Eur. J. Entomol. 123: 282-290, 2026 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2026.028

Impact of seed hydration level on seed preferences by carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae)Original article

Daniella CANON-RUBIO, Khaldoun A. ALI ORCID..., Christian J. WILLENBORG ORCID...
University of Saskatchewan - Plant Science, 51 Campus Drive Saskatoon, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5A2 Canada; e-mails: daniella.canon@usask.ca, kaa316@mail.usask.ca, chris.willenborg@usask.ca

Carabid beetles are among the most important post-dispersal seed predators in agroecosystems, where their feeding habits contribute to the bioregulation of weed seedbanks. Although seed traits such as size, shape, and coat hardness can influence seed choice by carabids, the role of environmental factors, such as seed hydration level, on seed choice remains understudied. The current study investigated how the different levels of hydration of kochia (Bassia scoparia) and canola (Brassica napus) seeds affected seed choice by Pterostichus melanarius and Poecilus corvus, two omnivorous carabids. Seeds hydrated for 6 h were significantly more preferred by the carabid species tested over dry seeds, but hydration beyond that period provided no additional increase in preference. Olfactometric bioassays indicated that these feeding responses were more likely driven by the moisture-induced changes in seed physical properties rather than changes in seed-derived chemical cues. As such, early water uptake seemed to induce measurable structural modifications while extended hydration caused little or no further change. The strength of seed hydration effects varied among both carabid and seed species, suggesting that seed predation pressure in agroecosystems is likely to depend on the temporal patterns of seed hydration in the field in addition to the species composition of both carabid communities and soil seedbanks.

Keywords: Feeding habits, seed predation, seed hydration levels, seedbank dynamics, ground beetles

Received: February 18, 2026; Revised: September 24, 2026; Accepted: September 24, 2026; Published online: October 21, 2026  Show citation

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CANON-RUBIO, D., ALI, K.A., & WILLENBORG, C.J. (2026). Impact of seed hydration level on seed preferences by carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). EJE, 123, Article 282-290. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2026.028
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