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Changes in ladybird communities along an altitudinal gradient
Matušová, Martina ; Kindlmann, Pavel (advisor) ; Martínková, Zdenka (referee)
Ladybugs are often used in biological control, because of their predatory way of life and potential ability to control many insect pests. So far, a number of studies was performed on this family, on their hunting strategies, other life history strategies, population dynamics, dependence of their distribution in time and space on the abundance of prey etc. However, the temporal changes in species composition and relative or absolute abundance of ladybugs were not yet examined along an altitudinal gradient. This is why I have focused my work on these dependencies. I tested the following hypothesis: overwintering sites in Coccinellidae are usually located at lower altitudes, where the individuals eventually attack their prey on the earliest budding trees; as season goes on, ladybugs follow the trends in environmental conditions and food and move to higher located sites; at the end of the season, ladybugs return back to their overwintering sites. In the research area in the Beskydy Mountains, 12 experimental sites were selected, evenly spaced along an elevational gradient of 350-482 m above sea level at each location. During the season, 12 measurements at two-week intervals were performed, each containing 2x300 sweeps. A total of 3064 of ladybug individuals were collected, belonging to 11 species. The...
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Changes in ladybird communities along an altitudinal gradient
Matušová, Martina ; Kindlmann, Pavel (advisor) ; Martínková, Zdenka (referee)
Ladybugs are often used in biological control, because of their predatory way of life and potential ability to control many insect pests. So far, a number of studies was performed on this family, on their hunting strategies, other life history strategies, population dynamics, dependence of their distribution in time and space on the abundance of prey etc. However, the temporal changes in species composition and relative or absolute abundance of ladybugs were not yet examined along an altitudinal gradient. This is why I have focused my work on these dependencies. I tested the following hypothesis: overwintering sites in Coccinellidae are usually located at lower altitudes, where the individuals eventually attack their prey on the earliest budding trees; as season goes on, ladybugs follow the trends in environmental conditions and food and move to higher located sites; at the end of the season, ladybugs return back to their overwintering sites. In the research area in the Beskydy Mountains, 12 experimental sites were selected, evenly spaced along an elevational gradient of 350-482 m above sea level at each location. During the season, 12 measurements at two-week intervals were performed, each containing 2x300 sweeps. A total of 3064 of ladybug individuals were collected, belonging to 11 species. The...
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