This work addresses the effects of the size, flooding susceptibility and vegetation complexity on ground beetles community structure (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in forest patches (capões) in the sub-regions Miranda and Abobral of the Pantanal, State of Mato Grosso do Sul. Thirty pitfall traps were run for six days per month, in six forest patches between October 1998 and October 1999. A total of 2,071 individuals of 64 species were captured. Negrea scutellaris (Dejean, 1831) and an unidentified Lebiini were the most abundant species (472 and 464 individuals respectively). Gregarious distribution and great number of species of low abundance could reflect the pattern of resource availability in the tropical regions. Species richness in the forest patches was explained only by vegetation complexity, whereas species composition demonstrated no significant relationship with any of the considered variables. This lack of relationship could have been driven by the limited variation in size and vegetation complexity of capões; alternatively, it may reflect a stronger effect of species composition change at regional, rather than local scales.
Community structure; Carabidae; Pantanal; vegetation complexity; wetland
