Abstract
We suggest the use of a graphical method, involving a standardisation of the seasonal activity curves and their subsequent comparison by a percentile-percentile graph as an easy way to compare seasonal activities in arthropods. To test the suitability of the suggested method, the seasonal dynamics of three common carabid beetles, Pterostichus melanarius, Nebria brevicollis and Carabus nemoralis were compared in three habitats (rural forest, suburban and urban forest fragments) along an urbanisation gradient near Sorø, Denmark, in 2004 and 2005. Activity in urban habitats often started earlier, possibly caused by the warmer microclimate in the city centre. The comparative graphs indicated the unsuitability of the suburban habitat for N. brevicollis, and the differential suitability as overwintering habitat of the three urbanisation stages for C. nemoralis. The method seems suitable to analyse differences in seasonal activity while being more sensitive than traditional seasonal-activity graphs.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the Sorø Akademi Stilftelse for permission to work on their land, Director Mr. J. Thomsen and Mr. A. Grube for their kind assistance, Dr. J. Jakobsen for support, Mrs. H-B. Christiensen for technical assistance, Dr. H-P. Ravn and Dr. M. Pedersen for comments. This study was partially funded by the Danish International School for Biodiversity Studies (ISOBIS) (ZE), the Hungarian Scholarship Board (ZE), Aarhus University, Flakkebjerg Research Centre, the Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, University of Roskilde (AH, ME) and the Domus Hungarica Foundation, Budapest, Hungary (GLL). This is publication no. 10 of the Danglobe Project. Author contributions: GL originally formulated the idea, developed methodology, fieldwork was done by ZE, AH and ME, with assistance from GL , ZE and GL collaborated in the statistical analysis of data, GL and ZE wrote the manuscript. Authorship follows the “sequence by merit” principle.
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The use of percentile-percentile plots to compare differences in seasonal dynamics, illustrated by the case of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) reacting to urbanisation
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Lövei, G.L., Elek, Z., Howe, A. et al. The use of percentile-percentile plots to compare differences in seasonal dynamics, illustrated by the case of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) reacting to urbanisation. COMMUNITY ECOLOGY 19, 1–8 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1556/168.2018.19.1.1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1556/168.2018.19.1.1