Assistant Professor University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Mortality by predation is a major factor determining insect pest population dynamics in agroecosystems, providing a valuable regulatory ecosystem service. The establishment and management of semi-natural habitats in agroecosystems can play an important role in conservational biocontrol by increasing natural enemy richness and diversity. Here, we describe ground-dwelling arthropod assemblage composition in canola agroecosystems in central Alberta and its changes due to distance-decay effects from semi-natural vegetation. Future molecular gut content analysis using DNA metabarcoding will be conducted to determine the diet of Pterostichus melanarius (Coleoptera: Carabidae), one of the most abundant opportunistic omnivores in agroecosystems in the Canadian prairies. The results from this study will provide information on the effect of semi-natural vegetation on generalist predator diet in agroecosystems.