We used pitfall traps to assess ground beetle diversity (Coleoptera:Carabidae) on two islands in the lower Chippewa River, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, with rapidly expanding populations of reed canary grass, Phalaris arundinaceae. We collected 233 individuals belonging to 17 species over four, 3-9 day sampling periods, May-August 1994. All species have been documented in Wisconsin and most are considered habitat generalists. Agonum fidele, A. extensicolle, Anisodactylus harrisii and Bembidion quadrimaculatum oppositum comprised 70% of all species collected. Seven species were common to both islands, with 13 species collected on Canarygrass Island and 11 species on Ski Jump Island. Carabid species diversity (Shannon’s H=2.01) was greatest on Canarygrass Island

Barnes, William J

Christensen, Anita M

Kleintjes, Paula K

Lyons, Lori A

English

ValpoScholar

The Great Lakes Entomologist 
Volume 35 
Number 1 - Spring/Summer 2002 Number 1 - 
Spring/Summer 2002 
Article 14 
April 2002 
Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Inhabiting Stands of Reed 
Canary Grass Phalaris Arundinacea on Islands in the Lower 
Chippewa River, Wisconsin 
Paula K. Kleintjes 
University of Wisconsin 
Anita M. Christensen 
University of Wisconsin 
William J. Barnes 
University of Wisconsin 
Lori A. Lyons 
University of Wisconsin 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle 
 Part of the Entomology Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Kleintjes, Paula K.; Christensen, Anita M.; Barnes, William J.; and Lyons, Lori A. 2002. "Ground Beetles 
(Coleoptera: Carabidae) Inhabiting Stands of Reed Canary Grass Phalaris Arundinacea on Islands in the 
Lower Chippewa River, Wisconsin," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 35 (1) 
Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol35/iss1/14 
This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. 
It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. 
For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. 
2002 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 79
GROUND BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE) INHABITING 
STANDS OF REED CANARY GRASS PHALARIS ARUNDINACEA ON 
ISLANDS IN THE LOWER CHIPPEWA RIVER, WISCONSIN 
Paula K. Kleintjes1, Anita M. Christensen1, William J. Barnes1 and Lori A. 
Lyons1
ABSTRACT
We used pitfall traps to assess ground beetle diversity (Coleoptera:Carabidae) 
on two islands in the lower Chippewa River, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, with 
rapidly expanding populations of reed canary grass, Phalaris arundinaceae.  We 
collected 233 individuals belonging to 17 species over four, 3-9 day sampling 
periods, May-August 1994. All species have been documented in Wisconsin and 
most are considered habitat generalists. Agonum fidele, A. extensicolle, Aniso-
dactylus harrisii and Bembidion quadrimaculatum oppositum comprised 70% of 
all species collected. Seven species were common to both islands, with 13 species 
collected on Canarygrass Island and 11 species on Ski Jump Island. Carabid 
species diversity (Shannon’s H=2.01) was greatest on Canarygrass Island. 
____________________
Reed canary grass Phalaris arundinacea Linnaeus is an invasive species 
in lowland and riparian areas of the Midwest and other regions of the northern 
hemisphere (Apfelbaum and Sams 1987, Barnes 1999). Both native populations 
and European ecotypes are thought to exist in Wisconsin, the latter being more 
aggressive and responsible for displacement of native populations and other 
wetland plant species (Fassett 1951, Apfelbaum and Sams 1987, Borman et 
al. 1997, Barnes 1999). In the lower Chippewa River basin of Wisconsin, P. 
arundinacea has become increasingly conspicuous on islands and floodplains, 
and its impact on native herbaceous species composition and diversity has been 
documented (Barnes 1999). Barnes (1999) attributed its expansion, in part, to 
the establishment of the European ecotype and its adaptability to grow under 
fluctuating water levels. Based on a literature review we found no citations of 
epigeal insects inhabiting islands in the Chippewa River, Wisconsin or of epigeal 
insects associated with P. arundinacea dominated habitats.  Our objective was 
to document the ground beetles that inhabited two P. arundinacea populated 
islands in the lower Chippewa River, Wisconsin.
METHODS AND MATERIALS
We selected two islands, Ski Jump (SJ) and Canarygrass (CI), both ap-
proximately 5 km downstream of the City of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Ski Jump 
Island is approximately 400 m long and 120 m at its widest point and has 
a maximum elevation of 2 m. The island is thought to have formed between 
1934 and 1938 (Barnes 1985). The upstream end of the island is dominated 
by P. arundinacea. Canarygrass Island is located 1000 m upstream of Ski 
Jump Island. It is approximately 200 m long by 70 m wide and nearly level 
with a maximum elevation of 1 m. The island formed at the same time as Ski 
Jump Island, but it has disappeared and reformed several times, persisting 
since 1972 (Barnes, personal observation). The entire island is dominated by 
P. arundinacea. The soil of both islands is riverwash consisting of sand and 
cobble stone surfaces.
 1Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI 54702
1
Kleintjes et al.: Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Inhabiting Stands of Reed
Published by ValpoScholar, 2002
80 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 35, No. 1
We used custom-designed arthropod pitfall traps to sample carabid spe-
cies. Each trap consisted of a 295 ml plastic beverage cup placed in the ground 
with the top rim flush with the ground. A piece of 10 x 10 cm brown linoleum 
was held in place 2 cm above each cup by two, 7cm long nails to keep out rain 
and leaves. A 1:1 ratio of 70% ethyl alcohol and water was placed 2 cm deep in 
the bottom of each cup to kill insects and minimize evaporation.  Twenty-five 
traps were placed within a monotypic stand of P. arundinacea occupying the 
upstream end of each island. Traps were placed 3 m apart along five transects, 
each spaced 5 m apart and running the width of each island.  Traps were checked, 
emptied and replaced with new traps at the end of each of four sampling periods 
during the summer of 1994. Dates of sampling occurred after spring flooding: 
20-23 May, 9-16 June and 1-8 July for both islands, 20-26 July for Ski Jump 
Island, and 25 July-2 August for Canarygrass Island. After trap collection, all 
arthropods were sorted and identified to morphospecies. All carabid beetles 
were removed and stored separately by island in vials of 70% ethyl alcohol. 
Beetles were subsequently pinned or point mounted and species identified by 
Kirk Larsen, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa. Taxonomy followed Bousquet and 
Larochelle (1993). Voucher specimens are housed in collections at the University 
of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Luther College. Data were summed for each collec-
tion period per island and pooled across all samples to obtain the mean number 
of each species captured/trap. A Shannon’s H diversity index (H=- ∑ piln(pi)) was calculated for each island (Hayek and Buzas 1997).
We sampled vegetation in each pitfall trap area by determining the pres-
ence of all herbaceous plant species observed within a 1 m diameter circular 
plot surrounding each trap. Data were collected during the last pitfall collection 
period when grasses were in bloom and easily identifiable to species. Frequency 
of occurrence of each plant species was determined by dividing the total number 
of plots in which a species was present by the total number of plots sampled (25).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
We collected 233 Carabidae beetles belong to 17 species (Table 1). At the 
time of the study, all species had been previously documented in Wisconsin 
with the exception of Agonum fidele Casey (Bousquet and Larochelle 1993). 
However, A. fidele has since been documented from southern Wisconsin (Sauk 
Co.) in 1998 (Purrington et al. 2000). Seven species (41%) were common to both 
islands, with 13 species (76%) collected on Canarygrass Island and 11 species 
(65%) on Ski Jump Island. Canarygrass Island had greater beetle abundance 
and species richness. It also had a higher Shannon’s H Diversity Index (2.01 
for CI vs. 1.88 for SJ) out of a maximum possible of 2.83 based on H=ln(17) if 
all relative abundances of the 17 species were equal (Hayek and Buzas 1997). 
Frequency of P. arundinacea occurrence differed little between the two 
trap areas. All 25 trap quadrats (100%) on Canarygrass Island contained P. 
arundinacea whereas 88% of the quadrats contained it on Ski Jump Island. 
Greater than 36% of the Canarygrass Island plots were occupied by three plant 
species, the only three species observed in the samples (Table 2). In contrast, 13 
plant species were observed on Ski Jump Island plots, although most occurred at 
low (<5%) frequencies (Table 2). We do not know why the P. arundinacea stand 
on Ski Jump Island had fewer numbers of beetles (51 vs. 182) but we speculate 
that it was because the island had a greater variety of adjacent habitats to 
which beetles could disperse rather than being limited to the P. arundinacea 
monoculture occupying Canarygrass Island.
Carabid species richness in our study was less or nearly equal to that 
found for specific vegetation cover types, e.g. agricultural crops, old fields, and 
prairie remnants in the upper Midwest (~10-60 spp.) (Esau and Peters 1975, 
House and All 1981, Dritschillo and Irwin 1982, Purrington et al. 1989, Ep-
stein and Kulman 1990, Weiss et al. 1990, Will et al. 1995, Clark et al. 1997, 
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The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 35, No. 1 [2002], Art. 14
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2002 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 81
Table 1. Results of pitfall trap sampling for carabid beetles in populations of reed canary 
grass, Phalaris arundinaceae L., inhabiting Canarygrass and Ski Jump Islands in the 
lower Chippewa River, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, May-August 1994. 
                        Total number collected
Species Canarygrass Ski Jump Mean no./trap 
(±sd)1
Agonum anchomenoides Randall 2 - 0.04 (0.05)
Agonum cupripenne (Say) 4 - 0.08 (0.11)
Agonum extensicolle (Say) 26 - 0.52 (0.75)
Agonum fidele Casey 51 1 1.04 (1.41)
Agonum palustre Goulet 15 1 0.32 (0.39)
Anisodactylus harrisii LeConte 27 3 0.60 (0.67)
Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis (F.) 1 - 0.02 (0.02)
Bembidion quadrimaculatum 
oppositum Say 36 20 1.12 (0.45)
Calosoma calidum (F.) - 1 0.02 (0.02)
Carabus goryi Dejean - 2 0.04 (0.05)
Chlaenius tricolor Dejean 12 - 0.24 (0.33)
Harpalus pensylvanicus (DeGeer) - 1 0.02 (0.02)
Poecilus lucublandus (Say) 1 3 0.08 (0.05)
Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger) 3 4 0.02 (0.02)
Synuchus impunctatus (Say) 2 - 0.04 (0.05)
Syntomus americanus (Dejean) - 11 0.22 (0.31)
Tetragonoderus fasciatus (Haldeman) 2 4 0.12 (0.05)
 Total  182 51
 
Table 2. Frequency of plant species occuring in arthropod pitfall trap quadrats of reed 
canary grass, Phalaris arundinacea L. dominated habitats on Canarygrass and Ski 
Jump Islands in the lower Chippewa River, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin.
                              Percent frequency of occurrence
  Canarygrass Ski Jump
Phalaris arundinacea L. 100 88
Panicum virgatum L. - 8
Elymus canadensis L. - 4
Spartina pectinata Link - 24
Solidago canadensis L. - 4
Poa pratensis L., P. palustris L. 36 4
Vernonia fasciculata Michaux - 4
Polygonum pensylvanicum L. - 12
Vitis riparia Michaux - 12
Chenopodium spp.  - 4
Calystegia sepium (L.) R. Brown - 4
Mollugo verticillata L. - 4
Lythrum salicaria L. 44 -
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Kleintjes et al.: Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Inhabiting Stands of Reed
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82 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 35, No. 1
Ellsbury et al. 1998). Epstein and Kulman (1990) found approximately 20 
species in mesic-hydric lowland forest sites and about 10 species in mesic field 
sites of east-central Minnesota. About 70% our species were also collected in at 
least one of the studies cited above – Agonum cupripenne (Say), A. extensicolle 
(Say), A. palustre Goulet, Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis (Fabricius), A. harrisii 
LeConte, Bembidion quadrimaculatum oppositum Say, Chlaenius tricolor De-
jean, Harpalus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer), Poecilis lucublandus (Say), Pterosti-
chus melanarius (Illiger), Syntomus americanus (Dejean) and Tetragonoderus 
fasciatus (Haldeman).  
Most of the species we collected are considered habitat generalists com-
monly found in gardens, fields, agricultural crops and/or forests (Epstein and 
Kulman 1990, Clark et al. 1997). Bembidion quadrimaculatum oppositum (Say) 
was the most commonly collected species on both islands. It is an abundant 
generalist with high numbers recorded from surveys of agricultural crops and 
old fields (Esau and Peters 1975).  Agonum palustre ranked fifth in abundance 
on Canarygrass Island and is considered a hydric lowland forest specialist (Ep-
stein and Kulman 1990). Thus, our results support its tolerance of wet areas 
and we suspect it can tolerate periodic flooding. We collected one individual of 
Synuchus impunctatus (Say) also found by Purrington et al. (1989) in upland 
forest habitat and 11 individuals of S. americanus, also found in oak (Quercus 
spp.) forest by Epstein and Kulman (1990). Syntomus americanus was the second 
most abundant carabid collected on Ski Jump Island which does have a woody 
vegetation component at higher elevations. Upland oak forest also occurs on 
neighboring mainland hillsides.
We recognize that additional sampling of P. arundinacea dominated habi-
tats and adjacent non-dominated grassland habitats on more islands and along 
the mainland is needed to determine whether carabid species abundance and 
richness are affected by the expansion of P. arundinacea. In addition, assess-
ment of other insects such as those that are monophagous herbivores or low in 
vagility, e.g., some lepidoptera larvae, may be better for determining the effects 
of P. arundinacea upon insect divesity because the insects may be reliant on 
native plant species that could be outcompeted by P. arundinacea.  
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank Helen Barnes, Pam Berquist, Josh Conner, Chad Hess, Rebecca 
van Nelson-Cullen and UWEC Upward Bound Students for field assistance and 
Kirk Larsen for Carabidae species identification. The research was supported by 
a UWEC Office of Research and University Sponsored Projects Undergraduate 
Faculty-Student Collaboration Research Grant.
LITERATURE CITED
Apfelbaum, S. I. and C. E. Sams. 1987. Ecology and control of reed canary grass. Nat. 
Areas. J. 7:69-74.
Barnes, W. J. 1985. Population dynamics of woody plants on a river island. Can. J. Bot. 
63:647-655.
Barnes, W. J. 1999. The rapid growth of a population of reed canary grass (Phalaris arun-
dinacea L.) and its impact on some riverbottom herbs. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 126:133-138.
Borman, S., R. Korth  and  J. Temte. 1997.Through the looking glass: A field guide to 
Aquatic plants. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Publ. # FH-207-97, 
Merrill, WI.
Bousquet, Y. and A. Larochelle. 1993. Catalogue of the Geadephaga (Coleoptera: Trachy-
pachidae, Rhysodidae, Carabidae including Cicindelini) of America north of Mexico. 
No. 167. Entomological Society of Canada Memoir, Ottawa, Canada.
4
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2002 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 83
Clark, M. S., S. H. Gage, and  J. R. Spence. 1997. Habitats and management associated 
with common ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in a Michigan agricultural 
landscape.  Environ. Entomol. 26:519-527.
Dritschillo, W. and T. L. Irwin. 1982. Responses in abundance and diversity of cornfield 
carabid communities to differences in farm practices. Ecology 63: 900-904.
Ellsbury, M. M., J. E. Powell, F. Forcella, D. W. Woodson, S. A. Clay, W. E. Riedell. 1998. 
Diversity and dominant species of ground beetle assemblages (Coleoptera: Carabidae) 
in crop rotation and chemical input systems for the northern Great Plains. Ann. 
Entomol. Soc. Amer. 91:619-625. 
Epstein, M. E. and H. M. Kulman. 1990. Habitat distribution and seasonal occurrence of 
carabid beetles in east-central Minnesota. Am. Midl. Nat.123: 209-225.
Esau, K. L. and D. C. Peters. 1975. Carabidae collected in pitfall traps in Iowa cornfields, 
fencerows and prairies. Environ. Entomol. 4:509-513.
Fassett, N. C. 1951. Grasses of Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, WI. 
173pp. 
Hayek, L.C. and M. A. Buzas. 1997. Surveying Natural Populations. Columbia University 
Press. New York, 563p.
House, C. J. and J. N. All. 1981. Carabid beetles in soybean agroecosystems. Environ. 
Entomol. 10:194-196.
Purrington, F. F., J. E. Bater, M. G. Paoletti and B. J. Stinner. 1989. Ground beetles 
from a remnant oak-maple-beech forest and its surroundings in northeastern Ohio 
(Coleoptera: Carabidae). Great Lakes Entomol. 22:105-110.
Purrington, F. F., D. K. Young, K. J. Larsen, and J. C-T. Lee. 2000. New distribution 
records of ground beetles from the North Central United States. (Coleoptera: Cara-
bidae). Great Lakes Entomol. 33:199-204.
Weiss, M. J., E. U. Balsbaugh Jr., E. W. French and B. K. Hoag. 1990. Influence of tillage 
management and cropping system on ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) fauna 
in the northern great plains. Environ. Entomol. 19: 1388-1391.
Will, K. W., F. F. Purrington and D. J. Horn. 1995. Ground beetles of islands in the west-
ern basin of Lake Erie and the adjacent mainland (Coleoptera: Carabidae including 
Cicindelini). Great Lakes Entomol. 28:55-70.
5
Kleintjes et al.: Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Inhabiting Stands of Reed
Published by ValpoScholar, 2002


Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Inhabiting Stands of Reed Canary Grass Phalaris Arundinacea on Islands in the Lower Chippewa River, Wisconsin

Valparaiso University

The Great Lakes Entomologist Volume 35 Number 1 - Spring/Summer 2002 Number 1 - Spring/Summer 2002 Article 14 April 2002 Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Inhabiting Stands of Reed Canary Grass Phalaris Arundinacea on Islands in the Lower Chippewa River, Wisconsin Paula K. Kleintjes University of Wisconsin Anita M. Christensen University of Wisconsin William J. Barnes University of Wisconsin Lori A. Lyons University of Wisconsin Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle  Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Kleintjes, Paula K.; Christensen, Anita M.; Barnes, William J.; and Lyons, Lori A. 2002. "Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Inhabiting Stands of Reed Canary Grass Phalaris Arundinacea on Islands in the Lower Chippewa River, Wisconsin," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 35 (1) Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol35/iss1/14 This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. 2002 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 79GROUND BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE) INHABITING STANDS OF REED CANARY GRASS PHALARIS ARUNDINACEA ON ISLANDS IN THE LOWER CHIPPEWA RIVER, WISCONSIN Paula K. Kleintjes1, Anita M. Christensen1, William J. Barnes1 and Lori A. Lyons1ABSTRACTWe used pitfall traps to assess ground beetle diversity (Coleoptera:Carabidae) on two islands in the lower Chippewa River, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, with rapidly expanding populations of reed canary grass, Phalaris arundinaceae.  We collected 233 individuals belonging to 17 species over four, 3-9 day sampling periods, May-August 1994. All species have been documented in Wisconsin and most are considered habitat generalists. Agonum fidele, A. extensicolle, Aniso-dactylus harrisii and Bembidion quadrimaculatum oppositum comprised 70% of all species collected. Seven species were common to both islands, with 13 species collected on Canarygrass Island and 11 species on Ski Jump Island. Carabid species diversity (Shannon’s H=2.01) was greatest on Canarygrass Island. ____________________Reed canary grass Phalaris arundinacea Linnaeus is an invasive species in lowland and riparian areas of the Midwest and other regions of the northern hemisphere (Apfelbaum and Sams 1987, Barnes 1999). Both native populations and European ecotypes are thought to exist in Wisconsin, the latter being more aggressive and responsible for displacement of native populations and other wetland plant species (Fassett 1951, Apfelbaum and Sams 1987, Borman et al. 1997, Barnes 1999). In the lower Chippewa River basin of Wisconsin, P. arundinacea has become increasingly conspicuous on islands and floodplains, and its impact on native herbaceous species composition and diversity has been documented (Barnes 1999). Barnes (1999) attributed its expansion, in part, to the establishment of the European ecotype and its adaptability to grow under fluctuating water levels. Based on a literature review we found no citations of epigeal insects inhabiting islands in the Chippewa River, Wisconsin or of epigeal insects associated with P. arundinacea dominated habitats.  Our objective was to document the ground beetles that inhabited two P. arundinacea populated islands in the lower Chippewa River, Wisconsin.METHODS AND MATERIALSWe selected two islands, Ski Jump (SJ) and Canarygrass (CI), both ap-proximately 5 km downstream of the City of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Ski Jump Island is approximately 400 m long and 120 m at its widest point and has a maximum elevation of 2 m. The island is thought to have formed between 1934 and 1938 (Barnes 1985). The upstream end of the island is dominated by P. arundinacea. Canarygrass Island is located 1000 m upstream of Ski Jump Island. It is approximately 200 m long by 70 m wide and nearly level with a maximum elevation of 1 m. The island formed at the same time as Ski Jump Island, but it has disappeared and reformed several times, persisting since 1972 (Barnes, personal observation). The entire island is dominated by P. arundinacea. The soil of both islands is riverwash consisting of sand and cobble stone surfaces. 1Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI 547021Kleintjes et al.: Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Inhabiting Stands of ReedPublished by ValpoScholar, 200280 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 35, No. 1We used custom-designed arthropod pitfall traps to sample carabid spe-cies. Each trap consisted of a 295 ml plastic beverage cup placed in the ground with the top rim flush with the ground. A piece of 10 x 10 cm brown linoleum was held in place 2 cm above each cup by two, 7cm long nails to keep out rain and leaves. A 1:1 ratio of 70% ethyl alcohol and water was placed 2 cm deep in the bottom of each cup to kill insects and minimize evaporation.  Twenty-five traps were placed within a monotypic stand of P. arundinacea occupying the upstream end of each island. Traps were placed 3 m apart along five transects, each spaced 5 m apart and running the width of each island.  Traps were checked, emptied and replaced with new traps at the end of each of four sampling periods during the summer of 1994. Dates of sampling occurred after spring flooding: 20-23 May, 9-16 June and 1-8 July for both islands, 20-26 July for Ski Jump Island, and 25 July-2 August for Canarygrass Island. After trap collection, all arthropods were sorted and identified to morphospecies. All carabid beetles were removed and stored separately by island in vials of 70% ethyl alcohol. Beetles were subsequently pinned or point mounted and species identified by Kirk Larsen, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa. Taxonomy followed Bousquet and Larochelle (1993). Voucher specimens are housed in collections at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Luther College. Data were summed for each collec-tion period per island and pooled across all samples to obtain the mean number of each species captured/trap. A Shannon’s H diversity index (H=- ∑ piln(pi)) was calculated for each island (Hayek and Buzas 1997).We sampled vegetation in each pitfall trap area by determining the pres-ence of all herbaceous plant species observed within a 1 m diameter circular plot surrounding each trap. Data were collected during the last pitfall collection period when grasses were in bloom and easily identifiable to species. Frequency of occurrence of each plant species was determined by dividing the total number of plots in which a species was present by the total number of plots sampled (25).RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONWe collected 233 Carabidae beetles belong to 17 species (Table 1). At the time of the study, all species had been previously documented in Wisconsin with the exception of Agonum fidele Casey (Bousquet and Larochelle 1993). However, A. fidele has since been documented from southern Wisconsin (Sauk Co.) in 1998 (Purrington et al. 2000). Seven species (41%) were common to both islands, with 13 species (76%) collected on Canarygrass Island and 11 species (65%) on Ski Jump Island. Canarygrass Island had greater beetle abundance and species richness. It also had a higher Shannon’s H Diversity Index (2.01 for CI vs. 1.88 for SJ) out of a maximum possible of 2.83 based on H=ln(17) if all relative abundances of the 17 species were equal (Hayek and Buzas 1997). Frequency of P. arundinacea occurrence differed little between the two trap areas. All 25 trap quadrats (100%) on Canarygrass Island contained P. arundinacea whereas 88% of the quadrats contained it on Ski Jump Island. Greater than 36% of the Canarygrass Island plots were occupied by three plant species, the only three species observed in the samples (Table 2). In contrast, 13 plant species were observed on Ski Jump Island plots, although most occurred at low (<5%) frequencies (Table 2). We do not know why the P. arundinacea stand on Ski Jump Island had fewer numbers of beetles (51 vs. 182) but we speculate that it was because the island had a greater variety of adjacent habitats to which beetles could disperse rather than being limited to the P. arundinacea monoculture occupying Canarygrass Island.Carabid species richness in our study was less or nearly equal to that found for specific vegetation cover types, e.g. agricultural crops, old fields, and prairie remnants in the upper Midwest (~10-60 spp.) (Esau and Peters 1975, House and All 1981, Dritschillo and Irwin 1982, Purrington et al. 1989, Ep-stein and Kulman 1990, Weiss et al. 1990, Will et al. 1995, Clark et al. 1997, 2The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 35, No. 1 [2002], Art. 14https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol35/iss1/142002 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 81Table 1. Results of pitfall trap sampling for carabid beetles in populations of reed canary grass, Phalaris arundinaceae L., inhabiting Canarygrass and Ski Jump Islands in the lower Chippewa River, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, May-August 1994.                         Total number collectedSpecies Canarygrass Ski Jump Mean no./trap (±sd)1Agonum anchomenoides Randall 2 - 0.04 (0.05)Agonum cupripenne (Say) 4 - 0.08 (0.11)Agonum extensicolle (Say) 26 - 0.52 (0.75)Agonum fidele Casey 51 1 1.04 (1.41)Agonum palustre Goulet 15 1 0.32 (0.39)Anisodactylus harrisii LeConte 27 3 0.60 (0.67)Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis (F.) 1 - 0.02 (0.02)Bembidion quadrimaculatum oppositum Say 36 20 1.12 (0.45)Calosoma calidum (F.) - 1 0.02 (0.02)Carabus goryi Dejean - 2 0.04 (0.05)Chlaenius tricolor Dejean 12 - 0.24 (0.33)Harpalus pensylvanicus (DeGeer) - 1 0.02 (0.02)Poecilus lucublandus (Say) 1 3 0.08 (0.05)Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger) 3 4 0.02 (0.02)Synuchus impunctatus (Say) 2 - 0.04 (0.05)Syntomus americanus (Dejean) - 11 0.22 (0.31)Tetragonoderus fasciatus (Haldeman) 2 4 0.12 (0.05) Total  182 51 Table 2. Frequency of plant species occuring in arthropod pitfall trap quadrats of reed canary grass, Phalaris arundinacea L. dominated habitats on Canarygrass and Ski Jump Islands in the lower Chippewa River, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin.                              Percent frequency of occurrence  Canarygrass Ski JumpPhalaris arundinacea L. 100 88Panicum virgatum L. - 8Elymus canadensis L. - 4Spartina pectinata Link - 24Solidago canadensis L. - 4Poa pratensis L., P. palustris L. 36 4Vernonia fasciculata Michaux - 4Polygonum pensylvanicum L. - 12Vitis riparia Michaux - 12Chenopodium spp.  - 4Calystegia sepium (L.) R. Brown - 4Mollugo verticillata L. - 4Lythrum salicaria L. 44 -3Kleintjes et al.: Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Inhabiting Stands of ReedPublished by ValpoScholar, 200282 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 35, No. 1Ellsbury et al. 1998). Epstein and Kulman (1990) found approximately 20 species in mesic-hydric lowland forest sites and about 10 species in mesic field sites of east-central Minnesota. About 70% our species were also collected in at least one of the studies cited above – Agonum cupripenne (Say), A. extensicolle (Say), A. palustre Goulet, Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis (Fabricius), A. harrisii LeConte, Bembidion quadrimaculatum oppositum Say, Chlaenius tricolor De-jean, Harpalus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer), Poecilis lucublandus (Say), Pterosti-chus melanarius (Illiger), Syntomus americanus (Dejean) and Tetragonoderus fasciatus (Haldeman).  Most of the species we collected are considered habitat generalists com-monly found in gardens, fields, agricultural crops and/or forests (Epstein and Kulman 1990, Clark et al. 1997). Bembidion quadrimaculatum oppositum (Say) was the most commonly collected species on both islands. It is an abundant generalist with high numbers recorded from surveys of agricultural crops and old fields (Esau and Peters 1975).  Agonum palustre ranked fifth in abundance on Canarygrass Island and is considered a hydric lowland forest specialist (Ep-stein and Kulman 1990). Thus, our results support its tolerance of wet areas and we suspect it can tolerate periodic flooding. We collected one individual of Synuchus impunctatus (Say) also found by Purrington et al. (1989) in upland forest habitat and 11 individuals of S. americanus, also found in oak (Quercus spp.) forest by Epstein and Kulman (1990). Syntomus americanus was the second most abundant carabid collected on Ski Jump Island which does have a woody vegetation component at higher elevations. Upland oak forest also occurs on neighboring mainland hillsides.We recognize that additional sampling of P. arundinacea dominated habi-tats and adjacent non-dominated grassland habitats on more islands and along the mainland is needed to determine whether carabid species abundance and richness are affected by the expansion of P. arundinacea. In addition, assess-ment of other insects such as those that are monophagous herbivores or low in vagility, e.g., some lepidoptera larvae, may be better for determining the effects of P. arundinacea upon insect divesity because the insects may be reliant on native plant species that could be outcompeted by P. arundinacea.  ACKNOWLEDGMENTSWe thank Helen Barnes, Pam Berquist, Josh Conner, Chad Hess, Rebecca van Nelson-Cullen and UWEC Upward Bound Students for field assistance and Kirk Larsen for Carabidae species identification. The research was supported by a UWEC Office of Research and University Sponsored Projects Undergraduate Faculty-Student Collaboration Research Grant.LITERATURE CITEDApfelbaum, S. I. and C. E. Sams. 1987. Ecology and control of reed canary grass. Nat. Areas. J. 7:69-74.Barnes, W. J. 1985. Population dynamics of woody plants on a river island. Can. J. Bot. 63:647-655.Barnes, W. J. 1999. The rapid growth of a population of reed canary grass (Phalaris arun-dinacea L.) and its impact on some riverbottom herbs. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 126:133-138.Borman, S., R. Korth  and  J. Temte. 1997.Through the looking glass: A field guide to Aquatic plants. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Publ. # FH-207-97, Merrill, WI.Bousquet, Y. and A. Larochelle. 1993. Catalogue of the Geadephaga (Coleoptera: Trachy-pachidae, Rhysodidae, Carabidae including Cicindelini) of America north of Mexico. No. 167. Entomological Society of Canada Memoir, Ottawa, Canada.4The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 35, No. 1 [2002], Art. 14https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol35/iss1/142002 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 83Clark, M. S., S. H. Gage, and  J. R. Spence. 1997. Habitats and management associated with common ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in a Michigan agricultural landscape.  Environ. Entomol. 26:519-527.Dritschillo, W. and T. L. Irwin. 1982. Responses in abundance and diversity of cornfield carabid communities to differences in farm practices. Ecology 63: 900-904.Ellsbury, M. M., J. E. Powell, F. Forcella, D. W. Woodson, S. A. Clay, W. E. Riedell. 1998. Diversity and dominant species of ground beetle assemblages (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in crop rotation and chemical input systems for the northern Great Plains. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Amer. 91:619-625. Epstein, M. E. and H. M. Kulman. 1990. Habitat distribution and seasonal occurrence of carabid beetles in east-central Minnesota. Am. Midl. Nat.123: 209-225.Esau, K. L. and D. C. Peters. 1975. Carabidae collected in pitfall traps in Iowa cornfields, fencerows and prairies. Environ. Entomol. 4:509-513.Fassett, N. C. 1951. Grasses of Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, WI. 173pp. Hayek, L.C. and M. A. Buzas. 1997. Surveying Natural Populations. Columbia University Press. New York, 563p.House, C. J. and J. N. All. 1981. Carabid beetles in soybean agroecosystems. Environ. Entomol. 10:194-196.Purrington, F. F., J. E. Bater, M. G. Paoletti and B. J. Stinner. 1989. Ground beetles from a remnant oak-maple-beech forest and its surroundings in northeastern Ohio (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Great Lakes Entomol. 22:105-110.Purrington, F. F., D. K. Young, K. J. Larsen, and J. C-T. Lee. 2000. New distribution records of ground beetles from the North Central United States. (Coleoptera: Cara-bidae). Great Lakes Entomol. 33:199-204.Weiss, M. J., E. U. Balsbaugh Jr., E. W. French and B. K. Hoag. 1990. Influence of tillage management and cropping system on ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) fauna in the northern great plains. Environ. Entomol. 19: 1388-1391.Will, K. W., F. F. Purrington and D. J. Horn. 1995. Ground beetles of islands in the west-ern basin of Lake Erie and the adjacent mainland (Coleoptera: Carabidae including Cicindelini). Great Lakes Entomol. 28:55-70.5Kleintjes et al.: Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Inhabiting Stands of ReedPublished by ValpoScholar, 2002

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Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Inhabiting Stands of Reed Canary Grass Phalaris Arundinacea on Islands in the Lower Chippewa River, Wisconsin

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