Morphological variability can be used as an indicator of the state of invertebrate populations. Microevolutionary processes can show up in the morphological differentiation of populations. This includes differences between morphometric characters in the two sexes. The variability of 12 populations of Bembidion minimum (Coleoptera, Carabidae) was assessed by 24 morphometric characteristics and indices in this article. Bembidion minimum is a halophile that lives in ecosystems of Protected Areas in Ukraine (Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, Dniprovsko-Orilskyi Nature Reserve, Ornithological Sanctuary «Bulakhovsky Liman», Regional Landscape Park «Dniprovi Porogy», Samara Forest). The coefficients of variation for males, females, and combined populations of males and females were estimated in the article. The studied populations inhabited different soil and plant conditions and were under the influence of anthropogenic factors of varying intensity. The redundancy analysis shows three clusters. In the first cluster, morphometric characteristics and indices in both males and females were linked to environmental variables (herb layer, salt, composition of soil). The second cluster had morphometric characteristics and indices in both males and females with a link to environmental variables (pH, litter, recreational load, cattle grazing). The third cluster formed morphometric characteristics and indices in both males and females that are not affected by any environmental variables. The coefficient of variation for most of the linear morphometric characteristics of B. minimum (width of head, length of prothorax, width of prothorax, length of elytra and distance between setae on the elytra) for males was significantly lower than for the combined sample of males and females. The variability of width of elytra and length of body was significantly higher for females than for males. The degree of variability of males, females and their combined sample did not significantly differ for nonlinear morphometric characteristics, as well as for the six morphometric indices (body proportions) studied by us. In general, in the 12 studied populations of B. minimum, the coefficient of variation for most of the studied measurements was insignificantly lower in males (CV = 5.59%) than in females (6.10%) or in the combined sample of males and females (6.75%). The lowest variability in populations of B. minimum was found for morphometric indices: CV = 3.89% for males, CV = 3.76% for females, and CV = 3.86% for the combined population (males + females). The absence of differences in the mean values of the coefficient of variation between males, females and the combined sample of males and females for each individual population suggests that both males and females make a relatively equal contribution to the polymorphism of B. minimum populations. An assessment of the morphological variability of invertebrates, and especially the variation of coefficients of linear parameters and morphometric indices, can be used to indicate the state of ecosystems in Protected Areas in Ukraine and other countries.

The ground beetles Zabrus tenebrioides and Harpalus rufipes (Coleoptera, Carabidae) are two of the most prevalent pests of wheat and other grasses. This article presents current data on their distribution and the results of modelling the bioclimatic ranges of these species using the maximum entropy method. To improve the model, we used various RStudio packages including the R script “thin points 4-1-18.R” package spThin and the «Raster» RStudio package. We determined the climatic parameters that promote the dispersal of the species, as well as the optimum conditions for the growth of Z. tenebrioides and H. rufipes. Maps forecasting the distribution of the studied species were generated through the perspective of two climate scenarios: RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5. For the modelling, we utilised 435 geographic points of Z. tenebrioides occurrence and 653 points of H. rufipes occurrence. Both species have similar bioclimatic ranges, and the most favourable conditions for them are fields of grain crops. The most significant parameters influencing Z. tenebrioides are those of moisture, whereas H. rufipes is most sensitive to the temperature parameters. According to the generated climatic models for both species, a decrease in the areas of their ranges would occur in their eastern, more continental areas, with a slight shift towards the north.

Changes in the structure of ground beetle communities indicate environmental stability or instability influenced by, e.g., urbanization, agriculture, and forestry. It can affect flight capability and ellipsoid biovolume (EV) of ground beetles. Therefore, we analyzed ground beetles in various habitats. In the course of the period from 2015 to 2017, we recorded in pitfall traps 2379 individuals (1030 males and 1349 females) belonging to 52 species at six localities (two rural, two suburban, two urban). We observed the decrease in the average EV value and morphometric characters (length, height, and width of the body) of ground beetles in the direction of the rural–suburban–urban gradient. Our results also suggest a decrease in EV of apterous and brachypterous species and an increase in macropterous species in the urban and suburban landscapes near agricultural fields. The increasing EV of apterous and brachypterous species and the decreasing of macropterous species was observed in rural landscape conditions with not continuous cover forestry and partial forest management. The creation of habitat fragments in urbanized conditions is key to maintaining the average EV in apterous and brachypterous species in urban and suburban landscapes.

Changes in body size of living organisms can indicate changes in environmental quality. The family Carabidae is frequently used as an indicator of environmental status. We collected ground beetles in 9 Slovakian localities (in the Veporské vrchy Mts and the Juhoslovenská kotlina Basin) of various levels of disturbance, and evaluated the volume of individuals. The lowest average body volumes of individual were found for an intensively grazed pasture (locality 5) and a nitrophilous waterside vegetation (locality 6) (1,298 mm³–4,648 mm³) with predominantly macropterous species. We have confirmed the significantly higher average biovolume value of individual Carabidae in less disturbed habitats: a Picea abies plantation (locality 1), a Carpathian oak-hornbeam forest (locality 4) and a Carpathian turkey oak forest (locality 7) (from 9,837 mm³ to 13,038 mm³), where apterous and brachypterous species dominated.

The issue of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) variation is relevant due to the identification of mechanisms by which animals adapt to changing environmental conditions. Using the database of the ground beetle Carabus granulatus, compiled from measurements of more than 8000 individuals, we estimated the nature of size variation in beetles captured in different parts of their range, including most of Russia and Europe. ANOVA showed that the sizes of both females and males vary statistically significantly across regions, although not always to the same extent. Therefore, SSD values were assessed not only for each sample by region as a whole, but also for each of the six studied traits (for C. granulatus as a whole), as well as the variability of SSD values for each trait in each of the 13 studied populations. SSD was the highest in the southern regions of the species’ range (Bulgaria, Italy) and decreased monotonically northward. The highest SSD values were recorded for elytra length and pronotum width (0.08–0.09), while for the others, they were significantly lower (0.05). Methodological and ideological issues in assessing and applying SSD data in animal populations are discussed.

Changes in the structures of epigeic arthropods reflect changes in the ecological status of their habitats. The aim of this research was to assess the influence of ecotones and environmental variables (pH soil, soil moisture, potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen) on the abundance of epigeic arthropods. Between 2018 and 2020, an investigation of different types of crops (Brassica napus L., Pisum sativum L., Triticum aestivum L., T. spelta L., Zea mays L., grass mixture) recorded 31,315 individuals belonging to 14 taxonomic groups and their ecotones, using pitfall traps. The abundance of epigeic arthropods was affected by moisture, pH of soil, and levels of phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. We observed a greater average number of individuals in the ecotones than in the fields in the months of September and October and in Triticum aestivum crops. During other months and for the remaining crops, we did not notice this difference. This contributed new information regarding the ecotone rule. Our results suggest that agricultural intensification affects epigeic arthropods in the crop Triticum aestivum, which is important for the production of biomass and also affects crop yields.