Communities of ground beetles (Carabidae, Coleoptera) in broad-leaved forests of protected and urban areas of the Kaluga Oblast (European Russia)

Study Extent

Kaluga Oblastis situated in the central part of the East European Plain. The climate is moderately continental with distinct seasons: warm and humid summers, and cold winters with stable snow-cover (4-5 months). A mean annual precipitation of 600 mm and a mean annual temperature is about +4 °C (http://aisori.meteo.ru/ClspR). During the study 3 locations were investigated: “Ugra” National Park was established in 1997 to protect typical landscapes of Central Russia, and became theUNESCO biosphere reserve in 2020. The National park consists of seven clusters grouped into three areas, the total area is 986,245 km2. “Kaluzhskiye Zaseki” Nature Reserve. The Reserve was established in 1992 due to the presence of unique old-growth broad-leaved forests which was mostly undisturbed by cutting and ploughing (Smirnova 1994). The Reserve consists of two separate parts which are 12 km apart, the total area of the Reserve is 185 km2. Zaseki” in Russian means field fortifications made of felled trees. In medieval times, the Kaluga region was part of the defensive line. Kaluga city is the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast. The population is >300,000 people, the large industrial center.

Sampling

Carabid beetles were sampled by soil pitfall traps alongside with other epigeic arthropods. On each sample plot 30 traps were installed, except one plot in 1995 with 90 traps. Samples were sorted for carabids in the laboratory.

Method steps

1. 1. Field data collection 2. Identification of collected material was carried out after the sampling 3. Digitization of primary data into spreadsheet cross-tables (easy format for data analysis ) 4. Darwin Core data standardization 5. Quality assessment and data validation. Documentation. 6. Dataset publishing

1. Carabidae
   common name: Ground Beetles rank: family

European part of Russia, Kaluga oblast. The study was carried out in 3 locations: Two on the South-East of Kaluga Region: National Park "Ugra" and Natural Reserve “Kaluzhskiye Zaseki” and another in the suburbs of Kaluga.