A harrowing experience: Management effects on a diverse pasture beetle community

Desire to increase productivity has resulted in widespread intensification of agricultural management, often with negative effects for local communities and ecosystems. More extensive management of a pasture may mitigate biodiversity loss, promote native species, and increase numbers of beneficial predators. In 2004, a five-year project studying the effects of different grazing treatments on biodiversity was begun at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia. Using collection data from May-October 2005, we measured diversity and abundance of Coleoptera in response to treatment. Over 7000 individuals representing more than 140 species were collected; all dominant species were non-native. Similar numbers of individuals were collected across treatment and no significant difference in rarefied species richness was observed. One species demonstrated potential as an indicator of management regime. Multivariate techniques will be used to evaluate the response of the community to management.