Ecology 2050-Lab 3-Sweep Net Study

This dataset was collected on October 2, 2014 at 4:00pm in cloudy, slighty drizzly conditions. A 25 metre transect was laid in a straight line in a randomly selected area of York University's Keele campus grassland. The researcher started at one end of the transect and using a sweet net, walked in a straight line along the measuring tape, swinging left to right in a figure-eight motion. Once the full 25 metres was swept, the researcher clamped the sweep net using one's hands to ensure none of the flying insects could escape before being recorded. The contents of the net were difficult to see due to the translucent nature of the bag, so the contents were then dumped on the ground and the researcher observed the insects, being sure to note any that may have flown away. The type of insects that were found in the net were recorded along with how many of each there were. This process was completed ten times in total using ten randomly selected areas of the grassland.