Interpreting data from pitfall–trap surveys: crickets and slugs in exotic and native grasslands of the Australian Capital Territory

Melbourne, Brett A.; Gullan, P. J.; Su, You Ning

doi:10.24199/j.mmv.1997.56.25

Cited by 17 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The use of pitfall traps to quantify relative abundance of invertebrates has been criticized because the number of individuals captured can vary with factors unrelated to true abundance, including density of vegetation surrounding the trap (Greenslade 1964; Melbourne et al 1997). This bias should be minimal in our study because the nine subsamples in each composite sample spanned a range of vegetation densities on each plot and variation in biomass of vegetation was relatively consistent across the invasion gradient ( Fig.…”

Section: Insectsmentioning

confidence: 95%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Insect assemblages change along a gradient of invasion by a nonnative grass

Litt

Steidl

2010

Biol Invasions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Because invasions by nonnative plants alter the structure and composition of native plant communities, invasions can alter the function of ecosystems for animals that depend on plants for food and habitat. We quantified effects of an invasion by a nonnative grass on the insect community in grasslands of southeastern Arizona. We sampled insects on 54 1-ha plots established across a gradient of invasion by Lehmann lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana Nees), a perennial species native to southern Africa. Between 2000 and 2004, we captured 94,209 insects representing 13 orders, 91 families, and 698 morphospecies during 2,997 trap nights. Richness of families, richness of morphospecies, and overall abundance of insects decreased as dominance of nonnative grass increased. With every 100 g/m 2 increase in biomass of nonnative grass, the average number of insect families decreased by 5%, morphospecies decreased by 6%, and overall abundance decreased by 14%. In areas dominated by nonnative grass, 2 of 8 orders and 6 of 27 families of insects were present less frequently and one family was present more frequently; 5 of 8 orders and 6 of 27 families of insects were less abundant and 3 families were more abundant than in areas dominated by native grasses. As a result, this plant invasion altered the structure of the insect community, which has consequences for animals at higher trophic levels and for ecosystem processes, including decomposition and pollination. Because complete eradication of nonnative plants might be possible only rarely, maintaining stands of native vegetation in invaded areas may be an important practical strategy to foster persistence of animals in grasslands invaded by nonnative plants.

show abstract

Section: Insectsmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…1). Efficiency of pitfall traps also may be affected by activity levels of invertebrates and because propylene glycol may attract some groups, sampling these taxa more effectively than others (Greenslade 1964;Melbourne et al 1997). Because we sampled all plots similarly, however, any taxonomic biases should be consistent across plots.…”

Section: Insectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insect assemblages change along a gradient of invasion by a nonnative grass

Litt

Steidl

2010

Biol Invasions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The activity of molluscs was quantified using pitfall traps, an effective method for trapping slugs (Melbourne et al 1997;Griffiths et al 1998). Trapping was undertaken in October, April and June of the second year, and October and April the following year.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Herbivory, litter and soil disturbance as determinants of vegetation dynamics during early old-field succession under set-aside

Wilby

Brow

2001

Oecologia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Early-successional old fields are a major component of the European landscape. While a range of factors governing vegetation development in old fields has been identified, empirical and theoretical studies have tended to concentrate on plant competition as the dominant driving force behind succession. We studied the influence of three little researched, yet inter-related, factors on the early stages of an old-field succession: litter cover, soil disturbance and herbivory. Physical and chemical techniques were used to exclude large vertebrates and insects from experimental plots. These treatments had little effect on plant recruitment. A litter-removal experiment, nested within the exclusion treatments, revealed a significant inhibition of forb seedling germination by litter cover. However, the majority of seedlings died during the first month following emergence, whether or not litter was removed. A second experiment, involving the factorial combination of mollusc exclusion and soil disturbance, revealed that the response to disturbance was dependent on life-history characteristics of the plants. However, the dominant factor regulating community composition was seedling herbivory by molluscs. Molluscs caused high rates of forb seedling mortality and promoted the transition from a forb-dominated, to a grass-dominated community. Herbivory is often assumed to influence plant community dynamics through effects on competitive interactions. However, direct effects of herbivory, on the survival of seedlings, may be a significant factor structuring plant communities in ruderal, or other annual dominated systems.

show abstract

“…Samples were collected after 10 days in the field, filtered, and then preserved in 70% ethanol. Samples were blind-sorted to eliminate unintentional biases in sorting effort between management categories (Melbourne et al, 1997). Arthropods were sorted into 35 taxonomic units, from family to class depending upon the organism (Table 2).…”

Section: Sampling Of Surface-active Arthropodsmentioning

confidence: 99%