DYNAMICS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A GENERALIST PREDATOR AND SLUGS OVER FIVE YEARS

摘要: Although communities of generalist invertebrate predators are known to be capable suppressing pests, little is about the long-term population dynamics individual species and single classes prey in field. We present evidence a dynamic interaction between insect predator, carabid beetle Pterostichus melanarius, its slug prey. We analyzed numbers slugs beetles an arable field over 5-yr period, during main activity period from June September. The contained 25 plots comprising five replicates cultural treatments. An index nutritional status 8497 collected was obtained by weighing crop each (a measure total availability per predator). There strong relationship mass soil, indicating that were major part diet beetles. change year strongly related both soil This indicated influenced status, hence reproductive success, had significant effect on growth years but not months within years. temporal these processes between-year coupling dynamics, buffered feeding other prey. appears similar mammalian limited subarctic, where one forms substantial proportion available food resources. Such relationships may common agroecosystems, diversity low, factor driving periodic fluctuations abundance pests.