This research relates to the two-phase mosaic made by shrubs and intershrub patches as a simple form of landscape diversity, and aims to study its effect on ground-dwelling beetle diversity. I studied the effect of shrubs on beet;e diversity with emphasis on the difference between shrub patch and intershrub patch. This difference is termed "contrast." The study was carried out in two stations within Israel - (1) an arid, shrub-poor ecosystem (Avdat) and (2) a semi-arid shrub-rich ecosystem (Lehavim). Results of pitfall trapping showed that more beetles were found under shrub patches in the...