Characterization of the habitats colonized by the alien ground beetle Merizodus soledadinus at the Kerguelen islands

• Main Authors: Renault, David, Chevrier, Muriel, Laparie, Mathieu, Vernon, Philippe, Lebouvier, Marc
• Other Authors: Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution Rennes (ECOBIO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES), Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES), Unité de recherche Zoologie Forestière (URZF), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2015
• Subjects: insect; Sub-Antarctic islands; Kerguelen Islands; colonization of the environment; invasive alien exotique; biological invasion; natural habitat; spatial dynamics; [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]; Antarctic; Îles Kerguelen; Indian; Kerguelen; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02630297

International audience In the present work, we conducted a field-based study to identify the type of habitats colonized by the alien ground beetle Merizodus soledadinus at the Kerguelen Islands, southern Indian Ocean, and to delineate the spatial dynamics of this species. We used periodic trapping at several coastal habitats on Ile Haute (one of the islands from the Kerguelen archipelago), together with opportunistic active searches at other locations on this subantarctic archipelago. A total of 1081 sites were visited. Our data showed that adult M. soledadinus were mostly found near the tide drift line (372/540 obs., i.e., 69 %) in various habitats, including (1) in the foreshore under timber, (2) beneath stones in coastal areas near penguin colonies, and (3) in herbfields and meadows. It was previously assumed that the habitat distribution of this species was restricted to the herbfields of coastal areas, with our inland observations showing that M. soledadinus (265/541 obs., i.e. 49 %) occupied areas (1) in the vicinity of cushion-carpets, (2) along rivers and ponds beneath stones or mammal carrion, and (3) in fell-fields that contained plant patches (Azorella selago, Colobanthus kerguelensis, or Lycopodium magellanicum and/or bryophytes). Our study is expected to facilitate the implementation of biosecurity measures to mitigate accidental introduction of M. soledadinus to pristine areas that it has not yet colonized. Dans le présent travail, nous avons conduit une étude de terrain visant à identifier les habitats colonisés par Merizodus soledadinus, un coléoptère terrestre allochtone afin de comprendre sa dynamique spatiale aux îles Kerguelen. Nous avons pratiqué un piégeage régulier dans plusieurs habitats côtiers sur l’île Haute, combiné à des recherches actives et opportunistes de cette espèce dans d’autres sites de cet archipel subantarctique. Au total 1081 sites ont été visités, et nos données ont révélé que les adultes de M. soledadinus se rencontrent très souvent sur la partie supérieure des ...