Linking Landscape and Species

This research relates to the two-phase mosaic made by shrubs and intershrub patches as a simple form of landscape diversity, and aims to study its effect on ground-dwelling beetle diversity. I studied the effect of shrubs on beet;e diversity with emphasis on the difference between shrub patch and intershrub patch. This difference is termed "contrast". The study was carried out in two stations within Israel - (1) an arid, shrub-poor ecosystem (Avdat) and (2) a semi-arid shrub-rich ecosystem (Lehavim). Results of pitfall trapping showed that more beetles were found under shrub patches in the arid site, but in the semi-arid ecosystem beetles were more abundant in the open patches. In order to understand the drivers behind these opposite patterns, I performed field observations of beetle movement, by looking at dominant Adesmia (Tenebrionidae) species. Their behavior showed strong links to the refuge offered and shading effect of shrubs. Results of a transplant experiment support the findings that shrub structure determines beetle behavior. The effect of the shrub-open patch mosaic on beetles is an example for the importance of landscape diversity in determining species diversity.