EFFECTS OF HUMAN DISTURBANCE ON GROUND BEETLE DIVERSITY OLIVER POGUE*, SEAN CLARK, and SARAH PAULSON Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Berea, KY, 40404 METHODS P=0.16 Figure 1. Land-use treatments We evaluated the effects of Included agricultural, clear-cut, land use on the diversity of and forest landscapes. ground beetles in central Ken tuc ky by using pitfall trap data collected between 2005 and 2008 in forest, clear-cut, Forest and agricultural sites in and around Berea, Kentucky. Agriculture (Figure 1) These treatments represented a range of human Clear-cut disturbance frequencies and P=0.06 intensities with the agricultural sites representing high and frequent land disturbance and the forest sites, minimum disturbance (Figure 2). Figure 2. Ground beetles collected and their relative abundance in each Agriculture of the three land-use treatments. Agriculture Clear-cut Forest Figure 3.(Above). Selected carabid species collected in the study: (clockwise Acupalpus partiarius from upper left) Dicaelus dilatatus, Cicindela unipunctata, Megacephala Acupalpus pauperculus Agonum punctiforme virginica, Pasimachus punctulatus, Carabus goryi, and Agonum punctiforme. Amara aenea Amara cupreolata Figure 4. (Right). Effect of treatment on species richness and diversity INTRODUCTION Amara impuncticollis (Shannon and Simpson indices) as well as the number of average number of Amara littoralis Anisodactylus dulcicollis specimens collected per plot. Anisodactylus furvus Understanding the influence of Anisodactylus haplomus P=0.08 Anisodactylus nigerrimus human disturbance on Anisodactylus ovularis Anisodactylus rusticus RESULTS & DISCUSSION biological diversity is important Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis Bembidion rapidum for guiding resource use and Carabus goryi Carabus sylvosus Approximately 500 ground beetle specimens were ecosystem management in a Chlaenius emarginatus Chlaenius tomentosus collected, representing 49 species (Figures 2 and 3), world with an increasing Chlaenius tricolor Cicindela punctulata 13 of which have not been reported to occur in human population, diminishing Cicindela unipunctata Clivina bipustulata Kentucky previously. Although species natural resources, and Cyclotrachelus fucatus Cyclotrachelus sodalis composition was influenced by land use, impaired ecosystem Dicaelus politus Dicaelus dilatatus Dicaelus elongatus species richness and diversity were not functioning. Insects are Dicaelus teter Galerita bicolor significantly reduced with increasing disturbance useful biological indicators Galerita janus P=0.11 Harpalus herbavigus (Figure 4). This is somewhat surprising given the for monitoring the effects of Harpalus pensylvanicus Megacephala virginica number of studies demonstrating the negative human activities because of Notiophilus aeneus Olisthopus parmatus itimpacts of agrilticulture on ground btlbeetles. It is their ubiquity and ground Pasimachus punctulatus Poecilus chalcites possible that the lack of treatment differences is at beetles (Coleoptera: Pterostichus permundus Pterostichus rostratus least partially due to the relatively small samples Carabidae) in particular may Pterostichus stygicus Scarites quadriceps sizes, but presently this data set, collected over a 4- be good indicators as they are Scarites subterraneous Selenophorus opalinus year period, indicates that although species among the most common soil- Stenolophus ochropezus Stenolophus rotundatus composition is influenced by land-use, greater dwelling insects found living in Stenolophus rotundicollis Trichotichnus autumnalis disturbance does not necessarily result in reduced temperate ecosystems and Trichotichnus fulgens diversity. 0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 relatively easy to sample. Axis Title Percentage of Total Collected Axis Title.