par Chaabane, Khalid 
;Loreau, Michel ;Josens, Guy
Référence Pedobiologia, 41, 5, page (385-396)
Publication Publié, 1997-09
;Loreau, Michel ;Josens, Guy Référence Pedobiologia, 41, 5, page (385-396)
Publication Publié, 1997-09
Article révisé par les pairs
| Résumé : | Production over a complete life cycle, from egg to reproductive adult, is investigated in the carabid beetle Abax ater, as part of a study on the energy budget of this species. Research was carried out both in the laboratory under controlled conditions of temperature and photoperiod, and under semi-natural outdoor conditions to take into account natural fluctuations in climatic factors. Growth was considerable in the adult stage: 32% of a breeding adult's dry body mass were produced during larval development, while 59 and 9% were produced during the first and second year, respectively, after pupation. In both larvae and adults, growth was slower under semi natural conditions than in the laboratory during early development, but was compensated for by a stronger growth later, suggesting regulation of body mass through compensatory growth. Egg production was possible only after adult hibernation; it accounted for 21% of total production in the adult stage, with a very low fecundity (12 eggs per female per year on average). Abax ater is characterised by a body growth that is slow and spread over both the larval and adult stages, a reproductive effort that is very small and spread over several years and over several months in each year, and a great longevity. These demographic and bioenergetic traits are typical for a 'conservation' K strategy. |
