Changes in Carabidae Biodiversity in the Perennial Flowering Strip and Adjacent Arable Crops in Organic Conditions

Landscape simplification resulting from agricultural intensification threatens biodiversity and ecosystem services on arable land. Semi-natural habitats, such as flower strips, can mitigate these effects by providing habitat and resource diversity and by modifying the microclimate at the agricultural landscape scale. As effective natural enemies in arable fields, ground beetles (Carabidae) play a key role not only in pest regulation, but also in weed control through seed consumption. The study found that FS serve as crucial habitats supporting Carabidae-characterized by a higher Shannon-Wiener index-and foster the presence of rare species absent from adjacent wheat and rapeseed monocultures. Unlike field crops, flower strips exhibit greater evenness in ground beetle community structure, indicating higher ecological stability and superior environmental quality. The research confirmed significant seasonal fluctuations in Carabidae abundance, particularly pronounced in flower strips; an increase in numbers was recorded during May and June in both years of observation, confirming that FS act as stable habitats for these insects.