The Dispersal Rate of a Beetle, Osmoderma eremita, Living in Tree Hollows

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. T...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oecologia 2001-02, Vol.126 (3), p.363-370
Main Authors: RANIUS, Thomas, HEDIN, Jonas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Beetles
Biological and medical sciences
Butterflies
Demecology
Ecological genetics
Forest habitats
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Habitat conservation
Insect ecology
Metapopulation ecology
Population ecology
Population size
Protozoa. Invertebrata
Trees
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0029-8549
1432-1939
DOI:10.1007/s004420000529