Description
Data Records
The data in this sampling event resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 300 records.
2 extension data tables also exist. An extension record supplies extra information about a core record. The number of records in each extension data table is illustrated below.
This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.
Versions
The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.
How to cite
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
Sackmann P, Elgueta M, Flores G E, Kun M, Ocampo F, Posadas P, Roig-Juñent S, Werenkraut V, Ruggiero A (2025). Dataset from a subantarctic forests - Patagonian steppes longitudinal transition in northwestern Patagonia (Argentina): Beetles. Version 1.2. Training Organization. Samplingevent dataset. https://training-ipt-c.gbif.org/resource?r=nwpatagonia_forest-steppe_transition&v=1.2
Rights
Researchers should respect the following rights statement:
The publisher and rights holder of this work is Training Organization. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC-BY-NC 4.0) License.
GBIF Registration
This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: f044ff0f-4ebd-4b7d-9fd6-78c88b72a5f8. Training Organization publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by GBIF Secretariat.
Keywords
Samplingevent; Specimen; Beetles; Northwestern Patagonia
Contacts
- Originator
- Originator
- Originator
- Originator
- Originator
- Originator
- Originator
- Metadata Provider ●
- Point Of Contact
- Point Of Contact ●
- Principal Investigator
- Metadata Provider ●
- Point Of Contact
- Point Of Contact ●
- Principal Investigator
- Principal Investigator
- Principal Investigator
Geographic Coverage
Northwestern Patagonia (Argentina) in the western region of the Río Negro and Neuquén provinces, approximately between 39°78'S and 41°45'S latitude and 70°37'W and 71.88°W longitude.
| Bounding Coordinates | South West [-41.459, -71.887], North East [-39.782, -70.367] |
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Taxonomic Coverage
This dataset consists of approximately 1,946 records, representing 9,430 individuals across 54 beetle families recorded across all sampling plots, encompassing 9,430 individuals. The distribution of occurrences across families varied widely, with some families being highly dominant while others were less represented. The collected specimens were distributed as follows: Carabidae (3,652 individuals, 38.7%), Leiodidae (1,953 individuals, 20.7%), Tenebrionidae (948 individuals, 10.1%), Trachypachidae (718 individuals, 7.6%), Staphylinidae (414 individuals, 4.4%), Cryptophagidae (272 individuals, 2.9%), Curculionidae (220 individuals, 2.3%), Scarabaeidae (208 individuals, 2.2%), Melandryidae (117 individuals, 1.2%), Histeridae (112 individuals, 1.2%), Cantharidae (99 individuals, 1.0%), Chrysomelidae (89 individuals, 0.9%), Nitidulidae (67 individuals, 0.7%), Melyridae (66 individuals, 0.7%), Elateridae (48 individuals, 0.5%), Meloidae (48 individuals, 0.5%), Geotrupidae (47 individuals, 0.5%), Mordellidae (35 individuals, 0.4%), Ptinidae (35 individuals, 0.4%), Archeocrypticidae (34 individuals, 0.4%), Lampyridae (33 individuals, 0.3%), Lucanidae (29 individuals, 0.3%), Brentidae (25 individuals, 0.3%), Anthicidae (21 individuals, 0.2%), Trogidae (19 individuals, 0.2%), Coccinellidae (14 individuals, 0.1%), Ptiliidae (14 individuals, 0.1%), Latridiidae (13 individuals, 0.1%), Scydmaenidae (12 individuals, 0.1%), Dascillidae (8 individuals, 0.1%), Attelabidae (7 individuals, 0.1%), Erotylidae (6 individuals, 0.1%), Anobiidae (6 individuals, 0.1%), Buprestidae (4 individuals, 0.0%), Cucujidae (4 individuals, 0.0%), Colonidae (4 individuals, 0.0%), Scirtidae (4 individuals, 0.0%), Pyrochroidae (3 individuals, 0.0%), Cybocephalidae (3 individuals, 0.0%), Silvanidae (2 individuals, 0.0%), Nemonychidae (2 individuals, 0.0%), Protocucujidae (2 individuals, 0.0%), Dermestidae (2 individuals, 0.0%), Trogossitidae (1 individual, 0.0%), Agyrtidae (1 individual, 0.0%), Phloeostichidae (1 individual, 0.0%), Phalacridae (1 individual, 0.0%), Nosodendridae (1 individual, 0.0%), Hydrophilidae (1 individual, 0.0%), Cleridae (1 individual, 0.0%), Ciidae (1 individual, 0.0%), Cerambycidae (1 individual, 0.0%), Bothrideridae (1 individual, 0.0%), Zopheridae (1 individual, 0.0%).
| Kingdom | Animalia |
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| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Class | Insecta |
| Order | Coleoptera |
| Family | Attelabidae, Zopheridae, Meloidae, Erotylidae, Trogossitidae, Trogidae, Protocucujidae, Histeridae, Cryptophagidae, Melyridae, Carabidae, Buprestidae, Phloeostichidae, Curculionidae, Agyrtidae, Ptiliidae, Latridiidae, Archeocrypticidae, Staphylinidae, Elateridae, Anobiidae, Nemonychidae, Colonidae, Geotrupidae, Mordellidae, Ptinidae, Cucujidae, Nosodendridae, Hydrophilidae, Cantharidae, Lampyridae, Melandryidae, Cybocephalidae, Scydmaenidae, Dascillidae, Bothrideridae, Scarabaeidae, Silvanidae, Pyrochroidae, Trachypachidae, Ciidae, Dermestidae, Coccinellidae, Leiodidae, Anthicidae, Chrysomelidae, Scirtidae, Cleridae, Cerambycidae, Brentidae, Tenebrionidae, Lucanidae, Nitidulidae, Phalacridae |
Temporal Coverage
| Start Date / End Date | 2004-11-01 / 2004-11-30 |
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| Start Date / End Date | 2005-01-01 / 2005-01-31 |
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| Start Date / End Date | 2005-03-01 / 2005-03-31 |
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| Start Date / End Date | 2006-01-01 / 2006-01-31 |
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| Start Date / End Date | 2006-03-01 / 2006-03-31 |
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Project Data
Biodiversity patterns are influenced by environmental gradients associated with climatic and vegetational changes. In combination with physiographic barriers such as rivers and mountains, these environmental changes promote taxonomic differentiation and affect species distribution and often define transition zones between biogeographical units. The conservation of these transitional areas is a priority, as they may facilitate adaptation to climate and anthropogenic changes. The project proposed to study how species richness, distribution, abundance, and body size of insects vary along longitudinal and altitudinal gradients in the transition between the subantarctic forests and Patagonian steppes in northwestern Patagonia (Argentina). This is a region with one of the most pronounced environmental changes in the world, where precipitation varies from 500 mm to 3,000 mm over just 100 km. The influence of climate, topography, and resource availability on biodiversity patterns were analyzed. Although insects represent the largest share of global biodiversity, most studies on spatial diversity patterns have focused on birds and mammals. Furthermore, biodiversity analyses in insects have been scarce in the Southern Hemisphere. Beetles and ants are ideal groups for study due to their environmental sensitivity and key ecological roles in ecosystems. However, knowledge about insect fauna in this region remains insufficient for designing effective conservation strategies. The present study 1) provided data of the taxonomic and functional diversity of beetles and ants in the transition zone between forest and steppe, documenting species richness, distribution, abundance, and body size at local and regional scales; 2) applied geospatial tools (GPS and GIS) to map species distributions and correlate them with biological attributes. 3) Analyzed altitudinal and latitudinal variation in biodiversity and ecological traits of species. 4) Evaluated ecological hypotheses regarding the climatic, vegetational and soil factors influencing biodiversity along these gradients.
| Title | Spatial Patterns of variation in insect diversity on the SubAntarctic - Patagonian transition: altitudinal and longitudinal effects |
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| Funding | Agencia-FONCyT (PICT2002 Nº 01-11826) |
| Study Area Description | The study area was located in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina, in the western region of the Río Negro and Neuquén provinces, approximately between 39°30'S and 41°30'S latitude and 70°30'W and 72°W longitude. The western portion of the study area includes a significant part of the northern Patagonian Andes, characterized by high mountain ranges and glaciers. The terrain gradually decreases in elevation toward the east, transitioning into Patagonian plateaus that barely reach 1,000 meters. The western region was heavily impacted by Quaternary glaciations, resulting in numerous glacial valleys, lakes, and moraines. Several key tourist centers are located within this area, including the cities of Junín de los Andes, San Martín de los Andes, Villa La Angostura, and San Carlos de Bariloche, which are among the most important tourism hubs in northern Argentine Patagonia. The region has a temperate climate, with average July temperatures below 4°C and average January temperatures below 18°C. Rainfall and snowfall occur primarily in winter, while summers are relatively dry, and frost can occur throughout the year. Precipitation decreases significantly from west to east, ranging from more than 3,000 mm in the mountains and lakes near the Chilean border to around 300 mm on the Patagonian plateau. This precipitation gradient drives distinct vegetation changes, transitioning from evergreen rainforest in the west, to deciduous mesic forests, xeric shrublands in the ecotone, and shrub-grass steppe in the east. The forest region is classified within the Subantarctic Biogeographic Subregion and is generally dominated by tree species of the genus Nothofagus. Towards the west rainy portion of the study area, the forests are dominated by evergreen species such as Nothofagus dombeyi (coihue) and conifers like Fitzroya cupressoides (alerce). These forests are replaced towards the east by mesic forests characterized by deciduous species including Nothofagus antarctica (ñire), Nothofagus nervosa (raulí), and Nothofagus obliqua (roble pellín), along with conifers such as Araucaria araucana (monkey puzzle tree) and Austrocedrus chilensis (cypress). At the easternmost portion of the study area the Patagonian biogeographic subregion is found, characterized by xerophytic grasslands, primarily composed of species from the genera Festuca, Stipa, and Poa, along with shrubs from the genera Mulinum, Senecio, and Adesmia. At the highest altitudes, mountains also have high-altitude steppes lacking trees. |
| Design Description | Epigaeic beetles were collected using a total of 450 plastic pitfall traps (9 cm in diameter, 12 cm in depth), arranged in 50 grid plots (100 m² each), with nine traps per plot. These plots were spaced approximately 15 km apart along five longitudinal (east-west) transects, which were established across the forest-steppe biogeographic transition zone |
| Project Award |
Patrones espaciales de variación en la diversidad de insectos en la transición Subantártica - Patagónica: efectos altitudinales y longitudinales Agencia Nacional de Promoción de la Investigación, el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación (Agencia - FONCYT) PICT2002 Nº 01-11826 http://www.agencia.mincyt.gob.ar/upload/res.117-03-Financiados-Pict2002-cat-II-financiados.pdf |
| Related Projects |
Longitudinal patterns of variation in the richness and abundance of beetle species in the transition zone between the subAntarctic and Patagonian biogeography provinces Small Ecological Project Grant’ SEPG2243ª awarded by the British Ecological Society |
The personnel involved in the project:
- Content Provider
- Content Provider
- Originator
Sampling Methods
Epigaeic beetles were collected using a total of 450 plastic pitfall traps (9 cm in diameter, 12 cm in depth), arranged in 50 grid plots (100 m² each), with nine traps per plot. These plots were spaced approximately 15 km apart along five longitudinal (east-west) transects, which were established across the forest-steppe biogeographic transition zone. The traps were filled with 40% diluted propylene glycol and a drop of soap. They became operative immediately upon installation and remained open for seven days during three sampling periods in the southern spring and summer seasons (November 2004, and January, March 2005–2006). Data on temperature at ground level, vegetation cover, plant species richness and soil conditions were also collected to provide an environmental characterization of each sampling plot, as detailed explained in Ruggiero et al. (2009).
| Study Extent | The study was conducted on a 150 x150 km area representative of the Subantarctic-Patagonian transition, in northwestern Patagonia, on the eastern slope of the Andes in Argentina, close to the border with Chile approximately between 39°78'S and 41°45'S latitude and 70°37'W and 71.88°W |
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Method step description:
- The geographical location of each sampling plot was recorded in the field using a global positioning system (GPS). The dataset includes the decimal coordinates of each data point, referenced to the WGS84 datum. To associate the decimal coordinates of the sampling plots with political and administrative divisions at the sub-national level (provinces, departments, and municipalities or localities) within the study area, we used version 1.0 of the GADM database of global administrative boundaries, downloaded in March 2009. Beetle sampling was conducted at each plot at three key points during the plant growing season: the beginning (November 2004), middle (January 2005, 2006), and end (March 2005, 2006), ensuring coverage of the main period of beetle activity. To estimate beetle abundance at each of the 50 plots, we recorded the number of individuals captured per pitfall trap at each site and sampling event. The occurrence dataset includes the scientific names from our original database, verified against global biodiversity data sources using the Global Names Verifier (https://verifier.globalnames.org/), ensuring taxonomic accuracy. A detailed description of methods used to measure environmental variables at each sampling plot is given in Ruggiero et al. (2009).
Bibliographic Citations
- Ruggiero, A., Sackmann, P., Farji-Brener, A. G., & Kun, M. (2009). Beetle abundance–environment relationships at the Subantarctic–Patagonian transition zone. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 2(2), 81-92. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-4598.2009.00045.x
- Sackmann, P., & Flores, G. E. (2009). Temporal and spatial patterns of tenebrionid beetle diversity in NW Patagonia, Argentina. Journal of Arid Environments, 73(12), 1095-1102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.05.007
Additional Metadata
| Acknowledgements | |
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| Introduction | |
| Getting Started | |
| Purpose | |
| Alternative Identifiers | https://training-ipt-c.gbif.org/resource?r=nwpatagonia_forest-steppe_transition |