2nd Place: Insect abundance and community composition differs among habitats and along edges

Insect movement between habitat boundaries needs to be studied more closely to understand the impact of border crops, supplemental natural terrain positioned adjacent to agricultural fields, on natural biocontrol. It is possible that this desired ecosystem service from border crops is minimal because the intersecting edge of two habitats is a barrier to movement. Therefore, our objective was to compare ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) movement across soybean plots that were bordered by both corn and grassland habitats. Using a grid of pitfall traps to track marked ground beetles that were released and recaptured, we evaluated movement patterns across each habitat type. Results showed that movement activity and distance travelled varied within and across soybean, corn, and grassland habitats and that there was a lot of variation among individuals. Ground beetle movement activity was greatest in soybean, but distance moved was greatest in corn. Furthermore, agricultural-agricultural and natural-agricultural habitat borders had a similar impact on ground beetle crossings. Thus, it is likely that border crop edges may not be a limiting factor in movement and travel. With more research, natural habitat edges can be implemented into agricultural practices to positively impact natural biocontrol.