Population dynamics analysis of the ground beetle community (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in the agricultural crop agrocenoses of the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia

Maksimovich Kirill, Fedorov Dmitry

The article summarizes the results of a study to assess the influence of factors on the dynamic density of ground beetles (Carabidae, Coleoptera) in agrocenoses with low-intensity technology of crop cultivation and adjacent areas with natural vegetation. Materials on species composition and dynamic density of the beetle community on the area with spring wheat and corn crops in the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia for 2019-2021 were used in this research. In order to solve the research tasks, the methods of data mining, such as nonparametric statistical methods and visualization methods, were applied. Methods of research were chosen due to the peculiarities of the structure and nature of the distribution of the initial data: nonconformity of the normal law distribution model; relatively small sample size; presence of both qualitative and quantitative factors; complex nonlinear correlations between the dynamic density of carabids, habitat conditions, and meteorological parameters. The analysis of community dynamics was carried out for 19 general and numerous species for all biotopes (mainly dominant and subdominant complex). In both crops agrocenoses the total dynamic density and number of species of the family Carabidae were found to increase from 2019 to 2021. On virgin areas with natural vegetation, the total dynamic density of beetles is at a lower level compared with agrocenoses. A meaningful correlation was discovered between parameters of dynamic density of ground beetles and distance from the fallow (1, 2, 3 years of the study). There was a statistically significant positive correlation between them (0.18 for the wheat crop and 0.19 for the corn crop). The Kruskal-Wallis test revealed statistically significant influence of the year of the study (crop position in the crop rotation and its distance from the fallow) and biotope (agrocenosis, virgin land) (p<0.05) on the dynamic density of ground beetles. Under the conditions of crop rotation, the increase in the dynamic density of ground beetles can be explained by the entrainment of the total biomass of vegetation on the area, in which at its distance from fallow (2-3 years), there is an increase in the weed component (mass growth of weeds) and insects (crop pests). All these factors favor the living conditions of ground beetles and influence their numbers in agrocenoses under low-intensive cultivation technology.

Keywords:Ground beetles, community dynamics, species diversity, population size, dynamic density, low-intensity cultivation technology.