Table 4.
Characterization of biological and ecological traits and their states used for beetle species assignment for purposes of this study.
| Trait | State | Description | No of assigned species |
|---|---|---|---|
| trophic guild | predators | species which kill and feed on other animals | 91 |
| herbivores | species which feed on living (green) plant tissues | 101 | |
| mycetophages | species which feed on living mushrooms | 17 | |
| saprophages | species which feed on dead organisms (except dead wood) | 35 | |
| cambioxylophages | species which feed on wood and phloem | 53 | |
| habitat type | forest-dwellers | species which live only in forested habitats | 112 |
| open land-dwellers | species which live only in grassland habitats | 131 | |
| ubiquitous | species which could live in all types of terrestrial habitats | 54 | |
| microhabitats | coprophilous | species which inhabit animal feces | 20 |
| epigeic | species which inhabit soil surface (free living) | 38 | |
| mycetophilous | species which inhabit mushrooms | 15 | |
| herbophilous | species which inhabit living plants | 128 | |
| hygrophilous | species which inhabit wet habitats (but not aquatic) | 25 | |
| necrophilous | species which inhabit carcases | 5 | |
| cambioxylophilous | species which inhabit inside trees | 66 | |
| distribution | continental | species of xeric habitats in Pontic and Pannonian regions (mostly steppes) | 25 |
| mediterranean | species of dry habitats in Mediterranean basin (the Balkans) | 17 | |
| mountainous | species of high mountain zones (the Sudetes, the Carpathians and the Balkan Mts.) | 11 | |
| temperate | species widespread in central Europe except above listed areas | 244 | |
| range | fragmented | species with fragmented and isolated populations | 36 |
| widespread | species with continuous ranges | 261 | |
| thermal preferences | neutral | species which wide tolerance to temperatures | 250 |
| warm | species which prefer only warm temperatures | 47 | |
| reproduction mode | bisexual | species which reproduce only bisexually | 292 |
| parthenogenetic | species which parthenogenetic reproduction (at least in central Europe) | 5 | |
| body size | large | species larger than 20 mm length | 23 |
| medium | species of 10–20 mm length | 174 | |
| small | species smaller than 10 mm length | 100 | |
| mobility | mobile | species winged and capable to fly | 274 |
| sedentary | species apterous (flightless) | 23 |