The distribution of arthropods in corn and soybean production systems was investigated with pitfall trap and sweep net sampling from May to August in 2000 and 2001. Spatial distribution of certain edge-oriented insects was examined. Both pitfall trap and sweep net samples were collected in the field border, and at 1, 5, 20, 60 and 100m distances into the field. Arthropods surveyed using pitfall traps included ants, ground beetles, scarab beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, spiders and click beetles. Pitfall trap data indicated greater numbers of insects within the fields versus in the borders. Distance from the field margin did not influence insect distributions. Arthropods collected using sweep nets included big eyed bugs, minute pirate bugs, damsel bugs, spiders, grasshoppers, stink bugs, bean leaf beetles, three cornered alfalfa hoppers, potato leaf hoppers, lepidopteran larvae and tarnished plant bugs. Sweep net data indicated some insects were greater within the fields, while others showed no significant differences. Only minute pirate bugs, nabids, and lepidopteran larvae where affected by proximity to field borders, with minute pirate bugs and lepidopteran larvae found at lower numbers near field borders and nabids higher in numbers near field borders. Week, year, crop and site effects were common. Overall, there were no significant differences in numbers of beneficial arthropods in the border versus within the field. Greater numbers of pest insects were found within the field versus in the border. Proximity to field edge had no major effect on the number of individuals within taxa.
Keywords: Arthropod populations, Edge-oriented
Back to Student Competition Display Presentations, Subsection Cd. Behavior and Ecology
Back to Student Competition Poster
Back to The 2002 ESA Annual Meeting and Exhibition