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Effects of crop rotation and genetically modified herbicide-tolerant corn on ground beetle diversity, community structure, and activity density

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2012

S. Bourassa ,
H.A. Cárcamo ,
J.R. Spence ,
R.E. Blackshaw  and
K. Floate
S. Bourassa
Affiliation:
Department of Renewable Resources, 442 Earth Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E3and Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403 – 1 Avenue South, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada T1J 4B1
H.A. Cárcamo*
Affiliation:
Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403 – 1 Avenue South, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada T1J 4B1
J.R. Spence
Affiliation:
Department of Renewable Resources, 442 Earth Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E3
R.E. Blackshaw
Affiliation:
Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403 – 1 Avenue South, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada T1J 4B1
K. Floate
Affiliation:
Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403 – 1 Avenue South, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada T1J 4B1
*
1 Corresponding author (e-mail: hector.carcamo@agr.gc.ca).
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Abstract

Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) were sampled in conventional and genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) corn, Zea mays L. (Poaceae), planted under rotation with canola, Brassica L. (Brassicaceae), or continuously cropped corn to investigate the influence of corn variety and rotation on the structure of carabid assemblages. Corn variety, cultivation regime, and their interaction all influenced overall carabid activity density. Weed management associated with corn variety influenced the activity density of a few carabid species and this was attributed to changes in vegetation. Some smaller bodied carabids such as Bembidion quadrimaculatum L. were less abundant in GMHT plots, probably because weed density was higher in midseason, but the opposite was observed for larger bodied carabids such as Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger). Overall, rotating corn with canola had a stronger effect on carabid community structure than did corn variety. We suggest that GMHT corn has little impact on the overall carabid fauna but may influence the activity of certain species through effects on the weed community.

Résumé

Des carabes (Coleoptera: Carabidae) ont été échantillonnés dans des parcelles de maïs conventionnel, Zea mays L. (Poaceae), et de maïs génétiquement modifié tolérant à l'herbicide (MGTH), en plantation continue ou en rotation avec du canola, Brassica L. (Brassicaceae), dans le but d'étudier l'influence de la variété de maïs et de la rotation sur la communauté de carabes. La variété de maïs et le régime de culture, ainsi que leur interaction, ont tous influencé la densité d'activité des carabes. La gestion des mauvaises herbes associées à la variété de maïs a influencé la densité d'activité de quelques espèces de carabes et ceci a été attribué aux changements dans la végétation. Quelques espèces de carabes de plus petite taille comme Bembidion quadrimaculatum L. ont été moins abondantes dans les parcelles MGTH ce qui était probablement due à une plus forte densité de mauvaises herbes durant la mi-saison. Par contre, le contraire fut observé pour quelques espèces de carabes de plus grande taille comme Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger). En général, la rotation du maïs avec le canola a eu une plus grande influence sur la communauté de carabes que la variété de maïs. Nous suggérons que le maïs MGTH a un faible impact sur la communauté de carabes mais pourrait influencer l'activité de certaines espèces par le biais des modifications de la communauté de mauvaises herbes.

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 142 , Issue 2 , April 2010 , pp. 143 - 159
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 2010

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