Hello Ecologgers
I got a request to post the responses to my request for information on
terrestrial arthropod monitoring protocols. Here they are:
1. From 2 emails sent by Sigrun Kullik,
1st email:
I would seriously consider Winklers. I am not sure if you are
familiar with them but they are similar to Berlese funnels, but tend
to include more delicate arthropods that tend to dessicate before
making it through a Berlese. They are made from fabric and don't use
electricity, making them handy for field applications. They are not
cheap (Santos traps is a good source) but I have made several of my
own once I obtained theirs as a sample. There is a good protocol for
using them in: Ants: Standard methods for measuring and monitoring
biodiversity. D. Agosti, J.D. Majer, L.E. Alonso, and T.R. Schultz,
2000, Smithsonian Institution Press. They sampled these ants over
large areas. While this protocol is specific to tropical ants I am
currently adapting it for my own purposes and I know others are doing
so as well. It is designed to take a rigorous census of species,
describing species richness and abundance per unit area/sampling
effort. Another excellent source for this type of protocol is:
Insect Sampling in Forest Ecosystems, 2005
Edited by: Simon Leather (Imperial College, London)
Series: Ecological Methods and Concepts
ISBN: 9780632053889
ISBN10: 0632053887
2nd email:
I sample mainly for collembolans for which this method is also
great. Another large project using winklers is:
http://llama.evergreen.edu/
Another review:
English Title: Quantitative extraction of macro-invertebrates from
temperate and tropical leaf litter and soil: efficiency and time-
dependent taxonomic biases of the Winkler extraction.
Personal Authors: Krell, F. T., Chung, A. Y. C., DeBoise, E.,
Eggleton, P., Giusti, A., Inward, K., Krell-Westerwalbesloh, S.
Document Title: Pedobiologia, 2005 (Vol. 49) (No. 2) 175-186
Altitudinal distribution of leaf litter ants along a transect in
primary forests on Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Carsten A. Brühl a1 c1 , Maryati Mohamed a2 and K. Eduard Linsenmair a1
a1 Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Theodor-Boveri-
Institut, Biocenter, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany
a2 Tropical Biology and Conservation Research Unit, Universiti
Malaysia Sabah, Jalan Tuaran km. 19, Locked Bag 2073, 88999 Kota
Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Abstract
The ant communities of the leaf litter were studied along an
elevational gradient on Mount Kinabalu in primary rain forest systems
ranging from dipterocarp hill forest to dwarf forest of the highest
altitudes (560, 800, 1130, 1360, 1530, 1740, 1930, 2025, 2300, 2600 m
a.s.l.). The litter ant fauna along the gradient included 283 species
of 55 genera. The number of ant species in the leaf litter decreased
exponentially without evidence of a peak in species richness at mid-
elevations. This result is in contrast to many findings on altitudinal
gradients in ants and other animal groups. Most ant species have a
very limited altitudinal range leading to high turnover values when
comparing communities of different altitudes. Of the ant species, 74%
were even restricted to one site. As evident from this study,
altitudinal ranges of species are very narrow. Elevational gradients
are therefore extremely species-rich and might serve as a prime
example of hot spots of biodiversity. This fact is of great concern
when implementing conservation strategies.
(Accepted December 10 1998)
Hope this helps,
Ziggy
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2. From Jason Rohr ([EMAIL PROTECTED]):
Attached is a recent paper my collegaues and I put together that
addresses how to prepare for monitoring terrestrial arthropods. You
might find it and the references useful. Best of luck.
(Jenn's note: The paper is entitled Developing a Monitoring Program
for Invertebrates: Guidelines and a Case Study by JASON R. ROHR,
CAROLYN G. MAHAN, AND KE CHUNG KIM. 2007. Conservation Biology 21(2):
422-433. Since I'm not sure about attachments on Ecolog, I'd
recommend contacting Jason for a copy if you want one.)
Jason R. Rohr, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Contact information:
University of South Florida
Department of Biology
SCA 110
4202 East Fowler Ave.
Tampa, FL 33620
Phone: 813-974-0156
Fax: 813-974-3263
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Webpage: http://biology.usf.edu/IB/faculty/index.aspx?name=jrohr
Website: http://shell.cas.usf.edu/rohrlab/index.html
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3. From Bruce Snyder ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Jennifer,
I've done some work on sampling methods specifically for millipedes
(see attached). I compared some of the standard techniques for
sampling arthropod fauna, so these could probably be adapted to your
system. I've also attached another paper that has a few paragraphs on
some different techniques I've used for spider collection (ground- and
vegetation-dwelling).
-Bruce
Bruce A. Snyder, Ph.D.
Odum School of Ecology
University of Georgia
706-614-7453
(Jenn's note: Again, don't know if its ok to send attachments to
ecolog, so if you are interested in Bruce's papers I'd contact him
directly.)
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4. From Ginger Kowal ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Hi Jennifer,
Here is a good resource from Canada:
http://www.eman-rese.ca/eman/ecotools/protocols/terrestrial/arthropods/
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5. From Nancy McIntyre ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Hi-
Many sites in the Long-Term Ecological Research network use pitfall
trapping in their monitoring, but there is no consistency in terms of
number or spacing of traps, whether a killing agent is used or not
(which may act as an attractant/repellent), etc. Pitfalls are great
for overall diversity of terrestrial arthropods but aren't perfect.
There is a boat-load of literature on pitfall traps and their
problems, but there is nothing better for overall surveys. Most of
the LTER sites with which I am familiar use plastic beer cups (Solo or
similar brand), or urine specimen cups, which come with screw-top lids
(more $$$ but great for storage). Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Nancy McIntyre
Dr. Nancy E. McIntyre
Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX 79409-3131 USA
Tel. 806-742-4113
Fax 806-742-2963
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.biol.ttu.edu/faculty/nmcintyre/default.aspx
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6. From Michelle Montgomery ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Hi Jennifer,
Personally, I generally write my own SOP's/protocols for individual
projects and sampling methods. There are a wide range of sampling
methods for collection of terestrial arthropods.
When it comes to sub-soil species and those species which may be
collceted from the leaf litter layer, I have normally used Berlese-
Tullgren funnels for arthropod extraction from a particular sample type.
Pitfall traps work well for surface dwelling/wandering.
Pan traps for species attracted to water; pans may be certain colors
if traping for species which are attracted to that particular color
(ie..yellow).
This is just a few commonly used techniques. It depends on what you
intend to use it for. If you could give me a little more detail as for
what you would like to sample, I would be happy to give you some
further advice/instructions on how to put together a good protocol for
you specific purpose.
Sincerley
Michelle Montgomery
USGS-BRD
Entomology Research Specialist
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
808-985-6076 (P)
808-967-7153 (F)
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Others who wrote gave me specific names of Hawaii entomological
experts to contact. If you would like those names and email addresses
please contact me.
Aloha and mahalo (thanks) to everyone who responded.
Jennifer
**********************************
Jennifer Garrison, PhD
Natural Resources Management Specialist
Sustainable Resources Group Intn'l Inc.
111 Hekili Street, Suite A373
Kailua, HI 96734
Mobile: (808) 954-9112
Office/Fax: (808) 356-0552
Web: www.srgii.com
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
