All taxa of Orthoptera known from the latest Eocene deposits of the Isle of Wight are redescribed or discussed, based on the study of their type material. The following new taxa are described: Ontogryllus gen. nov., O. rossi sp. nov. (type species), Achetomorpha gen. nov., A. irregularis sp. nov. (type species), and Proeneopterotrypus gen. nov. The latter genus is here proposed for Pteroplistes danicus Rust, described from the Palaeocene/Eocene of Denmark, as this find is important for understanding the systematic position of the genus Eneopterotrypus Zeuner. Remarks about the taxonomy of the taxa studied, age of these deposits, and ecology are given.

We determined feeding preferences of invertebrate seed predators and the effect of seed predation on weed emergence. Feeding choice studies were completed with three species of common ground beetles: (Amara aenea DeGeer, Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis F., and Harpalus pensylvanicus DeGeer) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and the northern field cricket (Gryllus pennsylvanicus DeGeer) (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis, H. pensylvanicus, and the female and male G. pennsylvanicus consumed more redroot pigweed seeds compared with giant foxtail seeds; A. aenea seed consumption did not differ between these two weed species. All invertebrates consumed fewer velvetleaf seeds compared with redroot pigweed and giant foxtail seeds; however, when seed biomass was compared, A. aenea consumed similar biomass of velvetleaf, giant foxtail, and redroot pigweed, whereas A. sanctaecrucis and H. pensylvanicus consumed greater biomass of velvetleaf compared with giant foxtail seed. Seed burial depths of 0.5 or 1.0 cm reduced redroot pigweed and giant foxtail seed consumption by A. aenea and A. sanctaecrucis but not by the larger carabid beetle, H. pensylvanicus. In a greenhouse study, A. sanctaecrucis decreased total weed emergence by 15%, and G. pennsylvanicus females and males decreased weed emergence by 16 and 5%, respectively. Emergence of redroot pigweed, but not velvetleaf or giant foxtail, decreased when A. sanctaecrucis and the male G. pennsylvanicus were present, whereas the emergence of all three weed species decreased in the presence of the female G. pennsylvanicus. In field experiments, vertebrate access to velvetleaf seeds reduced emergence from 4 to 9% across field sites; invertebrate access reduced emergence 4 to 6%. Vertebrate access to giant foxtail seeds reduced emergence 3 to 7%, and invertebrate access reduced emergence 4 to 13%. These results suggest that predation of weed seeds by both vertebrates and invertebrates may reduce weed emergence and influence the weed community.

The influence of farm management practices on ground-dwelling natural enemy communities and predation of insects and weed seeds was investigated over the first 2 years of the transition from conventional to organic production. Three transition strategies were selected that differed in their management and input intensities, and were characteristic of pasture/ley systems (low intensity), cash grain systems (intermediate intensity), and vegetable production (high intensity). Beneficial arthropods (insectivores and granivores) were monitored using pitfall (arthropod activity) and quadrat (arthropod density) samples. The frequency of predation on restrained larvae of Galleria mellonella and the species observed feeding were recorded. Weekly removal rates of weed seeds representative of abundant species at our site were monitored over a 3-week period during fall. Management intensity affected the activity and abundance of biological control agents. In year two of the transition, biological control agent densities were higher in the low-intensity treatment than in the other two treatments, but activity of insectivores and granivores was reduced in this treatment relative to the higher intensity systems. The patterns in the abundances of biological control agents may be explained by habitat stability within the different cropping systems. Quadrat samples were strongly correlated with the insectivory index, although pitfall samples were not. Insectivory rates were highest (>80% of G. mellonella larvae) in the low-intensity treatment. Predation patterns over a 17-h period differed substantially among the management treatments, indicating behaviorally distinct insectivore communities. Seed removal was also highest in the low-intensity treatment. We conclude that low-intensity cropping systems are most favorable to the abundance and function of beneficial ground-dwelling arthropod communities (insectivores and granivores) during the transition process.