The diversity of ground beetles (Carabidae) was analyzed in meadow ecosystems within central European Russia, focusing on the Nizhniy Novgorod region and the Republic of Mordovia. 17 sites were investigated, with the meadows categorized into 4 types: wet floodplain meadows, dry meadows, dry meadows near forest shelter-belts, and floodplain meadows impacted by livestock grazing. The highest species diversity was observed in dry meadows near forest shelter belts (65 species) and wet floodplain meadows (62 species), while floodplain meadows affected by grazing had the lowest species (24 species). A total of 40 ground beetle species were recorded in dry meadows. Wet floodplain meadows showed the highest Shannon index and the lowest Simpson index. In contrast, dry meadows showed high values for the Simpson and Berger-Parker indices. In these meadows, only 2 species were dominant, while other habitats had 4 to 7 dominant species. Based on the Jaccard similarity index, dry meadows and those adjacent to forest shelter belts had the most similar ground beetle species composition. Livestock trampling was found to significantly reduce the number and diversity of ground beetles, especially in floodplain meadows affected by grazing.
