关键词: 土壤有机碳库, 土壤碳密度, 空间分布格局, 环渤海地区

Abstract: Habitat selection of animals is of complexity, while approaching its inherent mechanism is of significance in maintaining animal’s biodiversity. Taking the darkling beetle Platyope proctoleuca chinensis (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), a dominant beetle species in Gurbantunggut Desert of Xinjiang, China, as study object, a 2-year (2007-2008) investigation with pitfall traps was made on its population dynamics and burrows quantity in different habitats of the desert, with the habitat selection of this beetle on landscape and microhabitat scales analyzed. On landscape scale, the beetle  preferred sand dune than interdune, and was more plentiful in the lee slope than in the windward slope of sand dune. On microhabitat scale, the beetle was fond more of the top of sand dune, particularly the top of the lee slope of sand dune. The distribution pattern of the burrows was similar to the population dynamics of the beetle. The habitat selection of the beetle was correlated to the difficulty of burrow-building, while successful digging burrow was interrelated to soil quality, especially the composition of sand materials and soil rigidity.

Key words: Soil organic carbon pool, Soil carbon density, Spatial distribution pattern, The Circum-Bohai Region