Structure of ground beetle (Coleoptera, Carabidae) community in the spring wheat crops of the northern forest-steppe of the Ob region

Abstract The species composition of the ground beetle community (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in the spring wheat crop area in the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia was researched for the period of 2019-2020. The ground beetle population was represented by 36 species from 14 genera. The genera Poecilus, Dolichus, and Harpalus were the most abundant, while the genera Pterostichus, Poecilus, Harpalus, and Amara had the highest species diversity. It was revealed that the dominant species in sites with conventional technology of spring wheat cultivation, are: Harpalus rufipes, Poecilus cupreus, Dolichus halensis, Harpalus calceatus, and in 2020 Agonum gracilipes appeared along with them. In 2020, the species abundance increased by 25%, and the dynamic density of most species in the second year of the study was also higher than in the first year. This may be caused by the influence of agrometeorological conditions of the studied area. The vegetation period of 2020 differed by conditions of heat and moisture supply in comparison with 2019, as indicators of 2020 are much higher than the previous year and average long-term values for the area. The dominant and subdominant complex of carabidofauna was found to be relatively stable for two years.