observations on the distribution of eleodes hispilabris (say) (coleoptera: tenebrionidae) in...

8/3/2019 Observations on the Distribution of Eleodes hispilabris (Say) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in Relation to Elevation and Temperature in the Rattlesnake Hills

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Observations on the Distribution of Eleodes hispilabris (Say) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) inRelation to Elevation and Temperature in the Rattlesnake HillsAuthor(s): W. H. RickardReviewed work(s):Source: American Midland Naturalist, Vol. 85, No. 2 (Apr., 1971), pp. 521-526Published by: The University of Notre DameStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2423776 .

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1971 NOTES AND DISCUSSION 521ROBINSON, W. 0., G. EDGINGTON AND N. C. BYERS. 1935. Chemical studiesofinfertile oils derived from rocks high in magnesium and generally highin chromiumand nickel. U.S. Dep. Agr. Tech. Bull. No. 471.RUSSELL, E. J. 1950. Soil conditions and plant growth, p. 483, Table 113.8th edition. Lonamans, Green and Co., London.VAUGHN, TERRY A. 1967. Food habits of the northern pocket gopher onshortgrass rairie. Amer. AMIidl. atur., 78:176-179.WHITTAKER, R. H. 1954a. The ecology of serpentine soils. Introduction.Ecology, 35:258-259.. 1954b. The vegetational response to serpentine soils. Ibid., 35:275-288.JOHN PROCTOR' AND KENNETH WHITTEN, Department of Biological Sciences,Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305. Submitted 22 April 1970;accepted 23 October 1970.1 Present address: Department of Botany, University f Liverpool, Liverpool,England.

Observations on the Distribution f Eleodes hispilabris (Say)(Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in Relation to Elevationand Temperature n the Rattlesnake Hills1ABSTRACT: The pitfall catch of Eleodes hispilabris, a common ground-

dwellingbeetle, decreased with increasingaltitude in the relativelyundisturbedstands ofshrub-steppevegetation n the RattlesnakeHills of southeasternWash-ington.The decrease in catch is attributedto cooler-temperature egimesasso-ciated with ncreasingelevation.INTRODUCTIONEleodes hispilabris (Say) is one of the most conspicuous and widely dis-tributedground-dwelling eetles in the Rattlesnake Hills of southeasternWash-ington (Rickard, 1970). It is a long-lived nsectwhich may spend 2-3 years inthe soil in various stages of larval development before emerging as an adult(Wakeland, 1926). Adults. urvive the cold wintermonthsby retreating nto thesoil throughcracksor rodentburrows.This investigationwas undertakento determine the relative abundance andseasonal occurrence ofE. hispilabris long an elevationand temperaturegradientrangingbetween 400 and 3500 ft (122-1067 m) in the Rattlesnake Hills. Theinformationwill be useful for the planning of futurestudies to elucidate theecological rolesof insects n the shrub-steppe egionofWashington.

METHODS EMPLOYEDPitfall traps were used to catch ground-dwellingbeetles. Cans 4 inches indiameterand 6 inches tall were buried in the soil to serve as traps. Small holeswere punched into the can bottom to allow water to percolate to the underlyingsoil. Traps were visitedweeklyfromMarch to December, 1967. Beetles trappedin the cans were removed and released alive near theirpoints of capture. Sevensites each with relativelyundisturbed shrub-steppeplant communitieswereselected fortrap placement along an elevational gradientrangingbetween 460(140 m) and 3450 (1052 m) along the northeasterly acing slopes of theRattlesnake Hills on the U.S. AtomicEnergyCommission'sHanfordReservation,'This paper is based on work performedunder U.S. Atomic Energy Com-missionContractAT (45-1) -1830.


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522 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 85(2)BentonCo., Wash. (Rickard, 1970). Each sitehad fivetraps arranged in a linewith approximately3-mspacing between traps.Air temperatureswere recorded as weeklymaximum and minimumvaluesusing U-type thermometers laced about 3 dm above the ground. The ther-mometerswere mounted on wooden posts and shielded fromthe direct rays ofthe sun. Soil temperatureswere measured weekly at a depth of 6 dm using amercury-in-glassaboratorythermometernsertedthrough piece of thin-walledaluminum tubing of appropriate length. At this depth there is no discernibledaily change in temperature.Air temperatureswere measured in 1967 duringthe same year as beetleswere captured,but the soil temperaturereadingsweremade in 1968. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONEleodes hispilabriswas caught at every site along the elevational gradient(Fig. 1). However, the total catch decreased as elevation increased (Fig. 2).During the 39 weeks of observations,134 trap catches were recorded at thelowest elevation and only seven at the highest elevation. Intermediatecatcheswere recorded between the elevational extremes.E. hispilabriswas caught atleast once in 33 of the 39 weeks of study,fora frequency f occurrenceof 84%at the lowest elevation. At the highestelevation E. hispilabrisoccurred in thecatch only 5 weeks fora frequencyof only 13 %.

4 F450EL. 7 82.0?F)12.0?C)4 3100' L. 9 83.2?F)13.9?C)O i [fz71,-v. M=7 r7n-7.1 M8 2500' L. m 37 85.0?F)14.6C)

LL 925'EL. 23 94.20F)17.1?C)8 630'EL. 58(94.8?F)18.00C)

C/ 630' LLUJL.i0 ,F; X ED mm F/1S ,12 530'EL. 7/ 753(96.50)(19.1?C)

12 460'EL. 13 (9.F) (19k )l:

6 132027 3 1017 24 1 8 152229 5 121926 310 1724317 142128 5 111825 2 9 162330 6 132027MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV.Fig. 1.-The abundance, number of individuals captured per week andseasonal distribution f the pitfall catch of Eleodes hispilabrisalong an eleva-tional gradient in the, Rattlesnake Hills, southeasternWashington. The barsrepresentthe total weekly catch at each elevation site. The total number ofbeetles caught during the entire 1967 season, the average weeklymaximumairtemperature,March through November, 1967 and the average weekly soiltemperature t 6 dm, March to mid-July, 968 are indicated in the upper right-hand cornersof each elevational site


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1971 NOTES AND DISCUSSION 523Environmental temperatures undoubtedly play an important role in thephysiological,reproductiveand ecological processes of E. hispilabris.Soil tem-peratures pace the rate of larval growth, nd developmentand air temperaturesnear the soil surfaceare importantduring the foraging nd breedingmovementsof the adults.Daytime temperaturesnear the soil surfacesare intolerablyhot in summerand E. hispilabrisbecomes most active on the surface at night.However, whennighttime temperatures re low, as they are in late autumn and early spring,adults are most active during daylighthours. Clearly, the temperaturesmostcriticalto beetles are thosewithin the soil profilefor arvae and on or near thesoil surfaceforadults.The average weekly maximumair temperaturefrom 17 April to 27 Novem-ber 1967 and theweekly average soil temperature t 6 dm deep from 21 Marchto 15 July 1968 are shown in Figure 1. Seasonal distribution f maximum airtemperatures t the lowestand highestelevation sites are illustrated n Figure 3.The seasonal change in soil temperatures at these same sites is shown inFigure 4. Clearly the lower-elevation ite is consistentlywarmer than the high

100

80

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, 40

20

0 l l0 1000 2000 3000ELEVATIONFEET)

Fig. 2.-The frequency f occurrenceof Eleodes hisPilabris n pitfallsduringa 39-week trapping eason, March throughNovember,1967 along an elevationalgradient n theRattlesnake Hills130

110 V90

70A

50 3 1017241 81522295 1219263101724317 14212851118252 91623306 132027APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOVFig. 3.-The seasonal distribution f weeklymaximum air temperatures t460- and 3450-ft elevations n the Rattlesnake Hills during 1967


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524 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 85(2)30

460/03450'

k 100t

0 I , I , I , I ,21 27 3 10 17 24 1 8 15 22 29 5 12 19 26 5 15MAR. APRIL MAY JUNE JULYFig. 4.-The weeklydistribution f soil temperatures 6 dm deep) in springand summer t 460- and 3450-ftelevations n the Rattlesnake Hills during1968

130 JULY0,1967/ \120 -/ '

110_

< 100= i / X< ~~~~~~~~~lm

2dm90 _ 0.4dm4dm

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x 6dm

LL. ~ ~ \.70 , I I , I , I50- JANUAR20, 1967

XX-X--x- x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x 6dm40 z0 *--e 4dmOA.4dm30 I I I I I I0 4 8 12 16 20 24

HOURSFig. 5.-Bi-hourly changes in soil temperatures t various soil depthsduringa midwinter nd midsummerday 1968. The temperatureswere recorded at the700-ft levation evel


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1971 NOTES AND DISCUSSION 525elevationsite. Intermediate elevations had intermediate emperaturevalues.The soil surface shows the widest daily and seasonal fluctuationsn tempera-ture; but E. hispilabris s larvae and as adults can move up or down withinthesoil profile nd thereby an retreatdeeply enough below the surface to dampenthe amplitudes of daily and seasonal fluctuations.The bi-hourlyfluctuations fsoil temperature t a location of 700 ft (213 m) in elevationat several differentsoil depths during a winterday in Januaryand on a clear summerday in Julyare illustrated n Figure 5. In January, he temperature t 6 dm deep was 44 F.This had increased to 79 F by mid-July.n January,the soil temperature6 dmdeep was warmer than depths measured nearerthe surface.However, duringthespan of a single day in midsummer, he surface soil (0.4 dm deep) was bothcooler and warmer than the 6-dm depth. Clearly, the seasonal change in soiltemperature t the 6-dm depth is a gradual one that changed only 35 F over aperiod of 180 days. Detailed temperature data like these taken at differentelevations could yield considerable insight as to the soil-temperature xtremesexperiencedduringthe life of an individual E. hispilabris.The changing temperature regimes associated with the rise of elevation onthe Rattlesnake Hills undoubtedly play an importantrole in the life cycle andecological distribution f poikilothermic . hispilabris,but other importantfac-tors in a general survey such as this one may not be recognized at all. In-vertebrate predators could play an important role in the distribution ofE. hispilabris. Wakeland (1926) mentionsCalosoma as a possible predator onE. hispilabris.The scent of E. hispilabrisoffers measure of protectionfromcommon vertebratepredators, although it does not effectively eter the grass-hoppermouse (Onychomys eucogaster), a shrub-steppe pecies of generally owpopulation density. t is also possible that the few beetles trapped at the higherelevation do not originatethere but are simplymigrants from ower elevations.E. hispilabrisfeeds upon a variety of plants,both green and dry (Wakeland,1926). The vegetationalong the elevational gradient changes in botanical com-position (Rickard, 1970). However, there are many similarities. The shrub,Artemisiatridentata, nd Poa secunda, an understory rass,both occur through-out the elevational gradient (Table 1). It seems unlikely that E. hispilabrisreliesupon a particularplant species forfood.The conclusion is that E. hispilabris s more importantto the fauna of lowelevationsthan it is at higherelevations.

TABLE 1.-Distribution of importantplant taxa along an elevational transectin the RattlesnakeHills Elevation (ft)Taxa 460 530 630 925 2500 3100 3450Sagebrush (Artemisiatridentata) X X X X X X XSandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda) X X X X X X XCheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) X X + + + + +Bitterbrush Purshia tridentata) X XBluebunchWheatgrass Agropyron picatum) X X X XIdaho Fescue (Festuca Idahoensis) XX Major contributor o botanical composition+ Minor contributor

REFERENCESRICKARD, W. H. 1971. The distribution f ground dwellingbeetles in relationto vegetation, eason and topography n the RattlesnakeHills. NorthwestSci. 44:107-113.


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526 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 85(2)WAKELAND, C. 1926. False wireworms njurious to dry-farmedwheat and amethod of combatting them. Agr. Exp. Sta., Univ. of Idaho, Moscow.52 p.W. H. RICKARD,EcosystemsDepartment, Battelle Memorial Institute, PacificNorthwestLaboratories, Richland, Wash. Submitted 29 April 1970; accepted13 May 1970.

Seasonal Distribution f Common Spiders in theNorthCarolina Piedmont'ABSTRACT: The seasonal distributionof 33 common spiders of the NorthCarolina Piedmont is given. Spiders were captured throughoutthe year, al-thoughthey weremore abundant in the summer.There was more uniformitynthe seasonal population level of the species of the ground layer than the speciesof the upper vegetational ayers.Evidence is given for the ecological separationofrelatedspecies.

INTRODUCTIONThe scientificiteraturecontains numerousreportson the seasonal distribu-tionofone or two species,but similar nvestigationsnto a community f relatedspecies of animals are few. The data presented here show the seasonal distribu-tionfor 33 of the most commonspidersof the North Carolina Piedmontregion.With respect to communityecology, the spiders are a particularlyimportantgroup since theyare all strictly arnivorousand will eat almost any soft-bodiedorganismof appropriate size. Consequently,theirseasonal and vegetational dis-tribution s unrestricted y specialized food requirements.Collectionswere made in 11 typesof field and forestcommunitiescharac-teristicof the North Carolina Piedmont as describedby Oosting (1942). Speci-mens were taken over a 12%2-month eriod by using a sweepingnet, Tullgrenfunnelsand pitfalltraps.During the cold months (November-March) samplingwas done once a month. The specificsampling techniques and collecting siteshave been described in detail elsewhere (Berry, 1967). Figure 1 gives themonthlydistributionof the immature and mature specimens of 33 commonspecies. Figure 2 summarizes the seasonal values for 100 species selected atrandom fromthe 331 species taken by the three samplingmethods.Values foreach samplingmethod are shownindependently, nd a graph demonstrating heoverall seasonal abundance for the spider community s given. A complete listof species and the months in which they were collected is given elsewhere(Berry, 1970).DISCUSSIONAlthough more abundant in summer than in winter, spiders were takenthroughout the year with some species overwintering s adults, others as im-mature or eggs. That is, each species has its own distinctive ife cycle. Figure 2shows a considerable change in the seasonal population level of the combinedspider assemblage, but the data in Figure 1 show that this change is due tovariationin thepopulationof each individual species and also to the appearanceand disappearance of the species itself at different imesduring the year. Sinceno two species in Figure 1 are identical, it should be obvious that any collectivedescriptionof the seasonal distribution f all spiders is not in itselfparticularlymeaningful.However, if this information s coupled with data for size, class,

1This is a portion of a thesis submittedto the Duke UniversityGraduateSchool in partial fulfillment f the requirementsforthe Ph.D. degree.

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