AbstractThe spatial and temporal distribution of microsympatric species of marsh-inhabiting Agonum were investigated in central Alberta. Agonum nigriceps LeC., A. ferruginosum Dej., A. thoreyi Dej., and A. lutulentum (LeC.) were the most abundant carabid species in the emergent vegetation of the flooded zone. Agonum nigriceps was segregated from the other species through habitat use, being most abundant in emergent sedge tussocks. Agonum ferruginosum was most abundant in floating cattail mats, whereas A. thoreyi was rather evenly distributed across macrohabitats. Within flooded macrohabitats both A. ferruginosum and A. thoreyi predominantly occupied microsites with emergent substrate or clumps of dead vegetation. In one marsh where A. ferruginosum co-occurred with A. lutulentum, their macrohabitat distributions were mutually exclusive. Reproduction began earlier and teneral adults emerged earlier for both A. nigriceps and A. ferruginosum than for A. thoreyi. Agonum nigriceps, A. ferruginosum, and A. thoreyi were all nocturnal and showed no differences in daily activity pattern. In laboratory experiments, adults of A. nigriceps displayed the highest propensity to climb on narrow vertical structures, a behavior correlated with their main habitat association with structurally simple emergent sedge habitat. Adults of A. nigriceps are cryptically colored to blend into their habitat background.
Floral resource partitioning by individuals within generalised hoverfly pollination networks revealed by DNA metabarcoding