scholarly journals Temperature drives variation in flying insect biomass across a German malaise trap network

Author(s):  
Ellen A. R. Welti ◽  
Petr Zajicek ◽  
Mark Frenzel ◽  
Manfred Ayasse ◽  
Tim Bornholdt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen A.R. Welti ◽  
Petr Zajicek ◽  
Manfred Ayasse ◽  
Tim Bornholdt ◽  
Jörn Buse ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTWe examine the effects of climate and land cover on flying insect biomass using an ecological gradients approach and data from the first year of a new, ongoing, standardized German Malaise Trap Program coordinated by the German Long-Term Ecological Research network. We hypothesized that biomass would display a unimodal relationship with temperature, consistent with thermal performance theory. We additionally predicted biomass would decrease with precipitation due to reduced flying activity, and would decrease in areas with more heavily human-modified land cover. Flying insect biomass was quantified from malaise traps at 84 locations across Germany throughout the 2019 growing season. We used an Akaike information criterion approach to parse drivers of temperature, deviation in 2019 temperature from long-term averages, precipitation, land cover, geographic coordinates, elevation, and sampling period. We further examined how effects of temperature on insect biomass change across space by testing for interactions between temperature and latitude. Flying insect biomass increased linearly with monthly temperature across all samples. However, positive effects of temperature on flying insect biomass declined with latitude, suggesting the warm 2019 summer temperatures in southern Germany may have exceeded local insect optimums, and highlighting the spatial variation in climate change-driven impacts on insect communities. Land cover explained less variation in insect biomass, with the largest effect being lower biomass in forested sites. Large-scale, standardized biodiversity monitoring like the German Malaise Trap Program are critical to meet the challenge of disentangling the roles of multiple drivers on insect communities.


2018 ◽  
Vol 154 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-144
Author(s):  
R. Henry L. Disney ◽  
Sabine Prescher

A new species of the genus Megaselia, M. viklundi sp. n. is described. It has been found in Sweden in a Malaise trap situated over a log.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 514
Author(s):  
Zonglei Liang ◽  
Christopher H. Dietrich ◽  
Wu Dai

Xestocephalus Van Duzee is among the most common and widespread genera of Cicadellidae in the temperate and tropical regions of the world. In the present study, 205 specimens of the genus Xestocephalus were collected in Thailand, whereas only a single species of the genus was recorded previously using Malaise trap field sampling, studied by comparative morphology. Seventeen species were recognized, including twelve new species: X. binarius sp. nov., X. chrysanthemum sp. nov., X. cowboyocreus sp. nov., X. densprint sp. nov., X. dimiprocessus sp. nov., X. exproiecturus sp. nov., X. gracilus sp. nov., X. limpidissimus sp. nov., X. malleus sp. nov., X. nonattribus sp. nov., X. recipinams sp. nov., and X. tenusis Liang sp. nov. Four species were recorded in Thailand for the first time: Xestocephalus abyssinicus Heller and Linnavuori, Xestocephalus asper Linnavuori, Xestocephalus ishidae Matsumura, and Xestocephalus toroensis Matsumura. Detailed morphological descriptions of all 17 species are given; photographs of external habitus and male genitalia of the species from Thailand are provided. A checklist of species of the genus is also given, and a key to all Thailand Xestocephalus species is also provided.


2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1689-1692 ◽  
Author(s):  
DOUGLAS W. TALLAMY
Keyword(s):  

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shasta Claire Henry ◽  
Peter B. McQuillan ◽  
James B. Kirkpatrick

The Southernmost region of Australia, the island of Tasmania, is also the most mountainous, with large areas of rugged alpine environments. This entomological frontier offers a distinct suite of insects for study including many endemic taxa. However, harsh weather, remote locations and rough terrain represent an environment too extreme for many existing insect trap designs. We report here on the design and efficacy of a new Alpine Malaise Trap (AMT), which can be readily hybridised with several other common insect trapping techniques. Advantages of the design include its light weight and portability, low cost, robustness, rapid deployment and long autonomous sampling period. The AMT was field tested in the Tasmanian highlands (AUST) in 2017. A total of 16 orders were collected. As expected, samples are dominated by Diptera. However, the trap also collected a range of flightless taxa including endemic and apterous species, Apteropanorpatasmanica – closest relative of the boreal, snow scorpionflies (Boreidae). Combined and compared with other trap types the Alpine Malaise Traps captured less specimens but of a greater diversity than passive sticky traps, while drop traps captured less specimens but a greater diversity than AMT. The statistical potential of the catch is discussed.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasco Elbrecht ◽  
Sarah J. Bourlat ◽  
Thomas Hörren ◽  
Angie Lindner ◽  
Adriana Mordente ◽  
...  

AbstractSmall and rare specimens can remain undetected when metabarcoding bulk samples with a high size heterogeneity of specimens. This is especially critical for malaise trap samples, where most of the biodiversity is often contributed by small specimens. How to size sort and in which proportions to pool these samples has not been widely explored. We set out to find a size sorting strategy that maximizes taxonomic recovery but remains highly scalable and time efficient.Three 3 malaise trap samples where size sorted into 4 size classes using dry sieving. Each fraction was homogenized and lysed. The corresponding lysates were pooled to simulate samples never sorted, pooled in equal proportions and in 4 different proportions favoring the small size fractions. DNA from the pooled fractions as well as the individual size classes were extracted and metabarcoded using the FwhF2 and Fol-degen-rev primer set. Additionally wet sieving strategies were explored.The small size fractions harbored the highest diversity, and were best represented when pooling in favor of small specimens. Not size sorting a sample leads to a 45-77% decrease in taxon recovery compared to size sorted samples. A size separation into only 2 fractions (below 4 mm and above) can already double taxon recovery compared to not sorting. However, increasing the sequencing depth 3-4 fold can also increase taxon recovery to comparable levels, but remains biased toward biomass rich taxa in the sample.We demonstrate that size fractionizing bulk malaise samples can increase taxon recovery. The most practical approach is wet sieving into two size fractions, and proportional pooling of the lysates in favor of the small size fraction (80-90% volume). However, in large projects with time constraints, increasing sequencing depth can also be an alternative solution.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Steinke ◽  
TWA Braukmann ◽  
L Manerus ◽  
A Woodhouse ◽  
V Elbrecht

AbstractThe Malaise trap has gained popularity for assessing diverse terrestrial arthropod communities because it collects large samples with modest effort. A number of factors that influence collection efficiency, placement being one of them. For instance, when designing larger biotic surveys using arrays of Malaise traps we need to know the optimal distance between individual traps that maximises observable species richness and community composition. We examined the influence of spacing between Malaise traps by metabarcoding samples from two field experiments at a site in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. For one experiment, we used two trap pairs deployed at weekly increasing distance (3m increments from 3 to 27 m). The second experiment involved a total of 10 traps set up in a row at 3m distance intervals for three consecutive weeks.Results show that community similarity of samples decreases over distance between traps. The amount of species shared between trap pairs shows drops considerably at about 15m trap-to-trap distance. This change can be observed across all major taxonomic groups and for two different habitat types (grassland and forest). Large numbers of OTUs found only once within samples cause rather large dissimilarity between distance pairs even at close proximity. This could be caused by a large number of transient species from adjacent habitat which arrive at the trap through passive transport, as well as capture of rare taxa, which end up in different traps by chance.


Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4711 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-156
Author(s):  
ANDRÉ SILVA ROZA ◽  
JOSÉ RICARDO MIRAS MERMUDES

Recent efforts with Malaise trap sampling in Serra dos Órgãos and Itatiaia, in Brazil, allowed us to identify and describe three new species from the first locality: Hylotribus humeralis sp. nov., H. nanico sp. nov. and H. queirozi sp. nov. New records of H. plaumanni Queiroz & Mermudes, 2014 for both localities and H. sublimis Queiroz & Mermudes, 2014 for the latter are also presented. We also describe morphological variability including aptery and microptery, and male genitalia, for H. plaumanni. We produce a new key to the species and discuss the species relationships and wing variation for the genus. 


The Condor ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth D. Meyer ◽  
Steven M. McGehee ◽  
Michael W. Collopy

Abstract We studied the diets of nesting Swallow-tailed Kites (Elanoides forficatus) at eight nests in 1988–1989 in southern Florida, where the species reaches its greatest abundance in the United States. Males fed females during the incubation stage an average of 2.1 ± 0.8 times per day. The adults averaged 10.9 ± 4.5 deliveries daily during the nestling stage, and 10.3 ± 12.5 deliveries to young daily following nest departure. Vertebrates comprised 97% of the biomass for the 1092 identifiable prey items delivered to nests. Frogs accounted for 56%, birds 30%, and reptiles 11% of all prey. Numerically, frogs made up 83% of the reptile and amphibian prey. The relative proportions of prey types varied substantially among nests within years, and significantly more snakes and insects were delivered in 1989. Total biomass delivered in 1988 did not differ from that in 1989. Bird biomass, however, was greater in 1988 and insect biomass was greater in 1989. Anoles and snakes were brought to nests in larger numbers during the morning and evening hours; and birds were delivered mainly from midmorning to midafternoon. Entregas de Alimentos en Nidos de Elanoides forficatus en el Sur de Florida Resumen. Durante 1988 y 1989 estudiamos la dieta de los polluelos de Elanoides forficatus en ocho nidos localizados en el sur de la Florida, donde la especie alcanza su mayor abundancia de nidificacion dentro de los Estados Unidos. Durante la incubación, los machos alimentaron a las hembras un promedio de 2.1 ± 0.8 veces por día. Durante la etapa de polluelos, los adultos hicieron un promedio de 10.9 ± 4.5 entregas diarias y un promedio de 10.3 ± 12.5 entregas diarias después de abandonar el nido. Los vertebrados comprendieron el 97% de la biomasa de las 1092 presas identificables entregadas en los nidos. Las ranas constituyeron el 56%, las aves el 30% y los reptiles el 11% del total de las presas. Numéricamente, las ranas constituyeron el 83% de la herpetofauna depredada. Las proporciones relativas de los tipos de presa variaron substancialmente entre los nidos a través de los años, y considerablemente más serpientes e insectos fueron entregados en 1989. La biomasa total entregada durante 1988 no difirió de la observada en 1989. Sin embargo, la biomasa de las aves fue mayor en 1988, mientras que la de los insectos fue mayor en 1989. Las lagartijas y serpientes fueron entregadas a los nidos en mayor cantidad durante las horas de la mañana y de la tarde, mientras que las aves fueron entregadas principalmente desde la mitad de la mañana hasta la mitad de la tarde.


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