Dr. Byman,
Pitfall traps can collect animals that walk on the ground (e.g., ground
beetles, spiders, ants), but not insects that live in soil, unless they also
walk above ground. If you are interested in collecting insects in soil,
probably you need to use Berlese funnels or sifting after you take soil samples.
Best,
Makiri Sei, Ph. D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
146 Pearson Hall
Department of Zoology
Miami University
Oxford, OH 45056
(513)-529-3175
________________________________________
From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of David H. Byman [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Friday, May 23, 2008 1:15 PM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Catching soil invertebrates
Dear All: I would like to do a comparative study of soil macroinvertebrates
inside and outside a deer exclosure. As I am interested in evaluating the
available of shrew food as affected by heavy deer browsing, I would like to
census the populations of snails, slugs, earthworms and insect larvae inside
and outside the exclosure fence.
Are pitfall traps the best technique for all these invertebrate
groups? If pitfalls are a good technique, should I put a layer of glycerol or
some other preservative to preserve the animals in the bottom of the can in
case I can't visit the traps more than once a week? Thanks for your help.
Dave Byman
David Byman
Asst. Prof. Biology
Penn State University
Worthington Scranton Campus
120 Ridge View Drive
Dunmore PA 18512-1699
570-963-2586
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
