D3070: Insect edge species diversity and abundance in forest, transition zone, and controlled burn grassland

Transitional zones or edges can be a combination of faunas of adjacent biotopes or have their own subset of organisms. Edges are heavily traveled by organisms looking for food sources or refuge from the elements, while allowing for greater diversity in vegetation. Arthropods in or adjacent to controlled burn areas are heavily understudied; studies holistically looking at insect diversity and abundance in such systems are not common. By sampling an area with a transitional zone we can gain a basic understanding of its contribution to diversity, and its value as a source for repopulation of burned areas. We hypothesize that abundance and diversity will be higher in the edge sites than in the forest or burned sites. We also hypothesize that within the burn zone abundance will decrease but diversity will increase over time. The site of choice has six sampling sites, two in the forest, two on the edge, and two within a burned field. Each of the sampling sites is equipped with a slam trap and five pitfall traps. These traps are deployed for 10-14 days. All sites will be sampled approximately every two months. Sweep net sampling is performed and organic litter is collected for extraction in Tullgren funnels. Results from this study will produce a comprehensive species list for each subsite, provide insight into the phenology of common species, and compare the diversity in this intensively sampled site with diversity of other sites in the vicinity.