Characterization of different habitats on the basis of the species traits and eco-field approach

A living organism is part of a perceived ‘‘spatial configuration’’ (i.e., an eco-field) when it changes the properties of the medium in which it lives. This happens because species evolve strategies to tackle ecological constraints; these strategies appear as species traits (physiology, morphology, behavior), and species traits affect environmental features. On the basis of species traits, data on carabid beetles from different habitats in two widely separated regions of Italy were analyzed in order to test the eco-field idea. The results revealed that the underlying environmental factors influencing the distribution of species traits over different habitats are anthropogenic disturbance, and stable vs. unstable stages of ecological succession. This approach, based on eco-field and species traits, has potential power in studies in which it is more important to emphasize ecological similarity than taxonomical heterogeneity.