Publication details
Size and taxonomic constraints determine the seed preferences of Carabidae (Coleoptera)
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2007 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Basic and Applied Ecology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Zoology |
| Keywords | Seed predation; Specialization; Body mass; Seed size; Adaptation |
| Description | Several species of carabid beetles are important postdispersal predators of the seeds of herbaceous plants. The preferences of carabids for particular seeds differ, but the factors that determine their choice are little studied. We tested the hypothesis that preferences are determined by taxonomic constraints (carabid species affiliation), and carabid and seed size. The preferences were determined for adults of 30 species of central European field carabids mainly belonging to the tribes Zabrini (17 species) and Harpalini (10 species) (body mass 1-36 mg). In a cafeteria experiment the beetles were offered an excess of seeds from 28 species of dicotyledoneous herbaceous plants (mass 0.1-8.7 mg). The number of seeds eaten during a 5-day experiment was used as an estimate of preference. Mass of the preferred species of seed eaten was positively related to carabid body mass in both tribes. |
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