Short-Term Dispersal and Long-Term Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Carabidae (Coleoptera) in Lowbush Blueberry Fields

Abstract

Carabidae (Coleoptera) are important natural enemies of many insect pests in various cropping systems. Their population dynamics and how they disperse determine how effective they are at carrying out the natural enemy function. There are robust patterns of community dynamics in annual cropping systems, but it is unclear if these would carry over into a relatively underexplored North American perennial crop. In Nova Scotia lowbush blueberry fields, we found that Carabidae diversity did not change with distance from field edge nor with time. Their activity density also did not change with time, but it did change with distance from field edge. We also found that the most abundant carabid of lowbush blueberry, Harpalus rufipes (De Geer) (Coleoptera: Carabidae), can disperse approximately 14.5 m/d. Our results shed more light on the community dynamics of Carabidae in lowbush blueberry fields and can help growers make informed decisions when it comes to incorporating natural enemies into their pest management practices.

Keywords: Carabidae; activity density; blueberry; dispersal; diversity.