Plant-moth community relationships at the degraded urban peat-bog in Central Europe.

Peatlands have their own, specific insect fauna. They are a habitat not only for ubiquistic but also stenotopic moths that feed on plants limited to wet, acid and oligotrophic habitats. In the past, raised bogs and fens were widely distributed in Europe. This has changed since 20th c. Due to irrigation, modern forestry, and increasing human settlement, peatlands have become isolated islands in an agricultural and urban landscape. Here, we analyze the flora in a degraded bog situated in a large Lodz city agglomeration in Poland in relation to the diversity and composition of moth fauna. Over the last 40 years since the bog has become protected as a nature reserve, birch, willow, and alder shrubs replaced the typical raised bog plant communities due to the decreased water level. The analysis of moth communities sampled in 2012 and 2013 indicates dominance of ubiquistic taxa associated with deciduous wetland forests and rushes. Tyrphobiotic and tyrphophile moth taxa were not recorded. We conclude that the absence of moths typical of bog habitats and the dominance of common, woodland species are associated with hydrological changes, the expansion of trees and brushes over typical bog plant communities, and light pollution.

The spatial and temporal reconstruction of a medieval moat ecosystem.

Moats and other historical water features had great importance for past societies. The functioning of these ecosystems can now only be retrieved through palaeoecological studies. Here we aimed to reconstruct the history of a stronghold's moat during its period of operation. Our spatio-temporal approach allowed mapping of the habitat changes within a medieval moat for the first time. Using data from four cores of organic deposits taken within the moat system, we describe ecological states of the moat based on subfossil Chironomidae and Ceratopogonidae assemblages. We found that over half (57%) of the identified dipteran taxa were indicative of one of the following ecological states: limnetic conditions with or without periodic water inflow, or marshy conditions. Samples representing conditions unfavourable for aquatic insects were grouped in a separate cluster. Analyses revealed that the spatio-temporal distribution of midge assemblages depended mostly on depth differences and freshwater supply from an artificial channel. Paludification and terrestrialization did not happen simultaneously across the moat system, being greatly influenced by human activity. The results presented here demonstrate the importance of a multi-aspect approach in environmental archaeology, focusing not only on the human environment, but also on the complex ecology of the past ecosystems.

Morphological variability in Lophyra flexuosa (Fabricius, 1787) (Coleoptera, Cicindelidae) in desert countries is affected by sexual dimorphism and geographic aspect.

Lophyra flexuosa, a eurytopic tiger beetle characterized by long phenological activity, wide geographic and altitudinal distribution, and occurring in the highest number of habitats among all Cicindelidae known from North Africa, was chosen to study its geographic variation in morphology and sexual dimorphism. Here, we found significant sexual dimorphism exhibited in larger body size of females and longer mandibles in males, which can be explained by different roles of particular sexes in courtship. Moreover, we recorded significant differences in body sizes between western and eastern Maghreb populations which could suggest genetic isolation between these populations. As the species is related to habitats placed close to the water reservoirs, which in the desert countries are under significant human pressure (including climate change), we expect a reduction of habitat occupied by this taxon. Therefore, the geographic morphological variability that we observe today in the tiger beetle Lophyra flexuosa in the future could lead to speciation.

Water Is Needed to Exist: Habitat Preferences of Tiger Beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) in a Desert Country.

Tiger beetles are a group of predatory insects occurring mainly in diverse sandy areas, with particular species often characterised by narrow habitat preferences, which makes them both very important bioindicators for determining patterns of biodiversity and a flagship group for nature conservation. However, the precise roles of particular habitat parameters in the distribution of these beetles in desert areas are almost unknown. Habitat preferences for four tiger beetles species were analysed in Tunisia. Fifty samples from a major part of the country were collected, for which climate data, macrohabitat types. and soil parameters (soil humidity, salinity, pH, and structure) were studied. Here we show that most studied Cicindelidae were characterised by unique habitat preferences and did not co-occur with other ones, including two taxa found as habitat specialists, occurring in only one type of macrohabitat. Two other species were noted as more eurythopic and occupied 2-3 macrohabitat types, with Lophyra flexuosa as the most ubiquitous species not related to the measured parameters. The presence of a source of water (understood as a part of the habitat type, such as river banks and oases, or high soil humidity) was found as the most important factor in the distribution of the studied tiger beetle species. The present study is the first one focused on habitat preferences and habitat specialization of Cicindelidae fauna of Maghreb, and one of only a few in Africa.

From climate zone to microhabitat-environmental factors affecting the coastal distribution of tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) in the south-eastern European biodiversity hotspot.

BACKGROUND: Tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) are predatory insects usually occurring in various sandy habitats. In south-eastern Europe, especially in lowland areas located close to the sea coast, the diversity of Cicindelidae is one of the highest in the Palaearctic realm. Although previous studies conducted in different areas of the world show that many species are habitat specialists, unfortunately little is known about environmental factors affecting the diversity and distribution of tiger beetles in this region. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Habitat preferences for 12 tiger beetles taxa were analysed. Over 100 samples collected in eight countries located in coastal areas of the Black and Mediterranean Seas were studied, for which climate data, macrohabitat types, and soil parameters (soil humidity, salinity, pH, and structure) were investigated. RESULTS: Most studied Cicindelidae were characterised by narrow or very narrow habitat specialisation and did not co-occur with other ones, including 11 taxa found as habitat specialists occurring only in one or two types of macrohabitat. The most eurythopic species was Calomera littoralis nemoralis which occupied four macrohabitat types. The climatic zone, altitude, and humidity were found as the most important factors in the distribution of the studied tiger beetle species. Salt marshes and sandy sea beaches were noted as the most diverse macrohabitat types. DISCUSSION: Tiger beetle fauna of south-eastern Europe consists mainly of habitat specialists sensitive to environmental changes, which makes these beetles perfect bioindicators. Moreover, as a great number of studied Cicindelidae taxa occur in habitats which are under a significant human impact, we suggest that in the studied area the group can be successfully used as a flagship taxon for insect and nature conservation.

Pleistocene phylogeography and cryptic diversity of a tiger beetle, Calomera littoralis, in North-Eastern Mediterranean and Pontic regions inferred from mitochondrial COI gene sequences.

Background. Calomera littoralis is a Palearctic species, widely distributed in Europe; inhabiting predominantly its Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea coastlines. Methods. Its phylogeography on the Balkan Peninsula and on the north-western Black Sea coast was inferred using a 697 bp long portion of the mitochondrial COI gene, amplified from 169 individuals collected on 43 localities. Results. The results revealed two genetically divergent groups/lineages, the southern one inhabiting both the Balkan Peninsula and the Pontic Region and the northern one found exclusively in the Pontic Region. Species delimitation based on DNA barcoding gap suggested an interspecific level of divergence between these groups. Multivariate analysis of eight male and female morphometric traits detected no difference between the groups, implying they may represent cryptic species. The Bayesian time-calibrated reconstruction of phylogeny suggested that the lineages diverged ca. 2.3 Ma, in early Pleistocene. Discussion. The presence of the two genetically divergent groups results most likely from contemporary isolation of the Pontic basin from the Mediterranean that broke the continuous strip of coastal habitats inhabited by C. littoralis. Demographic analyses indicated that both lineages have been in demographic and spatial expansion since ca. 0.15 Ma. It coincides with the terminal stage of MIS-6, i.e., Wartanian/Saalian glaciation, and beginning of MIS-5e, i.e., Eemian interglacial, during which, due to eustatic sea level rise, a wide connection between Mediterranean and the Pontic basin was re-established. This, along with re-appearance of coastal habitats could initiate north-east expansion of the southern lineage and its secondary contact with the northern one. The isolation of the Pontic basin from the Mediterranean during the Weichselian glaciation most likely did not have any effect on their phylogeography.