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Changes in morphology of the ground beetle Pterostichus oblongopunctatus F. (coleoptera; carabidae) from vicinities of a zinc and lead smelter
Author(s) -
Lagisz Malgorzata
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1897/07-661.1
Subject(s) - ground beetle , biological dispersal , ecology , biology , pollutant , wing , pollution , lead pollution , zoology , habitat , population , demography , sociology , engineering , aerospace engineering
The present study investigated the response of the ground beetle Pterostichus oblongopunctatus F. (Coleoptera, Carabidae) to heavy metal pollution by assessing morphological traits (elytra length and wing length). Elytra length (a measure of body size) decreased with increasing pollution levels, whereas wing length (an indicator of flight dispersal ability) showed little change. The decrease in body size suggests negative effects of pollutants on the development and, subsequently, fitness of this species.