Temporal changes in the spatial distribution of carabid beetles around arable field-woodlot boundaries

Carabids are considered beneficial arthropods in agroecosystems, where they prey on crop pests or consume weed seeds. Therefore, knowledge of the spatial distribution of carabids in agricultural landscapes is crucial to efficiently manage the ecosystem services that they provide. In the present study, we investigated the spatial distribution of carabids around arable field-woodlot boundaries in different seasons: (1) early spring, (2) late spring, (3) summer and (4) late autumn. The spatial distribution of carabid abundance (activity-density) and species richness varied seasonally, and the total abundance was highest within arable fields, except in early spring when it peaked at the boundaries. The observed pattern was mainly driven by the spatial distribution of the open-habitat species, which aggregated near the field boundaries during winter and early spring. The open-habitat species penetrated into woodlots during the summer season but occurred almost exclusively outside woodlots in the other sampling periods. The abundance of the forest species was highest within woodlots with the exception of the early spring season, when their abundance peaked at the boundaries. Carabid species richness was highest within arable fields in close proximity to woodlot boundaries with the exception of the summer season, when the total species richness was similar across habitats.