Abstract
Carabid beetles could potentially provide a number of ecosystem services in arable fields, including the regulation of weeds by eating seeds. Spatio-temporal variability in the incidence of predation combined with a limited understanding of the interactions between carabids and seed predation, currently limits our ability to assess the effectiveness of this service. We carried out a long-term field study of carabid communities and the incidence of predation of the seeds of 5 species of weeds and laboratory cafeteria choice-tests to quantify the preferences of the most abundant species of seed-eating carabid for the seeds of 10 species of weeds. The field study revealed important temporal variation both in carabid activity-density and seed predation, with the seed of Viola arvensis and Capsella bursa-pastoris being particularly preferred by the carabids. The laboratory cafeteria tests confirmed the predation preferences measured in the field, in showing strong preferences by both Pterostichus melanarius and Pseudoophonus rufipes for the seed of V. arvensis. The percentage predation of the seed of V. arvensis was associated with the activity-density of carabids, while that of the seed of C. bursa-pastoris was not. Integrating laboratory-measured daily consumption rates, per carabid taxa, into models improved the ability to predict the intensity of predation of the seed of V. arvensis based on the composition of carabid communities.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Carabid activity density and weed seed predation varied over time.
Verbatim
e0“The field study revealed important temporal variation both in carabid activity-density and seed predation, with the seed of Viola arvensis and Capsella bursa-pastoris being particularly preferred by the carabids.”
t0“Weed seed choice”
Claim · model-written summary
Carabids particularly preferred Viola arvensis seeds in the field.
- Taxon
- Viola arvensis
_Viola_arvensis_-_White_flower.jpg?width=60)
Viola arvensise0 - Interactor
- carabidse0herbivore
- Outcome
- seed of Viola arvensise0
- Direction
- particularly preferrede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_Viola_arvensis_-_White_flower.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“The field study revealed important temporal variation both in carabid activity-density and seed predation, with the seed of Viola arvensis and Capsella bursa-pastoris being particularly preferred by the carabids.”
Claim · model-written summary
Carabids particularly preferred Capsella bursa-pastoris seeds in the field.
- Taxon
- Capsella bursa-pastoris
Capsella bursa-pastorise0 - Interactor
- carabidse0herbivore
- Outcome
- Capsella bursa-pastorise0
- Direction
- particularly preferrede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The field study revealed important temporal variation both in carabid activity-density and seed predation, with the seed of Viola arvensis and Capsella bursa-pastoris being particularly preferred by the carabids.”
Claim · model-written summary
Pterostichus melanarius strongly preferred V. arvensis seeds in laboratory choice tests.
- Taxon
- V. arvensisViola arvensise0
- Interactor
- Pterostichus melanarius
Pterostichus melanariuse0herbivore - Outcome
- seed of V. arvensise0
- Direction
- strong preferencese0
- Setting
- laboratory cafeteria testse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The laboratory cafeteria tests confirmed the predation preferences measured in the field, in showing strong preferences by both Pterostichus melanarius and Pseudoophonus rufipes for the seed of V. arvensis.”
Claim · model-written summary
Pseudoophonus rufipes strongly preferred V. arvensis seeds in laboratory choice tests.
- Taxon
- V. arvensisViola arvensise0
- Interactor
- Pseudoophonus rufipes
.png?width=60)
Harpalus rufipese0herbivore - Outcome
- seed of V. arvensise0
- Direction
- strong preferencese0
- Setting
- laboratory cafeteria testse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.png?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“The laboratory cafeteria tests confirmed the predation preferences measured in the field, in showing strong preferences by both Pterostichus melanarius and Pseudoophonus rufipes for the seed of V. arvensis.”
Claim · model-written summary
V. arvensis seed predation was associated with carabid activity density.
- Taxon
- V. arvensisViola arvensise0
- Interactor
- carabidse0herbivore
- Outcome
- percentage predation of the seed of V. arvensise0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The percentage predation of the seed of V. arvensis was associated with the activity-density of carabids, while that of the seed of C. bursa-pastoris was not.”
Claim · model-written summary
C. bursa-pastoris seed predation was not associated with carabid activity density.
- Taxon
- C. bursa-pastorisCapsella bursa-pastorise0
- Interactor
- carabidse0herbivore
- Outcome
- seed of C. bursa-pastorise0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The percentage predation of the seed of V. arvensis was associated with the activity-density of carabids, while that of the seed of C. bursa-pastoris was not.”
Claim · model-written summary
Adding laboratory daily consumption rates improved model prediction of V. arvensis seed predation intensity.
- Taxon
- V. arvensisViola arvensise0
- Interactor
- carabid taxae0herbivore
- Outcome
- ability to predict the intensity of predation of the seed of V. arvensise0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparatorValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Integrating laboratory-measured daily consumption rates, per carabid taxa, into models improved the ability to predict the intensity of predation of the seed of V. arvensis based on the composition of carabid communities.”