Eur. J. Entomol. 109: 543–552, 2012 http://www.eje.cz/scripts/viewabstract.php?abstract=1740 ISSN 1210-5759 (print), 1802-8829 (online) Habitat use governs distribution patterns of saprophagous (litter-transforming) macroarthropods – a case study of British woodlice (Isopoda: Oniscidea) BETHAN V. PURSE1, STEVE J. GREGORY 2, PAUL HARDING3 and HELEN E. ROY 3 1Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0QB, UK; e-mail:
[email protected] 2British Myriapod & Isopod Group, www.BMIG.org.uk; e-mail:
[email protected] 3Biological Records Centre, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, OX10 8BB, UK; e-mails:
[email protected];
[email protected] Key words. Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea, decomposition, habitat breadth, niche breadth, range size, recording intensity, saprophagous Abstract. Despite the importance of saprophagous macroarthropods as key facilitators of plant litter decomposition within ecosys- tems and their likely sensitivity to global climate change and land-use change, a lack of ecological data has precluded attempts to explain their distribution patterns in terms of traits. Using an extensive set of large-scale and long-term biological records, the distri- bution patterns of 33 woodlice (Crustacea: Oniscidea) species in Britain were characterised by their range size (area of occupancy) and aggregation (degree to which occupied squares are clustered across the range). Body size and seven ecological traits were exam- ined as correlates of range size and fill, while controlling for phylogeny and recording intensity, and comparing fine and broad-scale measures of habitat heterogeneity. Species that used a greater diversity of habitats had larger range sizes.