Comparing the effectiveness of pitfall traps and active sampling methods for ants and spiders in a Chromolaena odorata invaded site

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38201/btha.abc.v54.5

Keywords:

Aerial hand collection techniques, Pitfall traps, Bush beating, Biodiversity, Chromolaena odorata, Ant, Spider

Abstract

Background: Active and passive arthropod sampling techniques have their specific limitations. Pitfall trapping is a commonly used passive sampling method, and bush beating, aerial hand collection above the knee, aerial hand collection below the knee cryptic and non-cryptic are widely used active sampling techniques.

Objective and method: Pitfall traps and four active sampling techniques were used in a Chromolaena odorata invaded site to compare the methods used in sampling arthropods in Buffelsdraai Conservancy outside the city of Durban, South Africa.

Results: Pitfall traps were the most efficient and the most effective sampling technique with high species richness for both the ant (78%) and spider (76%) samples. One explanation for these differences could be the longer sampling time for passive sampling compared to active sampling.

Conclusion: Compared to the subjective identification of species by collectors in active techniques, the non-selective capturing of species by pitfall traps improves its efficiency. The fewest taxa and individuals were collected by aerial hand collection techniques but these techniques are recommended to supplement pitfall traps. The combination of methods allows for the adequate sampling of the various strata found in vegetatively complex sites. An investigation into the possible use of canopy techniques in C. odorata sites would be beneficial, as it considers the various vegetation strata when sampling for biodiversity.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Thinandavha C. Munyai, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Dr Caswell Munyai is a Senior Lecturer teaching and conducting research on invertebrate biology and an NRF-rated scientist with almost a decade experience in teaching and research in the discipline.

He has published various peer-review research articles both in national and international journals and has presented over 90 papers in both local and international conferences.

Dr Munyai has successfully supervised (to completion) eleven Honours, fifteen MSc and two PhD students between 2016 and 2021. His lab conducts research in various invertebrate biology topics including community ecology, the impacts of alien invasive plants and their biological control. Most of his students are now documenting biodiversity response to land-use change and related effects across South Africa.

Dr Munyai has contributed to studies documenting diversity patterns along elevational gradients across the world and more recently he has had a keen interest in Entomophagy in Africa.

References

Azevedo, G.H.F., Faleiro, B.T., Magalhães, I.L.F., Benedetti, A.R., Oliveira, U., Pena-Barbosa, J.P.P. & Santos, A.J., 2014, ‘Effectiveness of sampling methods and further sampling for accessing spider diversity: A case study in a Brazilian Atlantic rainforest fragment’, Insect Conservation and Diversity, 7, 381–391, https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12061.

Bali, L., Andrési, D., Tuba, K. & Szinetár, C., 2019, ‘Comparing pitfall trapping and suction sampling data collection for ground-dwelling spiders in artificial forest gaps’, Arachnology Letters, 58, 23–28, https://doi.org/10.30963/aramit5808.

Berthold, A., Bruckner, A. & Kampichler, C., 1999, ‘Improved quantification of active soil microfauna by counting crew’, Journal of Biology and Fertility of Soils, 28, 352–355, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s003740050503.

Cardoso, P., 2009, ‘Standardization and optimization of arthropod inventories—the case of Iberian spiders’, Biodiversity and Conservation, 18, 3949–3962, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-009-9690-7.

Chao, A., Chiu, C. & Jost, L., 2016, ‘Statistical challenges of evaluating diversity patterns across environmental gradients in mega-diverse communities’, Journal of Vegetation Science, 27, 437–438, https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12420.

Choa, A. & Jost, L., 2012, ‘Coverage-based rarefaction and extrapolation: standardizing samples by completeness rather than size’, Ecology, 93, 2533–2547, https://doi.org/10.1007/s003740050503.

Clarke, K.R. & Gorley, R.N., 2001, Primer v5: user manual/tutorial. Primer-E Ltd, Plymouth.

Clarke, K.R. & Green, R.H., 1988, ‘Statistical design and analysis for a biological effects study’, Marine Ecology Progress Series, 46, 213–226, https://www.jstor.org/stable/24827586.

Fisher, B.L. & Bolton, B., 2016, Ants of Africa and Madagascar: a guide to the genera, University of California Press, California, USA, https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520962996.

Gerlach, J., Samways, M. & Pryke, J., 2013, ‘Terrestrial invertebrates as bioindicators: an overview of available taxonomic groups’, Journal of Insect Conservation, 17, 831–850.

Green, J., 1999, ‘Sampling method and time determines composition of spider collections’, The Journal of Arachnology, 27, 176–182, https://www.jstor.org/stable/3705982.

Groc, S., Delabie, J.H.C., Céréghino, R., Orivel, J., Jaladeau, F., Grangier, J., Mariano, C.S.F. & Dejean, A., 2007, ‘Ant diversity in the ‘Grand Causses’ (Aveyron, France): In search of sampling methods adapted to temperate climates’, Comptes Rendus Biologies, 330, 913–922, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crvi.2007.08.012.

Grootaert, P., Pollet, M., Dekoninck, W. & Van Achterberg, C., 2010, ‘Chapter 15 – Sampling insects: general techniques, strategies, and remarks’, ABC Taxa, 8, 377–399.

Hamer, M.L. & Slotow, R., 2017, ‘A conservation assessment of the terrestrial invertebrate fauna of Mkambati Nature Reserve in the Pondoland Centre of Endemism’, Koedoe, 59, 1–12, https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC-7311b112f.

Kanowski, J., Catterall, C.P. & Harrison, D.A., 2008, ‘Monitoring the outcomes of reforestation for biodiversity conservation’, in N.E. Stork & S.M. Turton (eds.), Living in a dynamic tropical forest landscape, pp. 526–536, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK, https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444300321.ch42.

Kapoor, V., 2006, ‘An assessment of spider sampling methods in tropical rainforest fragments of the Anamalai Hills, Western Ghats, India’, Zoos Print Journals, 21, 2483–2488, https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.ZPJ.1520.2483-8.

King, J.R. & Porter, S.D., 2005, ‘Evaluation of sampling methods and species richness estimators for ants in upland ecosystems in Florida’, Environmental Entomology, 34, 1566–1578, https://doi.org/10.1603/0046-225X-34.6.1566.

Lowman, M.D., Kitching, R.L. & Carruthers, G., 1996, ‘Arthropod sampling in Australian subtropical rain forests – how accurate are some of the more common techniques?’, Selbyana, 17, 36–42, https://www.jstor.org/stable/41759922.

Majer, J.D., 1997, ‘The use of pitfall traps for sampling ants – a critique’, Memoirs of the Museum of Victoria, 56, 323–329, https://doi.org/10.24199/j.mmv.1997.56.20.

Maleque, M.A., Ishii, H.T. & Maeto, K., 2006, ‘The use of arthropods as indicators of ecosystem integrity in forest management’, Journal of Forestry, 104, 113–117, https://doi.org/10.1093/jof/104.3.113.

Malumbres-Olarte, J., Scharff, N., Pape, T., Coddington, J.A. & Cardoso, P., 2017, ‘Gauging megadiversity with optimized and standardized sampling protocols: A case for tropical forest spiders’, Ecology and Evolution, 7, 494–506, https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2626.

Malumbres-Olarte, J., Vink, C.J., Ross, J.G., Cruickshank, R.H. & Paterson, A.M., 2013, ‘The role of habitat complexity on spider communities in native alpine grasslands of New Zealand’, Insect Conservation and Diversity, 6, 124–134, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-4598.2012.00195.x.

McCravy, K.W., 2018, ‘A review of sampling and monitoring methods for beneficial arthropods in agroecosystems’, Insects, 9, 1–27, https://doi.org/10.3390/insects9040170.

Mgobozi, M.R., Somers, M.J. & Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S., 2008, ‘Spider responses to alien plant invasion: the effect of short- and long-term Chromolaena odorata invasion and management’, Journal of Applied Ecology, 45, 1189–1197, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2008.01486.x.

Missa, O., Basset, Y., Alonso, A., Miller, S.E., Curletti, G., De Meyer, M., Eardley, C., Mansell, M.W. & Wagner, T., 2009, ‘Monitoring arthropods in a tropical landscape: relative effects of sampling methods and habitat types on trap catches’, Journal of Insect Conservation 13, 103–118, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-007-9130-5.

Moir, M.L., Brennan, K.E.C., Majer, J.D., Fletcher, M.J. & Koch, J.M., 2005, ‘Toward an optimal sampling protocol for Hemiptera on understorey plants’, Journal of Insect Conservation, 9, 3–20, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-004-2351-y.

Muelelwa, M.I., Foord, S.H., Dippenaar-Schoeman A.S. & Stam, E.M., 2010, ‘Towards a standardized and optimized protocol for rapid biodiversity assessments: spider species richness and assemblage composition in two savanna vegetation types’, African Zoology, 45, 273–290, https://doi.org/10.3377/004.045.0206.

Munyai, T. C. & Foord, S.H., 2011, ‘Ants on a mountain: spatial, environmental and habitat associations along an altitudinal transect in a centre of endemism’, Journal of Insect Conservation, 16, 677–695.

Munyai, T.C. & Foord, S.H., 2015,‘An inventory of epigeal ants of the western Soutpansberg Mountain Range, South Africa’, Koedoe: African Protected Area Conservation and Science, 57, 1–12.

Nsengimana, V., Kaplin, B.A., Francis, F. & Nsabimana, D., 2017, ‘A comparative study between sampling methods for soil litter arthropods in conserved tree plots and banana crop plantations in Rwanda’, International Journal of Development and Sustainability, 6, 900–913, https://hdl.handle.net/2268/216095.

Ozanne, C.M.P., 2005, ‘Insect sampling in forest ecosystems, in S.R. Leather (ed.), From insect sampling in forest ecosystems, pp. 58–77, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK, http://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/39208/1/Simon%20R.%20Leather_2005.pdf.

Parr, C.L. & Chown, S.L., 2001, ‘Inventory and bioindicator sampling: Testing pitfall and Winkler methods with ants in a South African savanna’, Journal of Insect Conservation, 5, 27–36, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011311418962.

Patrick, M., Fowler, D., Dunn, R.R. & Sanders, N.J., 2012, ‘Effects of treefall gap disturbances on ant assemblages in a Tropical Montane Cloud Forest’, Biotropica, 44, 472–478, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7429.2012.00855.x.

Prasifka, J.R., Lopez, M.D., Hellmich, R.L., Lewis, L.C. & Dively, G.P., 2007, ‘Comparison of pitfall traps and litter bags for sampling ground-dwelling arthropods’, Journal of Applied Entomology, 131, 115–120, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0418.2006.01141.x.

Privet, K., Vedel, V., Fortune, C., Orivel, J., Martinez, Q., Cerdan, A., Baraloto, C. & Pétillon, J., 2020, ‘Relative efficiency of pitfall trapping vs. nocturnal hand collecting in assessing soil-dwelling spider diversity along a structural gradient of Neotropical habitats’, Diversity, 12, 1–11, https://doi.org/10.1080/01650521.2020.1806008.

Rejmánek, M. & Richardson, D.M., 2013, ‘Trees and shrubs as invasive alien species – 2013 update of the global database’, Diversity Distribution, 19, 1093–1094, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ddi.12075.

Robertson, M.P., Harris, K.R., Coetzee, J.A., Foxcroft, L.C., Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S. & Van Rensburg, B.J., 2011, ‘Assessing local scale impacts of Opuntia stricta (Cactaceae) invasion on beetle and spider diversity in Kruger National Park, South Africa’, African Zoology, 46(2), 205–223, https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2011.11407496.

R Core Team., 2017, R: A language and environment for statistical computing, R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria, https://www.R-project.org/.

Sheikh, A.H., Ganaie, G.A., Thomas, M., Bhandari, R. & Rather, Y.A., 2018, ‘Ant pitfall trap sampling: An overview’, Journal of Entomological Research, 42, 421–436, https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20183388873.

Siewers, J., Schirmel, J. & Buchholz, S., 2014, ’The efficiency of pitfall traps as a method of sampling epigeal arthropods in litter-rich forest habitats’, European Journal of Entomology, 111, 69–74, https://www.eje.cz/pdfs/eje/2014/01/08.pdf.

Silva, F.H.O., Delabie, J.H.C., Dos Santos, G.B., Meurer, E. & Marques, M.I., 2013, ‘Mini-Winkler extractor and pitfall trap as complementary methods to sample Formicida’, Neotropical Entomology, 42, 351–358, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-013-0131-7.

Sørensen, L.L., Coddington, J.A. & Scharff, N., 2002, ‘Inventorying and estimating sub-canopy spider diversity using semiquantitative sampling methods in an Afromontane forest’, Environmental Entomology, 31, 319–330, https://doi.org/10.1603/0046-225X-31.2.319.

Thayer, M. & Werner, W., 2007, ‘Terrestrial arthropod biodiversity: Planning a study and recommended sampling techniques’, Biological Survey of Canada, 1, 1–32.

Tourinho, L.S., Dias, S.C., Lo Man Hung, N.F., Bonaldo, A.B., Pinto-da-Rocha, R. & Baccaro, F.B., 2018, ‘Optimizing survey methods for spiders and harvestmen assemblages in an Amazonian upland forest’, Pedobiologia, 67, 35–44, https://doi.org/10.1101/093740.

Tuf, I.H., 2015, ‘Different collecting sampling methods reveal different ecological groups of centipedes (Chilopoda)’, Journal of Zoologia 32, 345–350, http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1984-46702015000500003.

Zou, Y., Feng, J., Xue, D., Sang, W. & Axmacher, J.C., 2012, ‘A comparison of terrestrial arthropod sampling methods’, Journal of Resource Ecology, 3, 174–182, http://www.jorae.cn/EN/10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x.2012.02.010.

Downloads

Published

2024-04-19

How to Cite

Lauchande, V., Mntambo, S., Hlongwane, Z., & Munyai, T. . C. (2024). Comparing the effectiveness of pitfall traps and active sampling methods for ants and spiders in a Chromolaena odorata invaded site. Bothalia, African Biodiversity & Conservation, 54(1). https://doi.org/10.38201/btha.abc.v54.5

Issue

Section

Original research, Reviews, Strategies, Case studies