Ground beetles benefit from organic farming, but not all of them equally

What is it about?

Published data was re-analysed to assess the effect of organic vs. conventional agriculture on ground beetles. Those beetle species which are most typical of open fields benefited the most from organic farming; those typical of woodlands showed much smaller, or in some cases, even a reversed response.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Ground beetles play important roles for pest control in agriculture, but biodiversity of ground beetles has suffered due to intensification of agriculture. This research shows that organic farming shows the greatest potential for species conservation of ground beetles preferring open fields.