The dispersal rate of a beetle, Osmoderma eremita, living in tree hollows

Sammanfattning

The dispersal of an endangered beetle, Osmoderma eremita, that lives in tree hollows, was studied by mark-release-recapture with pitfall traps. As only a small proportion of all dispersals is observed by this method, a simulation model was constructed to estimate the dispersal rate per individual. The model results suggest that 15% of the adults leave the original tree for another hollow tree, and consequently most individuals remain in the same tree throughout their entire life. This suggests that each hollow tree sustains a local population with limited connection with the populations in surrounding trees. It supports the view that O. eremita has a metapopulation structure, with each tree possibly sustaining a local population, and with the population in an assemblage of trees forming a metapopulation. Low dispersal rate and range make the species vulnerable to habitat fragmentation, probably at a scale of only a few hundred meters.

Nyckelord

dispersal; metapopulation; Osmoderma eremita; population structure; simulation

Publicerad i

Oecologia
2001, nummer: 126
Utgivare: Springer Verlag

UKÄ forskningsämne

Ekologi

Publikationens identifierare

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420000529

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/124003