HABITAT PREFERENCES OF GENERALIST PREDATORS IN REDUCED-TILLAGE CORN

Habitat preferences of generalist predators were evaluated by comparing their abundance among four reduced-tillage corn systems which differed in the degree of soil disturbance, quantity and structure of the surface mulch due to tillage, and cover crop management practices. Two sampling methods were used to collect predators, pitfall trapping and vacuum sampling. Although there was considerable difference in the composition of species collected with each method, similar trends in overall predator abundance were observed. Generalist predator abundance followed the gradient of ground cover. The treatment with the highest degree of mulch ground cover had the highest overall predator abundance while the treatment which was disked and without surface mulch had the lowest. Although most of the common species preferred those systems with the most ground cover, several species preferred the system with the least amount of ground cover.