Morphological trait database of saproxylic beetles

The extinction of species is a non-random process, and understanding why some species are more likely to go extinct than others is critical for conservation efforts. Functional trait-based approaches offer a promising tool to achieve this goal. In forests, deadwood-dependent (saproxylic) beetles comprise a major part of threatened species, but analyses of their extinction risk have been hindered by the availability of suitable morphological traits. To better understand the mechanisms underlying extinction in insects, we investigated the relationships between morphological features and the extinction risk of saproxylic beetles. Specifically, we hypothesised that species darker in colour, with a larger and rounder body, a lower mobility, lower sensory perception, and more robust mandibles are at higher risk. We first developed a protocol for morphological trait measurements and present a database of 37 traits for 1157 European saproxylic beetle species. Based on 13 selected, indepen...物种灭绝是一个非随机过程，明确部分物种相较于其他物种更易灭绝的原因，对于生物保护工作而言至关重要。基于功能性状的研究方法为达成这一目标提供了极具前景的工具。在森林生态系统中，依赖枯木的（saproxylic）甲虫是受威胁物种的重要组成类群，但针对其灭绝风险的分析却因合适形态性状的获取受限而难以推进。为深入解析昆虫灭绝的内在作用机制，本研究探究了朽木生甲虫的形态特征与灭绝风险之间的关联。具体而言，我们提出如下研究假说：体色更深、体型更大且更趋圆形、移动能力更弱、感官感知能力更低、颚部更为强壮的物种，其灭绝风险更高。我们首先建立了一套形态性状测量规范，并构建了涵盖1157种欧洲朽木生甲虫、共37项性状的数据库。基于筛选出的13项独立……