Arthropod abundance in agriculture: Quantifying abundance and activity of carabid beetles (Carabidae) in arable fields

Bosma, Marnix (2020) Arthropod abundance in agriculture: Quantifying abundance and activity of carabid beetles (Carabidae) in arable fields. Master's Research Project 2, Ecology and Evolution.

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Abstract

Intensification of agriculture has been described as one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss in insects. To overcome this problem, an extensification of agriculture is desired, preferably without losses in production. One strategy is to rely more on natural processes rather than external outputs. Carabid beetles, for example, are generalist predators of crop harming organisms and weed seeds, and can therefore be a biological alternative to the use of pesticides, which has a tremendous contribution to the yearly losses seen in insect biomass. But little is known about how such an extensive system compares to the current intensively farmed systems, especially as we lack knowledge on the abundance of insects along farming intensity gradients. In this study, I explored the soil invertebrate communities living in arable fields in Eastern Groningen, with the main focus on carabid beetles. Sampling was done using pitfall traps. Pitfall traps are however not a perfect method to study invertebrate abundance as the number of caught individuals is a function of both abundance and activity. Therefore I also conducted an enclosure and a mark-recapture experiment, to investigate true densities and movement behaviour of the carabid beetle Pterostichus melanarius in Sugar Beet and Winter Wheat fields. Invertebrate communities of agricultural landscapes were dominated by the family Carabidae. Carabidae abundance differed between farms, crops and also varied over time.

Item Type:	Thesis (Master's Research Project 2)
Supervisor name:	Klaassen, R.H.G.
Degree programme:	Ecology and Evolution
Thesis type:	Master's Research Project 2
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	28 Jul 2020 15:12
Last Modified:	28 Jul 2020 15:12
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/22877

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