Abstract
The endangered American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) is relatively abundant at Fort Chaffee Maneuver Training Center in northwestern Arkansas. There is a paucity of basic life-history information available, particularly with respect to factors affecting overwintering success. In a field experiment we: (1) captured beetles at Fort Chaffee; (2) bred them in captivity; (3) in the fall on Fort Chaffee placed offspring individually in well-ventilated, lidded 21.1-l buckets containing original soil plugs in grassland or woodland, either provisioned or not with a rat carcass as potential food; (4) overwintered the beetles; (5) checked in the spring to determine survival; and (6) released surviving beetles. Overall, 59.6% of 104 beetles survived the winter, with 77.1% and 44.6% survival in provisioned and nonprovisioned buckets, respectively. No differences were evident between habitats. Beetle age was an important survival predictor, with older beetles having a higher survival probability, but only if nonprovisioned. Gender and body size were not predictive of survival. Many surviving beetles were at or near the surface; depth averaged 6.0 cm, with some as deep as 20 cm. Our findings suggest that American burying beetles will have a higher probability of overwinter survival if carcasses are readily available as winter approaches.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Sabrina M. Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth A. Phillips, and Daniel T. Farrer for assistance and oversight of the project, as well as for comments on the manuscript. Mary Clegert of URS Corporation provided funding coordination. The project was supported by the Military Department of Arkansas through URS Corporation. Appropriate permits were obtained from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We thank Michael Amaral and an anonymous reviewer for helpful suggestions concerning the manuscript.
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Schnell, G.D., Hiott, A.E., Creighton, J.C. et al. Factors affecting overwinter survival of the American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus (Coleoptera: Silphidae). J Insect Conserv 12, 483–492 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-007-9086-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-007-9086-5