The Coleopteran Fauna of Sultan Creek-Molas Lake Area with Special Emphasis on Carabidae and How the Geological Bedrock Influenc
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THE COLEOPTERAN FAUNA OF SULTAN CREEK-MOLAS LAKE AREA WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON CARABIDAE AND HOW THE GEOLOGICAL BEDROCK INFLUENCES BIODIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, SAN JUAN COUNTY, COLORADO Melanie L. Bergolc A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2009 Committee: Daniel Pavuk, Advisor Kurt Panter Graduate Faculty Representative Jeff Holland Rex Lowe Moira van Staaden © 2009 Melanie L. Bergolc All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Daniel Pavuk, Advisor Few studies have been performed on coleopteran (beetle) biodiversity in mountain ecosystems and relating them to multiple environmental factors. None of the studies have examined geologic influences on beetle communities. Little coleopteran research has been performed in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The main objectives of this study were to catalog the coleopteran fauna of a subalpine meadow in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and investigate the role geology had in the community structure of the Carabidae (ground beetles). The study site, a 160,000 m2 plot, was located near Sultan Creek and Molas Lake in San Juan County, Colorado. Five sites were in each bedrock formation: Molas, Elbert, and Ouray-Leadville. Insects were collected via pitfall trapping in 2006 and 2007, and identified by comparison with museum specimens, museum and insect identification websites, and by taxonomic experts. Biological and physical factors were recorded for each site: detritus cover and weight, plant cover and height, plant species richness, aspect, elevation, slope, soil temperature, pH, moisture, and compressive strength, and sediment size distribution. Quantitative analyses were performed on the Carabidae community and its relationship to bedrock formations and environmental factors measured, and on the entire coleopteran abundance and its relationship to the environmental factors. I sampled 7,316 coleopteran individuals in 27 families and nearly 100 species (61 completely identified). Coleopteran abundance was influenced by plant cover, plant height, soil moisture, aspect, slope, collection site, and week collecting took place. A total of 1,236 carabid individuals representing 30 species were collected. Elevation, detritus cover, and soil temperature were significantly distinct iv between formations. Species richness and abundance of several species (Agonum placidum, Bembidion mutatum, Carabus taedatus, Cymindis cribricollis, Harpalus animosus, and Harpalus laticeps) differed significantly between formations, but overall there were no distinct carabid communities associated with the three formations. Carabid species richness, abundance, and biodiversity were significantly influenced by plant factors, and frequency was significantly influenced by sediment sorting. The carabid species composition was influenced (not significantly) by compressive strength, pH, plant cover, soil moisture, slope, and aspect. In conclusion, geology had less of an effect on carabidae then other environmental factors. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project was partially funded by The Explorers Club Exploration Fund (2006; $1,149), Mountain Studies Institute and their Mini-Grant Program (2006; $500 and 2008; $1,000), Geological Society of America Student Research Grant (2007; $2,800), Bowling Green State University Graduate College’s Katzner Award (2008; $960), and Bowling Green State University Biological Sciences Department’s Oman Graduate Scholarship (2008; $750). Permits were provided by the San Juan National Forest (2006 and 2007) to allow me to trap insects at the Molas Lake region in San Juan County, Colorado. I would like to thank the following people for field and lab assistance: Candace Brendler, Minna Swanson-Theisen, Mike Carey, Matt Territ, and Imtiaz Rangwala. Joanna Lemly and Kerry Cutler identified several of my plant species. The following people helped identify my beetles: Daniel Duran (Cicindelidae; Ph.D. student currently at Vanderbilt University), Bill Warner (Scarabaeidae; Farnam Companies, INC), Dan Pavuk (Michigan State University-The Ohio State University Extension), Donald E. Bright (Curculionidae and Scolytidae; Colorado State University), Boris Kondratieff (Colorado State University), Virginia Scott (The University of Colorado), Shawn M. Clark (Chrysomelidae and several uncommon families; Brigham Young University), Paul J. Johnson (Byrrhidae; South Dakota State University), Stewart Peck (Leiodidae; Carleton University, Canada), Sam Wells (Elateridae; Bayer CropScience LP, Fresno, CA), Bob Davidson (Carabidae; Carnegie Museum of Natural History), and Foster Purrington (Carabidae; The Ohio State University). I would like to thank Boris Kondratieff for access to the Colorado State University’s Entomology Collections and Virginia Scott for access to the University of Colorado’s Entomology Collections, and for allowing me to work in the collections to identify my beetle specimens. Peg Yacobucci and Jeff Holland vi helped with a few of the statistical tests, CCA and ANISOM, respectively. Helen Michaels lab allowed me to use their oven to dry my detritus samples. I’d also like to thank the Department of Geology at Bowling Green State University (geological maps, access to Sedimentary Lab for sieving my soils, and borrowing a Brunton compass), The Mountain Studies Institute (low cost lodging and lab space), my good friends in Silverton (especially Mike Geryak), and my Mayflower Mill (Jim Cole and Bob Boeder) and Avon Hotel buddies (too many to list here). Finally, I would especially like to thank my advisor Dan Pavuk for all his encouragement, advice, and friendship, and allowing me to create my very own interdisciplinary project to combine my love of geology and ecology. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER I. The Influence of Geology on the Environmental Factors Related to Carabidae Distribution………….. .......................................................................................................... 18 Introduction…………. ............................................................................................... 18 Materials and Methods ............................................................................................... 19 Results………. ........................................................................................................... 23 Discussion……. ......................................................................................................... 25 Conclusion…………… ............................................................................................. 30 References….. ............................................................................................................ 32 Tables and Figures….. ............................................................................................... 39 CHAPTER II. The Impact of Bedrock Formations on Carabidae (Coleoptera) Community Structure ….………….. ......................................................................................................... 53 Introduction…………. ............................................................................................... 53 Materials and Methods ............................................................................................... 54 Results………. ........................................................................................................... 59 Discussion……. ......................................................................................................... 62 Conclusion…………… ............................................................................................. 66 References….. ............................................................................................................ 67 Tables and Figures….. ............................................................................................... 75 CHAPTER III. Influences of Environmental Factors on a Carabidae Community in a Subalpine Meadow ..……………........................................................................................................... 91 viii Introduction…………. ............................................................................................... 91 Materials and Methods ............................................................................................... 92 Results………. ........................................................................................................... 95 Discussion……. ......................................................................................................... 97 Conclusion…………… ............................................................................................. 100 References….. ............................................................................................................ 101 Tables and Figures….. ............................................................................................... 106 CHAPTER IV. Coleopteran Biodiversity within the Sultan Creek-Molas Lake Study Area in the San Juan Mountains, San Juan County, Colorado ………….. .............................................. 120 Introduction…………. ............................................................................................... 120 Materials and Methods ..............................................................................................