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Effect of local and landscape factors on abundance of ground beetles and assessment of their role as biocontrol agents in the olive growing area of southeastern Madrid, Spain

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Abstract

Designing biological control strategies for the olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae (Rossi)) by predators requires the study of their biology and effectiveness. In this work, we have studied the relationship between ground beetle activity density and local (soil condition) and landscape factors in the olive area of southeastern Madrid, as well as the efficiency of the most abundant species, Orthomus barbarus (Dejean) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) by functional response experiments. Also, O. barbarus has been described for the first time by molecular methods through the barcode gene COI. The two dominant species, O. barbarus and Pterostichus globosus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) showed different responses to landscape structure, but soil condition was more relevant than landscape structure for both species, and for activity density of ground beetles as a whole. P. globosus is more efficient than O. barbarus, and it is possible that in the study area other taxa are relevant as B. oleae predators.

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Acknowledgements

This work received financial support from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain and the European Regional Development Fund by project RTA2013-00039-C03-03: Biological control of Bactrocera oleae: Effect of landscape structure and importance of predation. We extend our sincere thanks to Luis M. Carrascal (MNCN, CSIC, Madrid) for statistical advice and Sergio Pérez (Faculty of Biological Sciences, UCM, Madrid) for carabid determination. We also thank Pablo Blas (RECESPAÑA Cooperative, Villarejo de Salvanés, Madrid), Esther Alonso (UCAM - Union of Madrid Agricultural Cooperatives) and the owners of the sampled olive groves.

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Correspondence to Susana Pascual.

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Lantero, E., Ortega, M., Sánchez-Ramos, I. et al. Effect of local and landscape factors on abundance of ground beetles and assessment of their role as biocontrol agents in the olive growing area of southeastern Madrid, Spain. BioControl 64, 685–696 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-019-09974-w

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