Insects Aggregation is Environmental Dependent

This experiment was conducted at Danby Woods (York University) during the fall term of 2014. The used tools were sweeping net, a timer, two measuring tapes (each 25 meters), and data sheet. The researcher applied the measuring tape on the grass land starting with 20 meters and added 5 meters to every new trial till reaching 40 meters in the last trial. Also, the sweeping period was recorded and was set to start with 30 seconds and increase by a factor of 7.5 seconds in every trial gradually till reaching 1 minute. In this case, the increasing of time is equally linked to the increasing of the distance. Further, the condition of the grass was estimated on a scale of 1-5 to investigate the difference between each habitat. The trails were conducted in pairs and each pair was given a number (1-5) with respecting the distance enlargement. Further, each individual in a trail pair was given either letters (a) or (b). Never the less, in some regions some litters were found and documented as (**). Further, in the last trail a dead animal was encountered and indicated as (*). Finally, the number and the type of insects was documented to study the density of insects and if there is any connection between insects. This experiment was conducted at 3:30 and the temperature was 14 °C (according to the Weather Network app). Note 1: The researcher defined an insect as: a small arthropod animal that has many pairs of legs and generally one or two pairs of wings. Note 2: The insect identification was performed by using Insectidentification.org website and Insect Orders app (From GooglePlay store).

本实验于2014年秋季学期在约克大学丹比林地（Danby Woods）开展。所用实验工具包括扫网、计时器、两把25米长卷尺以及记录数据表。研究者在草地上铺设卷尺，初始长度为20米，每一轮实验递增5米，直至最后一轮达到40米。同时记录扫网时长，初始时长为30秒，每轮实验逐步递增7.5秒，最终达到1分钟。可见，扫网时长与铺设距离呈等比例递增关系。此外，研究者以1-5分的评分量表对草地生境状况进行评估，以探究不同生境间的差异。实验轮次以配对方式开展，每组配对轮次按距离递增顺序编号为1-5；同时，每对轮次中的两名参与者分别被标记为(a)或(b)。不过，部分区域发现了杂物，并以(**)进行标注记录。在最后一轮实验中发现一具动物尸体，以(*)进行标注。最终，研究人员记录了昆虫的数量与种类，以探究昆虫种群密度以及昆虫间的相互关联。本次实验于当日3:30开展，气温为14℃（数据来自Weather Network应用程序）。

注释1：本实验对昆虫的定义为：小型节肢动物，拥有多对足，通常具有1或2对翅。
注释2：昆虫鉴定工作依托Insectidentification.org网站以及Google Play应用商店上架的Insect Orders应用程序完成。