The effect of cereal headland treatments on carabid communities.

Abstract

The overall abundance and species composition of carabid beetles were compared in three cereal field headland management regimes in the Breckland area of Eastern England.
Uncropped Wildlife Strips, which were cultivated but not sown, contained more species and a greater overall abundance of carabids than either Sprayed Headlands or 'Conservation Headlands', which were sown but received reduced pesticide inputs.
Both carabid abundance and species richness of the community were correlated with percentage cover of dicotyledonous plants and the abundance of other invertebrates. Whilst carabid species richness was also strongly related to total vegetation cover and abundance of aphids and Collembola.
Experimental reduction of vegetation in the Uncropped Wildlife Strip lead to a decrease in abundance of most species of carabid except Bembidion lampros which required bare ground.
The number of species found in the Uncropped Wildlife Strip on the same site increased progressively throughout the three year study.