Defining soil macrofauna composition and activity for biopedological studies: a case study on two soils in the Western Australian wheatbelt
1993
Lobry de Bruyn, L.A. (Tasmanian Dept. of Primary Industry and Fisheries, Kings Meadows (Australia))
In Durokoppin reserve, and in the surrounding farmland, part of the central wheatbelt region, pitfall trapping and mapping of soil macrofauna activity were used to define the extent of soil macrofauna activity in these two environments. The groups identified as making a substantial contribution (in terms of relative abundance and activity) in all habitats were, in descending order, ants, spiders and scorpions (wandoo woodland only). In general there was good agreement between the two techniques in identifying the major species and trends in species composition between habitats, but mapping failed to identify the rare or cryptic species. Mapping more accurately identified the resident species in each habitat. Pitfall trapping data indicated that foraging activity of most soil macrofauna was depressed over winter, except for beetles, and was higher in the spring and summer sampling periods. However, mapping revealed a more constant level of soil macrofauna activity, especially for ant nests. It is argued that the two approaches complement each other.
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