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Taxonomic structure of the rations eaten by P. melanarius individuals under conditions of free choice of trophic objects.
Source publication
Data on the selection of food items by Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger, 1798) obtained under laboratory conditions are discussed. An average of 40 prey species was offered to each individual during each separate experiment. Individual P. melanarius in forest ecosystems in the steppe zone of Ukraine eat zoophages of the I, II, and III orders, phyto...
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Context 1
... analysis of the taxonomic structure of inver- tebrates eaten by P. melanarius shows that most of the 16 specimens studied preferred representatives of the Coleoptera, Julida, Isopoda and Lumbricomorpha orders (Fig. 5), to which dominant elements of litter and soil fauna belong. It was observed that some of the P. melanarius specimens actively consumed soil pupae of various Lepidoptera species as well as pupae of abundant Formicidae species. This is one of the most abundant groups of the soil-and-litter complex, and its representatives have a very ...
Context 2
... of the soil-and-litter complex, and its representatives have a very important functional meaning for ecosystems because they take an active part in various environmental processes. A significant percentage of consumption (more than 20%) in the rations of P. melanarius specimens No 1, 3 and 5 was made up by fast-moving litter Aranei species (see Fig. ...
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Citations
... Pterostichus melanarius is a broadly common species in Europe and is more ecologically adaptable to unfavourable environmental factors (Korolev & Brygadyrenko, 2014;Avtaeva et al., 2021b). Being highly resistant to pyrethroid insecticides, in Lithuania, it is numerous in both forest ecosystems and agrocenoses. ...
Agrogenic pollution with pyrethroid insecticides has been impacting the structure of populations of terrestrial invertebrates, causing decline in their taxonomic diversity and tolerance to critical values of environmental factors. In a laboratory experiment, we evaluated the sensitivity of 46 non-target invertebrate species to cypermethrin. In most examined species, we observed correlation between the body parameters (length and weight of body) and tolerance to this insecticide. We determined that the greater body size of the invertebrates, the better their tolerance to cypermethrin. Differences in LD50 were the highest for groups of invertebrates with the body weight of 1.0–3.9 mg (1.9 ± 0.5 g/ha) and 16.0–63.9 mg (16.4 ± 3.2 g/ha). We observed a relashionship between the trophic specialization and sensitivity to the insecticide in phytophages and zoophages. Average LD50 values for phytophages were 2.1 ± 0.5 g/ha, much lower than for zoophages – 15.6 ± 3.3 g/ha. Among zoophages, the greatest tolerance to cypermethrin was demonstrated by ground beetles Carabus coriaceus L., Pterostichus niger (Schall.), P. melanarius (Ill.), Pseudoophonus rufipes (De Geer), and earwigs Forficula auricularia L. Analysis of various taxonomic groups of insects revealed the parameter to be 24.00 ± 4.66 for Carabidae, 8.60 ± 2.72 for Formicidae, and 0.23 ± 0.08 for Staphylinidae. Among the taxonomic groups we studied, the most sensitive to cypermethrin (LD50 = 0.002–0.99 g/ha) were Philonthus decorus (0.0029), Ph. rectangulus (0.0035), Ophonus rufibarbis (0.121), Oxytelus sculptus (0.124), Myrmica ruginodis (0.39), Aleochara lanuginosa (0.49), Carabus granulatus (0.51), Oxythyrea funesta (0.52), Tachinus signatus (0.55), Cixiidae sp. (0.56), Lygus pratensis (0.56), Carabus convexus (0.71), and C. hortensis (0.83). Lower sensitivity to cypermethrin (LD50 = 1.00–9.99 g/ha) was seen in Lasius fuliginosus (1.05), Pyrrhocoris apterus (1.28), Chortippus sp. 2 (1.96), Rhyparochromus phoeniceus (2.24), Phosphuga atrata (2.25), Chironomus plumosus (2.58), Labia minor (2.86), Graphosoma italicum (2.86), Hister fenestus (3.39), Cylindroiulus truncorum (3.61), Opilio saxatilis (3.71), Chortippus sp. 1 (3.94), Epaphius secalis (4.54), Lasius niger (4.77), Silpha carinata (4.84), Aphodius foetens (4.94), Porcellio laevis (5.68), Coreus marginatus (6.50), Leistus ferrugineus (7.39), and Lasius alienus (9.73). The most tolerant to cypermethrin (LD50 = 10.00–108.00 g/ha) were Calathus fuscipes (12.14), Limodromus assimilis (12.22), Trochosa terricola (12.55), Lithobius forficatus (13.98), Calathus ambiguus (20.85), Nebria brevicollis (23.20), Ponera coarctata (27.04), Megaphyllum sp. (29.01), Pseudoophonus rufipes (41.75), Pterostichus melanarius (45.78), P. niger (58.29), Forficula auricularia (80.57), and Carabus coriaceus (107.71). The differences we found in tolerance to cypermethrin ranged 100,000 times. This evidences the necessity of further research of taxonomic differences in tolerance of invertebrates to cypermethrin.
... Seemingly, habitat fragmentation leading to extinction of many other species does not negatively affect P. melanarius (Thiele, 1977;Thomas et al., 1998;Putchkov et al., 2019). Probably significant individual variation in feeding abilities is responsible for this phenomenon (Korolev & Brygadyrenko, 2014) and the high morphological variation in this species as well (Brygadyrenko & Korolev, 2015;Cottrell-Callbeck et al., 2019). ...
At present, climate change significantly affects living organisms on the planet, leading to transformations in their nich-es, ranges and abundance. The aim of our work was to forecast the range of the representative of the large family Carabi-dae, famous for its indicative characters, richness and importance in soil communities. We used 19 bioclimatic variables of Bioclim according to our own data and the data of GBIF with the help of the MaxEnt program. We used 550 coordinates of ground beetle Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger, 1798) records. We distinguished the potential range the species studied and drew prognostic maps of the species' distribution related to climate change according to four scenarios. Mean annual temperatures and the mean temperature in the warmest and the coldest quarters of the year were the major factors affecting spatial distribution of P. melanarius. Visualization of potential range according to RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5 and RCP 6.0 scenarios predicted range reduction by 2050 but its recovery by 2070. According to RCP 8.5 scenario, the range of the species studied will be significantly transformed: by 2070 the range will shift towards the northwest in the continental European states but to the northeast-in the coastal states. By 2070 almost all southern territories of Europe will become unsuitable for P. melanarius survival. The most visible changes will be the shift in range to the north in the eastern part of the European plain. The comfort conditions for P. melanarius decrease in mountain regions including the Alps, Carpathians, Caucasus and Urals. By 2070, the cenotic optimum significantly decreases on the Balkan Peninsula. Thus, a sharp reduction in Southern European and Mediterranean populations is predicted.
... Comparative assessment of the factors significant for the studied species revealed that in both cases, the amount of precipitations in the driest month and the driest quarter is important. Most species of Pterostichus genera prefer humid biotopes compared with low temperatures (Korolev andBrygadyrenko 2014, Brygadyrenko 2016). Average temperature of the warmest quarter and month is associated with the period of reproduction. ...
Effective monitoring and preservation of biodiversity require knowledge on the distribution range of separate species. Pterostichus melas and P. fornicatus are distributed in Central and Southern Europe and the Caucasus. The study revealed to what extent the territories, included in this range, are suitable for the life of these species according to climatic parameters. According to the points of monitoring and catches obtained from the publications and data base of the global biodiversity fund GBIF and 19 climatic parameters of the WorldClim open data base using the method of maximum entropy, multi-dimensional analysis of climatic niche we distinguished the factors which have the greatest effects on the current distribution of the ground beetles. Modeling of the ranges of P. fornicatus and P. melas for 2050 and 2070 allowed us to determine that climate warming leads to decrease in the areas of ranges, making it more fragmented. The most favourable habitats shift to the north. Comparative assessment of the factors significant for the studied species revealed that in both cases, the amount of precipitations of the driest month and the driest quarter is important. By 2070, under changes in bioclimatic parameters the predicted range of P. fornicatus will decrease by three times, predicted range of the P. melas-by two times. We consider the prognosis modeling of the climate change-driven changes in ranges of model species to be promising.
... In Dnipro, the studies were undertaken in 1998-2019 in urbocenoses, among which the main were also the recreation zones in the Right Bank (Lazar Globa Park, Taras Shevchenko Park, Monastyrsky Island, Sevastopolsky Park, Yury Gagarin Park, Botanical Garden of Dnipro University, Volodia Dubinin Park, Park of the 40th Anniversary of the Liberation of Dnipropetrovsk, Tonnelna Ravine Tract, forest communities of the Zaporizke Highway, river bank communities on the Pobeda Enbankment, Kliuev Garden Square, forest plantations west of the Kievskaia Street, Memory and Reconciliation Park, forest plantations in the areas of Parus residential zone and Diivka), and the areas on the Left Bank of the Dnipro River (Forest-Park of Friendship of Nations, bank communities of the Kuriache Lake, forest plantations west of the Donetske Highway). Except for the recreation zones, pit-fall traps were installed in the yards of private households, alongside highways, near large industrial enterprises (Brygadyrenko & Reshetniak, 2014a, 2014b, 2016Korolev & Brygadyrenko, 2014;Reshetniak et al., 2017). ...
... Among abundant species, zoophagous were also eudominants (24 of 33 species, Table 2, Fig. 1). They all were represented both by obligatory predators (species of the tribes Bembidiini, Brachinini, Broscini, Carabini, Chlaenini, Cicindelini, Licinini, Lebiini, Nebriini and Notiophilini) and principal zoophages of the tribes Pterostichini, Platinini, Sphodrini and some others (Korolev & Brygadyrenko, 2014;Putchkov, 2018). The zoophages were also fairly diverse (60 species, over 25% of all the carabidofauna), including seven species identified to abundant (Fig. 1). ...
Ground beetles and tiger beetles are the most noticible representatives of predatory invertebrates often used in bioidentificational studies. This article provides quantitative and ecological characteristics of Caraboidea in five metroplises of Ukraine (Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Lviv). In total, in these cities, 237 species of Caraboidea were recorded, belonging to 63 genera and two families – Carabidae (231 species, 61 genera) and Cicindelidae (6 species, 2 genera). By abundance of Carabidae in megapolises, 33 species were identified to abundant. Eudominants were represented by three species: Harpalus rufipes, Pterostichus melanarius and P. оblongopunctatus, dominants – five: Amara aenea, Anchomenus dorsalis, Calathus fuscipes, Harpalus distinguendus and Poecilus versicolor. Subdominants were 25 species: Amara similata, Asaphidion flavipes, Badister bullatus, Bembidion lampros, B. properans, Broscus cephalotes, Calathus ambiguus, C. melanocephalus, Carabus cancellatus, C. coriaceus, C. granulatus, Cylindera germanica, Harpalus affinis, H. anxius, H. griseus, H. latus, H. tardus, Limodromus assimilis, Microlestes minutulus, Nebria brevicollis, Notiophilus palustris, Poecilus cupreus, Pterostichus niger, P. ovoideus and P. strenuus. In the studied cities, 53 species are rare, 151 species were identified to the group of accidental species. For separate cities, number of eudominants ranged from 4 (Donetsk, Kyiv) to 6–8 (Kharkiv, Lviv). Ten species discovered: Amara famelica, A. majuscula, Anisodactylus nemorivagus, Asaphidion pallipes, Badister lacertosus, Blemus discus, Harpalus laeviceps, Limodromus krynickii, Pterostichus minor and Tachyta nana were new for the Steppe zone of Ukraine. Chlaenius aeneocephalus and Brachinus brevicollis were recorded for the first time in the Right Bank of the northern subzone of the steppe zone, and Stenolophus abdominalis mentioned earlier for the far south of Ukraine was for the first time reported for the northern Steppe. Microlestes nеgrita was new for the Forest Steppe, and Masoreus wetterhalli and Syntomus foveatus, known earlier for the forest zone and the south of the steppe zone, were for the first time reported for its northern subzone. The levels of faunistic similarity of Caraboidea for different metropolises ranged within 0.20–0.60 for all species and 0.32–0.90 for abundant species. Most similar were carabidofaunas of Kharkiv and Dnipro (similarity index of Jaccard equaled 0.58–0.87), slightly lower in Dnipro and Kyiv (0.50–0.72). Lowest parameters were seen for Lviv compared with the other cities (0.20–0.32). According to the species composition, the most numerous were meadow (119) and forest elements (59 species). To the polytopic group, 25 species are identified, 23 to the steppe group, and 11 species to the litoral group. In numbers in all the metropolises, the polytopic group dominated, among which abundant species comprised almost half. Within the forest group in Dnipro, Donetsk and Kharkiv, 4–6 abundant species were recorded, whereas in Kyiv and Lviv their number was 14–17 species. Within the meadow group, common species were represented by 4–11 species, and in the steppe and litoral groups such species were absent. In relation to moisture, eudominants were mesophiles (165 species), including 31 abundant species. According to the trophic specialization, zoophages dominated (146 species), including 24 abundant species. Among zoophytophages, 60 species (seven abundant) were recorded. Phytozoophages were represented by 30 species (two abundant). According to mechanical composition of soil, the more diverse groups were observed to be made up species preferring loamy and clay-loamy soils (85 species each), but to the abundant species from these groups, 6 and 10 species respectively were identified. The group of ground beetles with non-manifested preferences to mechanical composition of soil was represented by 41 species, though by number of abundant (17 species), the group was dominant. To inhabitants of heavy loamy, sandy and sabulous soils, 4, 6 and 16 species correspondingly were identified, and no abundant species were observed. At the level of abundant species, the ecological structure was more similar than shown by the analysis of all the species of ground beetles. Hypothetically, typical representatives of carabid beetles of Ukrainian metropolises could be considered polytopic or meadow (to a lesser extent forest) mesophile zoophages or zoophytophages which prefer loam-clayey soils without preference to one or the other type of soil.
... vicina might have worse adaptation possibilities than L. sericata in nature, because carrion is not a stable ecosystem with moderate temperatures (Korolev and Brygadyrenko, 2014;Benbow et al., 2015a;Charabidze and Hedouin, 2019). Nevertheless, according to Darwin and the struggle of existence, a specialisation in a narrow temperature range and disadvantages as experienced by C. vicina must be accompanied by advantages to be maintained in the course of evolution (Michod, 2000). ...
The necrobiome defines the community that is involved in the decomposition process of dead biomass (i.e., necromass). This community includes many different invertebrates and microorganisms that gather on specific sites of the necromass. Blowflies take on an important function as the primary and first digesters, whose larvae form large maggot-masses. Such spatial and temporal groupings can either consist of one species (i.e., conspecific aggregations) or of several different species more or less phylogenetically related (i.e., heterospecific aggregations). The latter is supposed to lead to a mutually beneficial relationship entailing benefits that are not apparent in conspecific aggregations.This thesis focuses on heterospecific aggregations of three common Calliphoridae (Diptera) species: Calliphora vomitoria, C. vicina and Lucilia sericata. First, I demonstrate that the aggregation of larvae results from active behaviours and, in particular, from choice mechanisms favouring heterospecific groups. Second, I show that in such heterospecific aggregations none of the two species has short-term costs compared to a conspecific group of the same density regarding survival, larval development rate and puparium surface area. On the contrary, benefits are achieved in at least one fitness-related trait at temperatures outside the species-specific optimal range. Interestingly, within heterospecific larval aggregations, the species that finds itself at a suboptimal temperature adapts its slow development rate to that of the better-adapted species. Third, I illustrate that C. vicina with a fast larval development during the feeding phase developed slower in the postfeeding and intra-puparial phase (in contrast to L. sericata). Fourth, I demonstrate that an accelerated development is compensated differently by the two species. In fact, I observed an asymmetric competition with C. vicina being the weaker competitor. For example, fast larval development led to increased preadult mortality and small C. vicina pupae at suboptimal temperatures. In contrast, fast development had no negative consequences on size and survival for L. sericata. This developmental plasticity may explain the evolutionary success of L. sericata larvae, which are present in several ecosystems worldwide and dominate the fresh-carrion ecosystem. On this basis, I postulate that heterospecific aggregation in necrophagous Diptera larvae is an adaptive mechanism that increases their pre-reproductive success and, ultimately, their fitness in a particularly competitive environment.In conclusion, I established benefits for larvae in heterospecific aggregations in terms of their surface area, survival or developmental rate, and most importantly, a trade-off between these traits. Moreover, selection pressure acts differently on the traits depending, among other factors, on species, group composition and temperature. Finally, these results are not only of ecological importance, but also have consequences in the field of forensic entomology. Indeed, these larvae are used to estimate the time of death. Therefore, the present findings indicate that the density and composition of larval groups can be a source of error in estimating the minimum post-mortem interval.
... Late spring and summer breeding can be replaced by spring and even early spring breeding, and the beetle's activity period can be prolonged. The duration of the development of each stage of ontogenesis in Carabidae is influenced by a number of factors: temperature regime of soil and terrestrial layer of air, moisture, daylight hours, amount and quality of food, its accessibility, etc. (Thiele, 1975(Thiele, , 1977Korolev & Brygadyrenko, 2014;Brygadyrenko, 2015a;Brygadyrenko & Korolev 2015 Fig. 12 Usually, the fastest development occurs among eggs, larvae of first age and pupae, whereas the development of larvae of older ages requires much more time. Even in the most unfavourable conditions, a minimum temporal threshold of pre-imago development exists, which among the majority of ground beetles of the temperate zone equals 1.0-1.5 months. ...
Using geodata technology, we conducted a bioclimatic modeling of the spatial distribution of the common palearctic ground beetle – Pterostichus oblongopunctatus (Fabricius, 1787). The range of comfort of the territories included in this species’ range was obtained. We used the data on 510 sampling points, obtained as a result of the authors’ field surveys and the data base of the GBIF global fund of biodiversity and 19 climatic parameters from the WorldClim open base and MaxEnt program. The results determined the factors which have the greatest impact on the current distribution of P. oblongopunctatus. The main climatic factors affecting the distribution of P. oblongopunctatus are average annual temperature, average 24-hour amplitude of temperature over each month, average temperature over the driest quarter, average temperature over the warmest quarter of the year, total of precipitations in the driest month of the year. We performed a prediction of possible change in the range by two scenarios (RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5) for 2050 and 2070. Using QGIS program, we estimated the areas of the species’ range, and compared them. According to the scenario RCP 2.6, by 2050, the range of the species will contract due to decrease in the territories with moderately continental climate, and by 2070, a restoration of the range would take place, for according to this scenario, the average annual temperature stabilizes. According to the scenario RCP 8.5, the range will contract by 2050 and will continue to decrease by 2070, for the concentration of CO2 continues to increase along with increase in average annual temperature. Climate changes can affect the life cycle of the beetle, its life expectancy and activity over the season. With changes in temperature, eggs and larvae of P. oblongopunctatus can be more vulnerable.
... Selectively consuming seeds, the beetle can cause a much stronger effect upon the structure of a phytocoenosis than it would by consuming the vegetative parts of plants (Honek et al., 2003;Saska et al., 2010). On the other hand, it is possible that individual preferences exist among different individuals within populations (Korolev and Brygadyrenko, 2014), therefore the availability of certain types of food is interesting for studying intra-populational trophic and morphological polymerphism of a H. rufipes population (Brygadyrenko and Reshetniak, 2014a). ...
Harpalus rufipes (De Geer, 1774) is a trans-palearctic, polyzonal, habitat generalist species, which is usually the most numerous ground beetle species in agricultural ecosystems and forest plantations. In laboratory conditions, 50 H. rufipes imagoes were placed in separate containers, each individual being fed over several days with seeds of a single species of plant, the total number of plant species being ten. Then the content of the beetles’ intestine were analyzed using Lugol’s iodine stain for visualizing starch granules. Native agents of ground seeds of plants and also of seeds treated by a fermentative agent from a mammalian pancreas were used for control. Granules of starch from seeds of Triticum aestivum L., Hordeum vulgare L. and Secale cereale L. were only insignificantly broken down by enzymes in the intestines of H. rufipes. The starch granules of Avena sativa L., Panicum miliaceum L., Sorghum drummondii (Steud.) Millsp. and Chase, Fagopyrum esculentum Moench and Sinapis arvensis L. were also insignificantly affected in the beetles’ intestine compared to the agent affected by enzymes of vertebrate animals. Starch granules of Beta vulgaris L. seeds affected by the enzymes became deformed and fragmented. Sometimes only their fragments remained. Seeds with a high content of fats such as seeds of Juglans regia L. were digested poorly in the intestine of H. rufipes (drops of fat could be seen surrounding certain food particles, which obstructed their digestion). The results of microscopic study of the intestinal content of mixed phytophage ground beetles of agricultural environments will help in identifying mechanisms of regulation of trophic chains by polyphage species, and will help advance the study of gregarine infection rates among ground beetles.
... The wide distribution and wide dietary range of H. rufipes make it a convenient object for the study of the variability of the parasitic fauna of its intestine. The results of our previous laboratory research show that the food preferences of individual ground beetles can diverge significantly [15]. Therefore, the living conditions for their intestinal parasites must also differ. ...
... The wide distribution and wide dietary range of H. rufipes make it a convenient object for the study of the variability of the parasitic fauna of its intestine. The results of our previous laboratory research show that the food preferences of individual ground beetles can diverge significantly [15]. Therefore, the living conditions for their intestinal parasites must also differ. ...
Clitellocephalus ophoni (Tuzet and Ormieres, 1956) Clopton, 2002, is one of
the parasites of a common ground beetle species, Harpalus rufipes (De Geer,
1774), inhabiting practically the entire temperate zone of Eurasia.
Photographs of 177 gamonts and 74 syzygies of C. ophoni from specimens of
three populations of H. rufipes collected from the countryside near
Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine), were analyzed according to 15 linear
characteristics and 18 indices for gamonts and 6 indices for syzygies. The
coefficient of variation (CV) for the majority of linear parameters for
gamonts ranged between 28.2-71.3%. Out of 15 linear parameters, only 6 showed
a normal distribution; the others showed a statistically significant
asymmetry (the maximum indicators on the histogram of distribution were
inclined to the area of minimum value). The distribution of all 18
morphological indices diverged from the norm. Two maximum indicators were
registered in the disposition of the widest point of the protomerite and
deutomerite. The minimum CV was registered for the ratio of gamont length to
the length of its deutomerite. The size ratios of the primite and satellite
in the syzygies were more constant than the morphological indices for the
gamonts. The sex of the host does not affect the length of the protomerite
and deutomerite, but does affect their width, the disposition of the nucleus
and the widest point of the deutomerite. The length of the protomerite and
deutomerite relative to the length of the gamont is better described through
linear functions, while their width has a nonlinear dynamic and is better
described through parabolic function. The ratio of morphometric indices to
total length of C. ophoni gamonts is also better described through nonlinear
functions. The data obtained on the morphological variability of C. ophoni
needs to be compared with the results for artificially infected individuals
of other Harpalus species.
... При этом большое значение имеет контроль качества полученного биоматериала, в частности, его жизнеспособность, во многом определяющая продуктивность культуры. Разнообразие популяций насекомых в естественных экосистемах позволяет им успешнее адаптироваться к изменяющимся услоиям среды (Korolev and Brygadyrenko, 2014). Морфологическое, физиологическое и генетическое разнообразие популяций является их адаптацией к изменчивому составу кормов Nazimov, 2014, 2015;Svyrydchenko and Brygadyrenko, 2014;Reshtnyak, 2015), воздействию разных поллютантов (Kulbachko et al., 2011;Brygadyrenko and Ivanyshyn, 2015), урбанизации и комплексному промышленному загрязнению экосистем (Brygadyrenko and Reshetniak, 2014). ...
An analytical review of existing methods of quality control for cultures of insects for rearing is presented. It is shown that there is a need to search for new approaches to solving this problem. The suggested methods for quality control for insect cultures are based on the rule of taxis intensity dependence on insect viability level. Testing of new methods of control and prediction of biological material viability was carried out on several breeds of silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) and a laboratory culture of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.). It was established that the caterpillars of silkworm breeds with high viability show higher chemotaxis intensity. It was found that intensity of taxis manifestation can be considered as a criterion of population condition. Selection of the most promising breeds of silkworm can be carried out at the moment of hatching without expensive rearing. It was shown that testing of neonate caterpillars by chemotaxis intensity provides the control of viability in all stages of insect development. Evaluation of chemotaxis intensity of adult males on female sex pheromone gives the possibility to select the specimens with the highest physiological properties for hybridization as well as to predict viability for progeny. The method of biological material selection by chemotaxis intensity was improved due to decrease the time of selection from 30 to 15 minutes and preliminary starvation of these insects. Positive correlation was evaluated between general viability of silkworm culture and intensity of chemotaxis of neonate larvae to the smell of mulberry leaf during 15 minutes after 12 hours of starvation. A significant increase of viability for silkworm breeds and hybrids was registered using such selection method during the spring and summer rearing. This selection method can be used also for assessment of culture viability. A new express-method of biological material selection for insect cultures establishment has been approbated. It is based on the positive correlation between insect viability parameters and their trophotaxis intensity. It is shown that for establishment of a laboratory culture of gypsy moth it is necessary to obtain the material from populations with the highest chemotaxis intensity. It was experimentally proved that parameters of chemotaxis intensity and insect viability reflect a certain level of population heterozygosity. The higher is the intensity of chemotaxis, the higher is the relative level of population heterozygosity. This fact gives the possibility to determine the level of heterozygosity for artificial insect populations by testing larvae for chemotaxis intensity. This method may be suitable for monitoring of natural populations condition in zones with intensive anthropogenic loading.
