Dispersal and movement of ground beetles in the agricultural landscape
During this fall we have done some evaluation experiments involving individual tracking of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), for later studies on their dispersal behaviour.
This was done using a portable harmonic radar system which originally was intended to track down avalanche victims. The main focus this far has been on producing a reflector (diode with antenna) that would be feasible to use for studying the dispersal behaviour of ground-dwelling natural enemies in the field.
Although a relatively novel technique, portable harmonic radar as a means of studying animal dispersal behaviour was discovered as early as the mid 1980s through the pioneering work done by Mascanzoni & Wallin 1986. The technology has developed since and has been used in several similar studies.
Managing soil and litter
The main technical problem that arises when one tries to apply this technology on relatively small ground beetles (down to ~10 mm), is to design a reflector that does not encumber the animal to a point where the behaviour is significantly affected. This is especially important with ground beetles, since they spend a lot of their time pushing their way through soil and litter. Photo: Erkki Palmu- 1 of 3
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