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P7 - Ground Beetles as human-independent lanscape proxy

PI: Lars Opgenoorth | Yitbarek Wolde-Hawariat Gessese, Tesfaye Kassahun

Post-Doc: Joachim Schmidt

PhD-Student: Yeshitla Merene

Overview

Spatially explicit reconstruction of refugia and LGM temperature depressions in the Bale Mountains will be done on the basis of ground beetle phylogeography and phylogenetics. Ground beetles are a proxy that is independent of the human signal as they live close to the ground and are not hunted. They occur in sufficient species abundances and with strict ecological envelopes that they will allow a reconstruction of biome specific refugia reconstruction, as well as LGM temperature reconstruction.

Achievements

1. Local endemism in ground beetle lineages and adaptive mechanism during the past

2. Ground beetle data indicate change of climatic condictions in the Ethiopian Highlands during the past

Taking beetle samples at the area of XX, grasslands north of Sanetti Plaeau in savanna climate February 2019

Trechus mekbibi Schmidt & Faille, 2018

 Figure 1 & 2:  Analysing soil samples in field for ground beetles;  Trechus mekbibi (Schmidt & Faille 2018)

Publications

Ossendorf G, Groos AR, Bromm T, Tekelemariam MG, Glaser B, Lesur J, Schmidt J, Akçar N, Bekele T, Beldados A, Demissew S, Kahsay TH, Nash BP, Nauss T, Negash A, Nemomissa S, Veit H, Vogelsang R, Woldu Z, Zech W, Opgenoorth L & Miehe G (2019) Middle Stone Age foragers resided in high elevations of the glaciated Bale Mountains, Ethiopia, Science 365 (2019), 583-587.

Schmidt J & Faille A (2018) Revision of Trechus Clairville, 1806 of the Bale Mountains and adjacent volcanos, Ethiopia (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechini). European Journal of Taxonomy 446, 1–82.