Moth Inventory at Canopy and Ground Level, Far North Queensland Rainforest SuperSite, Robson Creek, 2011

Moth are a hyper diverse and ecologically important group
and are good candidates as indicators for rapid categorisation
and monitoring of habitat quality and change. Moths have been
used as indicators in a variety of diferent terrestrial
ecosystems, such as rainforests, temperate forests and
agri-ecosystems. We sampled the moth assemblages at canopy and
ground level at five sites within a 25 ha plot, at Robson Creek,
Atherton. Two Pennsylvania light traps were run simultaneously
on each trapping night, with one trap at ground level and one in
the canopy. Vertical stratification of moth species, between the
ground and canopy levels, can result in distinct ground and
canopy fauna. Putting light traps at both the ground and canopy
ensured the widest sampling of moth diversity (Beck et al.,
2002). The preliminary results here are significant differences
in the moth assemblages at the canopy and ground levels. Further
analysis investigating the taxonomic composition of canopy and
ground assemblages is underway.