of carabid beetles' response to elevation change and the need for carabid beetles' diversity conservation under global climate change.
随着海拔升高，山地生态系统的环境在短距离内会发生很大变化。在中国东北长白山自然保护区海拔750 - 2600米处，研究了海拔变化对步甲分布和体型大小的影响。步甲物种的丰富度和数量随海拔升高显著降低。然而，森林和冻原中的变化趋势有所不同。在低海拔的阔叶红松林和针叶林中，步甲物种具有较高的丰富度和数量。不同海拔和不同植被类型下步甲的群落组成存在显著差异。一些物种仅出现在特定海拔。高海拔地区的指示物种较少，但德让步甲属、霍拉托维奇步甲属和基尔申霍费尔步甲属主要出现在高海拔地区。步甲群落中物种的平均体型大小与海拔呈负相关。体型较大的亚当斯步甲属和莫拉维茨步甲属的体型大小与海拔呈负相关。在海拔2000米以上的冻原中，它们的体型明显减小。高海拔地区植被类型的变化影响了步甲沿海拔梯度的分布和体型大小。一些大型步甲物种在已形成独特昆虫区系的高海拔地区可能体型较小。步甲的体型大小和分布范围可能是影响其在高海拔地区体型减小的因素。尽管一些高海拔物种也出现在低海拔地区，但在全球气候变化背景下，应强调对高海拔地区物种多样性的保护。研究结果阐明了步甲对海拔变化的响应机制以及全球气候变化下步甲多样性保护的必要性。
