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Video ViewAttendees 1

10-Minute Paper

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

On-Demand

On-Demand 10-Minute Papers

Integrated vegetation management of powerline rights-of-way (ROW) and soil-dwelling invertebrates: A view of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) at a research ROW in central Pennsylvania

On-Demand
On-Demand

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Hannah L. Cave Stout (she/her/hers)

    Conservation Entomologist, SFS-Certified Macroinvertebrate Taxonomist
    State College, Pennsylvania

    • Co-Author(s)

  • IF

    Ian J. Fisher

    Undergraduate Research Assistant
    Penn State Altoona
    Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania

  • AS

    Abigail W. Seltzer

    Undergraduate Research Assistant
    Penn State Altoona
    Tyrone, Pennsylvania

  • BR

    Brad D. Ross

    Instructor and Research Assistant, Biology
    Penn State Altoona
    State College, Pennsylvania

  • CM

    Carolyn G. Mahan

    Professor, Biology and Environmental Studies
    Penn State Altoona
    State College, Pennsylvania

Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) are valuable bioindicators of natural and agricultural systems due to their sensitivity to environmental changes, their relative abundance, and the many diverse ecological roles that carabids play. There have been numerous studies of the ground beetle communities of croplands and woodlands, but the carabids that inhabit the managed, early successional habitats of utility and transportation corridors are not as well known. The objective of our study is to examine the potential pre- and post-treatment differences in ground beetle populations among different vegetative treatments used in integrated vegetation management (IVM) under an electric transmission right-of-way (ROW).In May 2020, at the State Game Lands 33 Rights-of-Way Research and Demonstration Area (Centre County, Pennsylvania), we installed 2x3 pitfall trap arrays in seven ROW plots representing five different vegetation management types (mow only, hand cut only, and three different herbicidal application methods: low volume foliar, high volume foliar, and low volume basal).Pitfall traps were open for 72 hours each month, for a total of 288 trap-hours in 2020. The vegetation at the research plots was managed in August 2021, and we repeated our pitfall trapping methods May-August 2022.The results provide an initial snapshot view of the potential effects and costs/benefits of maintaining powerline rights-of-way on ground beetle abundance, taxa richness, and diversity.