LAUSR

The aim of this research was to identify the species composition and quantitative and qualitative structure of ground beetles inhabiting conventional potato cultivations. The study was conducted over the 2008 and 2011-2013 period in eleven localities in the Subcarpathian region (Podkarpacie). Beetles were captured using Barber pitfall traps. A total of 7406 beetles were caught, which were classified in 29 genera and 54 species. Small zoophages proved to be the most numerously represented trophic group, whereas the species that were caught as greatest numbers at the study sites were as follows: Harpalus rufipes, Pterostichus melanarius, and Poecilus cupreus. The obtained results demonstrate that anthropogenic factors affect both the trophic structure of ground beetle populations and their habitat preferences. At the same time, species with wide ecological tolerance and lower susceptibility to anthropogenic pressure were promoted. It was also shown that the maintenance and appropriate management of diverse biocoenoses in agricultural space contribute to increased diversity of Carabidae found in agrarian areas.