Carabid Beetles in Soybean Agroecosystems

Abstract

Seasonality and habitat preference of 34 species of carabid beetles were investigated in soybean, Glycine max Merrill, agroecosystems during 1978–79. Habitats included conventional and conservation tillage systems of soybeans and adjacent areas of a fescue pasture, old field (mixed annual grasses and herbaceous plants), and mixed hardwood-pine woodlot. Pitfall trapping indicated greatest carabid abundance in mid-spring and late summer. Populations often were several-fold greater in conservation than conventional tillage soybeans. Harpalus pensylvanicus DeG. was the dominant species in all habitats, except the conventionally tilled soybeans. Mark/recapture experiments indicate carabid movement from field and fescue border areas into soybean fields of either type tillage system.