Carabid Beetles in Their Environments: A Study on Habitat Selection by Adaptations in Physiology and Behaviour (Zoophysiology (10))

With the increasing numbers of research workers and groups of investigators devoting themselves to the ecology of carabids I felt that the time had come to take stock of the existing knowledge in this field and to endeavour to weld my personal results and those of other workers into a comprehensive picture. It was with these aims in mind that the following study was conceived. A further goal was to attempt to show to what extent research on carabids can contribute to the larger fields of research encompassing ecology, ethology and evolution. In my opinion the investigations on carabids permit us to draw conclusions of general applicability and, as such, comparable with those made in recent years upon other groups of animals. I am well aware of the risk involved nowadays in attempting, on one's own, to integrate results from a wide variety of scientific disciplines into a meaningful whole, and for this reason I am always grateful for corrections and for additional information. It is impossible for me to mention by name all of the col­ leagues who have given me their support in the preparation of the book. Reprints of their publications have been placed at my disposal by almost all of the authors cited, as well as by others whose names and works have been omitted merely in order to prevent the book from taking on encyclopedic pro­ portions. I am nevertheless indebted to them all for their cooperation. Front Matter....Pages I-XVII Introduction....Pages 1-2 Variations in the Body Structure of Carabids in Adaptation to Environment and Mode of Life....Pages 3-12 Quantitative Investigations on the Distribution of Carabids....Pages 13-48 The Connections Between Carabids and Biotic Factors in the Ecosystem....Pages 49-142 Man and the Ground Beetles....Pages 143-171 The Differences in Distribution of Carabids in the Environment: Reactions to Abiotic Factors and Their Significance in Habitat Affinity....Pages 172-224 Ecological Aspects of Activity Patterns in Carabids....Pages 225-271 Choice of Habitat: The Influence of Connections Between Demands Upon Environmental Factors and Activity Rhythms....Pages 272-283 Dispersal and Dispersal Power of Carabid Beetles....Pages 284-297 Ecological Aspects of the Evolution of Carabids....Pages 298-309 Concerning the Reasons Underlying Species Profusion Manifest by the Carabids....Pages 310-327 Summary....Pages 328-330 Back Matter....Pages 331-372