Coal mine remnants of west-central Illinois represent islands of vegetative diversity surrounded by a sea of monocultural cropland. We investigated the ground beetle diversity of coal mine remnants, transition habitats, and surrounding soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] fields from April to October 2002, using pitfall traps. Twenty-three species of ground beetles were collected. Poecilus chalcites (Say) was the dominant species, particularly in the soybean fields. Species diversity was highest on the remnants and lowest in the soybean fields. The ground beetle faunas of the remnant and transition habitats were most similar, whereas the remnant and field faunas were least similar. Ground beetle diversity in soybean fields was greater within 10 m of the remnant edges than beyond 10 m.
Species 1: Coleoptera Carabidae
Keywords: Biodiversity
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