A simplified approach to estimating the body size distribution of a multi‐taxonomic assemblage of carabid beetles
Abstract Ground beetles provide key ecosystem services, including pest and weed seed regulation, yet consistent body size assessment methods are lacking. Body size from literature differs significantly from local field measurements, highlighting the need for site‐specific data. The sum of pronotum and elytra lengths is a reliable, easy‐to‐measure proxy for total body size. Measuring only a subset of individuals accurately estimates assemblage body size distributions, especially mean and variance. We propose practical guidelines to efficiently assess carabid body size in diverse, multi‐species field assemblages.
Authors
- Jodie Thénard
- Ronan Marrec (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1607-4939)
- Benjamin Bergerot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4313-4925)
- Gaël Caro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5782-4930)
- Vincent Le Roux (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5443-3707)
- Eugène Maurey
- Matthieu Vielet
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Ecosystèmes, Biodiversité, Evolution (FR)
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR)
- Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés (FR)
- Laboratoire Agronomie et Environnement
- Université de Rennes (FR)
- Université de Lorraine (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Ecological Entomology
- Published
- 2025-07-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/een.70003
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.31