Abstract

The well-diversified Latin American agriculture plays an essential role in the economy of that region, through the export of food and agricultural commodities. The region is expected to continue playing a significant role in world agricultural production and trade. Carabid beetles are efficient consumers of arthropod pests and weed seeds on agricultural land, which makes them a target for studies by entomologists aiming to determine whether predatory carabids are capable of suppressing pest populations. However, carabids have been mostly studied in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Here, evidence for carabids as biocontrol agents of agricultural pests in Latin America is examined, aiming to improve understanding of this predator group in Latin American agroecosystems. The records found were organized into the following subject areas: conservation tactics, biocontrol agents, agricultural practices, and population survey. The literature review identified several gaps in knowledge of these topics, which made it possible to indicate potential research projects related to noncrop habitats, population studies, and consumption of weed seeds. Laboratory investigations of carabids’ predatory capacity indicated that they have the potential to control pests. However, field studies have failed to demonstrate that carabids significantly decreased pest densities. Although polyculture is a traditional practice of smallholder farmers in Latin America, the literature involving carabids and this sustainable agriculture practice is sparse. Looking forward, the utilization of polyculture and the existing no-till system in large fields provide opportunities for future research on ground beetles in Latin America.

中文翻译：

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拉丁美洲的甲壳纲甲虫（鞘翅目：甲壳纲）和农业害虫的生物防治

抽象的

拉丁美洲多样化的农业通过粮食和农产品的出口在该地区的经济中发挥着至关重要的作用。预计该地区将继续在世界农业生产和贸易中发挥重要作用。甲虫是农业上节肢动物害虫和杂草种子的有效消费者，这使其成为昆虫学家研究的目标，旨在确定掠食性甲虫是否能够抑制害虫种群。但是，对甲壳类动物的研究大多是在北半球的温带地区进行的。在这里，对甲虫作为拉丁美洲农业害虫生物防治剂的证据进行了研究，目的是增进人们对拉丁美洲农业生态系统中这一捕食者群体的了解。找到的记录分为以下主题领域：保护策略，生物防治剂，农业实践和人口调查。文献综述确定了这些主题知识上的几个空白，从而有可能指出与非作物生境，种群研究和杂草种子消费有关的潜在研究项目。实验室对甲壳动物的捕食能力进行调查表明，它们具有防治害虫的潜力。但是，野外研究未能证明钩节菜能显着降低害虫密度。尽管多元文化是拉丁美洲小农的一种传统习俗，但有关锁钩和这种可持续农业实践的文献很少。期待，