Do properties and species of weed seeds affect their consumption by carabid beetles?

Seed predators are an integral part of agroecosystems, where they can reduce the populations of weeds. The preference of predators for seeds and the observed predation rate may be affected by the properties of seeds (e.g. taxonomy, chemical composition, physical defence). In this work, we focused on seed consumption of Taraxacum officinale Web. and Stellaria media (L.) Vill., from France and the Czech Republic, by three species of ground beetle that are seed predators (Coleoptera: Carabidae): Poecilus cupreus (Linnaeus), Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger) and Anchomenus dorsalis (Pontoppidan). The seed species were offered in arenas, simultaneously, under three different experimental manipulations of moisture and seed coat conditions: dry and intact, water-imbibed and intact, and water-imbibed with a damaged seed coat. Seed consumption was checked after 0.5, 1, 2, 24, and 48 hours of exposure. Anchomenus dorsalis largely refused to feed on seeds. Taraxacum officinale seeds with damaged coats were most preferred by the remaining two species of carabids. The consumption by P. cupreus of T. officinale seeds with damaged coats increased from 0.18 % after 0.5 hours to 83.83 % after 48 hours, and by P. melanarius from 13.76 % after 0.5 hours to 76.77 % after 48 hours. Seeds of S. media were consumed less. There was a significant difference in consumption rates due to the country of origin of the seeds, but there were no differences between the carabid sexes. That carabids preferred water-imbibed and damaged seeds may suggest an involvement of olfactory clues in the seed selection process, and/or shorter seed-handling times.

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Some seed properties affecting seed choice by Poecilus cupreus

ARPHA Conference Abstracts ◽

10.3897/aca.2.e38425 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Author(s):

Hana Foffová ◽

Pavel Saska ◽

David Bohan

Keyword(s):

Seed Coat ◽

Ground Beetle ◽

Handling Time ◽

Taraxacum Officinale ◽

Physical Barrier ◽

Stellaria Media ◽

Total Consumption ◽

Poecilus Cupreus ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Different Origins

Seed predators are an integral part of agrocoenoses where they contribute to the reduction of weed populations. Although they are taking part in biological control of weed seeds, we still do not understand which properties of seeds are responsible for variable attractiveness of different species of seeds to carabids beetles. Seed coat provides a physical barrier and hinders volatiles to be released from the seeds when these are dry. In this work, we focused on seed preferences of Taraxacum officinale and Stellaria media by a ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) species, Poecilus cupreus, which is known as an omnivorous species. The seeds were used in three different states - dry, imbibed and with crushed seed coat, and from two different origins. The seeds were presented simultaneously in an experimental arena. Seed consumption was assessed after 30 minutes, 24 hours and 48 hours of exposure. There was no statistically significant difference between seeds with different origin. The most preferred seeds were T. officinale with damaged seed coat. The total consumption of these seeds was was 0.1 % after 30 minutes, 13.8 % after 1 day and 71.5 % after 48 hours. The seeds of S. media were consumed less. This indicates that the consumption was enhanced by either an increase of volatile compounds from the damaged seeds that attracted the beetles, or from shorter handling time due to reduced physical barrier of the crushed coat.

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Ground beetles (Carabidae) of field margin habitats

Biologia ◽

10.2478/s11756-020-00424-y ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 75 (10) ◽

pp. 1631-1641

Author(s):

Janina Bennewicz ◽

Tadeusz Barczak

Keyword(s):

Conservation Status ◽

Ground Beetle ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Ground Beetles ◽

Field Margin ◽

Poecilus Cupreus ◽

The Status ◽

Beetle Assemblages ◽

Anchomenus Dorsalis ◽

Pterostichus Melanarius

Abstract The aim of this study was to identify the role of field margin habitats in preserving the diversity and abundance of ground beetle assemblages, including potentially entomophagous species and those with conservation status in Poland. Research material was collected in 2006–2007 in four types of margin habitats – a forest, bushes, ditches and in two arable fields. Insects were captured into pitfalls, without preservation liquid or bait added to the traps. Traps were inspected twice a week, between May and August, and one sample was a weekly capture. In field margin habitats the most abundant species were Limodromus assimilis, Anchomenus dorsalis, Pterostichus melanarius and Carabus auratus. A lower abundance of species was noted on fields, with dominant Poecilus cupreus and P. melanarius. The group of zoophagous carabids found in our study includes 30 species from field margin habitats, i.e. 37.5% of all captured Carabidae taxa and 58.3% of all specimens. The share of aphidophagous species was 84.9% among bushes, 86.7% near ditches, and 88.0% in the forest habitat. Several species captured during the study are under protection in Poland. These include the partly protected Carabus convexus, which also has the status of near threatened species, the partly protected Calosoma auropunctatum, and Broscus cephalotes. Considering all the investigated field margin habitats, ground beetles were most numerous in the oak-hornbeam habitat, defined as bushes, formed predominantly by Prunus spinosa, Crataegus leavigata, Sambucus nigra and Rosa canina. Thus, this habitat was the most important reservoir/refugium for the ground beetles.

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Which Seed Properties Determine the Preferences of Carabid Beetle Seed Predators?

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects11110757 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 757

Author(s):

Foffová Hana ◽

Ćavar Zeljković Sanja ◽

Honěk Alois ◽

Martinková Zdenka ◽

Tarkowski Petr ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Seed Coat ◽

Explanatory Power ◽

Seed Mass ◽

Carabid Beetles ◽

Plant Strategy ◽

Seed Predators ◽

Lack Of Information ◽

Complete Set ◽

Morphological Defence ◽

Explained Variance

Ground beetles are important invertebrate seed predators in temperate agro-ecosystems. However, there is a lack of information regarding which seed properties are important to carabids when they select seeds for consumption. Therefore, seed properties, such as size, shape, morphological defence, and chemical composition, were measured, and in addition to seed taxonomy and ecology, these data were used to explain carabid preferences. Carabid preferences were assessed using a multi-choice experiment with 28 species of weed seeds presented to 37 species of Carabidae. Multiple regression on distance matrices (MRM) was used to determine the importance of particular sets of seed properties for carabids. The analysis was conducted for the full set of carabids (37 species) as well as for subsets of species belonging to the tribes of Harpalini or Zabrini. For the complete set of species, seed dimensions, seed mass, taxonomy, plant strategy, and seed coat properties significantly explained carabid preferences (proportion of explained variance, R2 = 0.465). The model for Harpalini fit the data comparably well (R2 = 0.477), and seed dimensions, seed mass and seed coat properties were significant. In comparison to that for Harpalini, the model for Zabrini had much lower explanatory power (R2 = 0.248), and the properties that significantly affected the preferences were seed dimensions, seed mass, taxonomy, plant strategy, and seed coat properties. This result suggests that the seed traits that carabids respond to may be specific to taxonomic and likely relate to the degree of specialisation for seeds. This study contributes to understanding the mechanisms that determine the preferences of carabid beetles for seeds.

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Predatory behavior of two species of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) towards juvenile salamanders (Plethodon vehiculum)

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z88-089 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 66 (3) ◽

pp. 599-604 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

K. Ovaska ◽

M. A. Smith

Keyword(s):

Antipredator Behavior ◽

Ground Beetle ◽

Ground Beetles ◽

Predatory Behavior ◽

Carabid Beetles ◽

Size Classes ◽

In The Wild ◽

Pterostichus Melanarius

Carabid beetles are suspected to prey on terrestrial salamanders, but no records of this exist. We examined the behavior of two species of ground beetle (Scaphinotus angusticollis and Pterostichus melanarius) towards juvenile western red-backed salamanders (Plethodon vehiculum) in staged laboratory encounters. We predicted that the beetles would show more aggression towards small (snout–vent length (SVL) ≤30 mm) than large (30 < SVL ≤ 40 mm) juvenile salamanders, as small individuals frequently had missing tails (indicating predation) in the field. Our additional objective was to examine antipredator behavior of P. vehiculum. Scaphinotus angusticollis approached, bit, and climbed on the salamanders more frequently than P. melanarius did, but neither beetle behaved differently towards small and large salamanders. Small juveniles jerked away more frequently than larger individuals when bitten by P. melanarius and when climbed on by S. angusticollis, but otherwise the behavior of salamanders of the two size classes did not differ. After overnight encounters, the injuries on the salamanders included missing toes and tail tips and skin lacerations. Scaphinotus angusticollis consumed an additional six P. vehiculum, and P. melanarius consumed three. The damage was unrelated to the size (SVL) of the salamanders, but all individuals consumed were among the smallest we tested. We suggest that in terms of both its morphology and its behavior, S. angusticollis is better suited than P. melanarius to prey on P. vehiculum, and probably preys on hatchlings in the wild.

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Long-termed changes in ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) assemblages in a field treated by organic fertilizers

Biologia ◽

10.2478/s11756-008-0179-8 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 63 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jana Porhajašová ◽

Vladimír Petřvalský ◽

Zbyšek Šustek ◽

Jana Urminská ◽

Peter Ondrišík ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spring Barley ◽

Ground Beetle ◽

Ground Beetles ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Poecilus Cupreus ◽

Local Maxima ◽

Starting Values ◽

Anchomenus Dorsalis ◽

Stable Manure ◽

Pterostichus Melanarius

AbstractIn 2001–2006, ground beetles were pitfall-trapped in a temperate lowland area of South Slovakia in an experimental field divided in five plots fertilized by four different doses of manure or biosludge (25 t stable manure ha−1, 50 t biosludge ha−1, 50 t stable manure ha−1, 100 t biosludge ha−1 and without fertilization). The field was subsequently sown by spring barley, sugar beat, maize, sunflower, sugar beat and maize. The ground beetle assemblage consisted of 31 species, but only five species predominated: Pseudoophonus rufipes representing 82.6% of individuals and five species (Poecilus cupreus, Carabus scheidleri, Calathus fuscipes, Trechus quadristriatus, Pterostichus melanarius, Anchomenus dorsalis, Dolichus halensis) representing together 14.5% of individuals. Pseudophonus rufipes represented 81.7% of dry biomass and three species (Carabus scheidleri, Poecilus cupreus Pterostichus melanarius) 15.9% of biomass. There was no significant influence of organic fertilizing on assemblage structure. During the investigation, the number of individuals and their biomass increased in all plots until 2003 and than dropped to the starting values. The culmination of 2003 was preceded by a warmer and more humid season in 2002. After a cold and dry season of 2003 abundance decreased approximately to starting values. Simultaneously, the local maxima and minima of occurrence of ground beetles in individual plots shifted independently on the doses of organic material. At the same time, number of occurring species slightly decreased. The observed changes obviously represent part of long-termed fluctuations in wider surroundings.

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Habitat and Landform Types Drive the Distribution of Carabid Beetles at High Altitudes

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d13040142 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 142

Author(s):

Mauro Gobbi ◽

Marco Armanini ◽

Teresa Boscolo ◽

Roberta Chirichella ◽

Valeria Lencioni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Altitude ◽

Ground Beetle ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Total Activity ◽

Carabid Beetles ◽

Taxonomic Distinctness ◽

Habitat Types ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Activity Density ◽

Sampling Points

The high altitude mountain slopes of the Dolomites (Italian Alps) are characterized by great habitat and landform heterogeneities. In this paper, we investigated the effect of a Nature 2000 habitat and landform types in driving the high altitude ground beetle (Carabidae) distribution in the Western Dolomites (Brenta group, Italy). We studied the carabid assemblages collected in 55 sampling points distributed in four Nature 2000 habitat types and four landform types located between 1860 and 2890 m above sea level (a.s.l.). Twenty-two species, half of them Alpine endemics, were sampled. Species richness and taxonomic distinctness did not show any significant difference among habitat types; conversely, these differences became significant when the landform type was considered. Total activity density and the frequency of brachypterous, endemic and predatory species showed significant differences between both habitat and landform types. An indicator species analysis identified twelve species linked to a specific habitat type and thirteen species linked to a specific landform type. A canonical correspondence analysis showed that altitude and vegetation cover drove the species distribution in each habitat and landform type while the aspect had a weak effect. Our results highlight the need for a geomorphological characterization of the sampling points when high altitude ground-dwelling arthropods are investigated.

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Persistence of the ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) microbiome to diet manipulation

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0241529 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. e0241529

Author(s):

Anita Silver ◽

Sean Perez ◽

Melanie Gee ◽

Bethany Xu ◽

Shreeya Garg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Diversity ◽

Ground Beetle ◽

Amplicon Sequencing ◽

Carabid Beetles ◽

Secretory Cells ◽

Pygidial Gland ◽

Defensive Compounds ◽

Highly Active ◽

16S Amplicon Sequencing ◽

Host Diet

Host-associated microbiomes can play important roles in the ecology and evolution of their insect hosts, but bacterial diversity in many insect groups remains poorly understood. Here we examine the relationship between host environment, host traits, and microbial diversity in three species in the ground beetle family (Coleoptera: Carabidae), a group of roughly 40,000 species that synthesize a wide diversity of defensive compounds. This study used 16S amplicon sequencing to profile three species that are phylogenetically distantly related, trophically distinct, and whose defensive chemical secretions differ: Anisodactylus similis LeConte, 1851, Pterostichus serripes (LeConte, 1875), and Brachinus elongatulus Chaudoir, 1876. Wild-caught beetles were compared to individuals maintained in the lab for two weeks on carnivorous, herbivorous, or starvation diets (n = 3 beetles for each species-diet combination). Metagenomic samples from two highly active tissue types—guts, and pygidial gland secretory cells (which produce defensive compounds)—were processed and sequenced separately from those of the remaining body. Bacterial composition and diversity of these ground beetles were largely resilient to controlled changes to host diet. Different tissues within the same beetle harbor unique microbial communities, and secretory cells in particular were remarkably similar across species. We also found that these three carabid species have patterns of microbial diversity similar to those previously found in carabid beetles. These results provide a baseline for future studies of the role of microbes in the diversification of carabids.

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The structure of ground beetle assemblages (Coleoptera: Carabidae) at fig fruit falls (Moraceae) in a terra firme rain forest near Manaus (Brazil)

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467401001419 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. 549-561 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

WILFRIED PAARMANN ◽

JOACHIM ADIS ◽

NIGEL STORK ◽

BURKHARD GUTZMANN ◽

PHILIPP STUMPE ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rain Forest ◽

Ground Beetle ◽

Species Abundance ◽

Carabid Beetles ◽

Terra Firme ◽

Stepping Stones ◽

Host Trees ◽

Abundance Patterns ◽

Beetle Assemblages ◽

Abundant Genus

The carabid beetle assemblage found feeding on fig fruit falls at night was studied in a terra firme rain forest near Manaus (Amazonia) from July 1991 to August 1996. A total of 8926 carabid beetles were collected on 64 fruit falls from 10 fig species. The most abundant genus was Notiobia with eight species, N. pseudolimbipennis being the most abundant. The Notiobia species comprised 92% of all specimens collected and all feed on small fig seeds. Their species abundance patterns varied considerably between individual fruit falls and during the course of a single fruit fall. However, the species abundance patterns for all Notiobia at all observed fruit falls for each of the two commonest fig species (Ficus subapiculata, F. guianensis), as well as for fruit falls of the remaining fig species, were very similar. Through feeding and breeding experiments and observations of reproductive success by dissection of females, only two of the eight Notiobia species were found to be specialized fig seed feeders, being able to reproduce only on fig fruit falls. The remaining six species of this genus use fig fruit falls as alternate hosts or ‘stepping stones’ between fruit falls of their host trees, which are widely separated both in time and space.

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THE TOXICITY OF INSECTICIDES BY CONTACT AND SOIL TREATMENT TO TWO SPECIES OF GROUND BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE)

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/ent107529-5 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 107 (5) ◽

pp. 529-532 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

A. D. Tomlin

Keyword(s):

Ground Beetles ◽

Soil Treatment ◽

Carabid Beetles ◽

Light Traps ◽

Spray Tower ◽

Pest Insects ◽

Pterostichus Melanarius ◽

Soil Insecticides ◽

Serial Dilutions

AbstractAdults of predatory carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) of the species Stenolophus comma Fabricius field-collected from light traps were bioassayed against several soil insecticides along with laboratory reared larvae of the predatory carabid Pterostichus melanarius Illiger. Adult S. comma beetles were exposed to serial dilutions of insecticides using a Potter spray tower; larvae of P. melanarius were exposed to insecticidally treated Plainfield sand. Fensulfothion, phorate, methomyl, carbofuran, and O,O-diethyl-S(tertbutylthio) methyl phosphorodithioate (Counter®) proved to be highly toxic to adult S. comma with a 0.01% solution causing mortalities > 65%. In the bioassay of P. melanarius larvae, Counter®, phorate, heptachlor, aldrin, and O-(2-chloro-1-(2,5-dichlorophenyl)vinyl) O-methyl ethylphosphonothioate (WL 24073) produced mortalities > 75% at 0.1 p.p.m. in Plainfield sand. The Pterostichus larvae which are probably important as predators of pest insects appear quite susceptible to several important soil insecticides. Chlorfenvinphos, leptophos, and p,p′-DDT were fairly innocuous to both adults and larvae.

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GROUND BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE) AS PREDATORS OF THE CODLING MOTH, CYDIA POMONELLA (L.) (LEPIDOPTERA: TORTRICIDAE)

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/ent120917-10 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 120 (10) ◽

pp. 917-925 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Elmer A.C. Hagley ◽

W.R. Allen

Keyword(s):

Ground Beetle ◽

Cydia Pomonella ◽

Codling Moth ◽

Ground Beetles ◽

Pitfall Traps ◽

Apple Trees ◽

Pterostichus Melanarius ◽

Amara Aenea

AbstractPterostichus melanarius Ill. was the predominant ground beetle recovered in pitfall traps in three blocks of apple trees at Jordan Station, Ont. In one block, C, the number of mature fifth-instar larvae of Cydia pomonella (L.) seeking overwintering sites was related significantly (r2 = 0.5476, P < 0.05) to the number of P. melanarius caught, but was not related significantly (r2 = 0.1181, P > 0.10) to the proportion of beetles that were serologically positive. The proportion of larvae pupating also was not related significantly (r2 = 0.2014, P > 0.10) to the number of P. melanarius. The total number of all predators caught was related significantly (r2 = 0.4490, P < 0.05) to the number of larvae present, but the proportion of larvae that pupated was not related significantly (r2 = 0.3606, P > 0.05) to the total number of predators.In block A, in 1983–1985, the number of mature larvae of C. pomonella seeking overwintering sites was not related significantly (r2 = 0.3763, 0.3619, and 0.5042, P > 0.05, respectively) to the number of P. melanarius taken in pitfall traps. In both blocks A and B, the number of serologically positive beetles was not related significantly (r2 = 0.3824 and 0.7921, P > 0.10, respectively) to the number of larvae seeking overwintering sites.Amara aenea DeG., Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis F., Bembidion quadrimaculatum oppositum Say, Clivinia impressifrons LeC., Diplochaeila impressicolis (Dej.), Harpalus aeneus F., and Pterostichus chalcites Say also gave positive serological reactions to the antiserum against C. pomonella.The occurrence of other species of Lepidoptera did not affect significantly the results obtained for C. pomonella.

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