scholarly journals Subterranean Pitfall Traps: Is It Worth Including Them in Your Ant Sampling Protocol?

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Pacheco ◽  
Heraldo L. Vasconcelos
Keyword(s):  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Surface Sampling ◽  
Sampling Protocol ◽  
Central Brazil ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Sampling Duration

The use of subterranean traps is a relatively novel method to sample ants, and few studies have evaluated its performance relative to other methods. We collected ants in forests, savannas, and crops in central Brazil using subterranean pitfall traps and conventional pitfall traps placed on the soil surface. Sampling duration, soil depth, and sprinkling vegetal oil around traps all tended to affect the number of species found in subterranean traps. Sixteen percent of the species collected in subterranean traps were unique, and most of these had cryptobiotic morphology (i.e., were truly hypogaeic species). Surprisingly, however, subterranean and conventional traps were similarly efficient at capturing cryptobiotic species. Furthermore, subterranean traps captured far fewer species in total than conventional traps (75 versus 220 species), and this was true in all three habitats sampled. Sampling completeness increased very little using a combination of conventional and subterranean traps than using just conventional traps.

scholarly journals Accessing the subterranean ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in native and modified subtropical landscapes in the Neotropics

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mila Ferraz de Oliveira Martins ◽  
Marcílio José Thomazini ◽  
Dilmar Baretta ◽  
George Gardner Brown ◽  
Marcio Gonçalves da Rosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Pitfall Trap ◽  
Tropical Soil ◽  
Soil Sampling ◽  
Soil Biology ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Soil Extraction ◽  
Ant Assemblages ◽  
Specific Community

Abstract: Several studies have characterized and delimited subterranean ant assemblages. Soil extraction, one of the methods employed to access this fauna, employs the removal of monoliths. One of the most widely used methods for the extraction of soil sampling is called TSBF (developed by the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Programme). This method provides relevant data about the species associated with the soil. In the present study we characterized assemblages of subterranean ants using the TSBF method in different subtropical areas of the Neotropics. We considered two sampling designs in different localities. The first design resulted in 315 TSBF samples obtained from layers at distinct depths. The second design resulted in 270 TSBF samples and 270 epigaeic pitfall trap samples. This material was used to delimit the species that occur exclusively in the subterranean stratum (TSBF) and that are not found on the soil surface. A total of 281 species were recorded. Of these, 57 can be considered subterranean, based on their occurrence in subterranean strata. We also verified that the highest occurrence of ants was in the first 10 cm of soil depth. Due to the importance of using methods that efficiently extract the subterranean ant fauna in studies, we suggest the TSBF method should be used to sample ants or to associate this method with epigaeic pitfall traps to delimit strictly subterranean assemblages in specific community stratification studies.

LYSIMETERS WITH RAINFALL AND SOIL WATER CONTROL

1971 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. J. KRISTENSEN ◽  
H. C. ASLYNG
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Irrigation System ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Trickle Irrigation ◽  
Water Control ◽  
Radiation Equipment ◽  
Different Depths ◽  
Growth Experiments

The lysimeter installation described comprises 36 concrete tanks each with a soil surface of 4 m2. The installation is useful for plant growth experiments under natural conditions involving different treatment combined with various controlled water supplies. The ground installation is at least 20 cm below the soil surface and tillage can be done with field implements. The lysimeter tanks are provided with a drainage system which can drain the soil at the bottom (100 cm depth) to a tension of up to 100 cm. A constant ground-water table at less than 100 cm soil depth can also be maintained. The soil moisture content at different depths is determined from an underground tunnel by use of gamma radiation equipment in metal tubes horizontally installed in the soil. Rainfall is prevented by a movable glass roof automatically operated and controlled by a special rain sensor. Water is applied to the soil surface with a special trickle irrigation system consisting of a set of plastic tubes for each lysimeter tank and controlled from the tunnel. Fertilizers in controlled amount can be applied with the irrigation water.

scholarly journals Calcium Biogeochemical Cycle in a Typical Karst Forest: Evidence from Calcium Isotope Compositions

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 666
Author(s):  
Guilin Han ◽  
Anton Eisenhauer ◽  
Jie Zeng ◽  
Man Liu
Keyword(s):  
Soil Depth ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Natural Soil ◽  
Calcium Isotope ◽  
Karst Forest ◽  
Content Ratio ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Preferential Uptake ◽  
Vital Factor

In order to better constrain calcium cycling in natural soil and in soil used for agriculture, we present the δ44/40Ca values measured in rainwater, groundwater, plants, soil, and bedrock samples from a representative karst forest in SW China. The δ44/40Ca values are found to differ by ≈3.0‰ in the karst forest ecosystem. The Ca isotope compositions and Ca contents of groundwater, rainwater, and bedrock suggest that the Ca of groundwater primarily originates from rainwater and bedrock. The δ44/40Ca values of plants are lower than that of soils, indicating the preferential uptake of light Ca isotopes by plants. The distribution of δ44/40Ca values in the soil profiles (increasing with soil depth) suggests that the recycling of crop-litter abundant with lighter Ca isotope has potential effects on soil Ca isotope composition. The soil Mg/Ca content ratio probably reflects the preferential plant uptake of Ca over Mg and the difference in soil maturity. Light Ca isotopes are more abundant in mature soils than nutrient-depleted soils. The relative abundance in the light Ca isotope (40Ca) is in the following order: farmland > burnt grassland > forests > grassland > shrubland. Our results further indicate that biological fractionation in a soil–plant system is a vital factor for Ca–geochemical transformations in soil surface systems.

Seasonal cycles in germination and seedling emergence of summer and winter populations of catchweed bedstraw (Galium aparine) and wild mustard (Brassica kaber)

Weed Science ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Husrev Mennan ◽  
Mathieu Ngouajio
Keyword(s):  
Soil Depth ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Burial Depth ◽  
Galium Aparine ◽  
Wild Mustard ◽  
Seed Population ◽  
Brassica Kaber

Catchweed bedstraw and wild mustard each produce two populations per year: a winter population (WP) in June, and a summer population (SP) in September. Experiments were conducted to determine whether the WP and SP differ in seed mass and seasonal germination. Seeds of both weeds were buried at 0, 5, 10, and 20 cm in cultivated fields, and retrieved at monthly intervals for 24 mo for germination tests in the laboratory. Additionally, seedling emergence from seeds buried at 0, 5, and 10 cm in the field was evaluated for 1 yr. Seeds from the WP were heavier than those from the SP for both species. Germination of exhumed seeds was affected by burial depth and by seed population. It was highest for seeds that remained on the soil surface and declined with increasing depth of burial. The WP of catchweed bedstraw produced two germination peaks per year, whereas the SP and all populations of wild mustard had only one peak. The WP of both weeds germinated earlier than the SP. Seedling emergence for both species in the field was greater for the WP than for the SP. Increasing soil depth reduced seedling emergence of both the WP and SP of wild mustard and affected only the WP of catchweed bedstraw. We conclude that the WP and SP of catchweed bedstraw and wild mustard seeds used in this study differed in seed mass, seasonal germination, and seedling emergence. The ability of a WP to produce large seeds that germinate early and have two germination peaks per year could make these populations a serious problem in cropping systems.

Alpine and Subalpine Wetland Vegetation on the Bogong High Plains, South-eastern Australia

1999 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 165 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.-H. Wahren ◽  
R. J. Williams ◽  
W. A. Papst
Keyword(s):  
Soil Depth ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Wetland Vegetation ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Drainage Channels ◽  
Floristic Variation ◽  
Steep Slopes

The botanical composition and structure of wetland vegetation from seven sites in the alpine and subalpine tracts of the Bogong High Plains was sampled in 1995 and 1996. Sites were in the vicinity of Mts Nelse, Cope and Fainter. Sampling was based on contiguous 1-m2 quadrats along transects 20−70 m long across each wetland. Samples were ordinated using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). Floristic variation was assessed both within selected individual wetlands, and between wetlands from different regions. The relationship between the ordinations and environmental variables such as soil surface texture, soil depth and the amount of bare ground was tested by fitting vectors. Three dominant vegetation assemblages were identified. Closed heath, of hygrophyllous, scleromorphic shrubs such as Richea continentis and Baeckea gunniana, the rush Empodisma minus and the moss Sphagnum cristatum occurred on the deeper peats. Low open heath of Epacris glacialis and Danthonia nivicola occurred on shallow peats. Herbfields of Caltha introloba and Oreobolus pumilio occurred on stony pavements in two different physiographic situations&horbar;on relatively steep slopes (10−20°) at the head of wetlands, and on flat ground (slope < 2°), below the head of wetlands. The pavements on the steeper sites appeared to be associated with periglacial features such as solifluction lobes and terraces. Those on the flatter ground appeared to have been derived more recently. Wetlands in the Mt Cope region consisted of closed heath, low open heath and pavement herbfield in various proportions. Wetlands on Mt Fainter, which are subject to heavy trampling by cattle, were in a degraded condition, with a low cover of major hygrophyllous mosses and shrubs, and a high cover of introduced species. Long-ungrazed wetlands in a 50-year exclosure at Rocky Valley had high cover of closed heath, no pavements, numerous ponds and virtually no entrenched drainage channels or exposed peat. The Caltha herbfields are significant features nationally, both floristically and geomorphologically. Alpine and subalpine wetlands have been listed under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, and continued grazing by cattle is not compatible with the conservation objectives for this alpine vegetation type.

scholarly journals Trace Metal Distribution and Mobility in Soils after Silvicultural Thinning and Burning

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 83
Author(s):  
Ngowari Jaja ◽  
Monday Mbila ◽  
Yong Wang
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metal ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Parent Material ◽  
Design Experiment ◽  
Randomized Block Design

Silvicultural thinning and burning are common management practices that are widely used to address ecosystem problems such as tree stocking and general forest health. However, high-severity fire has variable effects on soils, resulting in damages which are directly or indirectly reflected on the trace metal chemistry of the soil. This study was conducted to evaluate the trace metal variation at the Bankhead National Forest in Northern Alabama following the silvicultural thinning and burning. The experimental site had treatments consisting of two burning patterns and three levels of thinning as part of an overall treatment of three burning patterns and three levels of thinning applied to nine treatment plots to fit a completely randomized block design experiment. Four treatments sites were used for this study and samples were collected from soil profile pits excavated at representative plots within each treatment. The samples were analyzed for trace metals-As, Cu, Ni, Zn and Pb-using Perkin Elmer 2100 ICP-OES. Post treatment samples indicated that the trace metal concentrations generally decreased with soil depth. Copper, Ni, and Zn at the Pre-burn site gradually increased with depth to a maximum concentration at about 50 cm below the soil surface. Arsenic in the surface horizons increased by 156% in the burn-only sites, 54% in the thin-only treatment, 30% for the burn and thin treatments. Such differences were unlikely due to differences in the geochemistry of the parent material, but likely due to anthropogenic activities and possibly the forest management practices in question.

scholarly journals DEGRADASI LAHAN PADA KEBUN CAMPURAN DAN TEGALAN DI KABUPATEN DHARMASRAYA

Jurnal Solum ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Syafrimen Yasin ◽  
Gusnidar Gusnidar ◽  
Dedy Iskandar
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Soil Samples ◽  
Imperata Cylindrica ◽  
Undisturbed Soil ◽  
Fertility Status ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Bulk Volume ◽  
Soil Fertility Status

A research conducted in Sungai Rumbai, Dharmasraya Regency and in Soil Laboratory Andalas university was aimed to evaluate soil fertility status on the depth below 0-20 cm from several land use types , especially under Mixed Garden and annual cultivated dryland soil.  Soil samples were taken on Ultisol at 0-8% slope (late-waving soil surface).  Land use types evaluated were forest, annual cultivated dryland, bush land, rangeland covered by Imperata cylindrica and mixed garden.  Composite soil samples for soil chemical analysis were taken on the 0-20 cm soil depth with four replications, and 5 drillings for each replication.  Undisturbed soil samples by using sample ring were used to analyze sol bulk volume.  The data resulted were compared to the criteria and were statistically tested using Analysis of Variance and then were continued by LSD at 5% level.  From the results of analyses could be concluded that land use  for mixed garden had the higher Organic Carbon (OC) content and the lower bulk volume (BV) than those for annual cultivated dryland soil.Key Words: Degradasi Lahan, Kebun Campuran, Tegalan

Effect of pitfall trap depth on epigaeic beetle sampling (Coleoptera: Carabidae and Staphylinidae) in wet forested ecosites in Alberta, Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 150 (6) ◽  
pp. 813-820
Author(s):  
H.E. James Hammond ◽  
David W. Langor ◽  
Dustin J. Hartley
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Trap Depth ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Organic Soil ◽  
Pitfall Trap ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Soil Layers ◽  
Deep Traps

AbstractThe depth at which pitfall traps were sunk into the ground and the resulting catches of epigaeic Carabidae (Coleoptera) and Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) assemblages in subhygric to hydric ecosites with very deep organic soil layers was investigated in the upper foothills ecoregion of Alberta, Canada. Traps were installed at seven sites, with six surface traps (the pitfall trap lip <5 cm below soil surface) and six deep traps (the pitfall trap lip >20 cm below soil surface) at each site. A total of 5289 beetles representing 75 taxa were collected. There were no significant effects of trap depth on catch. Rarefaction estimates of species diversity were higher in surface pitfall traps for both taxa. The similarity of pooled catches between deep and surface traps was on average 75%, suggesting that both trap types were collecting similar faunas. We found no advantage to using deep pitfall traps in addition to surface traps to sample the epigaeic fauna of wet forest stands and peatlands.

A synecological account of the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve. II. The phytosociology of the Ventersdorp Geological System

Bothalia ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 13 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 199-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Bredenkamp ◽  
G. K. Theron
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Soil Texture ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Surface Soil ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Habitat Features ◽  
Species Groups

The vegetation of the Ventersdorp Geological System of the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve is analysed and classified according to the Braun-Blanquet method. Descriptions of the plant communities include description of habitat features, the identification of differentiating species groups as well as the listing of prominent and less conspicuous species for the tree, shrub and herbaceous layers. The habitat features that are associated with differences in vegetation include altitude, aspect, slope, rockiness of soil surface, soil depth and soil texture.

scholarly journals Abundance and diversity of soil arthropods and fungi in shelterbelts integrated with pastures in the central tablelands of New South Wales, Australia

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (No. 12) ◽  
pp. 560-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.W. Mbuthia ◽  
J.H. Shariff ◽  
A. Raman ◽  
D.S. Hodgkins ◽  
H.I. Nicol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Soil Arthropods ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
The Relationship

Shelterbelts are important for the sustainability of agriculture because they provide a variety of benefits to farmers and the society. Several published papers demonstrate that integration of shelterbelts with agroecosystems offers positive outcomes, such as better yield, more congenial microclimate, and greater organic matter levels. Nonetheless, soil biological diversity, the driver of greater organic matter levels, has not been convincingly tested and verified yet. In addressing this gap, we measured abundance and diversity of populations of arthropods and fungi in three<br />11-year old shelterbelts integrated with pasture to determine whether a correlation exists between the abundance of and diversity in populations of arthropods and fungi in two seasons: late autumn-early winter (May&ndash;June 2011) and late winter-early spring (August&ndash;September 2011). Litter from the soil surface and soil from two depths were sampled at increasing distance from the midpoint of shelterbelts for the extraction of arthropods and isolation culturing of fungi. The relationship among distance, depth and biodiversity of different groups of arthropods and fungi was analysed using linear regression. We found that over both seasons arthropod abundance in the litter and soil declined with increasing distance from the midpoint of the shelterbelts, and with soil depth. However, fungi abundance in either season was not affected by proximity to the shelterbelt but increased with greater soil depth. Distance from the shelterbelt midpoints did not bear an impact on the diversity richness of both arthropods and fungi.

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