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CHARACTERIZATION AND PHENOLOGY OF A PREDACEOUS DIVING BEETLE COMMUNITY IN A CENTRAL ALBERTA LAKE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

R.B. Aiken
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada E0A 3C0

Abstract

The species composition, diversity, and phenology of a community of water beetles (Dytiscidae) were studied over a 4-year period at George Lake, Alta. There was a pronounced trend of decreasing diversity between years due to the loss of several rarer species. In any year, there were distinct seasonal assemblages of different species, as well as a group of permanent residents. There were few differences in species composition between various microhabitats in the lake. The decline in diversity is attributed to habitat stability and competitive success of one species.

Résumé

La composition reliée aux espèces, la diversité et la phénologie d’une communauté de Coleoptera vivante dans l’eau (Dytiscidae) ont été étudiées pendant une période de 4 ans à George Lake, Alta. Une tendance prononcée de diversité diminuante a eu lieu d’une année à l’autre, à cause de la perte de plusieurs espèces rares. Pour chaque année, plusieurs assemblages saisonniers distincts d’espèces différentes ont eu lieu, à part du groupe résidant en permanence. Peu de différences de la composition en espèces ont eu lieu parmi les micro-habitats du lac. La diminution en diversité a été attribuée à la stabilité de l’habitat et au succès en compétition d’une espèce.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1991

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