[1] Nebria brevicollis is native to Europe and the Near East but has been introduced to the western United States[2] and Canada.

[4] Due to the variation in habitat, their diet consists of small arthropods (less than 4 mm in length) including Collembola, Diptera, earthworms, mites, and spiders.

[5] Nebria brevicollis has a dark brown body with reddish-brown tibiae, tarsi, palpi, and antennae.

[9] In 2008, it was reported as introduced in western Oregon, United States,[2] where it has been found in highly disturbed sites as well as in native old-growth forest stands.

[3] The rapid expansion of Nebria brevicollis in North America has caused researchers to question whether it meets the criteria of an invasive species.

[4] In addition, its presence has been documented extensively from Europe to North America and in diverse harsh environments from sea beaches to alpine caves.

N. brevicollis has also been found to eat other types of beetles in both their larval and imaginal stages of their life cycle.

[11] Additionally, N. brevicollis has been documented to eat different species of small flies, spiders, mites and earthworms.

Egg production is influenced by the size of the beetle and diminishing food quantity prolongs the development of the larvae.

[4] To rear the fittest offspring, it will avoid conditions of low food supply by following a bimodal breeding curve.

[7] Despite possessing large wings, Nebria brevicollis has limited flight potential, consistent with many other ground beetles.

[6] In a study published in 2012, researchers Ikeda, Nishikawa, and Sorta found evidence that the loss of flight within a species promotes beetle diversification.

The evolutionary loss of flight muscles has allowed for beetles to invest energy into other organs, such as those essential for survival and reproduction.

Flightless species is a common pattern among the different families of Coleoptera with Nebria brevicollis likely choosing to use its energy towards larval growth rather than the building of flight muscles.

[6] Studies have demonstrated associative learning in N. brevicollis, suggesting cognitive abilities that may increase fitness.

Natural selection may act upon associative learning and personality traits, including boldness, aggressiveness, sociability, and exploratory tendencies.

[16] Recent studies regarding N. brevicollis have questioned whether variation in personality traits and associative learning ability are related.

Due to the wide range of habitat and diet of N. brevicollis, it has been proposed that learning ability may be favored by natural selection within the species.

[5] As an emerging field of interest, researchers plan to conduct further studies in which a wider range of learning assays are tested to understand the cognition-personality relationships of N. brevicollis.

Energy for body maintenance during this time is supplied by the large food reserves accumulated early in the summer.

[18] In north-western Germany, it was observed by researchers that an entomopathogenic fungus, Erynia nebriae was preying upon N. brevicollis [17].

[17] Ground beetles like Nebria brevicollis serve as effective bioindicators for studying environmental impacts of human activities.

Alterations in habitat due to urbanization, pollution, and harmful land management practices can be studied through changes in ground beetle communities.

[21] Possible effects environmental pollution may have on the habitat of the beetles includes changing soil pH, as well as altering its sodium and calcium content.

[21] Research has confirmed the property of the soil can shape carabid communities, including Nebria brevicollis.

Changes in the reproductive ability of ground-dwelling beetles may also serve to highlight the negative consequences of environmental pollution.