Community composition, abundance and activity‐density of carabids and staphylinids depend on prey abundance and adjacent habitat even in diverse agricultural landscapes

BACKGROUND: The functioning of agroecosystems depends on key ecosystem processes that deliver ecosystem services, yet agricultural management has increasingly shifted towards simplified landscapes lacking essential resources for service providers. Using field- and landscape-scale approaches, we assessed how habitat composition and management shape predator communities and their pest control potential. This study assessed carabid and staphylinid communities in oilseed rape and field-bordering habitats, relating predator abundance to prey availability, landscape metrics and field management. RESULTS: The type of field boundary habitat influenced carabid and staphylinid communities even in diverse landscapes. The activity-density of both carabids and staphylinids in fields depended on field boundary habitat type, whereas their species communities in fields were a subset of the nearby habitats' communities. The high activity-density and diversity were positively related to the sentinel prey consumption in winter oilseed rape fields. Furthermore, the abundance of superdominant species Poecilus cupreus increased with the abundance of its potential prey, the pollen beetle, and also was associated with a higher consumption of Calliphora sp. sentinel prey. Additionally, we provide a full species list of captured carabids and staphylinids. CONCLUSION: Local habitat characteristics, such as field-boundary habitat type and prey availability, are key determinants of carabid and staphylinid assemblages - even in landscapes with high semi-natural habitat coverage. Because crop field communities represent subsets of the species found in nearby semi-natural habitats, these surrounding habitats play a pivotal role in sustaining biodiversity. This underscores the need for landscape-level management approaches to ensure the provision of vital ecosystem services in agricultural systems. © 2026 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.