Pitfall traps that capture arthropods at the soil surface are commonly used to sample arthropods in forests.

Little is known about the arthropods (e.g., insects, spiders, and crustaceans) that live in these areas and about how they might respond to long-term disruption of their habitat. Semiaquatic landscapes are increasingly being explored for possible industrial development, such as oil and gas extraction. To surface traps to sample the epigaeic fauna of wet forest stands and peatlands. We found no advantage to using deep pitfall traps in addition Trap types were collecting similar faunas. Similarity of pooled catches between deep and surface traps was on average 75%, suggesting that both Rarefaction estimates of species diversity were higher in surface pitfall traps for both taxa. There were no significant effects of trap depth on catch. A total of 5289īeetles representing 75 taxa were collected. Traps were installed at seven sites, with six surface traps (the pitfall trap lip 20 cm below soil surface) at each site. The depth at which pitfall traps were sunk into the ground and the resulting catches ofĮpigaeic Carabidae (Coleoptera) and Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) assemblages in subhygric to hydricĮcosites with very deep organic soil layers was investigated in the upper foothills ecoregion of Alberta,Ĭanada. Effect of pitfall trap depth on epigaeic beetle sampling (Coleoptera: Carabidae and Staphylinidae) in wet forested ecosites in Alberta, Canada.

Pitfall trap arthropod