Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) as bioindicators of anthropogenic load in the urban ecosystem of Cherepovets

The article presents the results of a study of the fauna and population of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in the conditions of the industrial city of Cherepovets. The study was conducted in 2023–2024 in areas with different levels of anthropogenic load: in the residential zone (Makarinskaya Roshcha) and the industrial zone (production site and sanitary protection zone of PJSC Severstal). The material was collected using Barber soil traps. The aim of the work was to assess the species composition, abundance and dominance structure of ground beetles as a basis for their use in bioindication of the urban environment. A total of 15 species of ground beetles from 7 genera were registered in the city. The greatest species richness (12 species) was characteristic of the residential zone, while only 6 species were found in the industrial zone. The abundance of ground beetles in the residential zone (2,38 ind./10 trap-days) was twice as high as in the industrial zone (1,19 ind./10 trap-days). The dominant species in the residential zone were Pterostichus niger (Schaller, 1783) and Pterostichus nigrita (Paykull, 1790), and in the industrial zone – Pterostichus niger. The Shannon diversity index confirmed more favorable conditions in the residential zone (H′ = 1,568) compared to the industrial (H′ = 1,098) and sanitary protection zones (H′ = 0,811). The analysis of the food base showed that in the residential area, the density of ground beetles is approaching the availability of their preferred food sources, indicating the intensity of trophic relations. A comparative analysis with the fauna of ground beetles in other industrial cities of Russia (Grozny, Kazan, Kemerovo) revealed a significantly poorer species composition and simplified structure of communities in Cherepovets. The results obtained indicate the high sensitivity of ground beetles to technogenic impact and confirm their promise as bioindicators for monitoring the state of the environment in urban ecosystems.