Open AccessPitfall trapping within enclosures: a method for estimating the relationship between the abundances of coexisting carabid species (Coleoptera: Carabidae)
Author(s) -
Desender Konjev,
Maelfait JeanPierre
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
ecography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.973
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1600-0587
pISSN - 0906-7590
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0587.1986.tb01215.x
Subject(s) - ecology , pasture , trapping , abundance (ecology) , pitfall trap , relative species abundance , biology , environmental science
Pitfall trapping within enclosures is proposed as a method to get a reliable impression of the relationship between the abundances of a number of coexisting carabid species. The investigations were performed during two years in a heavily grazed pasture at Melle (Belgium). On a rather large scale soil samples could be compared with both enclosed and open pitfall catches. In all cases fenced pitfalls gave ratios between the catches of the different species showing a much better correlation with those from soil samples than the catch ratios from open pitfalls. This method seems especially suitable to compare the relative abundances of a number of carabid species in short term investigations during periods of peak activities.